The Imperial and Royal Order of Wilhelm (''
in English'' "William-Order") was instituted on 18 January 1896 by the
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 ...
and King of Prussia
Willhelm II as a high civilian award, and was dedicated to the memory of his grandfather Emperor
William I
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...
"the Great".
Insignia
The insignia of the Order consisted of a golden
medal
A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...
with the portrait of William I, surrounded by a golden wreath and suspended from a heavy golden collar. This collar with a weight of 222 grams bore the words ''WIRKE IM ANDENKEN AN KAISER WILHELM DEN GROSSEN'' (English: "Work in the memory of Emperor William the Great") and was designed by the jewellers Emil Weigand and Otto Schultz.
List of recipients
The order was very exclusive. One of the first to be decorated was
Otto von Bismarck. Also among the recipients were:
*
Heinrich von Stephan
Ernst Heinrich Wilhelm von Stephan (born Heinrich Stephan, January 7, 1831 – April 8, 1897) was a general post director-general, director for the German Empire who reorganized the German Postal administration, postal service. He was integral i ...
, General Post Director - ''1896''.
*
Count Arthur von Posadowsky-Wehner, politician - ''27 January 1900'' - on the occasion of the Emperor´s birthday.
*
Princess Marie Elisabeth of Saxe-Meiningen
Princess Marie Elisabeth of Saxe-Meiningen (23 September 1853 – 22 February 1923) was the only daughter of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, by his first wife, Princess Charlotte of Prussia. She was notable as a musician and composer. One o ...
, musician and composer - ''28 August 1913'' - the last recipient of the Order.
See also
There are other decorations with this or a similar name:
*The highest decoration for valour in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
is the
Military Order of William
The Military William Order, or often named Military Order of William (Dutch: , abbreviation: MWO), is the oldest and highest honour of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is named after St. William of Gellone (755–814), the first Prince of Oran ...
(1815)
*The elector of
Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, was a state in the Holy Roman Empire that was directly subject to the Emperor. The state was created in 1567 when the Lan ...
(or Hesse-Cassel) instituted a "
Wilhelmsorden" in 1851 in honor of
Friedrich Wilhelm I of Hesse.
References
External links
*Picture o
{{Orders and decorations of the Kingdom of Prussia
Orders, decorations, and medals of Prussia
Orders of chivalry of Germany
Awards established in 1896
1896 establishments in Prussia
Wilhelm II, German Emperor
William I, German Emperor