Item number: M185-8

Year: AD 1915

Material: Bronze

Provenance: Private Collector, USA, 2024

This is a miniature version of the “1914 Mobilisation Medal,” issued on February 12, AD 1915, by the Russian Empire to reward individuals involved in the previous year’s military mobilisation efforts. It holds the distinction of being the first medal in history awarded specifically for war mobilisation, and it was also the last medal issued by the Romanov dynasty of Russia. Approximately 50,000 pieces were produced in total.

The medal is circular in shape and made of bronze. The obverse features a left-facing portrait of Tsar Nicholas II, who was the reigning Russian emperor at the time. The reverse bears a five-line Russian inscription stating the reason for the award: “За труды по отличному выполнению всеобщей мобилизации 1914 года” (“In recognition of the diligent efforts in the successful execution of the general mobilisation of AD 1914”). The medal is suspended from a blue ribbon, identical in style to that used for the Order of the White Eagle.

On June 28, AD 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a terrorist supported by Serbia, during an official visit to Bosnia. This incident immediately triggered a full-scale war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. Claiming the role of protector of both Orthodox Christianity and the Slavic peoples, the Russian Empire soon entered the conflict. Owing to the complex web of diplomatic alliances among European powers at the time, what began as a regional clash in the Balkans quickly escalated into the First World War.

Russia ultimately gained little from the war. Instead, the immense strain of the conflict contributed to the outbreak of the Russian Revolution in AD 1917, forcing Tsar Nicholas II to abdicate. The empire plunged into a brutal civil war, and the last Tsar and his family were executed by the Bolsheviks under Lenin’s leadership.

物件編號: M185-8

年代: 公元 1915 年

材質: 青銅

來源: 美國私人收藏 2024

這是一枚公元1915年2月12日，俄羅斯帝國為獎勵前一年參與戰爭動員的相關人員所頒布的「1914動員獎章」。這枚獎章是歷史上第一枚以戰爭動員為名義頒發的獎章，同時也是俄羅斯羅曼諾夫王朝頒布的最後一種獎章，總發行量為五萬枚左右。

獎章外觀為圓形，材質為青銅。獎章正面是時任俄國沙皇的尼古拉二世左側肖像。獎章背面以五行俄文標示頒發獎章的緣由，「За труды по отличному выполнению всеобщей мобилизации 1914 года」(表彰在公元1914年全面動員中傑出完成任務的辛勤努力)。獎章上緣銜接用在白鷹勳章的藍色綬帶。

公元1914年6月28日，奧匈帝國的王儲斐迪南大公在巡訪波士尼亞途中，遭到塞爾維亞支持的恐怖份子普林西普暗殺。旋即奧匈帝國和塞爾維亞爆發全面戰爭，自視為東正教和斯拉夫人保衛者的俄羅斯帝國也加入戰事。後續因為當時歐洲各國之間複雜的外交密約關係，這場發生在巴爾幹半島的衝突升級為第一次世界大戰。俄羅斯並未從戰爭獲得好處，更因為公元1917年國內爆發革命提前退出戰爭，沙皇尼古拉二世也被迫退位。隨後俄羅斯更陷入殘酷的內戰，末代沙皇全家也遭到列寧領導的布爾什維克處決。