Black Eagle Order (Albania)

The Black Eagle Order was founded on March 26, 1914 by Prince Wilhelm of Albania as a reward for civil and military services.

Order classes

The order consisted of five classes and an assilated medals in three grades ( gold , silver and bronze ):

• Grand Cross
• Grand Officer
• commander
• officer
• Knight

For military service in the war, the medal could be awarded with swords , but not with medals.

Order decoration

The sign of the order is star-shaped with eight points at the I. to III. Class or with six in the 4th and 5th class. The black double-headed eagle of the national coat of arms can be seen in the medallion . The inscription BESE E BASHKIM (loyalty and unity) in gold letters all around . On the back in the center a sign developed from the letter W (Wilhelm) in the form of two obtuse angled openwork triangles facing each other perpendicularly with the hypotenuse and connected at the bottom by a line. Also in gold letters all around ME 26 TE MARSIT 1914 (on March 26, 1914).

Ribbon

The ribbon is black with dark red stripes.

Others

There is evidence that the order was awarded until 1923.

The award should not be confused with the Order of the Black Eagle awarded by the Kingdom of Prussia .

literature

• Kurt-Gerhard Klietmann , Ottfried Neubecker (ed.): Ordens-Lexikon. Part 2. The Order Collection, Berlin 1962.
• Ralf Fischer zu Cramburg, Tilo Wahl: The Black Eagle Order of the Principality of Albania . In: Orders and Medals. The magazine for friends of phaleristics, publisher: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ordenskunde , issue 123, 21st year, Gäufelden 2019. ISSN 1438-3772.