These exceptional shoulder boards embody the complex dynastic and military relationships between the two great Central European powers on the eve of the First World War. They were manufactured in 1915 for Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria as part of the new Model 1915 peace uniform (Friedensuniform Modell 1915), which was adopted by Prussia on 21 September 1915. These shoulder boards were intended for Franz Joseph to wear in his dual capacity as honorary Prussian Generalfeldmarschall and as Honorary Regimental Chief (Regimentschef) of Husaren-Regiment Nr. 16.
The Husaren-Regiment Nr. 16 was formed on 27 September 1866 and officially established on 30 October 1866 as part of the Prussian Army, stationed at Schloss Gottorf in Schleswig. Initially named Schleswig-Holsteinisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 16 (7 November 1867), it received its full honorary designation when Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria was appointed Regimentschef on 9 September 1873. This appointment symbolized the reconciliation between the German Empire and Austria-Hungary following the war of 1866, in which Prussia and its allies had defeated the Austrian forces. The regiment thereafter bore the name Husaren-Regiment “Kaiser Franz Joseph von Österreich, König von Ungarn” (Schleswig-Holsteinisches) Nr. 16.
The military connection between Franz Joseph and Prussia deepened further when Kaiser Wilhelm II conferred upon him the honorary rank of Prussian Generalfeldmarschall in February 1895, the highest rank in the Prussian and German Army. This honor underscored the growing alliance between the two empires, which would ultimately fight as allies in the First World War.
The Model 1915 uniform was introduced during World War I as a simplified field-gray wartime and peacetime design. Two basic M1915 uniform types existed: the Waffenrock M1915 for formal occasions and the Feldgraue Bluse for field wear. These shoulder boards would have been designated for the more formal Waffenrock. They represent the large version for the peace uniform and display the characteristic design for the highest military rank.
The flat, broad gold and silver braid with black interwoven threads bears the applied silver Generalfeldmarschall batons – the crossed marshal's batons that distinguish this rank from all others. Upon these sits the gilded regimental cipher: a crown over “FJ1”, representing Franz Joseph I. The blue cloth backing corresponds to the facing color of this hussar regiment. The shoulder boards are complete with shoulder loops for attachment to the uniform.
These shoulder boards were manufactured for Franz Joseph and delivered, but the aged emperor died on 21 November 1916 at Schönbrunn Palace at the age of 86, before they could be worn. Franz Joseph had reigned as Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary from 1848 until his death in 1916 – one of the longest reigns in European history. His death during the World War marked the end of an era.
Following Franz Joseph's death, the Husaren-Regiment Nr. 16 continued to exist until the regiment was disbanded in 1918 at the end of World War I. The regiment's tradition was carried on in the Weimar Republic by the 3rd Squadron of the 14th Reiter-Regiment in Schleswig (by decree of General Hans von Seeckt on 24 August 1921). In the Wehrmacht, the 3rd Squadron of Kavallerie-Regiment 14 in Parchim continued the tradition.
These shoulder boards are of extraordinary historical significance as personal insignia of one of Europe's most important monarchs, embodying the dynastic connections between the Hohenzollerns and the Habsburgs in the final years of monarchy. They bear witness to a world of courtly ceremony and military tradition that vanished irrevocably with the First World War.
