Wilhelm-Orden

Wilhelm-Orden

The Wilhelm-Orden (English "William-Order") was instituted on 18 January 1896 by the German Emperor and King of Prussia William II as a high civilian award, and was dedicated to the memory of his grandfather Emperor William I "the Great".

Insignia

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 en Otto Schultz.

List of recipients

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

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

External links

Media related to Wilhelm-Orden at Wikimedia Commons

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Orders, decorations and medals of Prussia Orders Order of the Black Eagle Order of the Red Eagle House Order of Hohenzollern Order of the Crown Johanniter Order Order of Louise Pour le Mérite Wilhelm-Orden Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown Military decorations Iron Cross Kulm Cross Military Merit Cross Military Honor Medal Merit Cross for War Aid Warrior Merit Medal Civil decorations Lifesaving Medal General Honor Decoration Merit Cross Jerusalem Cross Cross of the Mount of Olives Red Cross Medal Ladies Merit Cross Cross of Merit for Women and Girls