Item number: M544

Year: AD 1825-1913

Material: Silver Gilt

Provenance: Teutoburger Münzauktion GmBH 2025

This is a military long service decoration, originally instituted in AD 1825 to honour military personnel for extended service.

The decoration is rectangular in form, defined by an outer raised rim and a recessed inner border. Centrally positioned, the cipher ‘F.W.III.’ denotes King Frederick William III, cast against a granulated field. The plaque is mounted upon a rectangular segment of ribbon in blue cloth bordered with gilt edges, the physical appearance of which closely resembles orange.

Following the catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Jena in AD 1806, Prussia was profoundly struck by the mobilising efficacy of universal conscription and the honours system of the Légion d’honneur. Spearheaded by military reformers such as Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, the state abolished the antiquated foreign mercenary system, transitioning towards universal conscription and establishing the Landwehr structure. Under a regime characterised by the regular rotation of conscripts, the armed forces required a cadre of seasoned, steadfastly loyal non-commissioned officers (Unteroffiziere) and career officers to oversee daily drilling, tactical continuity, and institutional discipline. Furthermore, the Iron Cross, instituted in AD 1813, was conferred exclusively during wartime. Following the Coalition victory in AD 1815, Europe entered an era of peace, leaving servicemen with fewer opportunities to attain advancement or honours through martial distinction. To prevent the attrition of proficient non-commissioned officers, the military command required a formalised and respected peacetime award to recognise years of unblemished, faithful service (Treu gedient), often accompanied by post-discharge privileges or supplementary allowances. The Long Service Decoration was one of the honours systems established by Frederick William III to fulfil this objective.

At its inception, officers with 25 years of service were awarded a cross, whereas non-commissioned officers and enlisted men with 21, 15, and 9 years of service received rectangular plaques in gilt, silver, and iron, respectively. Following the reorganisation of AD 1913, personnel with 25 and 15 years of service were granted crosses in gilt and brass, whilst those with 12 and 9 years of service received circular medals in silver or bronze. Of a comparable nature was the Landwehr Long Service Decoration. Most constituent states of the German Empire established their own long service awards with varying regulations; among these, the decoration of the Grand Duchy of Hesse was virtually identical in design to that of the Kingdom of Prussia, distinguishable solely by its red-and-white ribbon.

物件編號: M544

年代: 公元 1825-1913 年

材質: 黃銅

來源: Teutoburger Münzauktion GmBH 2025

這是一枚軍事長期服役飾章，初設於公元1825年，頒予長期服務的軍職人員。

章體呈長方形，章緣外凸內凹。中央「F.W.III.」為腓特烈·威廉三世(Frederick William III)的縮寫，底章則為粗糙的顆粒紋飾。章牌底部以方形的綬帶承托，綬帶為藍色鑲金邊，金邊的實際效果更接近橙色。

公元1806年耶拿會戰慘敗後，普魯士震動於普遍徵兵制和榮譽軍團獎勳制度的動員力，在沙恩霍斯特(Scharnhorst)與格奈森瑙(Gneisenau)等改革家推動下，廢除了舊式的外籍僱傭兵體制，轉向普遍徵兵制與國民軍(Landwehr)體系。在義務役士兵定期輪替的制度下，軍隊需要一批經驗豐富、高度忠誠的職業士官(Unteroffiziere)與職業軍官來負責日常操練、戰術傳承與部隊紀律。此外，公元1813年創立的鐵十字勳章(Iron Cross)僅在戰時頒發。公元1815年反法同盟勝利後，歐洲一時和平，軍人較少能藉由戰功晉升或獲取勳賞。為了防止訓練有素的士官大量流失，軍方需要一套制度化且受尊敬的和平時期獎勵，藉以表彰多年無瑕疵的忠誠服役(Treu gedient)，並往往伴隨退伍優待或額外津貼。長期服役飾章，便是腓特烈·威廉三世為此設立的勳獎系統之一。

初設時，服役25年的軍官得頒十字章；服役21年、15年、9年的士官兵分別獲頒鍍金、銀、鐵質的方形章牌。公元1913年改制，服役25年、15年者得頒鍍金與黃銅材質的十字章；服役12年、9年者獲頒銀或同質的圓章。性質類似的，還有後備軍長期服役飾章。德意志帝國的各邦國多有設立長期服役獎章，規制不一，其中黑森大公國章體外型與普魯士王國幾乎一致，僅能從紅白色的綬帶作區別。