Ludwig Order Ludwigsorden
The badge of the Grand Cross
Awarded by The Grand Duke of Hesse
Type	Order
Motto	Gott Ehre Vater Land
Eligibility	soldiers and civilians
Awarded for	merit
Status	defunct
Sovereign	Grand Duke of Hesse
Grades	Grand Cross Commander 1st Class Commander 2nd Class Knight 1st Class Knight 2nd Class
Statistics
Last induction	1918
Precedence
Next (higher)	None
Next (lower)	Order of Philip the Magnanimous (before 1875); Order of the Golden Lion (after 1875)
Ribbon bar of the order

The Ludwig Order (German: Großherzoglich Hessischer Ludwigsorden), was an order of the Grand Duchy of Hesse which was awarded to meritorious soldiers and civilians from 1807 to 1918.

History

The order was founded by Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine as an order of merit without name or statute on 25 August 1807. On 14 December 1831 statutes were adopted for the order, giving it its formal name, dividing it into five classes, and setting the terms for award. It was to be awarded to meritorious soldiers and civilians "von den obersten Stufe bis auf die unterste"^{[This quote needs a citation]} (from the highest level to the lowest).

The order became obsolete with the abdication of the last Grand Duke of Hesse in November 1918.

Classes

The order was divided into five classes:

• Grand Cross
• Commander 1st Class
• Commander 2nd Class
• Knight 1st Class
• Knight 2nd Class