Hessian Military Merit Cross
The Hessian Military Merit Cross was awarded by Grand Duke Ludwig III. Donated on September 12, 1870, the birthday of the later Grand Duke Ludwig IV , “to reward excellent services to the enemy” in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71.
Medals
The eight-pointed cross (38.5 × 38.5 mm) made of bronze and referred to in the statutes as the "Order" is underlaid by a laurel wreath between the cross arms . On the arms of the cross from top to bottom the words GOD HONOR FATHER LAND . On the reverse THE 12 SEP TEMBER 1870 . A crowned L (Ludwig) in the center of the front and back . Christian Schnitzspahn designed and embossed the cross. In addition to the cross with smoothly polished arms and a cross-attached eyelet, there are also variants with crosses with granular arms and an eyelet embossed in parallel.
The award was worn on a light blue ribbon (36 mm) with ponceau red stripes on the left breast.
Statute text
Ludwig III. by God's grace Grand Duke of Hesse and the Rhine
In order to give our Army Division a new proof of Our grace for the bravery and perseverance shown also in this war, We have found ourselves motivated to establish a new order as a reward for excellent services before the enemy and to issue the following statutes.
§ 1: The order bears the name: "Military Merit Cross" and has only one class. § 2: The order consists of an eight-pointed cross made of gilded bronze. The front of the four fields connected by a laurel wreath contains the words: "GOTT, EHRE, FATHERLAND", the back the year and the day of the foundation: "September 12, 1870." On the middle shields on both sides there is an L with the Crown in raised letters. The cross is carried on a light blue ribbon with a ponceaurother border on the left breast. § 3: Only those military personnel can be proposed for the award of this order who have distinguished themselves in front of the enemy through special insight, bravery and presence of mind. § 4: Proposals for the award of the Military Merit Cross are sent to Us by the Commando of Our Army Division. These must be submitted in accordance with the regulations by the initially superior command of the proposed person and precisely justified. § 5: The award of the order depends solely on Us and Our successors in government. Requests for the award of the same will not be accepted. § 6: The order chancellor sends the appointees the insignia, as well as the decree executed by us together with the statutes. § 7: The cases in which the loss of the order occurs as a result of legally recognized penalties is determined by the law. Also, if a holder of the order should be guilty of an unworthy behavior, we will order the withdrawal of the insignia and have him struck off the list of orders. § 8: After the death of a person decorated with the Military Merit Cross, the same passes into the property of his intestate or will heirs; but it goes without saying that they are not entitled to wear it. § 9: We transfer all business connected with the award of our Military Merit Cross to our already existing Ordens.-Chancellery. Documented with our handwritten signature and the grand-ducal seal.
Given, Darmstadt, on September 12, 1870.
(LS) LUDWIG [signature] Freiherr von Nordeck zur Rabenau, Order Chancellor. [Signature]
Award statistics
First, the awards were summarized - but only for awards to military personnel in 1871 - published in the Grand Ducal Hessian Military Ordinance Gazette (GHMV 1871, No. 2, pp. 13-26 and No. 6, pp. 67-70.). A first compilation of all awards up to the middle of 1874 can be found in the list of persons decorated with Grand Ducal Hessian orders and decorations. 1875, pp. 59-84. The given first names of the bearers were also given once. Furthermore, the awards were still in the court and state manual of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. 1878, pp. 124-137 and most recently published in the Court and State Manual of the Grand Duchy of Hesse in 1879. pp. 130-145. A total of 494 awards can be documented, 296 of them on January 30, 1871 alone. According to this finding, the information in v. Hessenthal / Schreiber, according to which a total of 550 military merit crosses had been issued by 1878, to correct both partial statements. On the one hand, one of the few surviving award statistics compiled by the Darmstadt Chancellery itself shows that the Foundation awarded only 497 crosses on September 12, 1870 until the end of 1874 (1871: 470; 1872: 24; 1873: 3). This count largely agrees with the figures presented here (1871: 465; 1872: 22; 1873: 3). On the other hand, at least three awards beyond 1878 are documented.
A detailed award list with biographical information on the sponsors was drawn up by Lars Adler .
literature
- Maximilian Gritzner : Handbook of the knight and merit orders of all civilized states of the world , Leipzig 1893, ISBN 3-8262-0705-X
- Wuerst: The medals and decorations of the war from 1870–1871. in: Numismatic Newspaper. Sheets for coin, coat of arms and seal customer 38 (1871), No. 22, p. 119.
- List of persons decorated with Grand Ducal Hessian orders and decorations: 1875. p. 59 ff., Digitized .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Waldemar Hesse Edler v. Hessenthal, Georg Schreiber: The portable decorations of the German Empire including the formerly independent German states as well as the Empire and the Federal State of Austria, the Free City of Danzig, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Principality of Liechtenstein and the decorations of the NSDAP. Berlin 1940, No. 607, p. 170.
- ↑ Hessisches Staatsarchiv Darmstadt (HStAD), D 12 No. 36/1, fol. 41-42. The list compiled by the Chancellery of the Ludwig Nick Order Chancellery on December 30, 1874 is entitled: Summary overview of the Grand Ducal orders and decorations awarded to residents and foreigners in the years 1848–1874.
- ↑ Award list.