Wilhelm-Orden
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Imperial and Royal Order of Wilhelm Kaiserlich und Königlich Orden von Wilhelm | |
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Awarded by Head of the House of Prussia | |
Type | State Order (formerly) House Order (currently) |
Royal house | House of Prussia |
Ribbon | White with a Black stripe in the middle and either side |
Status | Unconstituted |
Sovereign | Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia |
Grades | Knight With Collar Knight/Dame Commander Knight/Dame Officer Knight/Dame |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | Order of Louise |
The Ribbon of the Order |
The Imperial and Royal Order of Wilhelm (in English "William-Order") was instituted on 18 January 1896 by the German Emperor and King of Prussia Willhelm II as a high civilian award, and was dedicated to the memory of his grandfather Emperor William I "the Great".
Insignia
[edit]The insignia of the Order consisted of a golden medal with the portrait of William I, surrounded by a golden wreath and suspended from a heavy golden collar. This collar with a weight of 222 grams bore the words WIRKE IM ANDENKEN AN KAISER WILHELM DEN GROSSEN (English: "Work in the memory of Emperor William the Great") and was designed by the jewellers Emil Weigand and Otto Schultz.
List of recipients
[edit]The order was very exclusive. One of the first to be decorated was Otto von Bismarck. Also among the recipients were:
- Heinrich von Stephan, General Post Director - 1896.
- Count Arthur von Posadowsky-Wehner, politician - 27 January 1900 - on the occasion of the Emperor´s birthday.[1]
- Princess Marie Elisabeth of Saxe-Meiningen, musician and composer - 28 August 1913 - the last recipient of the Order.
See also
[edit]There are other decorations with this or a similar name:
- The highest decoration for valour in the Netherlands is the Military Order of William (1815)
- The elector of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) instituted a "Wilhelmsorden" in 1851 in honor of Friedrich Wilhelm I of Hesse.
References
[edit]- ^ "Germany". The Times. No. 36051. London. 29 January 1900. p. 6.
External links
[edit]Media related to Wilhelm-Orden at Wikimedia Commons
- Picture on [1]