Orders, decorations, and medals of Imperial Germany covers those decorations awarded by the states which came together under Prussian leadership to form the German Empire in 1871. For convenience's sake, this category also covers the decorations of the various German states which were no longer in existence in 1871, mainly because they had been annexed by Prussia during the Wars of Unification or before.
The German Empire consisted of 25 states: four kingdoms, six grand duchies, five duchies, seven principalities and three Hanseatic cities. In addition, the house order of the Hohenzollern principalities, although the states themselves had been annexed by Prussia, continued to be awarded in the imperial era. Each state awarded decorations for civil or military merit. The following is a list of the principal civil and military decorations of each state.
Orders
Order of the Black Eagle
Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown
Order of the Red Eagle
Order of the Crown
Royal House Order of Hohenzollern
Pour le Mérite
Johanniter Order
Order of Louise
Wilhelm-Orden
Civil decorations
Life Saving Medal
Red Cross Medal
Merit Cross in Gold or Silver
Cross of the General Honor Decoration
General Honor Decoration
Jerusalem Cross
Cross of the Mount of Olives, established in 1909
Military and war decorations
Iron Cross
Military Merit Cross
Military Honor Medal 1st Class and Military Honor Medal 2nd Class
Merit Cross for War Aid
Duppel Storm Cross
Alsen Cross
Warrior Merit Medal
War Commemorative Medal of 1870/71
1866 Commemorative Cross
War Commemorative Medal of 1864
Colonial Medal
China Medal
South West Africa Medal
Centenary Medal
Orders
Order of St. Hubertus
Royal Order of Saint George for the Defense of the Immaculate Conception
Military Order of Max Joseph
Merit Order of the Bavarian Crown
Merit Order of St. Michael
Military Merit Order and its associated Military Merit Cross
Maximilian Order for Science and Art
Ludwig Order
Military Medical Order
Order of Saint Elizabeth (for Women)
Order of Theresa (for Women)
Civil decorations
Civil Merit Medal
Ludwig Medal for Science and Art
Ludwig Medal for Industry
Prince Regent Luitpold Medal
Military and war decorations
Golden and Silver Military Merit Medals
Military Medical Decoration
Merit Cross for Volunteer Medical Personnel
Jubilee Medal for the Bavarian Army
King Ludwig Cross
Orders
Order of the Rue Crown
Military Order of St. Henry
Civil Order of Saxony (also called the Civil Merit Order)
Albert Order
Order of Sidonia (for women)
Order of Maria-Anna (for women)
Civil decorations
Honor Cross and Honor Cross with Crowns (also a military decoration with swords)
Lifesaving Medal
Medal "Virtuti et Ingenio"
Medal "Bene Merentibus
Military and war decorations
Friedrich August Medal
War Merit Cross
Orders
Order of the Crown (Württemberg)
Military Merit Order
Friedrich Order
Order of Olga (for women)
Civil decorations
Merit Medal
Merit Cross
Gold Medal for Art and Science
Lifesaving Medal
Military and war decorations
Golden Military Merit Medal
Silver Military Merit Medal
Merit Cross with Swords
Wilhelm Cross
Charlotte Cross
Grand Duchy of Baden
Orders
House Order of Fidelity
Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order and the Merit Medal of the Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order (Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal)
Order of Berthold the First
Order of the Zähringer Lion
Civil decorations
Merit Medal
1902 Jubilee Medal
Friedrich-Luisen Medal
1906 Commemorative Medal
Lifesaving Medals
Medals for Art and Science
Military and war decorations
Merit Medal on the ribbon of the Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order
Field Service Decoration
Commemorative Cross for Volunteer Medical Personnel 1870-71
Cross for Volunteer War Aid
War Merit Cross
Grand Duchy of Hesse
Orders
Order of the Golden Lion
Ludwigsorden
Order of Philip the Magnanimous
Order of the Star of Brabant
Civil decorations
General Honor Decoration
Lifesaving Medal
Merit Medals for Science, Art, Industry, and Agriculture
Military and war decorations
Military Merit Cross 1870/71
General Honor Decoration for Bravery or for War Merit
Warrior Honor Decoration in Iron
Military Medical Cross, 1870/71 and 1914
War Honor Decoration
Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Orders
House Order of the Wendish Crown
Order of the Griffon
Civil decorations
Merit Medal
Friedrich Franz Medal
Medal "For Arts and Sciences"
Military and war decorations
Military Merit Cross
Friedrich Franz Cross
Friedrich Franz Alexandra Cross
Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Orders
House Order of the Wendish Crown
Order of the Griffon
Civil decorations
Merit Medal
Military and war decorations
Cross for Distinction in War
Grand Duchy of Oldenburg
Orders
House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis
Civil decorations
Civil Merit Medal
Medal for Merit in the Arts
Military and war decorations
Friedrich August Cross
War Merit Medal
Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Orders
House Order of Vigilance or the White Falcon
Civil decorations
Merit Medal (to 1902)
General Honor Decoration (from 1902)
Lifesaving Medal
Military and war decorations
Wilhelm Ernst War Cross
General Honor Decoration with Swords Clasp
Honor Cross for Homeland Merit
Orders
Order of Albert the Bear
Order of Merit for Science and Art
Civil decorations
1896 Jubilee Medal
Military and war decorations
Friedrich Cross
Orders
House Order of Henry the Lion
Civil decorations
Lifesaving Medal
Military and war decorations
Peninsula Medal
Waterloo Medal
War Merit Cross, 1st and 2nd Classes
Duchies of Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Saxe-Meiningen
Orders
Ducal Saxe-Ernestine House Order and its associated merit crosses and medals (the medals were different for each duchy)
Civil decorations
Medal for Art and Science (each duchy had its own version)
Lifesaving Medal (each duchy had its own version)
Duke Carl Eduard Medal (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha)
Military and war decorations
Duke Ernst Medal (Saxe-Altenburg)
Duke Ernst Medal 1st Class with Swords (Saxe-Altenburg)
Oval Silver Duke Carl Eduard Medal with Crown (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha)
Carl Eduard War Cross (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha)
Cross for Merit in War and Medal for Merit in War (Saxe-Meiningen)
Principalities of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Hohenzollern-Hechingen
Orders
Princely House Order of Hohenzollern
Bene merenti Order
Orders
House Order of the Honor Cross
Order of Leopold
Lippish Rose Order for Art and Science
Civil decorations
Merit Medal
Lifesaving Medal
Military and war decorations
War Honor Cross for Heroic Deeds
War Merit Cross
Military Merit Medal
War Honor Medal
Orders
House Order of the Honor Cross
Order for Art and Science
Civil decorations
Merit Medal
Lifesaving Medal
Military and war decorations
Military Merit Medal
Cross for Loyal Service
Principalities of Reuss, Elder Line and Younger Line
Orders
Princely Reuss Honor Cross
Civil decorations
Merit Cross
Merit Medal
Lifesaving Medal
Military and war decorations
War Merit Cross "1914"
Medal for Sacrificial Activity in Wartime
Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Orders
Princely Schwarzburg Honor Cross
Civil decorations
Merit Medals for Art and Science, Trade and Industry, and Agriculture
Military and war decorations
Silver Medal for Merit in War
Orders
Order of Merit
Merit Cross
Military Merit Cross
Civil decorations
Medal for Art and Science
Military and war decorations
Friedrich Bathildis Medal
Free and Hanseatic Cities of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck
Hanseatic Cross
The largest state to be annexed by Prussia was the Kingdom of Hanover. Other states which had ceased to exist by 1871 include the Duchy of Nassau, the electoral principality of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel), the free city of Frankfurt, and several smaller states. The following is a list of the principal civil and military decorations of these states.
Kingdom of Hanover
Orders
Order of St. George
Royal Guelphic Order
Order of Ernst August
Civil decorations
Merit Medal
General Honor Decoration for Civil Merit
Golden Honor Medal for Art and Science
Military and war decorations
General Honor Decoration for Civil Merit
Langensalza Medal
Waterloo Medal
Electoral Principality of Hesse-Kassel
Orders
House Order of the Golden Lion
Order of Wilhelm
Order of the Iron Helmet
Civil decorations
Civil Merit Cross and Civil Merit Medal
Duchy of Nassau
Orders
Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau
Military and Civil Merit Order of Adolph of Nassau
Civil decorations
Civil Merit Medal
Medal for Art and Science
Military and war decorations
Bravery Medal
Waterloo Medal
German decorations of the First World War were those medals, ribbons, and other decorations bestowed upon German soldiers, sailors, and also for civilians, during the First World War. These medals were awarded by both Imperial Germany and various German Kingdoms and other states and city-states of the Reich.
During the Second World War, First World War decorations were commonly displayed on Nazi Party uniforms of the period with such awards intermixed with the more recent awards and decorations of Nazi Germany.
Pilot's Badge
Observer's Badge
Air Commemorative Badge
Air Gunner Badge
U-Boat War Badge
Wound Badge
Non-portable awards included the "Honor Goblet for Victors in the Air" and the "National Motor and Air Travel Commendation".
