Cross of Liberty
The Estonian Cross of Liberty (Vabadusrist) is a military decoration established by the Prime Minister of Estonia, Konstantin Päts, on 24 February 1919 to honor the people for their services during the Estonian War of Independence. The Estonian Cross of Liberty has three divisions, each in three classes. Division I was granted for military leadership, division II for personal courage and division III for civilian services.
Cross of Liberty

Borodun talk · Self-photographed · Public domain
- Name
- Estonian Cross of Liberty
- Period
- 1919
- Region
- Estonia
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Documentary summary
The Estonian Cross of Liberty (Vabadusrist) is a military decoration established by the Prime Minister of Estonia, Konstantin Päts, on 24 February 1919 to honor the people for their services during the Estonian War of Independence. The Estonian Cross of Liberty has three divisions, each in three classes. Division I was granted for military leadership, division II for personal courage and division III for civilian services.
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Anja Ignatius
Person
Salmenhaara, Erkki: Suomen musiikin historia 3, p. 525. (Helsinki 1996.)

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Arvi Pohjanpää
Author
Teatterimaailma , issue 1/1937, page 6

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Arvid Mörne
Author
Lennart Husén et al.: Högstadiesvenska. Litteratur för mig. Litteraturorientering och antologi. Esbo 1985.

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Aulikki Rautawaara
Person
Sibelius Museums archive ( https://www.finna.fi/Record/sibelius.769FABA079C745D48CAE95EEEAFDA992?sid=4048713188 )
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Aulis Blomstedt
Designer

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David Lloyd George
Author
Library of Congress Catalog: https://lccn.loc.gov/2014704601 Image download: https://cdn.loc.gov/service/pnp/ggbain/24400/24417v.jpg Original url: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2014704601/ Flickr:

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Eero Nelimarkka
Artist
http://www.finna.fi/thumbnail.php?id=musketti.M012%3AHK6302%3A24 size=large Image record page in Finna: musketti.M012%3AHK6302%3A24 Image record page in Finna: museovirasto.CF60A841D61907B60CAA97FD4D2

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Elsi Borg
Designer
Own work
Located In · outgoing
Estonia
Place

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Georg Malmstén
Person
Warsell, Sakari: Georg Malmsten – suomen iskelmäkuningas .

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Gustaf Hallström
Photographer
Uppsala universitetsbibliotek

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Hannu Leminen
Person
Suomalaisen elokuvan vuosikymmenet : johdatus kotimaisen elokuvan ja elokuva-alan historiaan 1896-1963 / Kari Uusitalo, Helsinki : Otava, 1965, picture gallery of Finnish film makers

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Jalmari Ruokokoski
Artist
https://finna.fi/Record/muistaja_hyvinkaa.M011-13919 (cropped, white balanced) Image record in Finna: hyvinkaa_mui.mui-25499

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Martti Haavio
Author
https://finna.fi/Record/musketti.M012:HK19670603:16215 https://finna.fi/Cover/Show?id=musketti.M012%3AHK19670603%3A16215 index=0 size=large Image record page in Finna: museovirasto.3A7D43B8ED279D913DA
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Matti Aarnio
Author

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Otto-Iivari Meurman
Designer
Astikainen, Riitta; Heiskanen, Riitta Kaikkonen, Raija: Elämää lähiössä. Sulkava: Sanoma Oy, 1997. ISBN 951-97555-4-3 . (Väestöliiton arkisto)
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q1454361
In this article
Overview
Overview
The division and class of the Estonian Cross of Liberty is usually added to the name of the recipient in the form of post-nominal letters. The 1st class of the II division of the Estonian Cross of Liberty was never granted. Although still mentioned in the list of Estonian state decorations by the president of the republic, the bestowal of the Estonian Cross of Liberty was terminated on 19 June 1925. The last surviving recipient of the Estonian Cross of Liberty was Karl Jaanus VR II/3, who died on 6 October 2000. The Estonian War of Independence Victory Column in Tallinn, unveiled in 2009, is modelled according to the Estonian Cross of Liberty.
Recorded constituent parts are Cross of Liberty 1st Division, 1st Class, Cross of Liberty 1st Division, 2nd Class, Cross of Liberty 1st Division, 3rd Class and Cross of Liberty 2nd Division, 1st Class. It is associated with Estonia. The record gives 1919 as its date of establishment or first appearance. It forms part of Cross of Liberty 1st Division, 1st Class and Cross of Liberty 1st Division, 2nd Class.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Estonian Cross of Liberty • Type — Military decoration • Awarded For — Recognition for services during the Estonian War of Independence • Status — No longer awarded • Post Nominals — VR I/1 VR I/2 VR I/3 Military Leadership VR II/1 VR II/2 VR II/3 Personal Courage VR III/1 VR III/2 VR III/3 Civilian Services • Established — Estonian War of Independence • Firstawarded — 24 February 1919 • Lastawarded — 19 June 1925 • Total Awarded — 3156 • Higher — None • Same — Order of the National Coat of Arms • Lower — Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana • Image2 — Cross of Liberty for Military Leadership, Division I Cross of Liberty for Personal Courage, Division II Cross of Liberty for Civilian Service, Division III
Design
Design
The designer of the Estonian Cross of Liberty was a famous Estonian artist Peet Aren. He used the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order (hochmeister's) cross as the basis for the shape of the Estonian Cross of Liberty.
Notable recipients of the Estonian Cross of Liberty
Notable recipients of the Estonian Cross of Liberty
• The British Unknown Warrior VR I/1 • The French Unknown Soldier VR I/1 • The Italian Unknown Soldier VR I/1 • The city of Verdun VR I/1 • Carl Aejemelaeus VR III/2 • Eduard Ahman VR I/3 • Albert I of Belgium VR I/1 • Edwyn Alexander-Sinclair VR I/1 • Jānis Balodis VR I/1 • David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty VR I/1 • Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley VR III/1 • Arthur Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour VR III/1 • Krišjānis Berķis VR I/2 • Richard Gustav Borgelin, VR I/2 and II/3 • Herbert Brede VR I/2 • Aristide Briand VR III/1 • William Clive Bridgeman, 1st Viscount Bridgeman VR III/1 • Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan VR I/1 • Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood VR III/1 • Sir Austen Chamberlain VR III/1 • Christian X of Denmark VR I/1 • Sir Winston Churchill VR I/1 • Georges Clemenceau VR III/1 • Walter Cowan VR I/1 • Armando Diaz, 1st Duke of the Victory VR I/1 • Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki VR I/2 • Gaston Doumergue VR III/1 • Eric Drummond, 16th Earl of Perth VR III/1 • Martin Ekström VR I/1 and VR II/3 • Carl Enckell VR III/1 • Rafael Erich VR III/1 • The Rt. Hon. Herbert Fisher VR III/1 • Ferdinand Foch VR I/1 • Pietro Gasparri VR III/1 • George V of the United Kingdom VR I/1 • Sir Hubert Gough VR I/1 • Gustaf V of Sweden VR III/1 • Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig VR I/1 • Józef Haller VR I/2 • Sir John Hanbury-Williams VR III/1 • Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst VR III/1 • Otto Heinze VR I/2, VR II/3 • Miklós Horthy VR III/1 • Esme Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Penrith VR III/1 • Anton Irv VR I/2, VR II/2 and VR II/3 • Karl Jaanus VR II/3 • Gustav Jonson I/3 and II/2 • Kyösti Kallio VR III/1 and I/2 • Hans Kalm VR I/1 and VR II/3 • Hugo Kauler VR I/2 • Max Kennedy Horton VR I/2 • Lauri Kettunen VR III/2 • Julius Kuperjanov VR I/2, VR II/2 and II/3 • Friedrich Kurg, VR II/3 • Ants Kurvits VR I/2 • Johan Laidoner VR I/1 and III/1 • Andres Larka VR I/1 • Jaan Lepp VR II/2 and VR II/3 • Eduards Kalniņš I/2 • Hans Leesment VR III/2 • David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor VR III/1 • Karl Menning VR III/2 • Harri Moora VR II/3 • Benito Mussolini VR III/1 • Johannes Orasmaa VR I/2 and II/3 • Anton Õunapuu VR II/3 • Konstantin Päts VR I/1 and III/1 • Voldemar Päts VR III/2 • Paul Painlevé VR III/1 • Karl Parts VR I/1, II/2 and II/3 • Philippe Pétain VR I/1 • Józef Piłsudski VR I/1 and III/1 • Johan Pitka VR I/1 • Jaan Poska VR III/1 • Ernst Põdder VR I/1 • Konstantin Päts VR I/1 and III/1 • Viktor Puskar VR I/1 • Nikolai Reek VR I/2, II/2 and II/3 • August Rei VR III/1 • Rudolf Riives VR II/3 • Tõnis Rotberg VR I/2 • Theodor Rõuk VR I/2 • Count Tadeusz Rozwadowski VR I/2 • Edward Ryan VR I/2 • Conte Carlo Sforza VR III/1 • Władysław Sikorski VR III/1 • Karl-Johannes Soonpää VR II/3 • Jaan Soots VR I/1 • Kazimierz Sosnkowski VR I/2 • Otto Strandman VR III/1 • Stanisław Szeptycki VR I/2 • Otto Tief VR II/3 • Aleksander Tõnisson VR I/2 • William George Tyrrell, 1st Baron Tyrrell VR III/1 • Kārlis Ulmanis VR III/1 • Victor Emmanuel III of Italy VR III/1 • Aleksander Warma VR I/3 • Rosslyn Erskine-Wemyss, 1st Baron Wester Wemyss VR I/1 • Maxime Weygand VR I/1 • Werner Zoege von Manteuffel VR I/2
Chronology
Dated record
Chronology
Explore 1919
The full dated record · 3 entries
1919
Cross of Liberty first recorded.
1919
Cross of Liberty is recorded from 1919.
1919
Cross of Liberty was established or created on 24 February 1919.
Primary material
Context
The circumstances in which Cross of Liberty stands. Established or created on 24 February 1919. Recorded as military decoration. Situated in Estonia.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Estonian State Decorations, President of the Republic of Estonia. Retrieved 2011-01-22
- 2.Estonian State Decorations, President of the Republic of Estonia. Retrieved 2011-01-22
- 3.Hannes Walter. Eesti teenetemärgid. Tallinn 1998.
References
Citations
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Distinctions
1- Jalmari RuokokoskiArtist
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
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Cross of Liberty is connected to 20 other published records in the VALÉORINE Encyclopedia.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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