Albert Order

Albert Order
*Albrechts-Orden* or *Albrechtsorden*
Albert Order; Albrechts-Orden or Albrechtsorden;
	Grand Cross Star of the order
Awarded by Kingdom of Saxony
Type	Order of merit
Established	31 December 1850
Eligibility	Saxon civilians and military officers
Awarded for	service to the state for civil virtue, science, art and after 1860 the military
Status	Obsolete
Classes	Gold Grand Cross; Grand Cross; Commander's Cross 1st Class; Commander's Cross; Officer's Cross; Knight's Cross 1st Class; Knight's Cross 2nd Class; Honour Cross; Merit Cross with Swords;
Precedence
Next (higher)	Military Order of St. Henry
Next (lower)	Civil Order of Saxony
	; Ribbon of the order; ;

The Albert Order (German: Albrechts-Orden or Albrechtsorden) was created on 31 December 1850 by King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony to commemorate Albert III, Duke of Saxony (known as Albert the Bold). It was to be awarded to anyone who had served the state well, for civil virtue, science and art.^[1]

Design

The design was a Christian cross with a bust of Albert the Bold at the centre. In 1875, however, it was discovered the bust was in fact the wrong Albert, Albert the Perennial, and the correct image was substituted and used thereafter.^[2]

Grades

The grade structure of the Albert Order changed several times.

At first, there were five classes: Grand Cross (Großkreuz), Commander's Cross 1st Class (Komturkreuz I), Commander's Cross 2nd Class (Komturkreuz II), Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz) and Small Cross (Kleinkreuz). These provided the basis for a series of changes over the following forty years. On 18 March 1858, the Small Cross was renamed as the Honour Cross (Ehrenkreuz) and a sixth class was established with a gold and silver Merit Medal (Verdienstmedaille). A Merit Cross (Verdienstkreuz) with Swords was added on 29 October 1866 and this was extended on 9 December 1870 with the Merit Cross with Swords on Ring.^[1]

The medals were abolished on 2 February 1876 and the Knights Cross was split into two classes. On 30 April 1884, a gold Great Cross was added and on 11 June 1890, the Officer's Cross was inserted into the Order between the Knight's Cross 1st Class and the Commander's Cross 2nd Class.^[1] So, at its abolition in 1918, the Order was structured thus:

Gold Grand Cross (Goldgroßkreuz)

Grand Cross (Großkreuz)

Commander's Cross 1st Class (Komturkreuz I. Klasse)

Commander's Cross (Komturkreuz II. Klasse)

Officer's Cross (Offizierskreuz)

Knight's Cross 1st Class (Ritterkreuz I. Klasse)

Knight's Cross 2nd Class (Ritterkreuz II. Klasse)

Honour Cross (Ehrenkreuz)

Merit Cross (Verdienstkreuz) with Swords

An award of Swords indicated a recipient's bravery in wartime. If, however, a recipient was subsequently awarded a higher grade in the Order, he could lose the bravery distinction attached to the superseded grade (regulations only allowed the display of the insignia of the highest awarded grade). This anomaly was solved in 1906 by allowing the addition of Swords by replacement of insignia. A recipient, however, had to pay the cost of replacement and this appears to have inhibited the numbers of such replacements.^[3]

Recipients

References

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Gareis, Frank (1997–2003). "Kingly Saxon Albrecht-Order". Retrieved 19 June 2010.
^ Schulze Ising, Andreas M. (2005). "Manufacturers of the Saxon Albert Order". Imperial German Orders, Decorations and Medals. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
^ Schulze Ising, Andreas M. (2005). "The Saxon Albert Order with Swords on Ring". Imperial German Orders, Decorations and Medals. Retrieved 19 June 2010.

[gaes-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Gareis, Frank (1997–2003). "Kingly Saxon Albrecht-Order". Retrieved 19 June 2010.

[amsi-2] Schulze Ising, Andreas M. (2005). "Manufacturers of the Saxon Albert Order". Imperial German Orders, Decorations and Medals. Retrieved 19 June 2010.

[amsi2-3] Schulze Ising, Andreas M. (2005). "The Saxon Albert Order with Swords on Ring". Imperial German Orders, Decorations and Medals. Retrieved 19 June 2010.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Orders, decorations, and medals of the German Empire
Kingdom of Prussia	Order of the Black Eagle Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown Order of the Red Eagle Order of the Crown House Order of Hohenzollern Pour le Mérite Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg) Order of Louise Wilhelm-Orden
Kingdom of Bavaria	Order of Saint Hubert Military Order of Max Joseph Military Merit Order (Bavaria) Order of Theresa Order of Saint Elizabeth Royal Order of Saint George Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown Order of Saint Michael (Bavaria) Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art Order of Louis (Bavaria) Medical military Order
Kingdom of Saxony	Order of the Rue Crown Military Order of St. Henry Albert Order Civil Order of Saxony Order of Sidonia Order of Maria Anna
Kingdom of Württemberg	Order of the Crown (Württemberg) Military Merit Order (Württemberg) Friedrich Order Order of Olga
Kingdom of Hanover	Order of St. George Royal Guelphic Order Order of Ernst August
Grand Duchy of Baden	Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order Order of Berthold the First Order of the Zähringer Lion House Order of Fidelity
Grand Duchy of Hesse	House Order of the Golden Lion Ludwig Order Order of Philip the Magnanimous Order of the Star of Brabant General Honor Decoration
Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel	House Order of the Golden Lion Wilhelm Order Order of the Iron Helmet
Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt	Order of Philip the Magnanimous
Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin	Order of the Griffon (Mecklenburg) House Order of the Wendish Crown
Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz	Order of the Griffon (Mecklenburg) House Order of the Wendish Crown
Grand Duchy of Oldenburg	House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis Friedrich-August Cross
Duchy of Saxe-Weimar	Order of the White Falcon
Duchy of Brunswick	Order of Henry the Lion
Duchy of Nassau	Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau Order of Adolphe of Nassau
Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg	Saxe-Ernestine House Order
Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha	Saxe-Ernestine House Order (2006: Saxe-Coburg-Gotha House Order)
Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen	Saxe-Ernestine House Order
Duchy of Anhalt	Order of Albert the Bear Order of Merit for Science and Art
Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen	House Order of Hohenzollern
Principality of Hohenzollern-Hechingen	House Order of Hohenzollern
Principality of Lippe-Detmold	Order of the Cross of Honour (Lippe) Order of Leopold (Lippe) Order of Berta Order of the Rose of Lippe
Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe	Order of the Cross of Honour (Lippe)
Principality of Reuss	Order of the Cross of Honour (Reuss)
Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt	Order of the Cross of Honour (Schwarzburg)
Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen	Order of the Cross of Honour (Schwarzburg)
Free cities	Hanseatic Cross