The Order of the Black Eagle (Hoher Orden vom Schwarzen Adler) represents the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia and stands among the most distinguished knightly orders in European history. This magnificent set from approximately 1780, comprising the badge (Kleinod) and breast star (Bruststern), dates from the reign of Friedrich II, known as Frederick the Great (1740–1786), and represents the zenith of Prussian power during the Seven Years' War and the military expansion of Prussia.
The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg, who became Friedrich I, King in Prussia, the following day. Through the establishment of the order, the new monarch manifested Brandenburg's elevation to the Kingdom of Prussia and established the prestige of the young kingdom within European aristocratic society. The statutes of the order were published on 18 January 1701 and underwent comprehensive revision in 1847. The order's motto, "Suum cuique" (To each his own), embodied the Prussian ideal of justice. The orange color of the order's sash was chosen in honor of Louise Henriette of Nassau, daughter of the Prince of Orange and first wife of the Great Elector.
The present badge, crafted in gold, displays the characteristic workmanship of the second half of the eighteenth century: a Maltese cross with light blue convex enamel on both sides, with gold-crowned black lacquered eagles positioned between the arms of the cross. The gold center medallion bears the royal monogram of Friedrich I ("FR" for Fredericus Rex). The large breast star is executed in fine silver embroidery (Silberdrahtstickerei), a technique characteristic of early stars before the introduction of metal versions from 1858 onwards. The center medallion of the breast star displays a black eagle on a golden background, which grips a wreath of laurels in its left claws and a scepter in its right, surrounded by a white enamelled ring bearing the order's motto.
The order ribbons were worn as an orange moiré sash from the left shoulder to the right hip, with the badge resting on the hip. The present example is complete with the original yellow order sash and shows a slight enamel damage in the center on the reverse side, marking the piece as an authentic historical artifact that was actually worn.
The Order of the Black Eagle had only one class but could be awarded at the king's prerogative "with the Chain" (mit der Kette) or without (ohne Kette). Breast stars with diamonds were awarded a total of 92 times: 71 between 1742 and 1900, 20 between 1908 and 1914, and one in 1932. Membership in the order was limited to a small number of knights and was divided into two categories: members of reigning houses (further divided into members of the House of Hohenzollern and members of other German and foreign houses) and capitular knights. Before 1847, membership was limited to nobles, but after that date, capitular knights who were not nobles were raised to the nobility. Subjects of the Prussian King receiving the order were promoted to the peerage and received a hereditary title.
From its founding in 1701 to 1918, the Order of the Black Eagle was awarded 407 times, with 57 of these installations occurring during the reign of Friedrich I (1701–1713). In 1918, the knights of the order totalled 118: 14 were members of the Prussian royal house, one was a member of the Princely House of Hohenzollern, 49 (of whom nine were from states then at war with Germany) were members of other reigning houses, and 54 (including 17 who had not yet been fully installed) were nonroyal Germans. Capitular knights were generally high-ranking government officials or military officers.
Among the most notable recipients were Frederick William I of Prussia (1688–1740), inducted in 1701 as crown prince and first member of the order, Napoléon Bonaparte, admitted in 1803 when he was First Consul, the Russian Generalissimo Alexander Suvorov, Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, who served as chancellor of the Order of the Black Eagle, and Reich Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who received the order on 1 January 1873.
After World War I, deposed Emperor Wilhelm II in his Dutch exile continued to award the order to his family and made his second wife, Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz, a Lady in the Order of the Black Eagle. Although formally abolished as a state order with the end of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1918, the Order of the Black Eagle has continued in a nominal capacity as a dynastic house order of the House of Hohenzollern. Under subsequent heads of the house—Crown Prince Wilhelm (died 1951), Prince Louis Ferdinand (died 1994), and the current head, Georg Friedrich Prince of Prussia (born 1976)—the order has remained a symbolic element of Hohenzollern heritage.
