History

The Military Honour Decoration was established by King Wilhelm III. It was awarded in recognition of outstanding bravery during times of war.

The I Class Cross was founded in 1814 and it replaced the Gold Military Merit Medal of 1806; the Silver Military Medal of 1806 became the II Class award, with slight changes in its design.

In 1851, it became possible that the Military Honour Decoration could be awarded with the anniversary numbers 50, 60, or 70.

The Military Honour Medal was awarded in times of war when the Iron Cross was not, such as during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866.

In 1871, a commemorative version was introduced with a red cross for those that cared for the weak and sick.

In order to receive the I Class Cross, an individual had to first receive the II Class Medal.

The 1814 model of the cross is identical to the General Honour Decoration, the only difference being the colour of the ribbon.
The Military Merit Cross was suspended from a black ribbon with white stripes. The General Honour Decoration was suspended from a white and orange ribbon.

In 1864, the I Class Cross and II Class Medal underwent a design change. In addition, the criteria to receive the decoration were changed; in order to receive a I Class Cross, an individual did not have to first receive a II Class Medal anymore.

The 1864 version features the obverse inscription “KRIEGS VERDIENST” and bears the crowned cipher of King Wilhelm.

The I Class Cross was awarded approximately 200 times, eleven of which were for military services from 1814 to 1817. In 1828, the general order commission issued Hossauer, a jeweller in Berlin, to create 200 crosses made of soldered silver (937/1000 silver). However, it was instead Hanff, another jeweller in Berlin, who received the order at a later date, and this variant was awarded until 1830.