The Military Order of St. Henry (Militär-St. Heinrichs-Orden) was a military order of the Kingdom of Saxony, a member state of the German Empire. The order was the oldest military order of the states of the German Empire. It was founded on October 7, 1736 by Augustus III, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony. The order underwent several more revisions over the course of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It became obsolete with the fall of the Saxon monarchy in the wake of Germany's defeat in World War I.

The order came in four classes: Grand Cross (Großkreuz), Commander's Cross 1st Class (Kommandeurkreuz I. Klasse), Commander's Cross 2nd Class (Kommandeurkreuz II. Klasse) or sometimes just Commander, and Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz). Generally, the rank of the recipient determined which grade he would receive - the Grand Cross went to monarchs and the highest field commanders, the Commander 1st Class to senior generals, the Commander 2nd Class to officers major and above (with a few exceptions) and the Knight's Cross to all officers. Again with few exceptions, one was required to have received a lower grade before receiving the next higher grade. During World War I, there were 12 awards of the Grand Cross, 14 awards of the Commander 1st Class, 153 awards of the Commander 2nd Class, and 2,728 awards of the Knight's Cross As an example of the progression, Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, a general and later field marshal, received the Knight's Cross in August 1914, the Commander 2nd Class in June 1915, the Commander 1st Class in January 1917, and the Grand Cross in May 1918.

Oldenburg's Friedrich-August-Kreuz I. Klasse (Friedrich-August Cross 1st Class) was established on 24 September 1914 by Grand Duke Friedrich-August of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg in 2 classes. It was awarded for combatant or non-combatant meritorious service.

The Friedrich August Cross was Oldenburg's equivalent of the Prussian Iron Cross. Like the Iron Cross, it came in two classes - a pinback 1st Class and a 2nd Class worn from a ribbon. The 1st Class (Steckkreuz) was only awarded to recipients of the 2nd Class. It ceased to be awarded after WWI. The best figures available indicate that approximately 6,900 awards were made of the 1st Class between 1914-1919 (with 1,734 of them being awarded between 24 September 1914 and 31 December 1916).