The Cross of Merit for Women and Girls (''Ehrenkreuz für Frauen und Jungfrauen'') was created on 22 March 1871 by

Kaiser Wilhelm I William I or Wilhelm I (german: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 2 January 1861 and German Emperor from 18 January 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the f ...

German Emperor The German Emperor (german: Deutscher Kaiser, ) was the official title of the head of state and hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was introduced with the 1 January 1871 constitution and lasted until the offi ...

, in his capacity as

King of Prussia The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman C ...

. The award was presented only to women, but was not a

Ladies Order Orders of chivalry for women, orders of knighthood for women or ladies orders are orders of chivalry reserved solely for women. These knighthoods for women made their first appearance in 1600, and have been less numerous than traditional knightho ...

in the most narrow sense. Women and girls were awarded at the request of Empress Augusta, and the award was bestowed by the

Kaiser ''Kaiser'' is the German word for "emperor" (female Kaiserin). In general, the German title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (''König''). In English, the (untranslated) word ''Kaiser'' is mainly ap ...

Description of the award

The appearance and shape is very similar to the

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 est ...

, but on the obverse at the junction of the arms is an emblem of the

Red cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

. On the reverse there is the royal crown above the intertwined monograms "A" and "W" and the date of 1870–1871. The cross was worn from suspended by a bow on the left chest. The ribbon is the same as that of the Iron Cross for

Non-combatant Non-combatant is a term of art in the law of war and international humanitarian law to refer to civilians who are not taking a direct part in hostilities; persons, such as combat medics and military chaplains, who are members of the belligerent ...

s, white with black stripes at the edge.

Recipients

26 June 1871: Princess Louis of Hesse and by Rhine 1871: Countess Hedwig von Rittberg

References

* Maximilian Gritzner: Handbuch der Ritter- und Verdienstorden aller Kulturstaaten der Welt. Weber, Leipzig 1893 (Nachdruck: Reprint-Verlag Leipzig, Holzminden 2000, ). {{Orders and decorations of the Kingdom of Prussia Orders of chivalry for women Orders of chivalry of Germany Kingdom of Prussia Orders, decorations, and medals of Prussia 1871 establishments in Germany Awards established in 1871 Awards honoring women