Orders, Decorations, And Medals Of Imperial Germany
Orders, decorations, and medals of the German Empire covers those decorations awarded by the states which came together under Prussian leadership to form the German Empire in 1871. For convenience's sake, this category also covers the decorations of the various German states which were no longer in existence in 1871, mainly because they had been annexed by Prussia during the Unification of Germany, Wars of Unification or before. German Empire The German Empire States of the German Empire, consisted of 25 states: four monarchy, kingdoms, six grand duchy, grand duchies, five duchy, duchies, seven principality, principalities and three Hanseatic League, Hanseatic cities. In addition, the house order of the Hohenzollern principalities, although the states themselves had been annexed by Prussia, continued to be awarded in the imperial era. Each state awarded decorations for civil or military merit. The following is a list of the principal civil and military decorations of each state. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Alsen Cross
The Alsen Cross (german: Alsenkreuz) was a Orders,_decorations,_and_medals_of_Imperial_Germany#Kingdom_of_Prussia, military medal of the Kingdom of Prussia. Established 7 December 1864, the medal commemorates the Prussian victory on 29 June 1864 during the Battle of Alsen. The medal was initially awarded with two different suspension ribbons, for combatants and noncombatants. It was subsequently extended to those troops held in reserve at the battle and members of the Johanniter Orden who participated in the battle. References External links *{{cite web, title=Alsen-Kreuz Alsen Cross, url=http://antique-photos.com/en/awardsdatabase/german-empire/prussia/297-alsen-cross.html, publisher=Antique Photos, accessdate=19 January 2015 Military awards and decorations of Prussia 1864 establishments in Prussia Awards established in 1864 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary empire led by an emperor, although has been used in German to denote the Roman Empire because it had a weak hereditary tradition. In the case of the German Empire, the official name was , which is properly translated as "German Empire" because the official position of head of state in the constitution of the German Empire was officially a "presidency" of a confederation of German states led by the King of Prussia who would assume "the title of German Emperor" as referring to the German people, but was not emperor of Germany as in an emperor of a state. –The German Empire" ''Harper's New Monthly Magazine''. vol. 63, issue 376, pp. 591–603; here p. 593. also referred to as Imperial Germany, the Second Reich, as well as simply Germany, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lifesaving Medal (Prussia)
The Lifesaving Medal (german: Rettungsmedaille am Band) was a civil decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia. Established 1 February 1833, it was awarded to individuals who had saved another person's life, at risk to their own. This medal is referred to as the ''Lifesaving Medal on Band'' to differentiate it from a previous non-portable award established in 1802. Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ... received it for rescuing a drowning man. References {{Orders and decorations of the Kingdom of Prussia Orders, decorations, and medals of Prussia 1833 establishments in Prussia Awards established in 1833 Lifesaving ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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War Commemorative Medal Of 1813/15
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular or irregular military forces. Warfare refers to the common activities and characteristics of types of war, or of wars in general. Total war is warfare that is not restricted to purely legitimate military targets, and can result in massive civilian or other non-combatant suffering and casualties. While some war studies scholars consider war a universal and ancestral aspect of human nature, others argue it is a result of specific socio-cultural, economic or ecological circumstances. Etymology The English word ''war'' derives from the 11th-century Old English words ''wyrre'' and ''werre'', from Old French ''werre'' (also ''guerre'' as in modern French), in turn from the Frankish *''werra'', ultimately deriving from the Proto-Germanic *''we ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Warrior Merit Medal (Prussia)
Military decoration of Prussian Army The Warrior Merit Medal (german: Krieger-Verdienstmedaille) was a military decoration of Prussia. Established by Friedrich Wilhelm III, it was primarily awarded to troops not in Prussian Army military service. The first recipients were members of the Imperial Guard grenadier company guarding the Russian imperial residence during Friedrich Whilhelm's visit to St. Petersburg in 1835. Appearance Both versions of the medal are circular and silver, 25 mm in diameter. The first version depicts the crowned cypher of Friedrich Wilhelm III on the obverse of the medal. The reverse bears the inscription ''KRIEGER VERDIENST'' (Warrior Merit) surrounded by a wreath of two laurel sprigs, tied at its base with a bow. The medal is suspended by a ring suspension and hangs from the ribbon of the Order of the Red Eagle. The later version of the medal depicts the crowned cipher of King Wilhelm I William I or Wilhelm I (german: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Duppel Storm Cross
The Düppel Storm Cross (german: Düppeler-Sturmkreuz) was a military medal of the Kingdom of Prussia. The cross was awarded to Prussian participants in the Battle of Dybbøl (''Düppeler Schanzen'') which took place on 18 April 1864, during the Second Schleswig War. Established by William I, German Emperor, Wilhelm, King of Prussia on 18 October 1864, the cross was initially awarded to combatants and noncombatants who directly participated in the battle. The following year, versions were created for those troops held in reserve at the battle and members of the Johanniter Orden who participated in the battle. Appearance Medal The Düppel Storm Cross was designed by Friedrich Wilhelm Kullrich, a Prussian court medalist. It was the first of three commemorative crosses awarded during the 1860s with similar designs. The medal is in the shape of a cross pattée. Visible between the arms of the cross is a laurel wreath. Superimposed in the center of the cross is a round medallion. On the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Merit Cross For War Aid
The Merit Cross for War Aid (german: Verdienstkreuz für Kriegshilfe) was a war decoration of Prussia awarded during World War I. Instituted 5 December 1916, the cross was awarded for patriotic war aid service, without regard to status or rank. Appearance The Merit Cross for War Aid is in the shape of a Maltese cross, typically found made of blackened ''Kriegsmetall'' alloy. The obverse of the cross bears a circular central medallion with the crowned cipher of King Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empir .... On the reverse the central medallion is inscribed ''FÜR KRIEGS-HILFSDIENST'' (For War Aid Merit) above an oak wreath. To the upper arm is attached a loop for suspension from its ribbon. References {{Orders and decorations of the Kingdom of Prussia Mili ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Military Honor Medal
The Military Honor Medal (german: Militär-Ehrenzeichen) was a two-class military decoration awarded by the Kingdom of Prussia. The medal was awarded to military personnel from the rank of sergeant and below. Established in 1814, it replaced the Gold Military Merit Medal of 1806 (Goldene Militär-Verdienstmedaille), with a medal in the shape of a cross silver cross for the 1st class while the Silver Military Medal of 1806 (Silberne Militär-Verdienstmedaille) became the 2nd class with minor changes in design. Initial award criteria meant that in order to be awarded the 1st Class cross a recipient must have been awarded the 2nd Class medal first, much like the requirements for the General Honor Decoration. The Military Honor Medal and General Honor Decoration developed in a side-by-side manner in their first years of award. They utilized the same cross and medal for their first few years until the General Honor Decoration, 1st Class became the 4th Class of the Order of the Red E ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Military Merit Cross (Prussia)
The Military Merit Cross (German: ''Militär-Verdienstkreuz'') was the highest bravery award of the Kingdom of Prussia for non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers. It was also known as the Golden Military Merit Cross (''Goldenes Militär-Verdienstkreuz'') to distinguish it from the Military Decoration 1st Class (''Militär-Ehrenzeichen I. Klasse''), a lesser Prussian enlisted bravery decoration which was an identical cross but in silver. The Military Merit Cross came to also be known as the "Pour le Mérite for non-commissioned officers and enlisted men" (''Orden Pour le Mérite für Unteroffiziere und Mannschaften''), after the Pour le Mérite, Prussia's highest military decoration for officers. The Military Merit Cross was founded by King Wilhelm I of Prussia on February 27, 1864. It was originally reserved for those in the rank of ''Feldwebel'' (the then-highest NCO grade) and below, but eligibility was later extended to soldiers in the rank of ''Offizier-Stellvertret ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia established it on 17 March 1813 during the Napoleonic Wars (EK 1813). The award was backdated to the birthday (10 March) of his late wife, Queen Louise. Louise was the first person to receive this decoration (posthumously). Recommissioned Iron Cross was also awarded during the Franco-Prussian War (EK 1870), World War I (EK 1914), and World War II (EK 1939). During the 1930s and World War II, the Nazi regime superimposed a swastika on the traditional medal. The Iron Cross was usually a military decoration only, though there were instances awarded to civilians for performing military functions, including Hanna Reitsch, who received the Iron Cross, 2nd class, and Iron Cross, 1st Class, and Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, who received ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cross Of The Mount Of Olives
The Cross of the Mount of Olives (german: Ölberg-Kreuz) was a Prussian award which was founded on 24 December 1909, by the Prussian Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia as a decoration to commemorate the foundation of a hospital, the ''Kaiserin Auguste Victoria-Stiftung'' (literally, "Empress Augusta Victoria Foundation, better known today as Augusta Victoria Hospital) on the Biblical Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. His very devout mother, Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, was fond of charitable works and built several churches. Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany and his wife, Auguste Victoria, had visited Jerusalem in 1898. They had pledged to build a hospital for Christian pilgrims suffering from malaria. On 27 January 1907, the entire imperial family, both parents and all their seven children, signed the charter of the ''Ölbergstiftung''. The foundation stone was laid in that same year. The Cross of the Mount of Olives was awarded to gentleman and ladies who contributed to the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jerusalem Cross (Prussia)
The Jerusalem Cross or Jerusalem Memorial Cross (german: Jerusalem-Kreuz; ''Jerusalem-Erinnerungskreuz'') was a decoration of Prussia established 31 October 1898. The cross was awarded to those who traveled with Emperor Wilhelm II on his 1898 visit to Palestine and attended the inauguration of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem. Insignia The Jerusalem Cross is made in the shape of the Jerusalem cross. The cross consists of a large cross portent with four plain crosslets between the arms. The crosses are red enameled with silver-gilt borders. In the center of the cross is a round gold colored medallion. The obverse side, the medallion depicts the Imperial Crown of the Prussian German Emperor surmounting the letters ''IR'' (''Imperator Rex'') over the royal cypher of a stylized ''W II''. The reverse of the medallion bears the date 31 October 1898. This date is depicted using a large Roman numeral X in the center for October, and a small Roman numeral XXXI at the top. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |