Pour le Mérite
| Pour le Mérite (Blauer Max) | |
|---|---|
| Type | Neck decoration |
| Presented by | King of Prussia (1740–1918) |
| Eligibility | Military personnel (1740–1918) |
| Status | Extinct |
| Established |
|
| First award | 16 June 1740 |
| Final award | 22 September 1918 |
| Total | 5415 |
Pour le Mérite Pour le Mérite with oak leaves Ribbon bars of the order | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (lower) | House Order of Hohenzollern |
The Pour le Mérite (German: [puːɐ̯ lə meˈʁiːt]; French: [puʁ lə me.ʁit], lit. 'For Merit'), also informally known as the Blue Max (German: Blauer Max) after German WWI flying ace Max Immelmann, is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. Separated into two classes, each with their own designs, the Pour le Mérite was awarded as both a military and civil honour. While the military class has been extinct since the abolition of the German Monarchy, the civil honour continues to be awarded by the German state at the oversight of the Minister of State for Culture and discretion of the Federal President. Alongside the extinct Order of the Black Eagle, Order of the Red Eagle, and the House Order of Hohenzollern, the award was one of the Kingdom of Prussia's most significant, with the Pour le Mérite itself being the highest order of bravery for officers of all ranks, and the highest recognition of civilian accomplishment awarded by the Prussian Crown.
The Pour le Mérite was awarded as a recognition of extraordinary personal achievement, rather than as a general marker of social status or a courtesy-honour, although certain restrictions of social class and military rank were applied. The order was secular, and membership endured for the remaining lifetime of the recipient, unless renounced or revoked.
New awards of the military class ceased with the end of the Prussian monarchy in November 1918. German author Ernst Jünger, who died in 1998, was the last living recipient of the military class award.
A civil class for merits in sciences, humanities, and arts was established in 1842 by King Frederick William IV. The civil class was revived as an independent organization in 1923 (Pour le Mérite für Wissenschaften und Künste). Instead of the King of Prussia, the President of Germany acted as head of the order. After the Second World War, the civil class was re-established in 1952. It is this manifestation of the Pour le Mérite that remains active. The Pour le Mérite is an order into which a person is admitted, like the United Kingdom's Order of the British Empire, and is not simply a medal or state decoration.