Orders, decorations, and medals of the German Empire

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 Wars of Unification or before.

German Empire

The German Empire consisted of 25 states: four kingdoms, six grand duchies, five duchies, seven principalities and three 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.

Kingdom of Prussia

Orders

• Order of the Black Eagle
• Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown
• Order of the Red Eagle
• Order of the Crown
• Royal House Order of Hohenzollern
• Pour le Mérite
• Johanniter Order
• Order of Louise
• Wilhelm-Orden

Civil decorations

• Life Saving Medal
• Red Cross Medal
• Merit Cross in Gold or Silver
• Cross of the General Honor Decoration
• General Honor Decoration
• Jerusalem Cross
• Cross of the Mount of Olives, established in 1909

Military and war decorations

• Iron Cross
• Military Merit Cross
• Military Honor Medal 1st Class and Military Honor Medal 2nd Class
• Merit Cross for War Aid
• Duppel Storm Cross
• Alsen Cross
• Warrior Merit Medal
• War Commemorative Medal of 1813/15
• War Commemorative Medal of 1870/71
• 1866 Commemorative Cross
• War Commemorative Medal of 1864
• Colonial Medal
• China Medal
• South West Africa Medal
• Centenary Medal

Kingdom of Bavaria

• Orders
  • Order of St. Hubertus
  • Royal Order of Saint George for the Defense of the Immaculate Conception
  • Military Order of Max Joseph
  • Merit Order of the Bavarian Crown
  • Merit Order of St. Michael
  • Military Merit Order and its associated Military Merit Cross
  • Maximilian Order for Science and Art
  • Ludwig Order
  • Military Medical Order
  • Order of Saint Elizabeth (for Women)
  • Order of Theresa (for Women)
• Civil decorations
  • Civil Merit Medal
  • Ludwig Medal for Science and Art
  • Ludwig Medal for Industry
  • Prince Regent Luitpold Medal
• Military and war decorations
  • Golden and Silver Military Merit Medals
  • Military Medical Decoration
  • Merit Cross for Volunteer Medical Personnel
  • Jubilee Medal for the Bavarian Army
  • King Ludwig Cross

Kingdom of Saxony

• Orders
  • Order of the Rue Crown
  • Military Order of St. Henry
  • Civil Order of Saxony (also called the Civil Merit Order)
  • Albert Order
  • Order of Sidonia (for women)
  • Order of Maria-Anna (for women)
• Civil decorations
  • Honor Cross and Honor Cross with Crowns (also a military decoration with swords)
  • Lifesaving Medal
  • Medal "Virtuti et Ingenio"
  • Medal "Bene Merentibus
• Military and war decorations
  • Friedrich August Medal
  • War Merit Cross

Kingdom of Württemberg

• Orders
  • Order of the Crown (Württemberg)
  • Military Merit Order
  • Friedrich Order
  • Order of Olga (for women)
• Civil decorations
  • Merit Medal
  • Merit Cross
  • Gold Medal for Art and Science
  • Lifesaving Medal
• Military and war decorations
  • Golden Military Merit Medal
  • Silver Military Merit Medal
  • Merit Cross with Swords
  • Wilhelm Cross
  • Charlotte Cross

Grand Duchy of Baden

• Orders
  • House Order of Fidelity
  • Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order and the Merit Medal of the Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order (Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal)
  • Order of Berthold the First
  • Order of the Zähringer Lion
• Civil decorations
  • Merit Medal
  • 1902 Jubilee Medal
  • Friedrich-Luisen Medal
  • 1906 Commemorative Medal
  • Lifesaving Medals
  • Medals for Art and Science
• Military and war decorations
  • Merit Medal on the ribbon of the Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order
  • Field Service Decoration
  • Commemorative Cross for Volunteer Medical Personnel 1870-71
  • Cross for Volunteer War Aid
  • War Merit Cross

Grand Duchy of Hesse

• Orders
  • Order of the Golden Lion
  • Ludwigsorden
  • Order of Philip the Magnanimous
  • Order of the Star of Brabant
• Civil decorations
  • General Honor Decoration
  • Lifesaving Medal
  • Merit Medals for Science, Art, Industry, and Agriculture
• Military and war decorations
  • Military Merit Cross 1870/71
  • General Honor Decoration for Bravery or for War Merit
  • Warrior Honor Decoration in Iron
  • Military Medical Cross, 1870/71 and 1914
  • War Honor Decoration

Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

• Orders
  • House Order of the Wendish Crown
  • Order of the Griffon
• Civil decorations
  • Merit Medal
  • Friedrich Franz Medal
  • Medal "For Arts and Sciences"
• Military and war decorations
  • Military Merit Cross
  • Friedrich Franz Cross
  • Friedrich Franz Alexandra Cross

Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

• Orders
  • House Order of the Wendish Crown
  • Order of the Griffon
• Civil decorations
  • Merit Medal
• Military and war decorations
  • Cross for Distinction in War

Grand Duchy of Oldenburg

• Orders
  • House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis
• Civil decorations
  • Civil Merit Medal
  • Medal for Merit in the Arts
• Military and war decorations
  • Friedrich August Cross
  • War Merit Medal

Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

• Orders
  • House Order of Vigilance or the White Falcon
• Civil decorations
  • Merit Medal (to 1902)
  • General Honor Decoration (from 1902)
  • Lifesaving Medal
• Military and war decorations
  • Wilhelm Ernst War Cross
  • General Honor Decoration with Swords Clasp
  • Honor Cross for Homeland Merit

Duchy of Anhalt

• Orders
  • Order of Albert the Bear
  • Order of Merit for Science and Art
• Civil decorations
  • 1896 Jubilee Medal
• Military and war decorations
  • Friedrich Cross

Duchy of Brunswick

• Orders
  • House Order of Henry the Lion
• Civil decorations
  • Lifesaving Medal
• Military and war decorations
  • Peninsula Medal
  • Waterloo Medal
  • War Merit Cross, 1st and 2nd Classes

Duchies of Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Saxe-Meiningen

• Orders
  • Order of the Saxe-Ernestine and its associated merit crosses and medals (the medals were different for each duchy)
• Civil decorations
  • Decoration of Honour of the Saxe-Ernestine (Decoration of three grades for women)
  • Medal for Art and Science (each duchy had its own version)
  • Lifesaving Medal (each duchy had its own version)
  • Duke Carl Eduard Medal (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha)
• Military and war decorations
  • Duke Ernst Medal (Saxe-Altenburg)
  • Duke Ernst Medal 1st Class with Swords (Saxe-Altenburg)
  • Oval Silver Duke Carl Eduard Medal with Crown (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha)
  • Carl Eduard War Cross (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha)
  • Cross for Merit in War and Medal for Merit in War (Saxe-Meiningen)

Principalities of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Hohenzollern-Hechingen

• Orders
  • Princely House Order of Hohenzollern
  • Bene merenti Order

Principality of Lippe-Detmold

• Orders
  • House Order of the Honor Cross
  • Order of Leopold
  • Lippish Rose Order for Art and Science
• Civil decorations
  • Merit Medal
  • Lifesaving Medal
• Military and war decorations
  • War Honor Cross for Heroic Deeds
  • War Merit Cross
  • Military Merit Medal
  • War Honor Medal

Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe

• Orders
  • House Order of the Honor Cross
  • Order for Art and Science
• Civil decorations
  • Merit Medal
  • Lifesaving Medal
• Military and war decorations
  • Military Merit Medal
  • Cross for Loyal Service

Principalities of Reuss, Elder Line and Younger Line

• Orders
  • Princely Reuss Honor Cross
• Civil decorations
  • Merit Cross
  • Merit Medal
  • Lifesaving Medal
• Military and war decorations
  • War Merit Cross "1914"
  • Medal for Sacrificial Activity in Wartime

Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

• Orders
  • Princely Schwarzburg Honor Cross
• Civil decorations
  • Merit Medals for Art and Science, Trade and Industry, and Agriculture
• Military and war decorations
  • Gold Medal for Merit in War^[1]
  • Silver Medal for Merit in War
  • Bronze Medal for Merit in War
  • Medal for Faithful Labour^[2]
  • Medal for rescue from danger^[3]

Principality of Waldeck

• Orders
  • Order of Merit
  • Merit Cross
  • Military Merit Cross
• Civil decorations
  • Medal for Art and Science
• Military and war decorations
  • Friedrich-Bathildis Medal

Free and Hanseatic Cities of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck

• Hanseatic Cross

Former German states

The largest state to be annexed by Prussia was the Kingdom of Hanover. Other states which had ceased to exist by 1871 include the Duchy of Nassau, the electoral principality of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel), the free city of Frankfurt, and several smaller states. The following is a list of the principal civil and military decorations of these states.

• Kingdom of Hanover
  • Orders
    • Order of St. George
    • Royal Guelphic Order
    • Order of Ernst August
  • Civil decorations
    • Merit Medal
    • General Honor Decoration for Civil Merit
    • Golden Honor Medal for Art and Science
  • Military and war decorations
    • General Honor Decoration for Civil Merit
    • Langensalza Medal
    • Waterloo Medal
• Electoral Principality of Hesse-Kassel
  • Orders
    • House Order of the Golden Lion
    • Order of Wilhelm
    • Order of the Iron Helmet
  • Civil decorations
    • Civil Merit Cross and Civil Merit Medal
• Duchy of Nassau
  • Orders
    • Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau
    • Military and Civil Merit Order of Adolph of Nassau
  • Civil decorations
    • Civil Merit Medal
    • Medal for Art and Science
  • Military and war decorations
    • Bravery Medal
    • Waterloo Medal

First World War

German decorations of the First World War were those medals, ribbons, and other decorations bestowed upon German soldiers, sailors, pilots and also for civilians, during the First World War. These special awards were awarded by both Imperial Germany and various German Kingdoms and other states and city-states of the Reich.

During the Second World War, First World War decorations were commonly displayed on Nazi Party uniforms of the period with such awards intermixed with the more recent awards and decorations of Nazi Germany.

Imperial German badges

• Pilot's Badge
• Observer's Badge
• Imperial Zeppelin Commemorative Badge
• Air Commemorative Badge
• Air Gunner Badge
• U-Boat War Badge
• Wound Badge

Non-portable awards included the "Honor Goblet for Victors in the Air" and the "National Motor and Air Travel Commendation".^[4]

References