Page:The Book of Orders of Knighthood and Decorations of Honour of All Nations.djvu/747

 WÜRTEMBERG.

ORDER OF THE CROWN OF WÜRTEMBERG.

In 1702, Duke Frederick Charles of Würtemberg founded the Order of the Golden Eagle, also called the Chase-Horn or Bugle, from the circumstance that the Dukes of Wiirtemberg bore the title of Imperial Masters of the Hunt. This Order which was subsequently renewed by Duke Charles Alexander, was, on the 6th March, 1807, entirely remodelled by Frederick I., on his assuming the royal dignity, after having already, on the 6th November, 1806, founded the Order of Civil Merit. These two Orders were, on the 23rd September, 1818, united with that of the crown of Wiirtemburg, by King William, who promulgated new statutes, and formed three classes: Knights of the Grand Cross, Commanders and Knights. The number of the Knights of each class is not fixed, though care is taken to keep it as much as possible within the limits prescribed by the statutes of the Order of Civil Merit.

In connection with the Order, are gold and silver medals for civil merit.

The badge of the Order is an octagonal gold cross, coated with white enamel, and having in the four angles the royal escutcheon with the gold leopard-lions. The round whiteenamelled centre in the middle of the cross contains, on the obverse, the crowned cypher of the King, surrounded by a crimson red border, with the legend in golden characters: