Hessen-Homburg Sword Cross

[Guest Rick Research]

Still working my way through the Traveling Museum's most recent visit scans made here on the Magic Epson, and being waaaaaaaay out of my depth this far back, using von Hessenthal and Schreiber to figure out what things are.

Landgraf (Count) Friedrich Vth created this on 22 May 1819 for his subjects who had served against the French 1814/15. Goldsmith Hessenberg in Frankfurt am Main made 159 of these and a special gilt one for the Grand Duke of Hesse, who had (and here the whys and wherefors elude me) had ACTUAL administration of the County from 1806 to 1815...

and when the Count died in 1820... these suddenly became Very Unpopular and there was somee sort of persnickety "legal" issue about the County NOT having been "sovereign" before 1815... and they were quietly withdrawn and faaaaaaaaaded away.

I'm not quite sure what the story with THAT was, since Hessen-Homburg WAS a sovereign micro-state until 1860, when Hessen-Darmstadt absorbed it.

But this is another example of the patchwork of tiny, medieval German mini-states of the period and the internal squabbling that helped bring about Prussian hegemony later in the 19th century.

There seems to be some uncertainty about which side is actually the front and which side is the back. Von Hessenthal and Schreiber say the "1814- 18-15" side was on front and the "FL-L" was on back.

Edited December 15, 2008 by Rick Research

[Ferg1]

Is that picture of an original piece? I only ask because I cannot believe that there were more than one maker of these,I handled an example of this award in the Imperial War museums archive department in London and the detail and quality was fantastic, the one shown seems poor quality .Ferg1.

[Guest Rick Research]

Patina is not the scanner's friend.

[Roman Slivin]

Rick,

How you like this cross?

:cheers:

[Roman Slivin]

:cheers:

[Guest Rick Research]

No clue, me. I just run the visitors through the Magic Epson scanner.

[Ed_Haynes]

Two very different suspensions, to be sure. Someone must know. Andreas???

[Wild Card]

Is that picture of an original piece? I only ask because I cannot believe that there were more than one maker of these,I handled an example of this award in the Imperial War museums archive department in London and the detail and quality was fantastic, the one shown seems poor quality .Ferg1.

Hello Ferg1,

I certainly cannot say whether either of the pieces shown are original or not.

I had the privilege of seeing one of these in George Seymour?s collection and one thing that I remember was the unusual suspension ring which was the same as the one shown in post #1. Beyond that, the example shown in Nimmergut?s magnum opus also has this grooved ring.

Who Knows? Perhaps Andreas?

Regards,

Wild Card

[Paul H1]

...I'm not quite sure what the story with THAT was, since Hessen-Homburg WAS a sovereign micro-state until 1960, when Hessen-Darmstadt absorbed it...

Rick,

Do you mean 1860? Hessen-Homburg went to Hessen-Darmstadt in 1866, then to Prussia and was combined with Nassau to form Hessen-Nassau.

Paul

[Guest Rick Research]

Simple typo. The brain sees what it intends, not what the fingies strike. Fixed.

[W McSwiggan]

Enjoyed seeing this one with my own eyes - didn't even know what I was looking at!

I would have known about the Iron Helm had it come out before I needed to leave. Drat!

Not easy being me!

Such great stuff!

PS - Wild Card - your PM box is full - again...

[Paul H1]

Simple typo. The brain sees what it intends, not what the fingies strike. Fixed.

Thanks Rick,

Living in this area I'm always interested in these State awards. It's amazing what the archives of Hessen hold on the state forces before 1866. Makes me a bit jealous being a Great War guy!!

Paul