Order of Olga
Encyclopedia
The Order of Olga (German:Olga-Orden) was created by Karl I
, King of Württemberg
, on June 27, 1871, to honor his queen consort, Olga Nikolaevna of Russia. Its primary purpose was to honor women who cared for wounded soldiers in the Franco-Prussian War
of 1870 – 1871. While it was conferred on a few men, it remained largely a women’s order.
The insignia was a cross of silver with the interlocking cipher of the King Karl and Queen Olga on the obverse and the years 1870-71 on the reverse. This emblem was suspended from a red and black ribbon. Men, including the king, wore it from the button hole of his coat or as a military medal, while ladies wore it suspended form a large bow on their left breast.
In 1889, a similar medal was created – the Karl Olga Medal – for service to the Red Cross. This decoration was, incidentally, also given primarily to women, but was not part of the Order of Olga.
Charles I of Württemberg
Charles was the third King of Württemberg, from 25 June 1864 until his death in 1891.-Early life:He was born 6 March 1823 at Stuttgart, as HRH Charles Frederick Alexander, Crown Prince of Württemberg the son of William I, King of Württemberg and his third wife Pauline Therese of Württemberg .He...
, King of Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
, on June 27, 1871, to honor his queen consort, Olga Nikolaevna of Russia. Its primary purpose was to honor women who cared for wounded soldiers in the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870 – 1871. While it was conferred on a few men, it remained largely a women’s order.
The insignia was a cross of silver with the interlocking cipher of the King Karl and Queen Olga on the obverse and the years 1870-71 on the reverse. This emblem was suspended from a red and black ribbon. Men, including the king, wore it from the button hole of his coat or as a military medal, while ladies wore it suspended form a large bow on their left breast.
In 1889, a similar medal was created – the Karl Olga Medal – for service to the Red Cross. This decoration was, incidentally, also given primarily to women, but was not part of the Order of Olga.
Sources
- Tagore, Rajah Sir Sourindro Mohun. The Orders of Knighthood, British and Foreign. Calcutta, India: The Catholic Orphan Press, 1884
- Maximilian Gritzner, Handbuch der Ritter- und Verdienstorden aller Kulturstaaten der Welt innerhalb des XIX. Jahrhunderts. Auf Grund amtlicher und anderer zuverlässiger Quellen zusammengestellt, Verlag: Leipzig, Verlagsbuchhandlung von J.J. Weber, 1893.
- Jörg Nimmergut, Deutschland-Katalog, 2002