| Ludwig Order Ludwigsorden | |
|---|---|
 The badge of the Grand Cross | |
Awarded by The Grand Duke of Hesse | |
| Type | Order |
| Motto | Gott Ehre Vater Land |
| Eligibility | soldiers and civilians |
| Awarded for | merit |
| Status | defunct |
| Sovereign | Grand Duke of Hesse |
| Grades | Grand Cross Commander 1st Class Commander 2nd Class Knight 1st Class Knight 2nd Class |
| Statistics | |
| Last induction | 1918 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None |
| Next (lower) | Order of Philip the Magnanimous (before 1875);Order of the Golden Lion (after 1875) |
_-_ribbon_bar.png) Ribbon bar of the order | |
TheLudwig Order (German:Großherzoglich Hessischer Ludwigsorden), was anorder of theGrand Duchy of Hesse which was awarded to meritorious soldiers and civilians from 1807 to 1918.
The order was founded byLudwig I, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine as an order of merit without name or statute on 25 August 1807. On 14 December 1831, under the auspices ofLudwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, statutes were adopted for the order, giving it its formal name, that of the Ludwig Order, dividing it into five classes, and setting the terms for award.[1] It was to be awarded to meritorious soldiers and civilians "von den obersten Stufe bis auf die unterste"[This quote needs a citation] (from the highest level to the lowest). The statutes were supplemented on 9 March 1854 and again on 30 March 1912, when the grade of Knight's Cross 1st class was replaced with a pinback breast decoration dubbed the Honour Cross. Whilst the grade of Knight's Cross 2nd class was simplified to just Knight's Cross.[2]
The order became obsolete with the abdication of the last Grand Duke of Hesse in November 1918.
The order was divided into five classes:[3]
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