Ludwig Order
order of the Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Ludwig Order (German: Großherzoglich Hessischer Ludwigsorden), was an order of the Grand Duchy of Hesse which was awarded to meritorious soldiers and civilians from 1807 to 1918.
History
The order was founded by Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine as an order of merit without name or statute on 25 August 1807. On 14 December 1831, under the auspices of Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, statutes were adopted for the order, giving it its formal name, that of the Ludwig Order, dividing it into five classes, and setting the terms for award. It was to be awarded to meritorious soldiers and civilians "von den obersten Stufe bis auf die unterste" (from the highest level to the lowest). The statutes were supplemented on 9 March 1854 and again on 30 March 1912, when the grade of Knight's Cross 1st class was replaced with a pinback breast decoration dubbed the Honour Cross. Whilst the grade of Knight's Cross 2nd class was simplified to just Knight's Cross.
The order became obsolete with the abdication of the last Grand Duke of Hesse in November 1918.
Classes
The order was divided into five classes:
Grand Cross, worn on a sash with an eight-pointed silver star.
Commander 1st Class, worn on a necklet with a four pointed star
Commander 2nd Class, worn on a necklet without a breast star
Knight 1st Class, at first worn on the left breast suspended from a ribbon, later replaced by a pinback version similar to the Iron Cross 1st Class
Knight 2nd Class, worn suspended from a ribbon on the left breast
References
Maximilian Gritzner (1893). Handbuch der Ritter- und Verdienstorden.
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