German Awards - Nassau Order of Military and Civil Merit - Grand Cross with Swords

Duke Adolf I established the ducal Nassau Order of Military and Civil Merit of Adolf of Nassau (full name) on May 8, 1858. The decision of the order is -VIRTUTE- through virtue. The order was a tribute to King Adolf of Nassau. In 1292, he was elected Holy Roman Emperor of the German nation. The medallion on the back recalls these two dates, the coronation of 1292 and the founding of the order in 1858. The classes of the order were: Grand Cross, Komtur 1st and 2nd. Class, Knight and 4. Class (owner). Grand Cross and Comtour 1. The class was assigned in addition to the cross with a chest star. Komtur 2. The class was assigned without a breast star. Crosses of the first 3 classes carry a gold, openwork crown over the order cross. The knight's cross is gold, with enameled cross sleeves and a middle shield. 4th grade is a silver cross with enameled middle shields. In 1860, the order was expanded with the Silver Cross of Merit. All classes were awarded to military personnel with swords crossed through the center. A large cross with swords was awarded only 35 times. Source: J. Nimmergut, Deutsche Orden und Ehrenzeichen bis 1945, vol. II, 1997.

Golden Cross in Maltese uniform. White enameled cruciform arms with small gold balls on the tops of the cross. Front and back sides with superimposed round medallion. Crossed in the center 2 antique swords with silver blades and gold handles and paired poles. Between the tops of the upper cruciform shoulder is an agraff, to which a movable golden crown is attached. A ribbon ring passes through the imperial crown apple.

Front side:

• Round central shield with a wide blue enameled ring inside and out with a gold border.
• Above 2 golden laurel branches, right and left. Below is the gold font:
• - VIRTUTE - (on merit) in the included white enameled field,
• golden Gothic letter - A - above it is a golden crown (imperial crown).

Downside:

• The round central shield is white enameled with a gold border.
• Above and below there is a small gold decoration. Between the 2-line gold digits of the year:
• - 1292 - and - 1858 - between them a horizontal golden protrusion with a point in the center.

Tape:

• blue 108 mm wide, edges 1 mm, side stripes yellow 4 mm.

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