The House Order of Hohenzollern ( or ) was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various versions of the order were crosses and medals which could be awarded to lower-ranking soldiers and civilians.
History The Princely House Order of Hohenzollern originated in 1841, by joint decree of Prince Konstantin of and Prince Karl Anton of . These two principalities in southern Germany were Catholic collateral lines of the House of Hohenzollern, cousins to the Protestant ruling house of Prussia.
On 23 August 1851, after the two principalities had been annexed by Prussia, the order was adopted by the Prussian branch of the house. Also, although the two principalities had become an administrative region of the Prussian kingdom, the princely lines continued to award the order as a house order. The Prussian version was then known as the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern ( or ), to distinguish it from the Princely House Order of Hohenzollern ( or ). It was awarded mainly for service to the royal family. Although Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated in 1918 as German Emperor and King of Prussia, he did not relinquish his role as Head of the Royal House and as such he was still able to confer the Royal House Order. The Princely House Order continued to be awarded, unofficially, after the fall of the German Monarchy.
Another development occurred in 1935. Prince Karl Anton's second son, Karl Eitel Friedrich of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, had become prince and then king of Romania as Carol I. Carol I had died childless and was succeeded by his nephew Ferdinand I, also of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. During the reign of Ferdinand's son King Carol II, the Romanian government established its own version of the House Order of Hohenzollern, known in Romanian as ("Order of 'Bene Merenti' of the Ruling House"). This form of the order existed until the Romanian monarchy was abolished in 1947; King Michael also awarded a slightly altered order in exile.
Classes
Royal House Order The Royal House Order of Hohenzollern came in the following classes:
Grand Commander () Commander () Knight () Member ()
"Member" was a lesser class for soldiers who were not officers, as well as civilians. The Members' Cross (), especially with swords, was a rare distinction for non-commissioned officers and the like. Another decoration, the Members' Eagle () was often given as a long-service award to lesser officials such as schoolteachers. The "Eagles" (the Members' Eagle and the Knights' Eagle, or ) were solely civilian awards, and could not be awarded with swords. All other grades could be awarded with swords. During World War I, the Knight's Cross with Swords of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern became in effect an intermediate award between the Iron Cross 1st Class and the for Prussian junior officers. When awarded with swords it was worn on the ribbon of the Iron Cross.
Princely House Order The Princely House Order of Hohenzollern came in the following classes:
Cross of Honour 1st Class () Commander's Cross of Honour () Cross of Honour 2nd Class () Cross of Honour 3rd Class () Golden Cross of Merit () Silver Cross of Merit () Golden Medal of Honour () Silver Medal of Merit ()
The Crosses of Merit, Golden Medal of Honour and Silver Medal of Merit were lesser grades for non-commissioned officers, enlisted men and their civilian equivalents. All grades could be awarded with swords. During World War I, the appropriate grade of the Princely House Order was often awarded to officers and men of , an infantry regiment raised in the principalities of Hohenzollern and whose honorary chief was the Prince of Hohenzollern. Soldiers in the regiment's sister reserve and regiments also often received the decoration. Unlike the Royal House Order, awards of the Princely House Order were made on the standard ribbon of the order (the "statute" ribbon) regardless of whether they were with or without swords.
Romanian House Order The classes of the Romanian version of the House Order were essentially the same as those of the Princely House Order, except that the Cross of Honour 3rd Class of the Romanian version could be awarded with Oak leaves, and the Golden and Silver Medals could be awarded with a Crown. As with the Prussian and Hohenzollern versions, crossed swords could be used to indicate a wartime or combat award. Given the short existence of the order and the fact that Romania had a number of other decorations for valor and military merit (Order of Michael the Brave, Order of the Star of Romania, Order of the Crown of Romania, Air Force Bravery Order, Cross of Military Virtue, Air Force and Naval Bravery Crosses, Crosses and Medals for Faithful Service, Medals for Steadfastness and Loyalty), awards of the Romanian version of the House Order with swords are uncommon.
Insignia The badge of the House Order of Hohenzollern was a cross pattée with convex edges and curved arms (sometimes called an "Alisee" cross). There were differences in the enameling of the arms of the cross for the Royal, Princely and Romanian versions, but all featured white enamel on the higher classes and a black enameled stripe near the sides of the cross. Between the arms of the cross was a wreath of laurel leaves (left side) and oak leaves (right side).
The cross bore a center medallion; the medallion and its band bore different coats of arms, mottos, dates and ciphers for each of the Royal, Princely and Romanian versions:
The white-enameled medallion of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern bore a black Prussian royal eagle with the Hohenzollern house coat of arms on a shield on the eagle's chest. Around the center medallion, a gold-rimmed band of blue enamel bore the motto in gold letters: ("From the cliffs to the sea"), with a wreath of laurel below. The white-enameled medallion on the reverse bore the cipher of King Frederick William IV of Prussia, the king when the order was founded. A gold-rimmed band of blue enamel bore the date with a wreath of laurel leaves (left side) and oak leaves (right side). The white-enameled medallion of the Princely House Order of Hohenzollern bore the Hohenzollern coat of arms (a quartered shield of black and white) under a princely crown. Around the center medallion, a gold-rimmed band of blue enamel bore the motto in gold letters: ("For loyalty and merit") with a smaller wreath of oak leaves below. On most grades, the white-enameled medallion on the reverse bore the intertwined ciphers ("F" and "A") of Princes Friedrich (Konstantin's actual first name) and Anton, the princes who founded the order, under a princely crown. The gold-rimmed band of blue enamel bore one of several dates, depending on the class, such as for the 2nd and 3rd Classes, with a wreath of laurel leaves below.
The white-enameled medallion of the Romanian House Order bore a black Romanian eagle with the Hohenzollern coat of arms on a shield on the eagle's chest. Around the center medallion, a gold-rimmed band of blue enamel bore the motto in gold letters: ("Nothing without God"). The white-enameled medallion on the reverse bore the crowned cipher of King Carol. The gold-rimmed band of blue enamel bore the date of the founding of the Romanian kingdom, .
The statute ribbon of the order was white with three black stripes (with slight variations among the Royal, Princely and Romanian versions).
Notable recipients
As noted above, the Knight's Cross with Swords of the Royal House Order was the intermediate decoration between the Iron Cross 1st Class and the Pour le Mérite for Prussian junior officers. There were over 8,000 awards during World War I of this class (there were far fewer awards of the other classes, or of any class before the war). Thus, among the ranks of Imperial German Army junior officers who earned the Royal House Order as lieutenants, captains or majors in World War I are several hundred who reached the rank of general in the in World War II.
Grand Commanders
Prince Adalbert of Prussia (1811–1873) Prince Adalbert of Prussia (1884–1948) Prince Albert of Prussia (1809–1872) Prince Albert of Prussia (1837–1906) Albert, King of Saxony Archduke Albrecht, Duke of Teschen Duke Alexander of Oldenburg Prince Alexander of Prussia Alexander II of Russia Alexander III of Russia Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Amadeo I of Spain Prince Arnulf of Bavaria Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn Prince August of Württemberg Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia Albert von Barnekow Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen Albrecht von Bernstorff Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg Gustav Friedrich von Beyer Herbert von Bismarck Otto von Bismarck Max von Bock und Polach Karl Heinrich von Boetticher Adolf von Bonin Julius von Bose Felix Graf von Bothmer Paul Bronsart von Schellendorff Bernhard von Bülow Karl von Bülow Leo von Caprivi Prince Charles of Prussia Charles I of Württemberg Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein Constantine, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen Edward VII Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse Archduke Eugen of Austria August zu Eulenburg Botho zu Eulenburg Eduard von Fransecky Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria Franz Joseph I of Austria Prince Friedrich Heinrich Albrecht of Prussia Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia (1828–1885) Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia (1893–1917) Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia Prince Friedrich Sigismund of Prussia (1891–1927) Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt Frederick II, Grand Duke of Baden Frederick III, German Emperor Prince Frederick of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Prince Frederick of Prussia (1794–1863) Prince Frederick of the Netherlands Frederick William, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Prince George, Duke of Cambridge Prince George of Prussia George, King of Saxony George II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen George V George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont August Karl von Goeben Adolf von Glümer Günther Friedrich Karl II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Gustaf V Gustaf VI Adolf Gustav, Prince of Vasa Gottlieb Graf von Haeseler Wilhelm von Hahnke Benno Hann von Weyhern Paul von Hatzfeldt Heinrich VII, Prince Reuss of Köstritz Prince Henry of Prussia (1862–1929) Hermann, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg Prince Hermann of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1825–1901) Karl Eberhard Herwarth von Bittenfeld Paul von Hindenburg Hugo zu Hohenlohe-Öhringen Prince Joachim of Prussia Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern Karl Anton, Prince of Hohenzollern Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria Karl Theodor, Duke in Bavaria Gustav von Kessel Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia Leopold II of Belgium Prince Leopold of Bavaria Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern Walter von Loë Louis III, Grand Duke of Hesse Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia Erich Ludendorff Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria August von Mackensen Morell Mackenzie Edwin Freiherr von Manteuffel Otto Theodor von Manteuffel Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen Prince Maximilian of Baden Albert von Maybach Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia Helmuth von Moltke the Elder Georg Alexander von Müller Grand Duke Nicholas Konstantinovich of Russia Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia (1831–1891) Nicholas II of Russia Hugo von Obernitz Oscar II Alexander August Wilhelm von Pape Hans von Plessen Hugo von Radolin Joseph von Radowitz Albrecht von Roon