Order of Albert the Bear
The House Order of Albert the Bear was founded in 1836 as a joint House Order by three dukes of Anhalt from separate branches of the family: Henry, Duke of Anhalt-Köthen, Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau, and Alexander Karl, Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg.
The namesake of the order, Albert the Bear, was the first Margrave of Brandenburg from the House of Ascania. The origin of his nickname "the Bear" is unknown.
This order originally had four grades. In 1854, Knight Second Class was added. In 1864, Leopold IV, who by virtue of the extinction of the other branches of the family had become the sole Duke of Anhalt, altered the statute to provide that the order could be granted with swords.
On April 29, 1901, in honor of the 70th birthday of Duke Frederick I, a crown was added to all classes of the order. The breast stars of the order remained unchanged.
The order is still in existence as a House Order, with Eduard, Prince of Anhalt serving as the current Grand Master. Recent recipients include Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria and Princess Khétévane Bagration de Moukhrani.
