The Relationship Between the Order of Vitéz and the I.C.O.C.
- v. Balázs Róbert
- Jun 20
- 7 min read
Updated: Jun 28
What is the I.C.O.C., and does it bear any relevance to the Order of Vitéz?
To the average reader who does not regularly follow the activities of the Order of Vitéz or is not fully familiar with its historical development, it is likely that they have no awareness of what the I.C.O.C. might be.
The Founding of the I.C.O.C.
The International Commission for Orders of Chivalry (I.C.O.C.) was established on 21 August 1960, at the Fifth International Genealogical and Heraldic Congress in Stockholm. In 1962, it was formalised as a permanent body in Edinburgh. Its founder and president was Robert Gayre, who remained in that role until his death in 1996. The organisation’s registered seat is currently in Milan, with its secretariat located in San Marino.
What was the I.C.O.C.’s original purpose?
The I.C.O.C. is a privately founded organisation and is not officially accredited by any state. Its membership is composed predominantly of individuals, many of whom are recognised scholars in the fields of heraldry, genealogy, and phaleristics. Since 1999, the presidency has been held by Pier Felice degli Uberti. The organisation’s initial objective was to develop a reliable set of criteria to determine what constitutes a genuine chivalric order and to compile a dependable register of such orders; the first Register was published in 1964.
Scandals, Forgeries and Questions of Credibility
Despite its noble purpose of verifying the authenticity of chivalric orders, during the critical period from the 1960s to the 1990s, under the leadership of Robert Gayre and later Terence MacCarthy, the I.C.O.C. recognised several controversial or spurious orders whose legitimacy was later strongly disputed. The Commission’s impartiality was also called into question, as certain members and their associates received recognition, eventually leading to a decline in its credibility .
(source: infogalactic.com)
Between 1964 and 1999, during the tenures of Robert Gayre and Terence MacCarthy, partisan decisions and endorsements concerning the Order of Saint Lazarus and other contentious entities provoked acute conflicts among members.
MacCarthy attempted to bolster the legitimacy of these orders. As a result, several of their members and publications were subsequently withdrawn. The source notes that:
“…used the ICOC's influence to promote the claimed legitimacy of the Niadh Nask, and MacCarthy's fraudulent nobiliary claims.”
(source: historyireland.com)
In 1999, MacCarthy admitted that his familial background was false and resigned.
“…In July 1999, the falsity of Terence Francis MacCarthy's claims was discovered…and he resigned from the ICOC.”
(source: en.wikipedia.org)
“…The Sunday Times…found that his father was an ordinary working man…recognition withdrawn…he resigned the title.”
(source: Sunday Times)
After 1999, Uberti reorganised the body, removing the disputed orders, such as the Order of Saint Lazarus.
(source: en.wikipedia.org)
The legal continuity of the Order of Vitéz
Now that we can more clearly see the questionable credibility of the I.C.O.C., let us turn to how the I.C.O.C. is connected to the Order of Vitéz. In other words, can this connection be considered legal at all?
Historical retrospective
According to available sources, the Order of Vitéz was admitted to and registered with the I.C.O.C. in 1962. I would like to remind readers that in 1962 the Order of Vitéz could only operate in emigration, but despite this, at that time it was still unified and there were no internal splits among its members.
The Order’s admission to the I.C.O.C. was initiated and handled by its then Captain-General, vitéz Archduke Joseph of Habsburg–Lorraine, through his acquaintances within the body. Archduke Joseph styled himself as Grand Master before the I.C.O.C., although in reality he held the rank of Captain-General.
Archduke Joseph did not long enjoy his post, as he died in 1962. He was succeeded as Captain-General by Ferenc Farkas, who, in view of his age, resigned in 1977 (he died in 1980). Following his resignation, the Vitéz Council appointed Archduke Joseph’s grandson, vitéz Archduke József Árpád, as Captain-General. József Árpád, by virtue of that election, became the last Captain-General of the émigré branch of the Order of Vitéz.
As can be seen in the image above, the name of the then legitimate Grand Master (József Árpád von Habsburg) was listed in the ICOC Register of July 1998. The Order of Vitéz appeared under the name “The Knightly Order of Vitez.”
The next image below shows the ICOC Register issued in 2024. It is evident that the previously registered name of the Order of Vitéz has now been changed. Here, the originally registered name is no longer used. They are entirely and intentionally 'usurping' the legally protected name and coat of arms of the Hungarian continuity of the Order of Vitéz.
Moreover, the name of the Grand Master (The Captain General) listed here is falsely presented, as we know that after 1997, Vitéz István Tabódy, followed by Dr. Vitéz Miklós Bercsényi Kissároslak, was elected as the Grand Master of the Order of Vitéz in 2003.
József-Károly von Habsburg was never the Grand Master of the legally continuous Order of Vitéz.
A pivotal moment in the process of repatriating the Order of Vitéz occurred on 19 August 1991, when President Árpád Göncz received a delegation from the Order of Vitéz and held several hours of discussions with them. In that meeting, the conditions for the Order’s return to Hungary were established.
Within six months following that meeting, the Metropolitan Court of Budapest, in its ruling no. 6.Pk.68.060/01 dated 3 February 1992, registration no. 4227, entered the Order of Vitéz into the register.
After the return, in 1993 József Árpád adopted the title of Grand Master and appointed vitéz Antal Radnóczy as Captain-General. Over time, tensions accumulated after repatriation which had already been perceptible during the years in emigration. In 1997, owing to Radnóczy’s unseemly machinations involving his confidants, the united Vitéz Council dismissed Radnóczy and elected István Tabódy in his place as Captain-General. At that time, József Árpád sided with Radnóczy and voluntarily left the Order of Vitéz.
2003 was a pivotal year:
In 2003, Dr vitéz Miklós Bercsényi of Kissároslak succeeded Dr vitéz András Várhelyi as Captain-General. That year Antal Radnóczy died, and József Árpád reconsidered his position and withdrew the resignation he had submitted a few months earlier, as he intended to return to power. László Hunyadi then proclaimed himself a self-appointed Captain-General. The internal disagreements reached such a scale that, as a result, the Order of Vitéz split into three parts:
The legitimate, legally continuous Order of Vitéz under Dr vitéz Miklós Bercsényi of Kissároslak.
The “Habsburg” faction under vitéz Archduke József Árpád, later known as the I.C.O.C.-style Order of Vitéz.
Vitéz János Hunyadi founded the ‘Association of the Historic Order of Vitéz’.
Were these events communicated to the leadership of the I.C.O.C.?
That is a legitimate question. From what has been described above, it is clear that as a consequence of the schism, a legally continuous Order of Vitéz (whose Captain-General in 2025 is vitéz Count János Molnár–Gazsó) and two club-like entities emerged. Our focus here is on the association led by the grandson of vitéz Archduke József Árpád, József Károly. We may refer to this association today as the “I.C.O.C.-style” Order of Vitéz.
Why Sweden?
We know from numerous writings that this association was registered in Sweden. Presumably, no one there cared that a genuine, original Order of Vitéz already existed in Hungary under that name, so they registered it under the name of a private individual. (I would merely add in passing that Regent Miklós Horthy explicitly forbade the reorganisation of the Order of Vitéz abroad shortly before his death. In my humble opinion, registering it abroad constitutes a breach of that prohibition.)
Coincidence?
Let us recall where the I.C.O.C. itself was founded in 1960? Yes, indeed, also in Sweden. Nevertheless, let us not be overly suspicious.
Now that we have clarified the circumstances, we have learnt what the I.C.O.C. is, and how the history and legal continuity of the Order of Vitéz has unfolded. (For more: HERE)
Let us move on to why the idea for this article arose.
To whom, in fact, does I.C.O.C. membership belong?
We know that the Order of Vitéz was registered with the I.C.O.C. in 1962. At that time the Order was secretly operating in emigration and could be considered united, meaning there was no internal division. I believe that, in the absence of differing agreements or written accords, that registration belongs to the legitimate and legally continuous Order of Vitéz, irrespective of who and by what connections handled the Order’s admission 63 years ago.
I understand that 63 years is a long time and that leadership has since changed everywhere, but that is precisely the point of the purpose of the I.C.O.C.: it was created to maintain a rigorously verified database, where every piece of data is accurate and truly verified. Or is it not?
Does it even matter?
One might say it is not worth mentioning, since the I.C.O.C. is not an accredited body, and more importantly, in Hungary anyone who has even a slight interest in the subject knows the real history of the Order of Vitéz and cares little for what is thought abroad, since most foreign people have no notion of Hungarian history. The reason I still say it is worth raising a voice in this matter is the defence of truth and historical fidelity.
Beware! They are forging.
The ‘Habsburg’ association not only monopolises the name and coat of arms of the Order of Vitéz, but in 2019 they created a counterfeit website. Unfortunately for them, the domain name “vitezirend.com” has been taken since 1992, as this is the official website of the genuine Order of Vitéz, so they produced a forgery beside it, a hyphenated copy named “vitezi-rend.com”.
After arrogantly claiming I.C.O.C. membership on the grounds that their acquaintance once handled it, and then boasting that they are the only internationally recognised Order of Vitéz—recognised by whom? In Hungary certainly no one recognises them, as innumerable court rulings have stated the contrary. In my opinion, this is not a matter of acquaintances or friends, but rather of honour and integrity.
Conclusion:
The 1962 admission is officially the rightful inheritance of the continuously legitimate Order of Vitéz, unless history repeats itself in light of the activities of the Robert Gayre and Terence MacCarthy duo between 1960 and 1990.
Author: v. Robert Balazs, sergeant
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