Milan Rastislav Štefánik
Milan Rastislav Štefánik | |
|---|---|
| 1st Minister of War of Czechoslovakia | |
| In office 29 October 1918 – 4 May 1919 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 July 1880 Kosaras, Nyitra County, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary (now Slovakia) |
| Died | 4 May 1919 (aged 38) Ivanka pri Dunaji, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) |
| Resting place | Brezová pod Bradlom, Slovakia |
| Occupation | Military, astronomer, mathematician, aircraft pilot, meteorologist |
| Awards | Légion d'honneur Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France) Medal for the War Wounded(France) War Merit Cross (Italy) Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Order of Saint Vladimir Czechoslovak War Cross 1918 Order of the White Lion |
Milan Rastislav Štefánik (Slovak: [ˈmilan ˈrascislaw ˈʂcefaːɲik] ⓘ; 21 July 1880 – 4 May 1919) was a Slovak politician, diplomat, aviator and astronomer. During World War I, he served at the same time as a general in the French Army and as Minister of War for Czechoslovakia. As one of the leading members of the Czechoslovak National Council (the resistance government), he contributed decisively to the cause of Czechoslovak sovereignty, since the status of Czech- and Slovak-populated territories was one of those in question until shortly before the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in 1918.
His personal motto was "To Believe, To Love, To Work" (Veriť, milovať, pracovať).