History - Age of Kings Militaria

Before World War I and the time of mechanized armies there was the Age of Kings. The great armies of the late 1900's were heirs to a rich military heritage. These armies embodied the spirit and national identity of the nations they served. There are few alive today who have witnessed the pomp and grandeur of a great military parade of the pre 1914 era.

The pageantry of processions of cavalry troops, artillery columns and massed infantry in colorful uniforms and headgear must have been a fantastic sight.

Military history of pre 1914 era

Helmet history

The hobby of collecting Military Antiquities has exploded in recent years. Although interest in World War II and the American Civil War has always been strong, many collectors are now looking for collectibles from "The Great War" or World War I.

Relics from all countries involved in the conflict are now eagerly sought, but German helmets remain one of the most popular collectibles of the era. There were many German helmet types from that era. They include the shako, tschapka, busby, spiked helmet and "coal scuttle" steel helmet; but no piece of military headgear more exemplifies a nation or an age than the "Pickelhaube" or spiked helmet. The spiked helmet was the most popular war souvenir of the American doughboys. Thousands more were sent home by the U.S. government as premiums for purchasers of War Bonds.

Although the majority of helmets found today come from the 1900 to 1918 era, it is important for the collectors to understand the history and development of the “Pickelhaube”. The original helmet design adopted by the state of Prussia in 1842 eventually became the standard headgear for Imperial German Army from the mid 1800’s through the outbreak of World War I.

Mecklenburg - Schwerin

Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

The Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a territory in Northern Germany held by the House of Mecklenburg residing at Schwerin. The Grand Duchy was bounded by the Baltic Sea in the north and the Prussian province of Pomerania in the northeast, where the border with the Prussian province of Lower Pomerania (formerly Swedish Pomeranian). In the south it bordered with the Prussian province of Brandenburg and in the southwest the Kingdom of Hanover, which was incorporated into the Prussian province of Hanover after the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. Mecklenburg was almost entirely surrounded by Prussian territory. (see map).

In 1867, Mecklenburg-Schwerin joined the North German Confederation and the Zollverein. In the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871), Prussia again received valuable assistance from Grand Duke Frederick Francis II, who was an ardent advocate of German unity and held a high command in the Prussian army. In the course of the Unification of Germany in 1871, Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz became states of the German Empire. After the 1866 War, Mecklenburg Schwerin military units were placed under command of the Prussian Army.