Pour le Mérite

The Pour le Mérite ( German: [puːɐ̯ lə meˈʁiːt]; French: [puʁ lə me.ʁit], lit. 'For Merit'), also informally known as the Blue Max (German: Blauer Max) after German WWI flying ace Max Immelmann, is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. Alongside the extinct Order of the Black Eagle, Order of the Red Eagle, and the House Order of Hohenzollern, the award was one of the Kingdom of Prussia's most significant, with the Pour le Mérite itself being the highest order of bravery for officers of all ranks, and the highest recognition of civilian accomplishment awarded by the Prussian Crown.

Separated into two classes, each with their own designs, the Pour le Mérite was awarded as both a military and civil honour. While the military class has been extinct since the abolition of the German Monarchy, the civil honour continues to be awarded by the German state at the oversight of the Minister of State for Culture and discretion of the Federal President. The Pour le Mérite was awarded as a recognition of extraordinary personal achievement, rather than as a general marker of social status or a courtesy-honour, although certain restrictions of social class and military rank were applied. The order was secular, and membership endured for the remaining lifetime of the recipient, unless renounced or revoked.