Austria-Hungary
War Medal 1873
(Full Size, Type II, mirror Polishing)
奧匈帝國
戰爭獎章 1873
(官方版第二型，鏡面處理)
Miniature and full size medal comparison
Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, with Austria-Hungary War Medal 1873
source: picryl
source: picryl
Item number: M206
Year: AD 1873-1916
Material: Bronze
Size: 74.2 x 36.0 x 2.2 mm
Weight: 24.55 g
Provenance: Aberdeen Medals 2022
This medal was established by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in AD 1873 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the reign of Franz Joseph I. It was awarded to military personnel who participated in all military campaigns from AD 1848 to AD 1916.
The medal is circular and made of bronze. The obverse side features a right-facing portrait of Franz Joseph I wearing a laurel wreath. Around the medal is the inscription “FRANZ. JOSEPH I. KAISER V.ÖESTERREICH KÖENIG V.BÖHMEN ETC. APOST. KÖENIG V. UNGARN,” which translates to “Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, etc., Apostolic King of Hungary.”
The reverse side is decorated with a wreath made of oak and laurel leaves, with a bow at the bottom. In the centre, there are three lines of inscription reading “2. DECEMBER 1873,” the date of establishment of the medal.
The ribbon of the medal consists of yellow and black colours, the symbolic colours of the Habsburg dynasty. It is designed with a yellow base and black lines on each side, with multiple horizontal black lines in the centre. The ribbon is folded into a triangular shape.
This medal was continuously awarded until the death of Franz Joseph I in AD 1916. The scope of the award encompasses the Prusso-Austrian War of AD 1866, as well as the Boxer Rebellion of AD 1900 to AD 1901, etc.
Owing to the extended period during which it was issued, although the fundamental design remained unchanged, certain details varied from time to time, as outlined below:
| First type | Obverse: Inside a raised rim is a bust of Emperor Franz Joseph I with a beard facing to the viewers right and wearing a laurel wreath in his hair. Around the edge of the bust within two narrow lines 4mm for the edge of the medal is inscribed FRANZ. JOSEPH I. KAIS V.OESTERREICH KOENIG V.BOEHM ETC. APOST. KOENIG .V. UNGARN. Translation: Franz Joseph I Emperor of Austria King of Bohemia etc. Apostolic King of Hungary. Separating the inscription at the bottom is a small asterisk. Reverse: Inside a raised rim is a wreath composed of a bough of laurel on the viewers left and one of oak on the right, which is tied at the bottom with a bow. Inside the wreath is an inscription in three lines. The inscription reads 2./DECEMBER/ 1873. Translation: December 2, 1873. Material: gunmetal (bronze alloy containing zinc, reportedly cast from artillery pieces captured on the battlefield) |
| Second type | As Type I except the obverse inscription differs as follows: FRANZ JOSEPH I. KAISER. V. OSTERREICH. KONIG. V. BOHMEN.ETC.APOST.KONEIG V.UNGARN. |
| Third type | Same as Type I except is gold gilt and has a gilt frame. |
| Fourth type | Same as Type II except bust is truncated and letters TS are on lower edge of bust |
| Fifth type | Same as Type IV except there is no separation ring between the bust and the inscription |
| Sixth type | Same as Type IV except the suspension is in a ball rather than a wedge shape |
| Seventh type | Same as Type II except in silver gilt bronze and with a larger square cut eye |
| Eighth type | The same as Type II except with a Z in the reverse inscription (It is said that medals with the reverse inscription “DEZEMBER” were awarded in connection with the Boxer Uprising campaign.) |
| Nineth type | The same as Type IV except with a Z in the reverse inscription (It is said that medals with the reverse inscription “DEZEMBER” were awarded in connection with the Boxer Uprising campaign.) |
| Tenth type | The same as Type IV except with a Z in the reverse inscription |
| Eleventh type | The same as Type II except with an individualized reverse inscription. The example illustrated was issued in 1928 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the issuance of the medal. This is reported by Prochazka as a separate medal issued to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the issuance of the medal but there is no independent verification of this and the date makes no since in this context. |
| Twelfth type | Obverse identical to the second type, but the reverse is made of Bakelite, an early plastic invented in AD 1909, white in colour, possibly intended to prevent metal medals from rusting or causing abrasion marks on the surface of white uniforms when worn. |
Franz Joseph I (AD 1830-AD 1916) was the Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and one of the longest-reigning monarchs in European history. He ascended to the throne in AD 1848 during a period of significant upheaval in Europe, including the revolutions of that year. His empire’s annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in AD 1908, following the Young Turk Revolution in the Ottoman Empire, contributed to tensions in the Balkans. After the assassination of his nephew, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in AD 1914, Franz Joseph I reluctantly declared war on Serbia, setting off a chain of events that led to World War I.
物件編號: M206
年代: 公元 1873-1916 年
材料: 銅
尺寸: 74.2 x 36.0 x 2.2 mm
重量: 24.55 g
來源: 亞伯丁獎章 2022
此枚為奧匈帝國於公元1873年設立的戰爭獎章。此獎章為法蘭茲·約瑟夫一世為紀念登基25周年而設立，頒發給參與公元1848年到公元1916年期間所有軍事戰役的軍事人員。
戰爭獎章的外觀為一枚圓形銅質獎章，正面刻有法蘭茲·約瑟夫一世面向右側的肖像，頭上戴有桂冠，獎章周圍刻有銘文「FRANZ. JOSEPH I. KAISER V.ÖESTERREICH KÖENIG V.BÖHMEN ETC. APOST. KÖENIG V. UNGARN 」，為「法蘭茲·約瑟夫一世 奧地利皇帝 波西米亞國王等 匈牙利使徒國王 」的意思。
獎章背面則刻有由橡樹葉和月桂葉組成的花環，下方有蝴蝶結固定，獎章中央刻著三行銘文「2. DECEMBER 1873」， 為此枚獎章設立的日期。
該獎章的綬帶由黃黑兩色組成，是哈布斯堡王朝的象徵顏色。其設計以黃色為底色，兩側各有黑色的線條，中央有多條水平的黑色細線。綬帶被摺疊成倒三角的形狀。
這枚獎章自設立後一直持續頒發直到公元1916年法蘭茲·約瑟夫一世逝世，頒發的範圍涵蓋了公元1866年的普奧戰爭、以及公元1900到1901年的義和團運動等戰役。
由於頒行時間較長，雖然基本形制並未改變，但細節時有變動，呈列如下：
| 第一型 | 正面： 銘文「FRANZ. JOSEPH I. KAIS V.OESTERREICH KOENIG V.BOEHM ETC. APOST. KOENIG .V. UNGARN. 」 背面： 「2./DECEMBER/1873.」即「1873年12月2日」。 材質： 炮銅（含鋅青銅合金，據稱由戰場繳獲之火炮熔鑄）。 |
| 第二型 | 與第一型相同，但正面銘文改為：「FRANZ JOSEPH I. KAISER. V. ÖSTERREICH. KÖNIG. V. BÖHMEN. ETC. APOST. KÖNEIG V. UNGARN.」，且章體較大。 |
| 第三型 | 與第一型相同，但表面鍍金，並帶有鍍金邊框。 |
| 第四型 | 與第二型相同，但胸像下截（截胸式），即半身像之肩線與胸部細節不明顯，且下緣帶有字母「TS」。 |
| 第五型 | 與第四型相同，但肖像與銘文之間無分隔環。 |
| 第六型 | 與第四型相同，但懸掛裝置為球形，而非圓筒狀。 |
| 第七型 | 與第二型相同，但為鍍銀銅質，且懸環孔較大且呈方形切口。 |
| 第八型 | 與第二型相同，但背面銘文中 DECEMBER 拼作 DEZEMBER。（據稱此類「DEZEMBER」版本與義和團戰役相關。） |
| 第九型 | 與第四型相同，但背面銘文中 DECEMBER 拼作 DEZEMBER。（亦稱與義和團戰役相關。） |
| 第十型 | 同第一型，但材質被稱為「戰爭金屬」(war metal)，應為白銅，可能年代較晚。 |
| 第十一型 | 據稱為公元1928年所發行的紀念章，紀念該戰爭獎章發行50週年，背面銘文為「50 1877-1928」，普羅哈茲卡（Prochazka）紀為獨立獎章，但真偽待考。 |
| 第十二型 | 正面同第二型，但背面材質為公元1909年發明的電木(bakelite)，即早期的塑膠，顏色為白色，可能是為了防止於穿著白色制服時，金屬獎章於配戴時，因起鏽或摩擦，於制服表面留痕。 |
