| Saxe-Ernestine House Order Saksisch-Ernestinische Huisorde |
|
|---|---|
Star and sash of the order |
|
| Awarded by Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Saxe-Meiningen Saxe-Altenburg |
|
| Type | Knightly House Order |
| Status | no longer awarded |
| Motto | Fideliter Et Constanter (Faithful and Steadfast) |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 25 December 1833 |
| Last awarded | 1935 (in Saxe-Coburg-Gotha)[1] |
The Saxe-Ernestine House Order (Sachsen-Ernestinischen Hausorden) was a German Ducal award, instituted by Duke Friedrich of Saxe-Altenburg, Duke Ernst I of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Duke Bernhard II of Saxe-Meiningen, on 25 December 1833 as a joint award of the Saxon duchies.[2]
At first, the Order consisted of five classes: Grand Cross, Commander's Cross with Star in First and Second Classes, and Knight's Cross in First and Second Classes. Awards were reserved for officers.[3]. In 1864, a silver-gilt medal was added but subsequently suppressed in 1918, at the end of World War I[4]. Gold and silver medals were also associated with the Order.
There are mentions of awards of the Order to the Nazi hierarchy in the 1930s.
In 2006 the head of the ducal family of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Andreas, created the Ducal Saxe-Coburg and Gotha House Order. It is based on the old Ducal Saxe-Ernestine House Order.[1]