Order of Henry the Lion

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Commander's Cross

The Order of Heinrich the Lion , also called the House Order of Heinrich the Lion or Duke of Brunswick Order of Heinrich the Lion , is a Brunswick order that was donated on April 25, 1834 by Duke Wilhelm of Braunschweig as a civil and military merit order in memory of Henry the Lion .

Order classes

Order of Henry the Lion (copy): Breast star for the Grand Cross with the motto IMMOTA FIDES . The "W" in the center stands for the founder of the order, Duke Wilhelm von Braunschweig.

The foundation was initially made in four classes and an affiliated Cross of Merit:

On the occasion of the Franco-Prussian War , swords were introduced in all classes for war merit in 1870. These are attached under the cross. On March 8, 1877, the Duke decreed the division of the knight class into first and second class knights. In 1903 the award was made in the form of a silver medal. In 1908 a first class was introduced. In addition, the officer's cross and the fourth class were added and the badge of honor was divided into two classes - silver and bronze - from then on. A year later there were changes regarding the awarding of swords. This was now awarded for war merit crossing the center shield. In addition, the swords were introduced over the cross. Awards were made to holders of a higher class if they had already been awarded a lower class with swords for war merit. Until the end of the monarchy in November 1918, the order was then awarded in the following order:

  • Grand Cross
  • I. class
  • Commander 1st and 2nd class
  • Officer's Cross
  • Knights 1st and 2nd class
  • IV class
  • Cross of Merit 1st and 2nd class
  • Badges of honor 1st and 2nd class

Order decoration

Breast star for the commander's cross, 1st class

The sign of the order is a golden eight-pointed, light blue enamelled St. John's Cross with a red, blasted central shield, on which the crowned column with the jumping Saxon horse and on the wings of the helmet and the peacock feathers of the coat of arms are attached.

A lion connects crown and cross, between the wings there are crowned “W” for the founder of the order Duke Wilhelm. The motto IMMOTA FIDES (Unshakable Loyalty) is written on the lapel of the middle shield with the foundation's Roman date MDCCCXXXIV all around .

In contrast to all other classes, the cross of the knights II class is made of silver. The fourth class is also made of silver and is only enamelled in the medallion.

The Cross of Merit of both classes is a high cross with a medallion attached. The crowned initial of the founder W can be seen in it. On the arms of the cross the motto of the order IM / MO / TA / FIDES . A green enameled oak wreath also runs between the cross arms of the 1st class .

The badge of honor is a round medal, with the first class in silver and the second class in bronze. In the obverse the donor's initial, enclosed by a wreath of oak leaves and surmounted by a crown. In the reverse the two-line order motto already described. Above it is a six-pointed star and below it two crossed oak branches.

A silver octagonal breast star with the cross in the middle also belongs to the Grand Cross and the Commander's Cross 1st Class . The Grand Cross could also be worn on special occasions with a collar consisting of a lion, the coat of arms with trophies and the central shield.

Carrying method

Ribbon

The Grand Cross was carried on a sash from the left shoulder. First class as well as commander I and II class decorated the award as a neck medal . Grand Cross and Commander 1st Class also wore a breast star. The officer's cross is a plug-in cross , which, like the other classes of the order, was worn on the left side of the chest.

The decoration is carried on a crimson ribbon with yellow edges in different sizes according to the religious classes.

Awards

The following award numbers can be determined from the registration lists of the Lower Saxony State Archives :

Order class 1834-1858 1859-1879 1880-1911 1912-1918 total
Grand Cross 121 72 185 43 421
Grand cross with swords under the cross 9 25th 34
Grand Cross with Swords 2 2
Grand cross with swords on the ring 1 12 13
I. class 58 60 118
First class with swords on the ring 2 2
Commander 1st class 95 70 238 65 468
Commander 1st class with swords under the cross 12 12 1 25th
Commander 1st class with swords 2 2
Commander 1st class with swords on the ring 9 15th 1 25th
Commander II class 131 130 443 101 805
Commander II class with swords under the cross 22nd 36 58
Commander II class with swords 1 1 2
Commander II class with swords on the ring 3 17th 5 25th
Officer's Cross 126 100 226
Officer's Cross with Golden Swords 1 1 2
Officer's cross with silver swords 3 3
Knight's Cross 1st Class 329 323 753 31 1,436
Knight's Cross I. Class with swords under the cross 92 43 135
Knight's Cross 1st class with swords 1 1 2
Knight's Cross 1st class with swords on the ring 21st 1 22nd
Knight's Cross II class 38 1,372 286 1,696
Knight's Cross II class with swords under the cross 2 77 79
Knight's Cross II class with swords 2 6th 8th
Knight's Cross II class with swords on the ring 1 1
IV class 268 256 524
IV class with swords 1 1
Golden Cross of Merit 80 183 1,211 344 1,818
Golden Cross of Merit with Swords 10 9 19th
Silver Cross of Merit 167 412 2,379 451 3,409
Silver Cross of Merit with Swords 140 3 143
Decoration of honor 1st class 1,804
Decoration of honor II class 796

Four copies of the Grand Cross with diamonds were awarded for special merits . The first was made in 1835 for 1,200 guilders , the second in 1837 for 963 pounds, and the third and fourth for 7,000 gold marks each .

Known porters

literature

  • Gustav Adolph Ackermann: Order book of all in Europe flourishing and extinct orders and decorations. Rudolph & Dieterici, Annaberg 1855, pp. 73-74. ( bsb-muenchen-digital.de ).
  • Arnhard Graf Klenau: Order in Germany and Austria. Volume II: German States (1806–1918). Verlag Graf Klenau GmbH, Offenbach 2008, ISBN 3-937064-13-3 , pp. 152-175.
  • Roger Reckewell, Jens Fischer: Order, honor and badge of the Duchy of Braunschweig-Lüneburg from 1809 to 1918. In: Work reports, publications from the Städtisches Museum Braunschweig. 54, ISSN  0934-6147 . Braunschweig Municipal Museum, Braunschweig 1987.
  • Court and State Handbook of the Duchy of Braunschweig for the year 1916. Meyer, Braunschweig 1916, urn : nbn: de: gbv: 084-15031314545 , pp. 9–126. ( Ducal order of Henry the Lion. Order statutes and awards since approx. 1885.)
  • Stephan Schwarz: The orders and decorations of the Duchy of Braunschweig from 1696 to 1918. Schwarzbuch Verlag, 2020, ISBN 978-3-946256-25-0 (Volume 1), ISBN 978-3-946256-24-3 (Volume 2), ISBN 978-3-946256-23-6 (Volume 3).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Arnhard Graf Klenau: Order in Germany and Austria. Volume II: German States (1806–1918). Verlag Graf Klenau GmbH, Offenbach 2008, ISBN 3-937064-13-3 , p. 169.