Cross of Honour of the German Mother
Nazi German decoration honouring mothers of large families / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Cross of Honour of the German Mother (German: Ehrenkreuz der Deutschen Mutter), referred to colloquially as the Mutterehrenkreuz (Mother's Cross of Honour) or simply Mutterkreuz (Mother's Cross), was a state decoration conferred by the government of the German Reich[1][2] to honour a Reichsdeutsche German mother for exceptional merit to the German nation.[2][3][4] Eligibility later extended to include Volksdeutsche (ethnic German) mothers from, for example, Austria and Sudetenland, that had earlier been incorporated into the German Reich.[4]
Cross of Honour of the German Mother Ehrenkreuz der Deutschen Mutter | |
---|---|
Type | Civil state decoration |
Awarded for | "...exceptional merit to the German nation" (to Reichsdeutsche and Volksdeutsche mothers who exhibited probity, exemplary motherhood, and who conceived and raised four or more children in the role of a parent) |
Presented by | Nazi Germany |
Eligibility | Reichsdeutsche mothers – eligibility later extended to include Volksdeutsche mothers |
Status | Inactive |
Established | 16 December 1938 |
First awarded | 21 May 1939 |
Last awarded | up until 8 May 1945 (cessation date) |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | None |
Next (lower) | None |
Related | None |
The decoration was conferred from 1939 until 1945[5] in three classes: bronze, silver, and gold,[2][6] to Reichsdeutsche mothers who exhibited probity, exemplary motherhood, and who conceived and raised at least four children in the role of a parent.[7][8] A similar practice, that continues to this present day, was already established in France since 1920, by conferring the Médaille de la Famille française (Medal of the French Family), a tribute to the French mother who raised several children appropriately.