Hanoverian officer recipient of the 1st and 2nd classes Iron Cross 1870, original glazed oval frame portrait circa 1870s

Hanoverian officer (Oberleutnant), probably with Field Artillery Regiment No. 10, and recipient of both the 1st and 2nd classes of the Iron Cross 1870 and the Battle of Langensalza (1866) Hanoverian Medal. Oval photo in the original black painted wooden frame with glass, dimensions 34 x 30 x 2 cm, in untouched original condition, circa 1870s.

This officer was presumably awarded both classes of the Iron Cross 1870 for services during the Franco-Prussian War, 19 July 1870 to 28 January 1871.

The Battle of Langensalza, fought earlier on 27 June 1866, during the Austro-Prussian War (14 June – 22 July 1866) near Bad Langensalza, took place between the Kingdoms of Hanover and Prussia. The Hanoverians won this battle but were surrounded by a larger and reinforced Prussian army, and as they were unable to link up with their Bavarian allies to the south, were forced to surrender. This marked the demise of the Hanoverian Army and the annexation of Hanover into the burgeoning Prussia, which systematically unified Germany into the modern nation state.

The Hanoverian Field Artillery Regiment 10 formed the Corps Artillery of the Prussian X Army Corps during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. The Corps Artillery was under the command Oberst Moritz Baron von der Goltz.

The Prussian X Army Corps (X Armeekorps) was one of three formed in the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian War. This Corps was formed in October 1866 with its headquarters in Hannover, with the catchment area including the newly annexed Kingdom of Hanover (now known as the Province of Hanover), the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, and the Duchy of Brunswick. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, X Corps was assigned to the 2nd Army, and fought under the command of General von Voigts-Rhetz, in various battles including: Mars-la-Tour, Spicheren, Siege of Metz, Beaune-la-Rolande, Orléans, and Le Mans.