CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

General Honor Decoration (Hesse)

civil and military decoration of the Grand Duchy of Hesse

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionNov 25, 2024
Entity authorityQ332542 ↗
Source-derived summary

The General Honour Decoration (German: Allgemeines Ehrenzeichen) was a civil and military decoration of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. Established 25 September 1843, the medal could be awarded to recognize several different accomplishments or merits, such as military merit, lifesaving and long service. The reason for the award of the medal was determined by the inscription on the reverse of the medal, with the obverse bearing the effigy of the reigning Grand Duke of Hesse.

The General Honour Decoration with the inscriptions "Für Tapferkeit" ("For Bravery") and "Für Kriegsverdienste" ("For War Merits") served as the primary military decoration of Hesse during World War I. As the rolls of the decoration were lost in World War II, a complete list of recipients is unknown.

Recipients of the Hessian General Honour Decoration "For Bravery" (Hessische Tapferkeitsmedaille)

Source:

Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, Prussian general, last Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

Chlodwig, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, Prussian officer

Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse, Prussian lieutenant, Leib-Dragoner-Regiment (2. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 24

Wilhelm II, German Emperor

Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Prussian general

Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Bavarian field marshal (1915)

Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, Prussian/Württemberg field marshal (1915)

Ernst Freiherr von Althaus, German fighter ace

Walter Assmann, Prussian lieutenant, 5. Großherzoglich Hessisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 168, Generalleutnant in World War II

Otto von Below, Prussian general

Julius von Bernuth, Prussian lieutenant, Leibgarde-Infanterie-Regiment (1. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “General Honor Decoration (Hesse)” as civil and military decoration of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around General, Honor and Decoration.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1843, 1915—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with General, Honor and Decoration providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “General Honor Decoration (Hesse)”, the useful work is to connect “civil and military decoration of the Grand Duchy of Hesse” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 25, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q332542. The first chronological checks are 1843 and 1915.

Critical limits

The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “General Honor Decoration (Hesse)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow General Honor Decoration (Hesse) primary sources, General Honor Decoration (Hesse) archive and General research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “General Honor Decoration (Hesse)”?
  2. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
  3. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “General Honor Decoration (Hesse)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.