Bulgarian Royal Decorations

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Bulgarian Royal Decorations

BulgarianDecorations.com has been created as a free and easy-to-use source of information, providing materials and info about the orders, medals and honorary distinctions of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom. The ultimate goal is to improve the knowledge of the general public and share interesting information about this particular historical period.

We have initiated the creation of the website nearly two years prior to its official start. However, we're still working hard in order to improve the information and share even more interesting facts and pictures with the public. In this regard, we'd like to express our gratitude to all those who have contributed to the current project. If you'd like to help us too, please get in touch. This will be most appreciated.

As indicated on the title page, BulgarianDecorations.com has been dedicated to the current Grand Master of Bulgarian orders His Majesty King Simeon II. Detailed information about King Simeon II and His family can be found on the royal website as well as on the website of the "King Boris III and Queen Giovanna" - Royal Palace of Vrana Fund.

In the section "Orders" you will be able to read and see examples of the Bulgarian orders, which have been awarded from 1880 until 1943 and also during the years of King Simeon II's exile.

The "Distinctions" section is dedicated to the honorary badges of Royal Bulgaria.

Under "Medals" are listed all the official medals of the Kingdom, while a small portion of the unofficial ones is featured in the "More" division of the webpage.

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Order of SS Cyril and Methodius

Date established: 18th/31st May 1909

Number of classes: one - Grand cross

Being awarded for: to the highest-ranking officials within the country and also foreign nationals and royalties for their values, merits and faithful service

Shape: Botonée Cross (Apostol's cross) with circular central medallion and decorative flames in between the cross arms, charged with fleur-de-lis

Ribbon: Wide, peachy in colour

Other names: Order of SS Equal-to-Apostles Cyril and Methodius; Order (of) Cyril and Methodius

Obverse: Sky-blue enamelled, gold-rimmed 75mm wide cross. The central medallion depicts an elaborate mosaic-style portrait of the two Saints, while on the outer ring is inscribed the motto of the order in Latin – “Ex Oriente Lux” (Light comes from the East) and a small star in between two decorative elements at the bottom. In between the cross arms there are red-enamelled flames with superimposed gilded fleur-de-lis.

Reverse: Sky-blue enamelled, gold-rimmed 75mm wide cross. The central medallion depicts the founder's crowned royal cypher in gild upon a dark red (in most cases) background, while on the outer ring is inscribed the date when the order was founded - “XVIII MAJUS” and the year “MDCCCCIX” all in Latin. The two sections are separated via two sets of decorative elements. In between the cross arms there are red-enamelled flames.

The highest Bulgarian award – the Order of SS Cyril and Methodius has been founded soon after the official declaration of the Independence in 1908. The intention for its creation though has been around for some years prior to it.

This is the only Bulgarian order to have been legislated and passed by the national Parliament in the form of a law. According to its statute, the order can only be awarded to 1) the most senior statesmen (generals, senior clergymen etc.) who have already been decorated with the highest classes of the other Bulgarian orders for their merits and faithfulness; 2) Foreign nationals – Christian sovereigns and members of their family, heads of state and alike with great merits to the Kingdom of Bulgaria or mankind in general.

Similarly to the Order of the Holy Ghost, which has been used as a model when designing the Bulgarian award, the Order of SS Cyril and Methodius structure and regulations resemble the ones of a medieval order. The stature of the order limits the number of living Bulgarian knights to 15. This number has never actually been reached, due to the catastrophic consequences of the Second World war and the Communist coup-d'etat.

Contrary to the popular belief, the order actually has only one class – Knight Grand Cross. Knights of the order are presented with the badge, suspended from a wide peachy in colour order sash (symbolising the colour of a dawn) which is being worn over the left shoulder and across the chest. In addition to the badge and sash, knights also display on their left breast an order star – an elaborately designed silver Maltese cross with circular centre. Upon the middle of the star, there's a seraph enamelled in red and in between the cross arms there are decorative flames enamelled in red. Upon each of them is placed a silver fleur-de-lis.

In addition to the Grand Cross set, certain knights may also be presented with an order necklace (also called chain or collar), in order to indicate their status and/or outstanding merits. There are two types of collars – Grand Collar and Lesser Collar.

The Grand necklace is practically the highest grade of the order. It has been awarded to a handful of people, mainly foreign Sovereigns and heads of state. It is made up of 25 sections depicting decorative flames which are enamelled in dark red and charged with either a gilded lion rampant with Saxon shield upon its chest (12 in total), gilded fleur-de-lis (7) or white enamelled founder's cypher (6). The sections have green enamelled loops on either side which are interconnected with one another using gilded loops. From the central flame section is suspended (via two sets of chains) the order badge (identical to the one of the Grand Cross). As a middle section between the badge and the chain is used a red-enamelled and gilded Biblical seraph, similar to the one featured on the breast star.

There's some debate as to whether there's also a unique, Grand Master's collar grade of the order – privilege of the Grand master of the order (i.e. the ruling Monarch). This has been fuelled by the fact that there's a special chain made up of larger in size and fewer in number sections, which has been worn by King Ferdinand I. Essentially, this amended version of the Grand collar can simply be interpreted as a more elaborate design of the latter, rather than a dedicated sub-class. This is indirectly confirmed by the fact that according to the Regulations issued by the Chancellery of Bulgarian orders in the 20's, there's no mention of any differentiation between Grand and Lesser collars. The only text in this regard states that the order can also be awarded and worn suspended from a chain. This provides a more broad interpretation of the word 'chain' which is proven by the fact that both Tsar Ferdinand I and Tsar Simeon II have been photographed displaying the order badge suspended from a thin gold chain, as opposed to either of the two generic collars.

The Lesser collar represents a smaller in size chain, made up of 26 oval elements, enamelled in red, and depicting in alternating order either a lion rampant or a Bourbon fleur-de-lis. The order badge is directly suspended from one of the oval sections. It's worn suspended at the neck.

We can hardly refer to the different samples of order badges as 'emissions'. Unlike the rest of the orders, the Order of SS Cyril and Methodius has been produced in very limited numbers and certainly in most cases this has been done only upon the Monarch's special request.

Most sources indicate the total number of Bulgarian knights as nine. This number is inaccurate, due to the fact that the order has not ceased to exist. The total knights of the order are at least eleven, if not more. A list has been provided below.

During the reign of the founder of the order – King Ferdinand I, five Bulgarian nationals (apart from himself) have been presented with the Grand cross set, including His two sons. Later, during the years of King Boris III, further three men have been distinguished with the highest Bulgarian order. The year in which His Majesty King Simeon has been appointed knight of the Order of SS Cyril and Methodius is unknown. However, after the death of His father and following his coming of age, the Bulgarian king has taken over the position of Grand Master of the Bulgarian orders. He presents the order to His son and heir Kardam, Prince of Tarnovo (nominally, not a Bulgarian citizen but part of the Bulgarian royal family). There are no other known decorations of people of Bulgarian descent up until today. Presumably, after the tragic death of Prince Kardam, His son and heir, Boris will take over the honorary title of Prince of Tarnovo and will be appointed knight of the Order of SS Cyril and Methodius.

The orders have been produced by Rothe & Neffe in Vienna, Z.F. Zimmermann in Pforzheim and by Cejavlo in Madrid during King Simeon's years in exile. The latter samples have a slightly amended design – the background of the central medallion is dark blue and the reverse of the flames is flat.

List of the Bulgarian knights of the Order of SS Cyril and Methodius (in chronological order):

HM King Ferdinand I – founder and Grand Master
HRH Prince Boris (of Tarnovo) / HM King Boris III – Grand Master
HRH Prince Cyril (of Preslav)
Exarch Joseph I
Ivan Geshov
Vasil Radoslavov
Ivan Vazov
Metropolitan bishop Simeon (of Varna-Preslav)
Infantry general Danail Nikolaev
HRH Prince Simeon (of Tarnovo) / HM King Simeon II – Grand Master
HRH Prince Kardam (of Tarnovo)

https://bulgariandecorations.com/orders/order_of_ss_cyril_and_methodius

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Military Order "For Bravery"

Date established: 1st/13th January 1880

Number of classes: Grand cross and four classes

Being awarded for: To army officers and generals only, for demonstrated bravery and valour during military action

Shape: Maltese cross with a circular centre and crossed swords

Ribbon: Sky-blue in colour with a silvery stripe near both edges.

Other names: Military Order, Order of Bravery, Order "For Valour", Order "For Bravery" in the time of war

Obverse: White or red enamelled Maltese cross with circular centre. In the centre of the badge is depicted a gilded lion rampant on a dark red enamelled background. On the outer ring (which can be either gilded or enamelled) is inscribed “ЗА ХРАБРОСТЬ“ / translation: for bravery / and either (1) seven decorative elements, (2) the year “1915” or (3) “1941”, depending on the issue.

Reverse: White or red enamelled Maltese cross with circular centre. In the centre of the badge is depicted a gilded crowned founder's royal cypher on a dark red enamelled background. On the outer ring (which can be either gilded or enamelled) is inscribed “КНЯЗЬ НА БЪЛГАРIЯ“ (or “КНЯЗЬ НА БЪЛГАРИЯ“ on later issues) / translation: Knyaz (Prince) of Bulgaria / and the year 1879, separated via two stars (or dots).

The Military Order "For Bravery" is the oldest and most recognisable order in the history of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom. Its history begins in 1879 when the first Constitution of the Bulgarian Principality has been passed by the National Parliament in Tarnovo. Under clause 58 of this new highest document, it is stated that within the borders of the newly established state, '…no noble titles and orders of distinction may exist of any sort'. However, the next clause makes an exception by allowing the new Monarch to establish 'a single decoration for military distinction in wartime and only for army men'. This clause makes it possible for the Military order to be established on 1st January 1880 as the nation's only official order which is being awarded for exceptional military deeds and demonstrated valour on the battlefield.

The official establishment of the order took place on the first day of 1880 when a Royal decree has been issued, stating that a military award has been introduced in four classes for army officers and generals, and two classes (which become three later that year) for enlisted men, NCOs and officer-candidates.

The organisation of the order is similar, yet different to the one of the Russian Imperial Order of St. George. This is due to the fact that the order statute of the Bulgarian order has been created using the guidelines, set in the statute of the Russian decoration. This has been intentionally done, one, among many other reasons, being the fairly recognisable and prestigious status of this particular Russian decoration within Europe and in Bulgaria itself.

Grand Cross

Throughout its existence, the stature of the Military Order “For Bravery has been modified and updated multiple times. The first notable change was in 1886 when the Grand Cross class has been officially instituted by the division of the first class into two grades. The newly introduced Grand Cross badge is a prerogative only of the Grand master of the order – the ruling Bulgarian monarch. This highest class is also known as 1st Class 1st Grade and is being worn on a wide order sash over the right shoulder and across the chest, along with its breast star on the left side.

The history of the Grand cross insignia is not very clear even today. From the few historical artefacts on this subject, we can get the general picture but the important details are yet to be revealed. For example, we cannot say what the total number of people who have been decorated with this highest class was and even for those of whom we are certain, Prince Alexander I and King Ferdinand I, we know little in regard to how their actual badges looked like.

The image represents a reconstruction of the Grand Cross insignia of H.R.H Prince (later H.M. King) Ferdinand I. In the case with His decoration, the Grand Cross badge remains unconfirmed and we can only assume that the actual cross was a generic cross attached to the order sash and only later the Monarch has added skulls with crossed bones at the base of the cross swords. Similar is the case with His breast star insignia – at the beginning of His reign, the Prince is pictured with an eight-pointed silvery star, four of the points being shorter than the rest. This star had the familiar and slightly enlarged central medallion of the order but in this instance the outer ring was enamelled in green and the motto was written in gilded letters. Also the medallion had silver beads along its edge and crossed gilded swords running along the length of the star in saltire. This type of breast star was soon substituted with a rhomboid silvery one, having the order's badge mounted over the base, with skulls and crossed bones between the arms of the cross and no crossed swords. This type of the Grand Cross star is used by the King until His death in 1948.

Official illustrations, issued by the Chancellery of Bulgarian Orders in late XIX century depict the Grand Cross star of the Military Order as an eight-point gilded base with superimposed the barge of the order, along with crossed swords and silver beads along the outer edge on the central medallion but without the crown suspension. There are no known issues of this type of star.

There's no data of any Grand Cross insignia belonging to H.M. King Boris III even though he was entitled to it as a Grand master.

First Class

The First Class of the Military Order was the highest class until the introduction of the 1st class 1st grade in 1886. The introduction of the new, higher grade of the order meant that the old-style 1st class set had to be renamed to 1st class 2nd grade, in order to make the distinction between the two highest classes. Even so, throughout the history of the Order “For Bravery”, the 1st class 2nd grade set was simply referred to as '1st Class'.

According to the order registers, by the beginning of the Second World war, only less than 30 individuals have been presented with this high military decoration, most of whom foreign nationals and only five Bulgarians – Prince Alexander I, Prince(King) Ferdinand I and the three regents - Stefan Stambolov, Giorgi Zhivkov and Colonel Sava Mutkurov.

Apart from the individual decorations, the order statute makes it possible to decorate whole military units for their outstanding bravery and sacrifice. This is the case with the 3rd Radomirska Company of the Bulgarian Voluntary Corps during the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878. The special issue of the first class badge is imbued within the flag top of the military banner of the company.

There are several known issues (or emissions) of the 1st Class set. The first general issue features a gilded outer ring of the central medallion, inscribed with black Old-Church-Slavonic font. There are at least two variations of this group, the minor differences being the slight variations of the crown suspension and the existence or lack of silvery beads around the edge of the central medallion of the breast star. Both the badge and breast star are similar in appearance and size (generally between 59 and 61 mm, depending on the issue). The 1st class badge was worn suspended from the sky-blue neck ribbon and its breast star – pinned on the left breast.

Soon after the War with Serbia of 1885, a new design of the Military order takes over. Unlike the previous issue, the new one has a green enamelled outer ring and the lettering on it becomes golden (gilded). This new type is being used to decorate the three regents in 1887 for their zeal and dedication in keeping the social and political order within the country, following the deep political crisis after the abdication of Prince Alexander I. This issue has been labelled 'seven dots' issue, due to the seven decorative elements at the lower part of the obverse central medallion.

The '1915 issue' has been introduced in 1916, following an order by the Headquarters of the Bulgarian military, which states that all Military orders “For Bravery” (including the soldiers' crosses) awarded during the Great war, should bear the year 1915 (the year Bulgaria enters the war against the Triple Entente). Apart from the amended central medallion on the obverse, the badge design remains unchanged.

A certain time after the end of the Great War, a new issue of the Military order is being issued. It's almost the same as the previous ones, the only difference being the obverse medallion which has the motto “ЗА ХРАБРОСТЬ“ inscribed in a slightly enlarged font and the date has been substituted with three stars.

There are special issues of the first class set which feature skulls in between the cross arms. Such samples have been displayed by Prince Alexander I and Prince/King Ferdinand I. During the Great war, the German Emperor has also been presented with the first class set with skulls.

Second Class

The second class of the Military order has been awarded to army generals only. The few exceptions which were made in 1885/1886 were due to the unusual conditions within the Bulgarian military at that time. According to the order registers, the total number of people decorated with this class by 1930 was less than 40, among these 15 were foreign nationals. In this sense, the second class was practically the highest class which has been awarded to a professional Bulgarian army general or officer for his deeds in war, apart from General Mutkurov, who was decorated with the 1st Class 2nd Grade for his merits as regent during 1886-1887.

The badge 2nd class is similar in appearance to the 1st class 2nd grade badge but slightly smaller in size (55-56mm) and is awarded without any breast star. The so called issues are also similar – the examples with gilded outer ring of the Battenberg period, the 'seven-dots', '1915' and 'three stars' (or 'three dots') emissions.

Third Class

The badge third class is dedicated to distinguishing senior army officers, and in very rare cases junior ones, for their outstanding military courage and valour. Throughout its history, the third class of the Military order has been awarded rarely. Prince Battenberg decorated only 12 Bulgarians in total for their merits in the wars of 1877-1878 and 1885.

The third class badge represents a 38-39mm long white-enamelled gilded cross with the familiar green and red enamelled central medallion. The cross is suspended from a gilded Hessen crown which is attached to a folded in a triangular shape (or in some cases pentagonal shape, depending on the width of the ribbon) order ribbon.

Third Class First Grade

When the Bulgarian Kingdom entered a new war in 1915, the Order council and the Monarch tried to find a way of making the Military order more flexible and better suit the Military in the time of war. In early 1916, by a special instruction on behalf of the Bulgarian Army HQ, the current third and fourth classes of the Order “For Bravery” are being split into two grades each, similar to the 1st class.

The familiar third class badge is renamed to Third class Second grade and remains unchanged in terms of appearance. The newly introduced Third class First grade represents a pin-back uni-face cross, 52mm in length, similar in design to the second grade, but has a smooth reverse, is not suspended from any ribbon or crown and is instead being worn pinned on the left breast.

The so called emissions of the third class first grade are two – those of '1915' and '1941'. The '1915 emission' is sub-divided into two more variations, depending on the year inscribed on the lower arm of the cross – either 1916 or 1917.

The next and final emission bears the year 1941 which is inscribed on the lower part of the circular medallion, rather than on the upper arm of the cross, as in the previous emission.

Third Class Second Grade

The second grade of the third class has more variations and models, compared to the first grade. The first general emission is the gilded outer ring emission with Slavonic letters, often being referred to as 'seven-dots with Slavonic letters' or simply 'Battenberg emission'. This general type has many different examples and variations, some of which are unique.

The next major issue is the so-called 'seven-dots' which in most cases refers to the examples which feature a green-enamelled outer ring and gilded ordinary letters. This type has been used for decorating the officers who took part in the Balkan wars of 1912-1913 and in the very beginning of the Great War.

In 1916, the '1915 issue' has been minted and introduced as the second grade of the third class. The only notable difference compared to the previous type was the introduction of the year 1915 in place of the former seven decorative elements at the bottom of the green-enamelled outer ring of the central medallion. In addition, the majority of the orders of the '1915' edition have the crossed swords 'free-floating' between the arms, as opposed to the previous (and later) emissions where the sword handles are fused with the arms of the cross. Later types of the '1915 issue' also feature a modified inscription on the reverse – the royal title of the founder of the order has been amended from “КНЯЗЬ НА БЪЛГАРIЯ” to “КНЯЗЬ НА БЪЛГАРИЯ”, in order to reflect the spelling changes of the Bulgarian language since the 1879.

The same goes for the '1941 issue' which is basically the same as the previous one, though with slightly more noticable edges of the cross and the amended year of the central medallion of the obverse – 1941, the year which Bulgaria has signed the Tripartite Pact.

Fourth Class

The fourth class of the Military Order is intended to be bestowed upon both senior and junior army officers for their deeds on the battlefield. Throughout its history, the fourth class has been awarded to thousands of Bulgarian and foreign officers throughout the six wars in which the Bulgarian military has taken part.

The fourth class badge represents a red-enamelled silvery cross, 39mm in length, with the outer circle of the central medallion enamelled in white. The cross is suspended from a triangular (in rare cases pentagonal or threaded-through) ribbon. Unlike the third class, there's no crown suspension.

Only the fourth class of the Military Order can also be awarded without crossed swords (since 1884). These issues are extremely rare. They have been awarded to non-combatant officers like army doctors or bandmasters but always for their merits on the battlefield. Some sources suggest that Queen Eleonoire has also been decorated with the fourth class without swords for her decisive role during the evacuation of the field hospital at the end of the Second Balkan war.

First Grade

In 1916 the fourth class, similarly to the third class, has been divided into two grades. First grade represented a pin-back uni-face silvery badge with arms enamelled in red. Its size was approximately 50mm. The second grade of the fourth class represented the long-existent red-enamelled cross, suspended from a triangular ribbon.

The newly introduced changes to the order also stated that all badges should bare the year 1915 (the year Bulgaria entered the Great War). This applies to all the classes of the '1915' emission, including the fourth class. The first grade had '1915' inscribed on the top arm of the cross, while on the lower one there was either '1916' or '1917' depending on the date of the sub-emission. Since early 1917, the Fourth class First grade can also be awarded without crossed swords, similarly to the other grade of fourth class.

Second Grade

The first ever issue of the IV class is made of solid silver and features a slightly different in style crossed swords and a more elaborate ear. This type has been produced in limited numbers and was probably awarded by the founder of the order – HRH Prince Alexander I. This type is part of the so-called 'seven-dots' master issue. It has multiple sub-types and variations. Among these, the most notable are: the issues with a wider outer ring of the central medallion; issues with a lily-shaped ear; and issues with decorative notches on the rims of the cross. The 'seven-dots' examples have been awarded since the establishment of the order, up until the introduction of the '1915' emission in 1916.

Next is the '1915' issue. As outlined above, this modification is mainly in the outer ring of the obverse central medallion - the introduction of the year 1915. The '1915' type is also wide-spread and there are multiple variations of the badge, depending on the manufacturers and year of production.

Similarly to the others classes, the late '1915' emissions of the Fourth class Second grade bear the updated inscription on the reverse - “КНЯЗЬ НА БЪЛГАРИЯ”, which swapped the outdated 'I' with the contemporary 'И'.

Between the two World wars, there has been a very limited (in terms of numbers minted) emission, labelled 'three-dots' due to the three stars on the obverse of the badges. Only a tiny numbers of this type have been awarded and some authors completely omit or dismiss this variation as a possible trial emission.

The last emission of the Military order during its royal period is the '1941' emission. It features the year 1941 on the central medallion of the obverse for both grades of the fourth class.

https://bulgariandecorations.com/orders/order_for_bravery

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Royal Order of St Alexander

Date established: 25th December 1881/6th January 1882

Number of classes: Grand cross and six classes

Being awarded for: Various sorts of merits and service to the Crown and nation

Shape: Cross pattée with circular central medallion

Ribbon: Dark crimson or dark red

Other names: Alexander's order; Order of St Alexander, Princely Order of Saint Alexander, Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky

Obverse: White (or dark green) enamelled cross with red enamelled central medallion, bearing a stylised inscription of the name of the order. On the outer ring is inscribed the motto of the order – „СЪ НАМИ БОГЪ“ / translation: God with us / and a decorative element at the bottom.

Reverse: White (or dark green) enamelled cross with white enamelled centre, bearing the date 19 ФЕВРАЛѦ 1878 (19 February 1878, old style) – the date when the Preliminary treaty of St. Stefano was signed.

Associated decorations: Order "For Merit" and the Medal "For Merit"

The Royal Order “St Alexander” has been instituted by Prince (Knyaz) Alexander I in late 1881 but the idea of its creation has been around well before that. Its prototype was the Hessen Order of Philip the Magnanimous.

Theoretically founded in conflict with the Constitution, the newly established order received a warm reception both within Bulgaria and abroad. Among its first recipients were foreign royalties and members of their families and personal suite. In these first decades of the existence of the order, the majority of decorations have been conducted abroad. This has been done in accordance to the diplomatic attempts of the Bulgarian monarch and His government to establish an independent statute of its decorations.

In these initial years of the existence of the order, the future head of state Prince Ferdinand I was among those decorated with the grand cross of the order. Only in a few years he would become its grand master instead.

The Order of “St Alexander” has been named after the Russian Orthodox saint Alexander Nevsky, whose name has been cleverly used by the Bulgarian Prince, as it replicates not only his own name, but that of the Russian emperor and head of state Alexander II too, who was very popular among the Bulgarian nation at that time.

Initially, the order was made up of five classes and a silver cross. In 1888 the silver cross has been officially added as the sixth class of the order, though the term 'silver cross' remained in use throughout its existence. In 1886, sometime after the end of the Serbo-Bulgarian war, two types of military division of the order have been introduced – (1) swords through the middle of the cross and (2) swords above the cross. The first type of swords indicated that the person bearing them has been awarded for his merits on the battlefield. The second type of swords meant that the recipient of the badge has been decorated for a wartime merit (or a very brave and life-threatening feat during peacetime), though not participating directly in the actual clashes on the battlefield.

Necklace

A year after the accession of the new Monarch, Ferdinand I, another grade of the order has been officially instituted – the order necklace (also called collar or chain), which has been in use well before that by Alexander I. It represents the highest class of the order and is made up of two variations – grand collar and lesser collar. It is believed that the only difference between the two variants of the collar is the length of the chain itself.

From the time of Alexander I, there's one surviving example of the order grand collar. It is currently being kept in the National Military History museum in Sofia. It's made of gold and represents a series of two types of oval sections alternating. All sections are linked to one another using two sets of chains superimposed by crowned lions. The first type of oval sections used is crowned with the royal Hessen crown on top and depicts the royal cypher of the founder of the order – Alexander I. The second type of sections represents a plain Orthodox cross. To the chain is attached a Grand cross badge (53mm) with swords through the middle and crown with descending lappets.

From the few surviving examples of the collars produced during the reign of Prince/King Ferdinand I, it appears that the design has been slightly changed. The oval sections are more elaborate and partially enamelled in green, red and white enamel; the lions are no longer crowed and later the crowns have been changed to generic heraldic Bulgarian ones. The cross suspended from the collar is a generic grand cross badge with crown.

The design of the order collar during the reign of King Boris III does not change. His son though, King Simeon II, is pictured wearing an amended variant of the grand collar, during his years of exile, though we cannot be certain whether this piece has been manufactured after or prior to his accession to the throne. The amendments in the design include: a total of 14 oval sections, of which four represent an elaborate cartouche charged with crossed and crowned sceptres, a further eight oval sections depicting Bulgarian crowned lions upon a red-enamelled round base and two cartouches bearing white-enamelled Ferdinand I's royal cypher upon a dark green enamelled base. These last two sections are also crowned with a Bulgarian royal crown with curved crown lappets. The actual badge and crown, partially adorned with diamonds, is suspended from the oval section bearing the royal cypher using two sets of small chains, superimposed by a middle-section in the form of two crossed marshal sceptres with crowns on top. We can assume that this variant of the collar is the current one used by the Bulgarian monarch.

The collar has been awarded along with a corresponding grand cross (I class) set – badge and breast star.

The grand collar is a privilege of the grand master of the order (the Monarch) and the [lesser] collar has been used to decorate members of the royal family, foreign royalties, heads of state, etc. Among the recipients of the collar are Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austro-Hungary, King Umberto I of Italy, Field-marshal von Hindenburg, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, etc.

Grand Cross

Until the declaration of Independence in 1908, the highest class of the order (along with the collar) was the first class, which was being worn and often referred to as a grand cross decoration. After September that year though, the Grand cross class has been instituted. Its appearance was practically the same as the former first class – a white cross pattée, around 55mm in length, suspended from a wide (usually about 10 cm) crimson order sash with band and rosette, worn over the right shoulder. Additionally, holders of the Grand cross class are presented with an eight-pointed silver star (about 90mm in diameter), bearing in its centre an enlarged version of the central medallion of the obverse of the badge. The star is being worn on the left side of the breast.

Among the people who were decorated with this high decoration were prime-ministers, chairmen of the National Parliament, army generals, senior clergymen, foreign heads of state, royalties and members of their family and suite, etc. Practically, all Bulgarian Queens were decorated with Grand Cross sets adorned with diamonds – a very special privilege, which is a matter of the personal grace of the Monarch.

First Class

After the autumn of 1908, the well-known first class has been upgraded to a Grand Cross badge. This meant that, in order to preserve the currently existent classes, the first class had to be fully redesigned.

The newly introduced design of the first class (Great cross) badge had its cross arms enamelled in dark green instead of white and its total length was about 51mm. It was suspended via a royal crown from a 90mm wide crimson order sash bordered with a black stripe on either side. The sash did not have any band or rosette.

The first class came with a silver breast star too. This has also been redesigned accordingly. It represented an eight pointed silver star, the central medallion is enamelled in red and bears a crowned Bulgarian lion rampant. On the outer ring, enamelled in dark green, is inscribed the motto of the order – “СЪ НАМИ БОГЪ“, along with stylised crossed laurel branches at the bottom.

Until 1908, the first class was being awarded similarly to a Grand Cross badge – primarily to prime-ministers, generals, heads of state, royalties and alike. After the emergence of the Grand cross badge, the first class has been theoretically downgraded. However, this did not mean that the requirements for decoration with it were lowered too. It still remained one of the highest awards within the Kingdom and has only been presented to a handful of men, in respect to their social status and merits.

Second Class

The second class, also known as the Grand Officers' Cross, represents a 50mm wide badge which replicates the design of the Grand cross but is instead being worn suspended from a neck ribbon. Along with the neck decoration, recipients of the second class are presented with a silver breast star which is similar in design to the star of the Grand cross but slightly smaller in size – 80-81 mm.

As per usual, all Alexander orders can be awarded with crossed swords. When presented with swords, the breast star of the order depicts the swords accordingly – either superimposed just above the central medallion, or crossed in saltire behind it.

The Grand Officers' Cross has been awarded to high-ranking governmental officials, ministers and diplomats, army generals and senior officers, foreign nationals of similar rank, etc.

Third Class

The Commanders' cross, or third class order, represents a neck decoration identical to the one of the second class set but does not come with any breast star. It's also worn suspended from the neck.

After the introduction of the Grand cross and the amendments of the design of the Great cross, the third class badge has also been redesigned. The main reason for this intervention was the attempt to increase the visual differences between the second and third classes of the order.

Commander's crosses awarded after the declaration of Independence had cross arms enamelled in dark-green and instead of the familiar central medallion on the obverse, now there was a gilded lion rampant on a dark red background with superimposed Saxon escutcheon on its chest. The outer ring and reverse remained the same.

The third class was bestowed upon cabinet ministers, army generals and senior officers, diplomats, members of the King's personal suite, etc.

Fourth Class

The Officer's cross (4th class) is a 39mm gilded cross enamelled in white. The central medallion depicts the name of the order – „СВ.АЛЕКСАНДРЪ“, written in a calligraphic font upon a red-enamelled background. Unlike the higher classes of the order, the fourth class is not suspended from a crown and was worn on a triangular (pentagonal or threaded-through in some cases) ribbon with a band. Only later, (1) the display of the ribbon was unified as a triangular with a round rosette (instead of a band) and (2) the crown suspension was added as a middle section between the ribbon and the badge.

Unlike some other Bulgarian decorations, the Order of Saint Alexander has far too many variations throughout its existence, in order to be divided into clear emissions and periods.

Fourth class badges have been bestowed upon mid-level civil servants, mayors, industrialists, army officers, members of the personal suite of the King/Prince, etc.

Fifth Class

Badges fifth class, or Knights' crosses, are identical in terms of appearance and size to the fourth class, but their edges are of silvered/white metal instead of gilt. The enamel is white, with the central medallion enamelled in dark red and inscribed with gilded letters. The ribbon of the fifth class is a triangular one (in earlier samples a pentagonal or threaded-through) and has no band or rosette present. At some point in early twentieth century, the crown suspension element has been added to the fifth class badge as an optional feature. It also has been made of silvery metal with some sections of it enamelled in red white and green.

Among the recipients of the fifth class were army officers, local councillors, mayors, civil servants, etc.

Sixth Class

The Silver cross of the Order, which has been officially labelled sixth class in 1888, represents a 35-37mm wide cross resembling the previous classes in appearance, but instead made of solid white metal (or silvered) without any enamel. It was suspended from a triangular (or in rare cases a threaded-through) crimson ribbon. Similarly to all the other classes, the Silver cross can also be awarded with the two types of swords, in order to mark the specific military merits of its recipient. During the reign of King Boris III the Silver cross has also been awarded with a crown suspension as an optional feature.

This lowest class has been awarded to low-ranking civil servants, NCOs and enlisted men, mayors of small towns and villages, etc.

https://bulgariandecorations.com/orders/order_of_st_alexander

[Hatshepsut]

National Order of Civil Merit

Date established: 2nd/14th August 1891

Number of classes: Grand cross and six classes

Being awarded for: to civil servants, clergymen, diplomats, foreign nationals and alike as a token of gratitude on behalf of the nation and the Monarch

Shape: Urdy cross with circular centre and oak branches in between the cross arms

Ribbon: white, bordered with a green and crimson (or red) stripes on either sides

Other names: Order of merit, Order “For Civil Merit”, Order of National Merit

Obverse: White enamelled cross with red enamelled central medallion, bearing the royal cypher of its founder (enamelled in white). On the outer ring of the central medallion is inscribed the name of the order – „ЗА ГРАЖДАНСКА ЗАСЛУГА“ / translation: for civil merit / and a small six-pointed star in between two dots at the bottom. The oak leaves are enamelled in dark green (apart from the last two classes).

Reverse: White enamelled cross with red enamelled centre, bearing a crowned Bulgarian lion rampant (in most cases with superimposed Saxon shield upon his chest). On the outer ring is inscribed “2 АВГУСТЪ 1891“ /2nd August 1891/– the date when the order was founded. The oak leaves are enamelled in dark green (apart from the last class and certain earlier issues).

Associated decorations: Ladies' cross of the Order of Civil merit


The Order of Civil merit has been founded by Prince (Knyaz) Ferdinand I whose cypher is inscribed on all order badges. The intention for the establishment of this new order was to introduce a suitable and unified means of expressing gratitude to the increasing number of civil servants within Bulgaria. This new award would enable the government and the Monarch to award the merits of those who have distinguished themselves through their consistent and valuable work.

The Order of Civil merit ranks below the Royal Order of St. Alexander in the hierarchy of the Bulgarian orders and just above its military variation – the Order of Military merit.

Contrary to the popular expectation, the majority of the recipients of the Order of Civil merit, prior to the Balkan wars, were foreign nationals. This includes a few orders adorned with diamonds – a special prerogative of the Monarch.

The so called issues of the order are: 1) The so called Princely issue which has been awarded from 1891 onwards. These badges feature a rounded top crown suspensions with descending lappets. The reverse oak twigs are not enamelled and are either hand-crafted or stamped. There are at least two variations of this issue – both very similar to one another. The slight differences are in the shape of the lappets and oak twigs on the reverse. Also, the initial issue did not include crown suspensions for V and VI classes. The crown suspension has been added as an option to the fifth and sixths classes only around 1900 with the second sub-emission of the Princely issue.

2) The second major type actually replicated the previous, but instead of the rounded-top crown, a new type has been introduced – a flatter on top crown with curved upwards and outwards lappets. Due to the numerous manufacturers of the orders, there are several minor variations in the design of the oak twigs, crown lappets, enamel and rims of the cross.

3) The third master issue is the one minted during the reign of King Boris III. It bears the same features as the one minted during his father's reign, though the quality of manufacture was not as high as the old issues. A general rule is that order of this period lack the Saxon shield on the reverse of the badge.

A notable and very rare issue was a festive issue of the order, called 'flat reverse issue'. It features a flat (single) reverse medallion bearing an amended design of the Bulgarian lion and the inscription has been amended to include the name of the ex-king Ferdinand I – “ФЕРДИНАНД I 2.VIII.1891” separated via two six-pointed stars.

It is important to note that the tint of the green and crimson colours of the ribbon vary throughout the history of the order.


Grand Cross

The Grand Cross has been officially introduced in 1933. Prior to this date though, the 1st class of the order has been referred to and being awarded as a regular Grand cross decoration. In practice, the introduction of the Grand cross badge simply meant that the existent first class was to be renamed accordingly, while in its place was introduced a Great cross badge – I class decoration.

The badge of the Grand cross (I class prior to 1933) represents a 75mm (65 mm for Boris III emissions) wide white-enamelled gilded-rimed cross suspended form an elaborately designed, gilded and enamelled royal crown. There are two major types of crown. First type has rounded top and descending lappets. This type of crown has been used during 1891-1900. The second type of crown has many sub-types but the main features include a flatter top and lappets which are twisted upwards and outwards.

The badge is attached to a wide white order sash (about 10cm wide) with green and crimson (red) border stripes. The sash is worn over the right shoulder and across the chest, having a rosette and/or bow near its end.

In addition to the badge and its sash, the set includes a 97mm eight-pointed star, made of four silver and four gilded alternating sets of rays. In the centre of the star is positioned the badge of the order without its crown suspension. The star is worn on the left side of the breast.

In the 1930's, a slightly amended variation of the Grand cross breast star has been introduced. It's slightly larger in size – 102 mm and its rays are made up of series of relief beads, rather than the usual smoothed rays.

The Grand cross set (or 1st class set, prior to 1933), has been awarded to the highest-ranking officials within the nation – ministers, senior clergymen, retired generals, major industrialists, foreign ambassadors, members of foreign royal houses and their suites, etc.

First Class

Until the introduction of the Grand Cross in the 30's, the highest class of the order was the first class, which was being worn and often referred to as a Grand cross decoration. Theoretically, the transformation of the first class into a Grand cross grade meant that a new grade had to be introduced, similarly to the transformation with the classes of the Royal Order of St. Alexander in 1908.

The Great cross represented a 54-56 mm wide cross, similar in appearance to the Grand cross badge, but was instead suspended from a slightly thinner order sash with similar composition of the colours. It was worn again over the right shoulder.

The breast star for the later Great cross resembled the generic Grand cross breast star but is a bit smaller (about 84mm wide) and all eight sets of rays are made of silver.

Among the people who were decorated with this high decoration were ministers, chairmen of the National Parliament, diplomats, senior clergymen, major businessmen, foreign nationals with major merits to Bulgarian society, etc.

Second Class

The second class of the order represents a 54-56 mm in width badge. It's being worn on a thin order ribbon suspended from the neck. In addition to the badge, holders of the grand officers' cross also display a rhomboid silver breast star (88 mm) made of four sets of silvery rays and the order badge superimposed over the centre. It's worn on the left side of the chest.

The second class sets have been awarded to ministers, diplomats, senior civil servants, clergymen and alike, depending on their social status and previous decorations.

Third Class

The third class of the Order of Civil merit represents a neck badge identical to the one from the second class set. The difference is that the third class decorations do not come with any breast star.

Again, awarding was made according to the recipient's rank and merits – usually senior or mid-ranking civil servants, town mayors, diplomats, archbishops and alike.

Fourth Class

The Officer's cross represents a 48 to 51 mm gilt-rimmed cross, worn suspended from a triangular ribbon with a rosette and worn on the left side of the chest.

Among the people decorated with the IV class were clergymen, mayors, mid-level civil servants, police chiefs, etc.

Fifth Class

The fifth class represents a cross with the same shape and dimensions as the fourth class, but instead of gilded, the rims and body of the cross is made of silver or silvered, including the oak twigs which are no longer enamelled. Unlike the higher classes of the order, the fifth class can be awarded either with or without a crown suspension, thus splitting the class into two variations. The fifth class was suspended from a ribbon folded in a triangular shape without a rosette.

This class was being awarded to a wide range of professionals – from town mayors, through police constables and municipal councillors, to journalists and scientists.

Sixth Class

The lowest class of the Order of Civil merit is the so called silver cross. It represented a 46 mm wide cross made entirely of silver or another metal alloy/silvered. It did not have any enamel either on the obverse or reverse.

Similarly to the 5th class, the silver cross could also be awarded with or without crown suspension. The ribbon was a triangular one, without any band or rosette.

Ladies' Cross

An award dedicated to ladies has been associated with the Order of Civil merit. It consists of three classes whose crosses basically replicated the last three classes of the actual order, but instead suspended from a thinner (26-27 mm wide) ribbon of the same colours, tied in the form of a double bow.

The ladies' cross has only been awarded to female civil servants, journalists, charity activists and alike.

The first class for ladies represents the generic crowned cross of the IV class but, as outlined above, suspended from the bow-shaped ribbon.

The second class (the familiar V class badge) represents a white enamelled silver-rimmed cross. It has two sub-classes, depending on whether it is being suspended from the ribbon using a crown suspension or not.

The third class is similar to the former one, but instead of enamelled, the cross is fully made of a metal alloy and silvered (in rare cases solid silver), identically to the VI class of the order. Again, there's the possibility of having or lacking a crown suspension element as a middle section between the cross and the ribbon.

Due to the differentiation based on the crown suspensions, some sources indicate that initially the Ladies' cross has been considered as having 5 classes but this has soon been revoked.

https://bulgariandecorations.com/orders/order_of_civil_merit

[Hatshepsut]

National Order of Military Merit

Date established: 18th/31st May 1900

Number of classes: Grand cross and six classes

Being awarded for: to military personnel for loyal service and merits in the time of both peace and war

Shape: Urdy cross with circular centre and crossed swords in between the cross arms

Ribbon: yellow, bordered with a wide black and thinner white stripes on either side

Other names: Order of merit, Order “For Military Merit”, Order of National Military merit

Obverse: Crimson enamelled cross, bearing the royal cypher of its founder (enamelled in white) in the centre medallion. On the outer ring of the central medallion, enamelled either in dark green or white, is inscribed the name of the order – „ЗА ВОЕННА ЗАСЛУГА“ / translation: for military merit / and a small six-pointed star in between two dots at the bottom.

Reverse: Crimson enamelled cross, bearing in the centre of the central medallion a crowned Bulgarian lion rampant (in most cases with superimposed Saxon shield upon his chest). On the outer ring, enamelled in either dark green or white, is inscribed “2 АВГУСТЪ 1891“ /2nd August 1891/– the date when the Order of Civil merit was founded.

The Order of Military merit has been founded in 1900 as the military variation of the Order of Civil merit. In theory, these two decorations were two divisions of a single National order of merit. This is the reason why both of them bear the date 2nd August 1891 as the date of their foundation.

The military branch of the National Order of merit has been created in order to distinguish army men for their long and faithful service in the military and also for their feats and merits, both in the time of war and peace. During the 45 years of its existence, the order has been presented to thousands of military men – from NCOs to senior officers and generals, including a large number of foreigners.

During the Balkan wars, the order has been used to decorate wartime merits of officers and enlisted men. In order to indicate this, the last three classes of the Order of Military merit have started to be awarded on the sky-blue ribbon of the Military order “For Bravery” but only for frontline merits.

In 1916, a new division of the order has been initiated. It has been implemented in order to indicate specifically a battlefield merit, in contrary to the generic type of military merit order which remained largely in use.

The new division has a slightly amended design – the outer ring of the central medallion is now enamelled in white instead of green and upon the obverse of the badge is positioned a decorative circular oak and laurel wreath enamelled in green. This applies for all classes of the order and any breast stars too, except for the silver cross badge.

In addition to the amended design of the badge for battlefield merits, orders 4th, 5th and 6th classes of this division are always suspended from the sky-blue ribbon of the Order “For bravery”.

The different issues of the order are very similar to the ones of the Order of Civil merit, except for the lack of the samples with the early 'domed top' crown suspension.

The first issue of the order is of a very high quality. The specific features are a translucent high quality crimson enamel on the arms and centre, and darker green enamel on the outer ring.

The second major type actually replicated the previous but the enamel on the outer ring and the cross arms appears slightly less translucent and also the lappets of the crown suspension have been redesigned slightly. Orders of this issue have been used for decoration in both Balkan wars, the Great War and also in the interwar years, due to the limited budget and large wartime stock still present at the Chancellery of Bulgarian orders.

The third master issue is the one minted during the reign of King Boris III. It bears the same features as the one minted during his father's reign, though the quality of manufacture was not as high as the old issues.

A notable and very rare issue was minted in 1937, labelled 'flat reverse issue'. It features a flat (single) reverse central medallion bearing an amended design of the Bulgarian lion and the inscription has been amended to include the name of the ex-king Ferdinand I – “ФЕРДИНАНДЪ I 2.VIII.1891” separated via two six-pointed stars.


Grand Cross

The Grand Cross has been officially introduced in 1933. Prior to this date though, the 1st class of the order has been referred to and being awarded as a regular Grand cross decoration. In practice, the introduction of the Grand cross badge simply meant that the existent first class was to be renamed accordingly, while in its place was introduced a Great cross badge – I class decoration.

The badge of the Grand cross (I class prior to 1933) represents a 75mm (65 mm for Boris III emissions) wide crimson-enamelled gilded-rimed cross suspended form an elaborately designed, gilded and enamelled royal crown.

The badge is attached to a wide yellow order sash (about 10cm wide) with black and and thinner white border stripes on either side. The sash is worn over the right shoulder and across the chest, having a rosette and/or bow near its end.

In addition to the badge and its sash, the set includes a 97mm eight-pointed star, made of four silver and four gilded alternating sets of rays. In the centre of the star is positioned the badge of the order without its crown suspension. The star is worn on the left side of the breast.

In the 1930's, a slightly amended variation of the Grand cross breast star has been introduced. It's slightly larger in size – 102 mm and its rays are made up of series of relief beads, rather than the usual smoothed rays.

The Grand cross set (or 1st class set, prior to 1933), has been awarded to the highest-ranking officials within the army – generals, including foreign generals, rarely to non-army officials of very high rank.

First Class

Until the introduction of the Grand Cross in the 30's, the highest class of the order was the first class, which was being worn and often referred to as a Grand cross decoration. Theoretically, the transformation of the first class into a Grand cross grade meant that a new grade had to be introduced, similarly to the transformation with the classes of the Royal Order of St. Alexander in 1908.

The Great cross represented a 54-56 mm wide cross, similar in appearance to the Grand cross badge, but was instead suspended from a slightly thinner order sash with slightly amended widths of the colours. It was worn again over the right shoulder.

The breast star for the later Great cross resembled the generic Grand cross breast star but is a bit smaller (about 84mm wide) and all eight sets of rays are made of silver.

Among the people who were decorated with this high decoration were again Bulgarian or foreign army generals.

Second Class

The second class of the order represents a 54-56 mm in width badge. It's being worn on a thin order ribbon (about 40mm) suspended from the neck. In addition to the badge, holders of the grand officers' cross also display a rhomboid silver breast star (88 mm) made of four sets of silvery rays and the order badge superimposed over the centre. It's worn on the left side of the chest.

The second class sets have been awarded to army generals.

Third Class

The third class of the Order of Military merit represents a neck badge identical to the one from the second class set. The difference is that the third class decorations do not come with any breast star.

Again, awarding was made according to the recipient's rank and merits - senior officers, usually regimental commanders.

Fourth Class

The Officer's cross represents a 48 to 51 mm gilt-rimmed cross, worn suspended from a triangular ribbon with a rosette (unless when suspended from the sky-blue wartime ribbon) and worn on the left side of the chest.

Among the people decorated with the IV class were majors and captains, in regard to their position.

Fifth Class

The fifth class represents a cross with the same shape and dimensions as the fourth class, but instead of gilded, the rims and body of the cross is made of silver or silvered. Unlike the higher classes of the order, the fifth class can be awarded either with or without a crown suspension, thus splitting the class into two variations. The fifth class was suspended from a ribbon folded in a triangular shape without a rosette.

This class was being awarded to platoon commanders - from lieutenants to NCOs and occasionally to war veterans.

Sixth Class

The lowest class of the Order of Military merit is the so called silver cross. It represented an apr. 46 mm wide cross made entirely of silver or another metal alloy/silvered. It did not have any enamel either on the obverse or reverse, nor the so called wartime distinction wreath.

Similarly to the 5th class, the silver cross could also be awarded with or without crown suspension. The ribbon was a triangular one, without any band or rosette.

https://bulgariandecorations.com/orders/order_of_military_merit

[Hatshepsut]

Order of Merit

https://historymuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/5-4.jpg?x23590

Date established: 25th December 1881/6th January 1882

Number of classes: Two (gold and silver badges)

Being awarded for: To army officers and generals for their merits to the Crown and army

Shape: Circular medallion encircled with laurel wreath and two crossed swords

Ribbon: The crimson ribbon of the Order of Saint Alexander or the sky-blue ribbon of the Military order “For Bravery” (for wartime merits)

Other names: Order for Merit

Obverse: The effigy of the ruling monarch depicted upon the circular base (24mm in diameter), which is superimposed over the crossed swords and encircled with two laurel branches in the form of a wreath, the swords being positioned over the wreath.

Reverse: Upon circular background, decorated with laurel branches, a Germanic heraldic shield bearing the crowned Bulgarian lion rampant. On either side of the shield is inscribed the motto of the order – „ЗА ЗАСЛУГА“ (translation: For merit). Similarly to the obverse, the two crossed swords are depicted behind the central medallion and the laurel wreath – in a circle around the medallion but this time over the swords.

Associated with: Royal Order of St Alexander

The Order of Merit has been instituted along with the Royal Order “Saint Alexander” and for about two years it has existed as a medal, associated with the above order. It has been used to decorate military men instead of the silver Medal of merit. In 1883, the decoration has officially been converted to an order, associated with the more senior Order of St Alexander. There was one single class during this period, and it was referred to as the Order of Merit.

Ever since its institution, the order has been a military decoration. Theoretically though, after the introduction of the 1st class of the order, the so called golden badge, the decoration could also be bestowed upon non-army personnel – senior civil servants, cabinet ministers and alike.

The total number of classes was two – I and II class, or also called golden and silver badge. Due to the very limited numbers of first classes ever awarded though, often the class of the badge is omitted, thus referring to the silver badge as the only class of the order.

The badges of the order were made of solid silver and in some cases of silvered bronze or white metal alloy. The first class badge was of gilded silver.

Depending on the type of merit, an officer was eligible to be decorated twice with the same grade of the order – once for his military merits in peacetime (suspended from a crimson ribbon) and once for this merits in the time of war (suspended from the so called war ribbon). Both badges were to be worn alongside each other, the latter ranking higher in the system of decorations.

The order was being worn suspended from a triangular (pentagonal or threaded-through in earlier examples) ribbon – either the sky-blue or crimson variants.


Type 1

The first issue of the order (medal back then), was the so-called issue with chain. On the obverse was depicted the effigy of the Prince (facing to the right). The top of the circular medallion has been conjoined with the suspension loop via a chain of four sections – something unique for this particular type. Also, another specific feature of this issue is that the swords are depicted with elaborately decorated scabbards.

Type 2

Issue number two replicated the previous one in terms of general appearance. The only differences are (1) the lack of decorated scabbards and (2) chain, and also the (3) more detailed laurel wreath which, unlike the previous issue, is bound together at the bottom using a decorative beaded cylinder, rather than a ribbon bow. The central medallion remained unchanged.

The designer of both issues of the Alexander I period was K. Schwenzer.

Type 3

Type three of the order of Merit is identical to the previous type, with the exception of (1) the effigy of the Monarch, which has now been amended to that of Ferdinand I, (2) the ball-shaped loop on top of the laurel wreath and (3) the introduction of the Saxon escutcheon across the chest of the lion on the reverse of the badge. The designer was Anton Scharff.

Type 4

The fourth issue of the order depicts an updated effigy of the Bulgarian monarch, this time overlooking to the left. Apart from that, the appearance of the badge has replicated the one of type 3. The engraver of the portrait was Paul Telge.

Type 5

With the accession to the throne of the new King – Boris III, the order badge had to be amended once again. It now depicted the effigy of King Boris III overlooking to the left. The only noticeable change, compared to the previous issue was the slightly amended coat or arms on the reverse and also the font of the inscription.

Type 6

The last issue of the order practically replicated the first Boris III type, but the shape of the shield and lion on the reverse have been amended once again, in order to reflect the new official state coat of arms.

https://bulgariandecorations.com/orders/order_of_merit

[Hatshepsut]

Medal "For the Accession of Prince Alexander I in 1879"

Date established: Some time during the second half of 1879

Number of classes: one

Being awarded for: Personally by the monarch and by His own good will

Shape and dimensions: Circular, 27mm in diameter

Ribbon: White in colour, edged with thin green and red stripes on both sides.

Obverse: The obverse depicts the effigy of the young Prince Alexander I in profile, circumscribed by His royal title in Bulgarian language – “АЛЕКСАНДРЪ I. КНЯЗЬ НА БЪЛГАРIЯ” / translation: Alexander I. Knyaz (Prince) of Bulgaria /.

Reverse: On the reverse is engraved the Bulgarian coat of arms – a Germanic heraldic shield, charged with a crowned lion rampant, and crowned with the royal Hessen crown on top. On either sides of the shield there is a lion-supporter, who are standing upon a decorative floral element. Above the arms is located a scroll which states “ЗА СПОМЕНЪ 1879“ / translation: In memory 1879 /, and in the base of the medal there is a similar scroll bearing two dates – 17th April and 24th June („17 АПРИЛIЯ 24 ЮНIЯ“) - the first being the date of the Prince's election to the Throne and the second of His arrival in His new domain.

The commemorative medal "For the Accession of Prince Alexander I" of 1879 is the first Bulgarian award, even though that theoretically, it was a personal award, given on behalf of the newly elected Monarch. This has to do with the fact that, as the initial text of the Bulgarian Constitution has explicitly stated that orders, medals or any other forms of distinction are banned from official usage in Bulgaria.

The medal has been minted of solid silver.

The few recipients of this medal were the members of the first Bulgarian cabinet, members of the Prince's private suite; His relatives from the Grand Duchy of Hesse, Imperial Russian generals serving in Bulgaria etc. Due to the very low number of recipients, this commemorative medal remains one of the rarest Bulgarian awards today.

The medal has been designed by the famous engraver Karl Schwenzer and struck in Austro-Hungary, hence the high quality of the medal itself.

https://bulgariandecorations.com/medals/for_the_accession_of_Alexander_I_1879

[Hatshepsut]

Medal "For the Liberation 1877-1878"

Date established: 19th/31st July 1880

Number of classes: one

Being awarded for: to members of the Bulgarian Voluntary Corps for their participation in the war of 1877-1878

Shape and dimensions: Circular, 32mm in diameter

Ribbon: Red in colour, with a white stripe near both edges.

Obverse: The obverse depicts the crowned royal cypher of Prince Alexander I. In a circle along he edge of the medal are inscribed, in Bulgarian language, the names of the three locations where the most fierce fights of the war took place - ЕЗКИ-ЗАГРА, ШИПКА and ШЕЙНОВО and the date 19. ЮЛIЙ 1880 / 19. JULY 1880 /. All of these four sections are being separated from one another via a six-pointed star.

Reverse: On the reverse there's a text in Bulgarian language - НА ОПОЛЧЕНЦИТѢ ЗА ОСВОБОЖДЕНИЕТО 1877-1878 / translation: To the volunteers for the Liberation 1877-1878 /, written on five lines. The text is depicted in between an oak (left) and a laurel (right) branches bound together with a ribbon at the bottom, forming a circular wreath.

The commemorative medal "For the Liberation 1877-1878" has been specifically introduced on the day of the third anniversary of the bloody battles which took place in Eski-Zagra (now Stara Zagora) during the Russo-Turkish war or 1877-1878.

The medal has been struck of yellowish metal alloy.

This is practically the first mass-awarded decoration in Bulgarian history. During the last quarter of 1880 and the first months of 1881, all surviving members of the Bulgarian Voluntary Corps, including those who are resident in Eastern Roumelia, have been decorated with this medal. It's highly possible that a small number of Imperial Russian army men have also been presented with this medal, even though that the official procedure for receiving the medal was far too bureaucratic. Nevertheless, calculation based on historical data estimated that a total of between 7,000 and 8,000 medals have been awarded.

The medal has been designed by the Russian engraver K. Piccolo and struck in the Russian Empire.

https://bulgariandecorations.com/medals/for_the_liberation_1877-1878

[Hatshepsut]

Medal "For Allocating the banners of the Bulgarian Military in 1881"

Date established: 30th August/11th September 1881

Number of classes: one

Being awarded for: to a small number of people, as a commemoration of the allocation of the first Bulgarian military banners

Shape and dimensions: Circular, 20mm in diameter, with a Hessen crown suspension mounted on top.

Ribbon: Narrow, red in colour

Obverse: The royal cypher of Prince Alexander I encircled by two twigs – a laurel on the left and an oak on the right, bound together with a ribbon at the bottom.

Reverse: The following text in Bulgarian language: “1881 30 АВГУСТЪ ВЪ СПОМѢНЪ НА РАЗДАВАНИЕТО ЗНАМЕНАТА НА БЪЛГАРСКАТА ВОЙСКА” / translation: 1881 30 August In commemoration of the Allocation of Banners to the Bulgarian military /, written on seven lines.

The commemorative medal “For the Allocation of the Banners in 1881” is one of the rarest Bulgarian awards. It has been established and minted in order to mark the notable occasion – the allocation of the first military banners to the newly established Bulgarian army.

The official ceremony took place on 30th August/11 September 1881 in Sofia where the Bulgarian monarch personally awarded the medal to its recipients – the senior officers of the Bulgarian Army, regimental commanders, flag bearers and possibly cabinet ministers.

Taking into account the high quality of the medal, we can assume that it has been minted in Austo-Hungary.

https://bulgariandecorations.com/medals/for_the_allocation_of_the_banners_to_the_bulgarian_army_in_1881

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Medal of Merit

Date established: 25th December 1881/6th January 1882

Number of classes: gold, silver and bronze medal

Being awarded for: merits to the Bulgarian nation and the Crown

Shape and dimensions: Circular, 27mm or 28mm in diameter

Ribbon: The crimson ribbon of the Royal Order of St Alexander

Obverse: The obverse depicts the effigy of the ruling monarch with His royal title circumscribed.

Reverse: On the reverse, in the middle is inscribed the text "ЗА ЗАСЛУГА" / translation: For merit /, positioned on two lines, with a five-pointed star just beneath it. The text and star are positioned within an oak (left) and a laurel (right) twigs bound together with a ribbon at the bottom, forming a circular wreath.

Associated with: Royal Order of St Alexander


HRH Prince Alexander I

HRH Prince Alexander I officially founded the medal “For Merit” on 25 December 1881/ 11 January 1882 but well before that he has been decorating foreign nationals with the medal during receptions in the European royal courts.

There are three 'classes' of the medal – golden, silver and bronze medals.

The gold medal has been awarded only a handful of times. According to the regulations of the Chancellery of Bulgarian orders, the golden medal can only be given to people who have already been distinguished with a Grand cross or First class of a Bulgarian order and have reached the highest positions within the society.

It's important to note that the term golden only applies to the grade of the medal and not to the material, which it is made of. Usually the golden classes of the decorations are produced of a silver base (or another metal alloy) and then gilded. Only in very rare cases the actual awards may be produced of solid gold – usually when these are intended for decoration of a Monarch or a person of royal status.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that the golden medals are usually only gilded, there have been some cases of forged golden medals – occasions when original silver or bronze medals have been gilded, in a trial to increase the market price of the medal by presenting it as a golden one.

During its history, the top class of the medal “For Merit” has been awarded very rarely. According to some authors, the total numbers of golden medals awarded is 69, though it's not very clear how many of the decorated men were Bulgarians and how many - foreigners.

The silver and bronze medals were more common, compared to the golden one. The silver medal was intended for distinction of army officers and civil servants, while the bronze medal – for NCOs and enlisted men, clerks and other low-ranking civil servants.

The first emission of the medal depicts the effigy of the Bulgarian Monarch and His royal title inscribed along the edge – “АЛЕКСАНДРЪ I. КНЯЗЬ НА БЪЛГАРIЯ” / translation: Alexander I. Knyaz (Prince) of Bulgaria /. Visually, the obverse of the medal is identical to the one of the Medal for the Accession of Alexander I. The engraver of the medal was K. Schwenzer. The reverse, as in all the other cases, remains unchanged in its essence.

The so called first emission of the medal is also the rarest. It's due to the fact that it has been minted in limited numbers and has soon been replaced with the new type, minted in 1883.

The second edition of the medal reflects the visual change in the appearance of the Prince – Alexander I is now depicted with a beard. Apart from this new feature, the medal remains unchanged.

The examples of this second issue are more widespread, compared to the first one, yet still very rare. The bronze medals of this issue vary in terms of the material used – either light or dark bronze-coloured metal alloy.

HRH Prince Ferdinand I

After the abdication of Alexander I and the election of a new Monarch, Ferdinand I, the appearance of the Merit medal had to be amended, in order to reflect the new Sovereign of the land. This is how the third issue of the medal came into place. On the obverse of the medal is depicted the new Prince (this time facing left) and His royal title - “ФЕРДИНАНДЪ I. КНЯЗЬ НА БЪЛГАРIЯ” / translation: Ferdinand I. Knyaz (Prince) of Bulgaria /. Again, the reverse of the medal remained untouched.

A specific feature for this third issue is the tubular ear on the top of the medal. This third edition of the medal was also short-lived and is thus quite rare. There are no known issues of a golden medal of this type.

Emission number four (or the second 'Ferdinand' emission) is probably the emission with most variations. The first major variation depicts an updated effigy of the Prince (engraved by A. Scharff) circumscribed by His royal title, which remained unchanged. The medals of this emission have a sphere-shaped ear on top of the medal.

This emission is the first one to be awarded with a crown suspension. This is the so called crown with descending lappets, similar to the one introduced for the initial variant of the Order of Civil Merit in 1891. By the introduction of this additional feature, the three grades of the medal can now be awarded with or without a crown, which informally doubled the classes of the medal.

At the end of the 19th or the beginning of the 20th century, a new modification (or sub-emission) of the current emission has been minted. It features the known medal with the effigy of Prince Ferdinand I and His royal title circumscribed, but the crown suspension used is thoroughly redesigned. This new crown design has more flat sides and dome, and the lappets are now bent upwards and outwards in a specific manner, which will be introduced to all other Bulgarian awards for the future.

This new type of crown is labelled by historians and researchers as 'tsar crown' in order to make distinction between this one and the previous type (inaccurately labelled 'princely crown'). In essence, both crowns bear the same features and only differ in terms of their representation.

The sub-emission of the princely merit medal with the second type of crown is fairly rare. There are known bronze (dark brown metal alloy) and silver examples. The existence of genuine golden ones is still disputable.


HM King Ferdinand I

The fifth emission (third 'Ferdinand') depicts an updated image of the Monarch (with pointy beard and twisted moustaches, engraved by Paul Telge) with circumscribed “ФЕРДИНАНДЪ I ЦАРЬ НА БЪЛГАРИТѢ“ / translation: Ferdinand I Tsar (King) of the Bulgarians /. The reverse once again was left as it was before.

The crown suspension used for this emission is a slightly amended variant of the previous type. It has the same features – straight lines, lilies and lappets embowed upwards and outwards.

In the summer of 1913, members of the Order council of the Military order "For Bravery" have agreed that the medal "For Merit" can also be awarded using the so called military ribbon, for merits and deeds, performed in the time of war and on the battlefield.

There are thousands of decorations with the bronze and silver classes of the medal. A sizeable number of these has been awarded abroad, during and after the end of the Great War, to members of the Austro-Hungarian and German armies – the former allies.

This was the last emission of the medal during the reign of King Ferdinand I.


HM King Boris III

The next (sixth) and last royal emission has been minted using the features of the previous one, the only difference being the new royal effigy, that of King Boris III, and His title - “БОРИСЪ III ЦАРЬ НА БЪЛГАРИТѢ“ / translation: Boris III Tsar (King) of the Bulgarians /.

From the current emission of the merit medal, there are numerous examples of medals with a spelling error. They are missing the letter “А” in the word “БЪЛГАРИТѢ“ on the obverse, resulting in “БЪЛГРИТѢ“. These 'wrong' medals have been used for decoration.

Certain authors treat these as another emission of the merit medal. However, it's more sensible to consider this as a variation of the original emission, as there are no major differences between the two.

https://bulgariandecorations.com/medals/for_merit

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Medal "For Science and Art"

Date established: 25th March/5th April 1883

Number of classes: Gold and silver medal

Being awarded for: as a reward and incentive to people, who distinguished themselves in the field of science, art or industry

Shape and dimensions: Circular, 36mm in diameter

Ribbon: Horizontally alternating white and red, edged with a white and thinner green stripes at both edges

Obverse: The obverse depicts the effigy of the ruling monarch with his royal title circumscribed.

Reverse: One of the Nine muses seated, facing to the left, supporting with her left hand a Bulgarian heraldic shield, and her right hand stretched, holding a laurel wreath. In the background there's a lyre, books, globe, palette and bust statue of Athena Pallas. Below the figure of the muse, there's a text stating the name of the medal, which differs in terms of font and spelling in each emission.


HRH Prince Alexander I

The medal “For Science and Art” is one of the highest Bulgarian awards and at the same time one of the rarest to be awarded during its sixty or so years of existence. It came in only two classes – gold (in fact gilt) and silver.

As noted above, the Medal “For Science and Art” has been officially founded in 1883, but there are documented decorations as early as the spring of 1882. The first issue of the medal bears the effigy of its founder – Prince Alexander I (engraved by K. Schwenzer), circumscribed by the following text in old Slavonic script: “АЛЕКСАНДРЪ I КНЯЗЬ НА БЪЛГАРИѦ” / translation: Alexander I Knyaz (Prince) of Bulgaria /.

The reverse of this first edition depicts the above-mentioned scene, and the name of the medal, inscribed on a single line in old Slavonic calligraphic script “ЗА НАУКА И ИСКУСТВО” / translation: For science and art /.


HRH Prince Ferdinand I

The second emission of the medal is that of Prince Ferdinand I. Its appearance is generally the same. The only changes were: (1) in the effigy of the Monarch (engraved by A. Scharff), (2) the royal title “ФЕРДИНАНДЪ I КНЯЗЬ НА БЪЛГАРИЯ", again inscribed in the same type of font, and (3) the appearance of the Saxon inescutcheon (small coat of arms) over the Bulgarian shield on the reverse of the medal, as a symbol of the new Monarch's dynastical background.

HM King Ferdinand I

Emission number three, or the first 'Ferdinand' emission as Tsar/King has several modifications, compared to the previous one. This is the first type of the medal to be awarded with a crown suspension (similar, but not identical to the crown used for the medal “For Merit”). Additionally, the effigy of the King has been updated to reflect His current appearance and also His title which has been changed to “ФЕРДИНАНДЪ I ЦАРЬ НА БЪЛГАРИТѢ“ / translation: Ferdinand I Tsar (King) of the Bulgarians /. The old Slavonic script has been updated to a more modern and easy-to-read font. The engraver was P. Telge.

On the reverse of the medal, the only change was in the title of the medal. It has now been placed upon two lines and the font has been updated.

Of this second Ferdinand emission there have only been decorations with the silver medal.


HM King Boris III

After King Boris III's accession to the throne, the medal “For Science and Art” had to be updated in order to mark the change of the Monarch. During the first post-war years though, it's highly possible that the old medals with Ferdinand I's effigy have been used for decorating while the new batch of Boris III medals is being minted.

Essentially, the medal of the new Monarch had minor changes. The obverse of the medal has been directly copied from the medal “For Merit”, featuring the effigy of young Boris and His title circumscribed: “БОРИСЪ III ЦАРЬ НА БЪЛГАРИТѢ“ / translation: Boris III Tsar (King) of the Bulgarians /.

The only change on the reverse of the medal was the change of the first Cyrillic letter “С” with “З”, in order to reflect the contemporary spelling regulations of the Bulgarian language. The result was “ЗА НАУКА И ИЗКУСТВО“, written in two lines.

https://bulgariandecorations.com/medals/for_science_and_art

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Medals for the War with Serbia

First type

Date established: 19th February/3rd March 1886

Number of classes: Silver and bronze medals

Being awarded for: participation in the war of 1885

Shape and dimensions: Circular, 33mm in diameter

Ribbon: four purple and three white equally-sized alternating stripes

Obverse: The effigy of Prince Alexander I in a semi-profile, dressed in full parade uniform, circumscribed with the following two variations of text: 1) in Russian: “АЛЕКСАНДРЪ I ПОБѢДОНОСНЫЙ КНЯЗЬ БЪЛГАРIИ“ / translation: Alexander I Victorious Knyaz (Prince) of Bulgaria /, or Bulgarian 2) “АЛЕКСАНДРЪ I. ПОБѢДОНОСНИЙ КНЯЗЪ БЪЛГАРСКИЙ“ / translation: Alexander I Victorious Bulgarian Knyaz (Prince) /.

Reverse: The Greek goddess of victory Nike mounted upon a flying eagle, holding in her left hand a palm leaf, and her right hand elevated and holding a laurel wreath with ribbons. Along the edge of the medal is inscribed either of the following: 1) in Russian: “ВЪ ПАМЯТЬ СЛАВНОЙ 1885 КАМПАНIИ“ and a five-pointed star, or 2) in Bulgarian: “ВЪ ПАМЯТЪ НАСЛАВНАТА ВОЙНА ВЪ 1885 ГОД“ and a decorative beaded flower of six foils. Both texts mean “In memory of the glorious campaign (or war) of 1885”.

The medal has been founded as a symbol of commemoration for the military campaign against the Serbian armed forces in late 1885. It has been minted in two classes – silver, designated for the soldiers and officers who took part in the battles with the Serbian military, and bronze medal – for all military men who did not participate in the battles directly or to civilians who helped the army during this conflict.

Due to the Prince's forced abdication and His subsequent departure from Bulgaria, decorations with the medal have been suspended in September 1886.

Unfortunately, this initial type of medal is yet to be fully researched. That is why, there's no conclusive information as to 1) why there have been two issues of the medal in a matter of only six months; 2) why one of these variations was in Russian language, 3) was there an additional, gilded class of this medal and 4) whether the striped ribbon, used for the second type, is the ribbon used for the current medal, or was it instead red, bordered with a green stripe.

None of the archive photographs of soldiers or officers during 1886-1887 reveals this particular medal being worn. It's quite possible that after the introduction of the new version in 1887, the people previously decorated have been supplied with the newly designed medal, as a substitute of the former.

Sources on Bulgarian medals assume that the medal has been discontinued due to the abdication of the Prince and according to the decision of the Regency. However, the name and title of the already former Bulgarian Prince appear both on the new type of the medal and on the awarding documents of the later.


Second type

Date established: 14th November 1886

Number of classes: Silver and bronze medals

Being awarded for: participation in the war of 1885

Shape and dimensions: Circular, 32mm in diameter

Ribbon: four purple and three white equally-sized alternating stripes

Obverse: Upon a decorative element, the coats of arms of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia, conjoined together with the Hessen royal crown on top. In a circle along the edge is inscribed, in a Slavonic script, the following text: “АЛЕКСАНДРЪ I КНЯЗЬ БЪЛГАРСКИЙ“ / translation: Alexander I Bulgarian Knyaz (Prince) / and a six-pointed star at the bottom.

Reverse: The following text in Bulgarian language “БЛАГОДАРНОТО ОТЕЧЕСТВО НА СВОИТѢ ХРАБРИ СИНОВЕ 1885“ / translation: The grateful fatherland to its brave sons 1885 /, written on four lines, using old Slavonic script. The text is positioned within a circular laurel wreath entwined with a ribbon, whose visible sections bear the names of the towns or locations, where the battles of the Serbo-Bulgarian war took place (ДРАГОМАНЪ, ЦАРИБРОДЪ, ПИРОТЪ, ВИДИНЪ, СЛИВНИЦА, ГОРГУЛЯТА, БРѢЗНИКЪ).

At the end of 1886, after the abdication of Prince Alexander I, the three members of the regency decide to suspend the previously used medal and design a new one in its place. Their motives remain unclear, and we can only assume that it was down to a personal preference or opinion.

The new image of the obverse of the medal symbolises the Unification of the two Bulgarian states – the Principality of Bulgaria and the so called Eastern Rumelia, under the authority of the Bulgarian monarch in September 1885.

The reverse of the medal expresses the gratitude of the government and the whole nation to those, who defended the fusion of the two countries and gained the first victory of the Bulgarian state.

The official sources indicate that some 90 000 pieces of this second type have been minted (of which 30 000 bronze and 60 000 silver medals). These have been decorated as intended to all men who contributed to the successful military campaign of the autumn of 1885.

Alongside men, all the regimental or company standards of the units which participated in the war of 1885, have also been decorated with the commemorative medal.

https://bulgariandecorations.com/medals/for_the_war_with_Serbia_in_1885

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Cross "For the Accession of Prince Ferdinand I in 1887"

Date established: 21st December 1887/ 2nd January 1888

Number of classes: three

Being awarded for: various criteria

Shape and dimensions: Maltese cross with beaded points, circular centre and fleurs-de-lis in between the arms. 41mm in length.

Ribbon: three light-green and two white equally-sized stripes alternating.

Obverse: 1st class: Gilded Maltese cross. The central medallion is circular, enamelled in red, with the royal cypher of Prince Ferdinand I enamelled in white and crowned with a gilded crown. On the green-enamelled outer ring of the central medallion, the following gilded text appears: “БОЖИЯ И НАРОДНА ВОЛЯ“ / translation: By the will of God and nation /, the first word being separated from the rest via a five-pointed star on either sides. The 2nd class represents the same cross but without any enamel on the central medallion. 3rd class resembles the 2nd class, but instead of gilded is silvered.

Reverse: 1st class: Gilded Maltese cross. Circular central medallion, enamelled in the form and colours of the Saxon coat of arms (black and golden horizontal stripes and green diagonal crown), with the outer ring enamelled in green with inscribed “25 ЮЛIЙ 2 АВГУСТЪ 1887” / translation: 25th July 2nd August 1887 / in gilded Slavonic script, the year being separated from the rest via a five-pointed star. 2nd and 3rd class are similar, but lack the enamel coating. The former is gilded and the latter is silvered.

Soon after His arrival to Bulgaria, the newly elected Prince Ferdinand I created the first decoration during his reign – a medal to commemorate His accession to the Throne. This new Bulgarian award, even though that it bears the features of a personal decoration, has actually been founded by a decree on behalf of the Council of ministers (Thus, in conflict with the Constitution).

The symbolism of the features of the cross are more than clear. The Saxon shield on the reverse indicates the dynastical background of the new Monarch while the Maltese cross with lilies is an allusion to His French royal bloodline (being a grandson of the last French King) and Order of the Holy Spirit in particular. Lastly, the colours of the ribbon are a direct reference to the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha duchy.

The cross has been awarded more than 2000 times, according to the registers. The recipients of this decoration varied – from low ranking clerks and NCO's, through local mayors, senior officers and archbishops, to ministers, generals, foreign nationals and royalties. Of course, all of the decorations have been done with protocol in mind, which applies non-official rules as to which class can be presented to its recipient, according to his/her position within society.

The cross was suspended from a triangular ribbon when awarded to men and from a bow-shaped ribbon when presented to ladies.

The cross has been manufactured by C. F. Rothe in Vienna, which is confirmed by the outstanding quality of the awards. Officially, there's only one issue of this award, though there's a variation which features an extra clover leaf on the Saxon crown on the reverse of the cross, totalling five, instead of the usual four.

https://bulgariandecorations.com/medals/for_the_accession_of_Ferdinand_I_in_1887

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Medal "For the Construction of the Yambol-Burgas railway line"

Date established: 14th/26th May 1890

Number of classes: silver and bronze medals

Being awarded for: participation in the construction of the Yambol-Burgas railway line

Shape and dimensions: circular, 30mm in diameter

Ribbon: red, bordered with a thin white and slightly thinner green stripes on both edges

Obverse: The effigy of Prince Ferdinand I circumscribed with the following text: “ФЕРДИНАНДЪ Iий КНЯЗЬ НА БЪЛГАРИЯ / translation: Ferdinand Ist Knyaz (Prince) of Bulgaria /, the two sections being separated via two six-pointed circular-voided stars.

Reverse: A winged wheel with lightning bolts positioned below a smaller badge, made of a crossed spade and axe, surmounted by a roulette. Along the edge is inscribed “ЯМБОЛЪ – БУРГАСЪ 14. МАЙ 1890” / translation: Yambol – Burgas 14. May 1890 /.

The medal for the completion of the Yambol-Burgas railway has been initiated on behalf of the Ministry of Finance and has been minted into three variations – 90mm, 50mm and 30mm in diameter, only the last one being worn as a decoration on the left breast.

The 30mm variant of the medal has been awarded to members of the Pioneer regiment who was responsible for the construction of the railway itself. The officers of the regiment have been decorated with the silver medal, while officer candidates, NCOs and enlisted men have received the bronze medal.

There are very rare cases of medals featuring a torus-shaped loop on the top of the medal, rather than the usual tubular one.

The engraver of the medal is Joseph Cristlebauer and it has been produced in Austro-Hungary.


The 90mm variation of the medal has been struck of gold and has only been presented to HRH Ferdinand I and slightly later to his mother – Princess Clementine.

Both the 90 and 50 mm variations feature a different, more detailed reverse. It depicts a steam locomotive transpassing. The text is the same as the 30mm variant. The 50mm table medals have been struck in gold (gilded bronze), silver (silvered bronze) and bronze. The gold ones have been given to cabinet ministers, the silver medal – to deputy ministers and alike, and the bronze medal – to mid-ranking governmental officials.

As these medals are not decorative ones, they can be treated as commemorative awards in memory of the successful completion of the construction of the railway line.

https://bulgariandecorations.com/medals/for_the_construction_of_the_Yambol-Burgas_railway_line

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Medal "For the Wedding of Prince Ferdinand I and Marie-Louise"

Date established: 3rd/15th May 1893

Number of classes: gold, silver and bronze medals

Being awarded for: as a commemoration of the Prince's wedding ceremony

Shape and dimensions: circular, 32mm in diameter

Ribbon: navy blue with red bars on either edges

Obverse: The effigies of Prince Ferdinand I and his spouse – Princess Marie-Louise of Bourbon-Parma circumscribed with the text: “ФЕРДИНАНДЪ I. КНЯЗЬ БЪЛГАРСКИЙ. МАРИА ЛУИЗА БУРБОНСКА ПРИНЦЕССА ПАРМСКА“ / translation: Ferdinand I. Knyaz (Prince) of Bulgaria. Maria Louisa of Bourbon Princess of Parma /, and a tiny five-pointed star at the bottom.

Reverse: Upon a decorative element with imbued torch, two shields bearing the coat of arms of the two newlyweds, jointly crowned with the Bulgarian royal crown with elevated and embowed lappets. Across the decorative element is displayed a scroll, bearing the motto “ВѢРNОСТЬ И ПОСТОЯNСТВО“ (the Cyrillic letters 'H' replaced with the Latin “N”), meaning 'Fidelity and Continuity'. Circumscribed are the dates of the wedding ceremony (8th April) and the date of the arrival of the royal couple in Bulgaria (30th April), with the year 1893 inscribed at the bottom.

The commemorative medal for the royal wedding has been instituted by the Monarch in the first days after His arrival back to Bulgaria as a married man. In total, more than 6 000 pieces of this medal have been minted and awarded, plus an unknown number of non-official decorations, dedicated to the same occasion, which suggests that the government and HRH The Prince have intended to spread the great news not only to all Bulgarian citizens, but abroad as well.

It has been minted in three classes – gold (in fact gilt), silver and bronze, the latter two being awarded with or without crown suspension.

The golden class has been awarded to few senior Bulgarian statesmen and to foreign nationals, members of other European royal courts.

The silver medal (with crown) was bestowed upon senior governmental officials (ministers and alike), archbishops, army generals/senior officers and foreign nationals. The silver medal without crown suspension was being given to members of Parliament, army officers, regional governors and officials who greeted the newlyweds on their way to Sofia.

The bronze medal with crown is probably the rarest of these. It has been awarded to a very small number of lower-ranking members of the Prince suite.

The bronze medal (without crown) was the most common variant of this medal. It has been received by a wide variety of mid and low-ranking governmental or army officials, ranging from municipality mayors, through army NCOs, down to mayors of small villages, through which the Prince and Princess have passed while travelling the country.

All the elements of the medal has been thoroughly designed (probably by order of the Prince Himself) with the contemporary European standards. The engraver of the medal was Anton Scharff and the production was delegated to the famous Viennese company of Rothe & Neffe.

There are also slightly larger table-top variations of this medal with different image on the reverse. These, however, have only been awarded to a handful of people and thus the purpose/merits for the decoration with these remains unclear.

https://bulgariandecorations.com/medals/for_the_wedding_of_Ferdinand_I_and_Marie_Louise

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Medal "25 years since the April uprising of 1876"

Date established: 19th April/ 2nd May 1901

Number of classes: one

Being awarded for: to all living veterans, for their participation in the April uprising

Shape and dimensions: circular, 34mm in diameter

Ribbon: red, edged with green and white stripes on both sides

Obverse: A crowned lion rampant with the motto of the insurgent and the day of its start: “СВОБОДА ИЛИ СМЪРТЬ + 20 АПРИЛИЙ 1876 Г.“ / translation: Freedom or death + 20 April 1876 /, inscribed in a semi-circle beneath it. A decorative ring, made up of alternating floral elements and rectangular plates is depicted along the edge, with each of the five plates bearing a name of a town, which took major part in the revolt: ПЕРУЩИЦА, КЛИСУРА, БАТАКЪ, КОПРИВЩИЦА and ПАНАГЮРИЩЕ.

Reverse: The following verse by the Bulgarian poet Hristo Botyov: “ТОЗЪ КОЙТО ПАДНЕ ВЪ БОЙ ЗА СВОБОДА, ТОЙ НЕ УМИРА” / translation: They, who have fallen while fighting for their freedom, shall never die” /, depicted on six lines, with a laurel branch beneath it. Circumscribed is: ФЕРДИНАНДЪ Iй КНЯЗЬ БЪЛГАРСКИЙ НА ПОБОРНИЦИТѢ. 20 АПРИЛИИ 1901 Г. / translation: Ferdinand Ist Knyaz (Prince) of Bulgaria [Gift] To the insurgents [veterans] . 20 April 1901 /, the two sections being separated via four-pointed stars.

The Commemorative medal for the 25th anniversary has been founded by a royal decree, in order to distinguish all the veterans, who participated in the glorious events of the spring of 1876.

The first decorations were made personally by the Prince Himself, during the official ceremony held in the town of Panagyurishte in April. The rest of the medals have been distributed to the local Veterans' organisations, in order to be awarded to the living participant in the insurgent.

This medal is the first one which has been designed and manufactured in Bulgaria (apart from the dies which have been made abroad). The engraver was Boris Schatz and the whole mintage was fulfilled by the Nikola Sabev's jewellery factory.

https://bulgariandecorations.com/medals/25_years_of_the_April_uprising