RECENTLY EXTINCT ORDERS

1. Mecklenburg (Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz)

House of Mecklenburg (Lutheran)

Wendisch Crown

Founded: Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and the Grand Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 12 May 1864.

Ribbon: Light blue with inner yellow and outer red side stripes.

Grand Masters:

- Mecklenburg-Schwerin: Friedrich Franz, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (Friedrich Franz V, Titular Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin) (1910-2001) (the male line is now extinct).

- Mecklenburg-Strelitz: Georg Borwin, Duke of Mecklenburg (Georg Borwin, Titular Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz) (b. 1956).

2. Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Sondershausen (Lutheran)

House of Schwarzburg

Cross of Honour of Schwarzburg

Founded: Prince Friedrich Günther 20 May 1853 for the principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, and changed to a Cross of Honour for both principalities by a convention made with Prince Günther Friedrich Karl of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen 28 June 1857.

Ribbon: Yellow with three light blue stripes.

Grand Master: became extinct 1971.

EDITORIAL NOTES

• In those cases where the chanceries of orders or sovereign houses have failed to return current information, or the Commission has been unable to determine the current status of the Grand Mastership, the most up-to-date scientific documentary sources have been used.
• Where the Grand Mastership of an order is in dispute, we have sought to include the names of the various claimants known to the Commission. In such unfortunate cases it is to be hoped that the Royal Houses or orders concerned will resolve the dispute by internal agreement.