Phaleristics

Faleristics or religious customer (from Latin phalerae. Pectorals ) denotes an auxiliary historical science, which covers general of the Order as well as the decorations and awards of various states with their accessories (eg, award certificates, statutes ) in historical, sociological and art historical dimension, collects and documented.

Origin of the word faleristics

Awards were already known in antiquity, and had only the character of a military reward. These awards represent a genuine wages for certain merits; they differed significantly from the later medieval, and modern decorations, that represented above all a sign of belonging to a particular organization, although they were also rewards for outstanding deeds.

Already in ancient Greece one encounters the term tá Falara, which refers to a small round or crescent-shaped shield. It originally hung the horses at the breast, but does in the figurative sense of the word, the oldest form of award shows, which was worn visibly on the breast of the warrior. The Romans later these medallions. The word Phalera was then already representative of the notion of a real distinction.

History

Especially in the 20th century, the faleristics established in differentiation and correspondence va to the heraldry and in particular from the Numismatics out.

The modern religious are a development of the 18th and 19th century, when its predecessor, the spiritual and secular orders of knighthood of the Middle Ages can be seen. Examples are, the Order of the Golden Fleece or the most prestigious European Order, the so-called Order of the Garter ( 1348 ). Goods orders in the 17th and 18th centuries meant as a sign of special bond to the sovereign of absolutism and less as a reward for civilian or military merit, this view changed with the Foundation multi-level awards such as the Prussian Order of the Crown. During the 19th century, the honors system experienced a rapid boom, many orders were graded and differentiated by the addition of oak leaves, swords and the like. A good example of this is the Red Eagle Order.

In the Weimar Republic the whole honors system was abolished. In the era of National Socialism ( 1933-1945 ) reached number and range of awards a wedding.

The GDR also bestowed numerous awards, often single-stage (see list of governmental and non-governmental awards of the GDR ).

Today, there are as award of the Federal Republic of Germany the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany ( Federal Cross of Merit ), the Order of Merit of the German states and a few more.

The faleristics is established as a scientific sub-discipline of history. They usually examines the medals and decorations " detached from their carriers " and therefore has little connection to the other historiographical research. In recent times there have been attempts to restore this relationship by contextualized analyzes of material and symbolic meanings of the Order about the prestige of military honor. Thus the faleristics is linked to the history of mentalities and examined in the context of the history of standards, guidelines, hierarchies and social status.

Distinction

• Spiritual Order of Knights
• Secular Order of Knights
• Military Order
• Merit
• Lady north