IMPERIAL GERMAN GRAND DUCHY OF HESSE WAR BRAVERY MEDAL, CERTIFICATE OF ISSUE AND BRASS COAT OF ARMS
History
The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine (German: Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein) was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The grand duchy originally formed on the basis of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 as the Grand Duchy of Hesse. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, it changed its name in 1816 to distinguish itself from the Electorate of Hesse, which had formed from neighboring Hesse-Kassell. Colloquially, the grand duchy continued to be known by its former name of Hesse-Darmstadt. It joined the German Empire in 1871 and became a republic following the empire's fall after World War One in 1918.
Item Description
WW bravery medal issued by the Grand Duke of Hesse for a soldier who served in a Field Artillery Regiment during WW1. This medal is the equivalent of the British Military Medal or MM.
The certificate is rare in its own right and I have not seen one before It was issued in August 1917 and signed by Ernst Ludwig the Grand Duke of Hesse.
Also included is a brass stamped plate of the Fighting coat of arms of Hesse.
Nice grouping from an Imperial German State that fought in WW1, worthy of further research.