The Order of Merit of Philip the Magnanimous () was an order of chivalry established by Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse on 1 May 1840, the name day of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, in his honour to award extraordinary military or civil merit. It was the second-highest order of the Grand Duchy of Hesse before 1876, when it was displaced to third by the revived Order of the Golden Lion, the former paramount order of the Electorate of Hesse.
After the First World War and the fall of the German monarchies, the order—along with all other grand ducal decorations—was formally abolished in 1919.
Overview The order was initially divided into four grades: Grand Cross, Commanders 1st and 2nd classes, and knight. On the anniversary of its founding in 1849, a new class was created, the Silver Cross, with the introduction of crossed swords in gold or silver for the class. From 10 November 1859 the knight class was further divided into two grades, 1st and 2nd classes. In 1876, the order was renamed the "Grand Ducal Hessian Order of Philip" (), though that decree was withdrawn a year later.
From 1881, the order could be awarded with a golden crown, as a special distinction; the order with swords for military merit was from 1893 restricted to those with outstanding achievements during war. In 1900, another new class, the Cross of Honour () was created, which was below commander 2nd class and above knight 1st class. A final revision was made on 17 June 1911, with golden rays added to the cross arms of the Commander 1st Class grade.
Recipients
Grand Crosses
Alexander II of Russia Alexander of Battenberg Alexander, Prince of Erbach-Schönberg Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn Friedrich von Beck-Rzikowsky Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg Julius von Bose Otto von Bismarck Bruno, Prince of Ysenburg and Büdingen Bernhard von Bülow Stephan Burián von Rajecz Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke Charles of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine Rudolf von Delbrück Edward VII Karl von Einem Hermann von Eichhorn Woldemar Freedericksz Josias von Heeringen Georg von Hertling Hans Heinrich XV von Hochberg Dietrich von Hülsen-Haeseler Emich, Prince of Leiningen Prince Emil of Hesse Prince Ernest Augustus, 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse Ferdinand, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg Prince Francis Joseph of Battenberg Ganga Singh Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse Heinrich von Gagern Hans Heinrich XV, Prince of Pless Heinrich von Heß Gustav, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg Gustav, Prince of Vasa Prince Heinrich of Hesse and by Rhine Prince Henry of Battenberg Hermann, Prince of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich Kamehameha V Prince Kraft of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse Louis III, Grand Duke of Hesse Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse Prince Louis of Battenberg Madho Rao Scindia Maximilian I of Mexico Moriz von Lyncker Edwin Freiherr von Manteuffel Georg Alexander von Müller Jean-Baptiste Nothomb Hugo von Radolin Gustav Waldemar von Rauch Karl von Schlitz Friedrich von Scholl Gustav von Senden-Bibran Heinrich von Stephan Otto Graf zu Stolberg-Wernigerode Prince Frederick William of Hesse-Kassel Alfred von Tirpitz Illarion Vorontsov-Dashkov Wilhelm von Wedell-Piesdorf Wilhelm I, German Emperor Ferdinand von Zeppelin
Commanders 1st Class
Alfred Mordaunt Egerton Antoni Wilhelm Radziwiłł Leopold von Ranke Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen Karl von Wedel
Commanders 2nd Class
August von Heeringen Paul Bronsart von Schellendorff Walther Bronsart von Schellendorff August von Mackensen Otto von Marchtaler Georg von der Marwitz Helmuth von Moltke the Younger Ernst von Prittwitz und Gaffron
Crosses of Honour
Eberhard Graf von Schmettow
Knights 1st class
Heinrich Bone George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont Oskar von Hutier
Others
Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich of Russia Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
References
Literature Jörg Nimmergut: Deutsche Orden und Ehrenzeichen bis 1945, Band I – Anhalt-Hohenzollern, Zentralstelle für wissenschaftliche Ordenskunde, München 1997,