The Military Merit Cross (Bavaria)

• Time Period: Pre-WW1
• Institution: July 19, 1866
• Country: Germany (Kingdom of Bavaria)

]The Bavarian Military Merit Cross (or Militär-Verdienstkreuz in German) was the Kingdom’s main decoration for bravery and military merit for enlisted soldiers, intended “to reward extraordinary merit by non-commissioned officers, soldiers, and lower-ranking officials.”

The cross was established on July 19, 1866 as the 5th Class of the Military Merit Order, the main decoration for bravery and military merit for officers and higher-ranking officials. Civilians acting in support of the army were also made eligible for the decoration.

The first recipient appears to have been Gendarm Johann Winter, who received the Military Merit Cross in the Armee-Befehl of August 20, 1866. The Bavarian Military Merit Cross underwent three major revisions. In February 1891, awards with swords were authorized to distinguish wartime awards, whether for bravery or military merit, from peacetime awards. In 1905, the statutes of the Military Merit Order were revised and the Military Merit Cross was divided into two classes. In 1913, another revision of the statutes of the Military Merit Order divided the Military Merit Cross into three classes.

The Military Merit Cross Design

The cross is a maltese cross with a center medallion. The center medallion is enameled.

The obverse of the center medallion shows an “L” cipher of King Ludwig II in the center and the word “MERENTI” on the ring. The reverse has a Bavarian lion with the date of founding, “1866”, on the ring.