the Order of Vitéz
(Habsburg ring)
Róbert Mórocz
His full unofficial name is Vitéz (knight, hero) John Róbert Maria, a descendant of Mórocz de Nagyabony family, was born in 1985 in Bratislava (Pozsony) to parents Róbert Mórocz and Katarína Fialová. Róbert is the great-grandson of Vitéz Andreas Mórocz de Nagyabony, a nobleman from Žitný island. András was from the ancient noble family of Mórocz of Nagyabony (born in Eperjes, Jahodná) and a hero from the First World War. He was knighted and the member of The Order of Vitéz during the period of the Kingdom of Hungary. His great-grandson is the current continuer of the bloodline. The designation "Vitéz" (hero, warrior, knight) is as old as the Kingdom of Hungary itself. He was knighted in Máriapócs (Hungary) by Joseph Charles of Habsburg-Lorraine, Archduke of Austria and Royal Prince of Hungary from the Palatine branch of Habsburg family in 2022. Many nobles and members of the Habsburg-Lorraine family themselves were and are members of this old order. The order also includes prominent members in addition to members of our former royal family, such as: the Prince of Albania, the King of Rwanda, the Prince of Ethiopia, the Duke of Braganza (claimant for the Portuguese throne) and Prince Hohenlohe-Langenburg. From the noble families these include for example: the Marquis Pallavicini, Count Batthyany, Teleki, Zichy, Festetics, Ujlaky, degli Uberti (count of the legendary Casale Monferrato), Baron Tunkel, Riedel and many others. Robert received a diploma confirming his noble origin (nobilis, nemes) and the heraldic commission recognized the coat of arms of his ancestors at the same time. The coat of arms was digitized by the chief herald and the insignia of the Order of Vitéz was added as confirmation of membership in this order.
Robert says „Mórocz family (at least my line) still feel a certain loyalty to our former royal family today and I am very happy to be part of a community that is under the patronage of this still highly respected and influential family in Europe.“
The Order of Vitéz
The Order of Vitéz was built on the foundations of almost a thousand years of Hungarian history. Even the chieftain of the Hungarian tribes, Árpád, referred to himself as "Vitéz". The word "Vitéz" can be translated as warrior, hero or knight. Count Emery Thököly de Késmárk bestowed the title "Vitéz" and land on his most valiant warriors in the 17th century. Eventually, this acquired nobility was recognized by the Habsburgs themselves. This is explaining why they are the patrons of the order today. The hereditary Order of the Vitéz was founded (restored) on these foundations by the regent of the Kingdom of Hungary, Vitéz Miklós Horthy de Nagybány in 1920. The regent wanted to revive the ideas of the old knightly times built on Hungarian tradition and reward the bravest. The Order of Vitéz was a community of true warriors and heroes. The condition for admission to the order was to obtain at least a small (silver or bronze) medal for bravery (Vitézségi Érem) from the "Great War". However, obtaining this medal did not guarantee admission to the order, as it was only a minimum requirement. It was valued when the applicant obtained a medal for bravery of the first class. Admission to the order was in the form of knighted and the grant of land was also associated. Knighthood was hereditary and passed to the eldest son. The order is under the patronage of the Habsburg-Lorraine House and is among the most respected knightly organizations in the world today. The legitimate Order of Vitéz is a legal entity within the European Union, registered in the Kingdom of Sweden, proudly and confidently standing on traditional European Christian values, it is an internationally recognized and highly respected ideological community. The Order of Vitéz is headed by Archduke Joseph Charles of Habsburg-Lorraine, Crown Prince of Hungary. Archduke Joseph-Augustus of Habsburg-Lorraine became the first knight of the renewed Order of Vitéz in 1920. The Order of Vitéz believes in the highest importance of the most fundamental values of religion, nation and family. The Order is based on the Christian faith (an important principle of the House of Habsburg) and encourages a life with the highest ethical values. It is based on conservative principles and does not participate in modern politics.
Why de Nagyabony?
The Members of Mórocz de Nagyabony family were co-owners and large landowners of the village of Veľké Blahovo (nagyabonyi közbirtokosok), therefore they wrote the predicate "de Nagyabony" (from Veľké Blahovo). The predicate clearly defined and allowed the identification of the members of the family. Veľké Blahovo is one of the oldest villages in the region "Csallóköz". The first mention dates back to 1162. It was a noble village that joined the Végvár system and played an important military role by ensuring continuous defensive readiness against the Turks. For the excellent fulfillment of these tasks and bravery, the Mórocz family was awarded the motif of a sword and an armored arm in their coat of arms. Mórocz family belongs to the oldest documented families in the "Csallóköz" region, as their ancestors are mentioned with the title "nobilis" as early as the end of the 13th century. They used the predicate "de Mórocz-Karcsa" at that time. The first mentions of their presence in the village of Nagyabony date back to the 15th century, but they received the property confirmed by royal donation by Ferdinand III in 1641. They acquired or sued for several manors, fields, forests, or meadows in the Veľké Bláhovo area or in adjacent villages in the following years. Some members of the family moved to the nearby village of Eperjes (Jahodná) at the beginning of the 18th century, where they created the so-called Eperjes branch of the family. Members of this branch were recorded in documents as noble Eperjes landlords.
in battles with the Turks
Origin of the surname Morocz
Mórocz family proudly claim to have a warlike Pecheneg origin. It must be said that the form of the name Morocz is already a Hungarianized version. The original form was Moroch or Moruch, the Latin form of Mauritius. It was a first name that was used in the nomadic Pecheneg tribe, who came to Hungary in the middle of the 11th century. The Hungarian kings used them to guard the borders, as they were excellent warriors. They were mainly settled in the northeastern part of Hungary, today's territory of southwestern Slovakia and northwestern Hungary. The ancestors of Mórocz de Nagyabony family settled on Žitný island in the Karcsa area. They came from the old family "Karcsay" from which Mauritius came. The first documented direct ancestor from the 13th century was John de Moroch Karcsa son of Moroch (Mauritius), a conditional nobles (predialist) of the archbishopric of Esztergom and a landowner of village by name Móroczkarcsa. His son Jacob de Moroch Karcsa was the first royal nobleman (nobilis) and landowner (comes). This first name was first used as a predicate and during the 15th century it also began to be used as a surname in the form Morocz. It first appears in a diploma from 1458 in the form of Andreas Morocz de Morocz-Karcsa.
Coat of arms of the family in the catalog of coats of arms (Siebmacher) from 1895
video 1: The ceremonial of knighted
Granting of the coat of arms by Emperor Ferdinand III.
video 2: The ceremonial of knighted
Diploma awarded to Andreas Mórocz in 1942
