Item number: M543-2

Year: AD 1914-1918

Material: Gun Metal Gilt

Provenance: Teutoburger Münzauktion GmBH 2025

This is a War Merit Cross instituted by the Principality of Lippe.

The decoration takes the form of a cross pattée with arms that broaden towards the extremities. The rim is relatively smooth, whilst the recessed fields exhibit a textured, stippled finish. At the centre lies a five-petalled Lippe rose encircled by a laurel wreath. Above this appears a crowned, calligraphic cipher ‘L’ representing ‘Lippe’, whilst the foundation year ‘1914’ is inscribed below.

The reverse features a horizontal German inscription across three tiers: ‘FÜR’ at the top, ‘AUSZEICHNUNG IM’ in the centre, and ‘KRIEGE’ below, translating as ‘For Merit in War’. The ribbon for combatants comprises white-red-yellow-red-white stripes, with the central yellow stripe being broader. For non-combatants, the configuration of the yellow and white stripes is inverted.

The cross was instituted on 8 December AD 1914 by Prince Leopold IV. By AD 1922, a total of 18,375 crosses on the combatant ribbon and 1,117 crosses on the non-combatant ribbon had been conferred.

The Principality of Lippe (also known as Lippe-Detmold) was situated in north-western Germany, with Detmold serving as its capital and seat of government. The dynasty traced its lineage to the tenth-century Westphalian noble house of the ‘Lords of Lippe’, named after the River Lippe. During the Middle Ages, the house progressively acquired surrounding territories and comital rights, achieving the status of Imperial Counts in circa AD 1528. Following a dynastic partition in AD 1614, several cadet branches emerged, including Lippe-Detmold. The territory was formally elevated to an Imperial Principality in AD 1789 and subsequently acceded to the Confederation of the Rhine in AD 1807.

In the early nineteenth century, Princess Regent Pauline advanced the abolition of serfdom in AD 1808 and endeavoured to enact a constitution; however, Lippe did not establish its first written constitution until AD 1836. The state joined the German Confederation in AD 1815, fully acceded to the Zollverein in AD 1841, joined the North German Confederation in AD 1867, and became a constituent federal state of the German Empire in AD 1871. In the late nineteenth century, as Prince Alexander was incapacitated by mental illness, regencies were assumed successively by the Schaumburg-Lippe and Lippe-Biesterfeld lines. Following a ruling by a court of arbitration, Prince Leopold IV of the Lippe-Biesterfeld line formally assumed personal rule in AD 1905.

Around the outbreak of the First World War in AD 1914, the Principality of Lippe was in the twilight of its monarchical era under the reign of Leopold IV. At this juncture, Lippe retained the three-class franchise established in AD 1876 and an administrative structure comprising five districts demarcated in AD 1879 (Detmold, Schötmar, Brake, Blomberg, and Lipperode), whilst its economy remained predominantly agrarian and forestry-based. Following the conclusion of the First World War and the outbreak of the German Revolution, Leopold IV formally abdicated on 12 November AD 1918, bringing monarchical rule in Lippe to an end. Lippe subsequently transitioned into the Free State of Lippe upon adopting a democratic constitution on 21 December AD 1920. During the National Socialist era from AD 1933 to AD 1945, it was subordinated to the Gau of Westphalia-North. In the post-war period in AD 1947, the British military authorities incorporated the Free State of Lippe into the newly established Land of North Rhine-Westphalia. Today, Lippe constitutes the District of Lippe within that federal state.

物件編號: M543-2

年代: 公元 1914-1918 年

材質: 炮銅鍍金

來源: Teutoburger Münzauktion GmBH 2025

這是一枚戰爭功績十字獎章，由利珀親王國頒行。

該章呈十字型，各臂漸寬。章緣較光滑，內部有粗面紋路。中央為一朵五瓣的利珀玫瑰，環繞月桂葉冠。上方花體的「L」為「利珀」(Lippe)的縮寫，「L」上方有王冠。下方為設立年「1914」。

背面中央橫列德文「AUSZEICHNUNG IM」，上下方橫列「FÜR / KRIEGE」，直譯為「戰時功勳」。戰鬥人員的綬帶為白-紅-黃-紅-白，黃色色帶較寬。非戰鬥人員的黃色與白色色帶是對調的。

該章由利奧波德四世親王於公元1914年12月8日設立。截至公元1922年，共頒發了18,375枚佩戴戰鬥人員綬帶的十字章和1,117枚佩戴非戰鬥人員綬帶的十字章。

利珀親王國(又稱利珀-代特莫爾德)位於德國西北部，以代特莫爾德為首都與統治中心。其家族歷史可追溯至十世紀以利珀河命名的威斯特法倫貴族「利珀貴族領主」，中世紀陸續取得周邊領地與伯爵權，並於約公元1528年升格為帝國伯爵。公元1614年家族分封後形成利珀-代特莫爾德等支系，公元1789年正式獲准升為帝國親王國，隨後於公元1807年加入萊茵邦聯。19世紀初，保琳親王妃在攝政期間推動了公元1808年的農奴解放，並嘗試頒布憲法，但直到公元1836年利珀才確立首部成文憲法。該國於公元1815年加入德意志邦聯，公元1841年全面加入關稅同盟，公元1867年加入北德意志邦聯，並於公元1871年成為德意志帝國的聯邦邦國之一。十九世紀末期，因亞歷山大親王患有精神疾病無力執政，沙皇堡-利珀家族與利珀-比斯特費爾德家族相繼攝政，最終經仲裁法庭判定，由利珀-比斯特費爾德系的利珀親王利奧波德四世於公元1905年正式親政。在公元1914年第一次世界大戰爆發前後，利珀親王國處於君主制末期，由利奧波德四世統治。此時的利珀維持著公元1876年確立的三級選舉制與公元1879年劃分的五個行政區架構(代特莫爾德、希特馬爾、布拉克、布隆貝格、利珀羅德)，經濟上仍以農林業為主。隨著一戰結束與德國十一月革命爆發，利奧波德四世於公元1918年11月12日正式退位，終結了利珀的君主統治。利珀隨後於公元1920年12月21日通過民主憲法轉型為利珀自由邦，在公元1933至1945年納粹統治時期被劃歸北威斯特法倫大區管轄。二戰後的公元1947年，英國佔領當局將利珀自由邦併入新成立的北萊茵-威斯特法倫州。今日，利珀已改制為該州轄下的利珀縣。