On 22 February 1813, just a month before the official declaration of war on France, Friedrich Wilhelm III ordered the introduction of a “Prussian National Cockade” as an “outward sign” of the “universal expression of loyal patriotism” by all citizens of the state. All honorable men over the age of 20 who lived in Prussia were to wear the black and white cockade on their hats. Any man who refused to do his military service, prevented his male relations from doing so or brought shame upon himself through “cowardice before the enemy” forfeited the honor of wearing the national cockade. He was also threatened with loss of citizenship and exclusion from all state and municipal offices. The model for the new national insignia in Prussia was the blue, white and red cockade of Revolutionary France. Educated contemporaries interpreted the Prussian cockade as a “serious and manly” countermodel. Unlike France, where at least in the early phase of the revolution women were also permitted to wear the national cockade, in Prussia it was reserved for men. The surviving accounts are unanimous in depicting the public reaction to this decree as extremely enthusiastic. Educated male contemporaries regarded the symbol as a “national insignia” in the colors of the “Prussian nation,” representing patriotism and a masculine willingness to defend the country. It seems to have been especially important for contemporaries that all men – king and subjects, noblemen and peasants – were to wear the national cockade. Officers and soldiers were required to affix it to their headgear alongside the Prussian eagle. After the wars against Napoleon, the Prussian army retained the black and white cockade as a national emblem.