Item number: M441

Year: AD 1918

The results after XRF testing

Material: Enamel, Copper Alloy and Gilded

Size: 42.0 x 16.4 x 2.5 mm

Weight: 2.4 g

Manufactured by:

Provenance: Denarius 2025

This is a miniature version of the Order of the Cross of Liberty (Vapaudenristin ritarikunta), established in AD 1918 on the recommendation of Baron Carl Gustav Mannerheim, Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Defence Forces. The miniature is intended to be worn with civilian formal dress rather than military uniform, for example with a tailcoat.

Both the obverse and reverse take the form of a gilt white-enamelled cross modelled on the Russian Order of St George. The enamel is applied only to the two sides of each arm—one long and one short—so that the exposed metal forms a swastika-like shape. This motif corresponds to the ancient Scandinavian cultural symbol known as the fylfot cross, which appeared in Finland as early as the Iron Age and is also referred to in Finnish as the “crooked-headed cross” (vääräpääksi). The relationship between this symbol and the Nazi Hakenkreuz has long been a subject of controversy. The use of white enamel indicates that this insignia belongs to the Second Class of the Order of the Cross of Liberty (2. lk:n Vapaudenristi, VR 2) or a higher class. The central medallion on the obverse bears a gilt rose; on the full-size insignia this medallion is rendered in white enamel with gilt edging. In the Finnish coat of arms, the nine silver roses on the shield are traditionally said to represent Finland’s nine historical provinces. The suspension device consists of two arms clashing swords, derived from the sixteenth-century arms of Karelia and symbolising the long-standing conflict between Sweden and Russia. This device is encircled by a laurel wreath and is described as “with swords” (miekkojen kera), signifying that the decoration was awarded for military merit. On the reverse, the central medallion bears the date “1918”, indicating that the award was conferred in wartime; the year refers to the outbreak of the Finnish Civil War (Suomen sisällissota), also known as the “War of Freedom” (vapaussota). The reverse of the suspension device is plain.

The suspension with swords is attached on the reverse to the riband. Awards conferred in peacetime are worn on a yellow riband with red stripes set slightly in from each edge, while those awarded for wartime merit are worn on a red riband with white stripes set slightly in from the edges. In the full-size insignia, the wartime Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Liberty is worn on a broad sash passing from the right shoulder to the left hip, with the star worn on the left breast; the wartime First Class with Star and the First Class without Star are worn from the neck riband, with the star likewise on the left breast; and the wartime Second Class is worn on a breast riband. The riband attached to this miniature, however, is dark blue, corresponding to that of the Order of the White Rose of Finland, and it is unclear whether this represents a mismatching by the recipient or by a later collector.

The Order of the Cross of Liberty, its chivalric order and conferment system, originated in the wartime Cross of Liberty. On the recommendation of Baron Carl Gustav Mannerheim, then Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Defence Forces, the insignia was designed by Akseli Gallen-Kallela and established on 4 March AD 1918 for the Finnish Civil War. It was reintroduced on 8 December AD 1939 during the Winter War, and on 16 December AD 1940 it was reconstituted as a permanent order that could be awarded in both wartime and peacetime. The statutes currently in force were promulgated on 18 August AD 1944.

The Order may be conferred upon officers, non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel of the Finnish Defence Forces in recognition of military service, and upon civilians for meritorious service in support of national defence. It may also be awarded to foreign nationals. In wartime, military units and organisations within Finland may likewise be recipients. The Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Defence Forces serves as Grand Master of the Order. The feast day of the Order is 4 June, the birthday of Marshal Mannerheim.

The Order is divided into a Military Division and a Civil Division, distinguished by the presence or absence of swords. Both divisions comprise a Grand Cross and four classes, with the First Class further subdivided into two grades.

In the Military Division, the classes and insignia are as follows.

As a special distinction, the Grand Cross may be awarded with diamonds. Similarly, the four classes conferred with swords may be awarded with oak leaves for exceptional merit at the front or in command during wartime.

In the Civil Division, the insignia are conferred without swords and without oak leaves, and the riband colours differ, being yellow with red border or central stripes. The badges of the Third and Fourth Classes are rendered in blue enamel.

Badges conferred in wartime bear on the reverse the year in which the war began. The stars of the Order vary in size according to class and are five-pointed silver stars; those of the Military Division are further distinguished by crossed swords. The central medallion bears a heraldic rose set against a swastika on a black ground, encircled by a red ring inscribed “ISÄNMAAN PUOLESTA” (“For the Fatherland”).

The riband of the Military Division is red with white stripes, while that of the Civil Division is yellow with red stripes. For the Grand Cross and the First and Second Classes, the ribands have border stripes; for the Third and Fourth Classes, central stripes are used. In the Military Division, the breast riband also bears a rosette behind the wreath of the badge. Where oak leaves are conferred, they are fixed to the wreath for the First Class, and for the lower classes they are sewn onto the riband immediately above the wreath.

For outstanding bravery and distinguished military operations in wartime, military personnel of any rank may be appointed Knights of the Mannerheim Cross of the Cross of Liberty, which is divided into two classes:

Medical personnel may be awarded the Cross of Liberty.

Depending on whether the award is made in wartime or peacetime, these are worn on the red military breast riband without rosette or on the yellow civil breast riband.

Military personnel may also be awarded the Medal of Liberty in two classes. Medals awarded in wartime bear on the obverse the Finnish lion with the inscription “Urheudesta – För Tapperhet”, which may be rendered as “From the people of Finland, for bravery”, together with the year of the outbreak of the war; medals awarded in peacetime have the same obverse and reverse designs as the Medal of Merit of the Cross of Liberty.

Civilians may be awarded the Medal of Merit of the Cross of Liberty in two classes. The First Class is a silver medal worn on a green riband with red border stripes set slightly in from the edges and a black central stripe. The Second Class is a bronze medal worn on the same riband. For exceptional merit, the medal may be conferred in gold. The obverse bears the Finnish lion with the inscription “Isänmaan puolesta” (“For the Fatherland”), and the reverse reads “Suomen kansalta” (“From the people of Finland”) without a date.

Surviving relatives of those killed in action may be awarded the Cross of Mourning of the Cross of Liberty, a silver badge with black enamel worn on a black breast riband with rosette, otherwise corresponding to the Fourth Class of the Order. Surviving relatives of others who perished in war may be awarded the Medal of Mourning of the Cross of Liberty, a silver medal worn on a black breast riband.

In total, the Order may be conferred in several dozen different forms. In wartime, if an individual receives more than one decoration of the Order, all may be worn simultaneously; in peacetime, only the highest class awarded is worn. Decorations conferred on foreign recipients in peacetime must be returned upon the death of the holder.

The Finnish Civil War of AD 1918 broke out shortly after Finland declared independence from the Russian Empire. It arose from long-standing social class tensions, imbalances in political power, and the power vacuum created by the Russian Revolution. The opposing sides were the “Red Guards”, largely drawn from the working class and aligned with Social Democratic and socialist revolutionary ideals, and the “White Guards”, supported by the bourgeoisie, independent farmers and conservative political forces. Both sides referred to the conflict as a “War of Freedom” or “War of Liberation” (vapaussota): the Reds sought to liberate Finland from bourgeois domination, while the Whites aimed to free Finland from Soviet Russian influence. The Reds primarily controlled the industrial regions and cities of southern Finland, whereas the Whites established their political and military base in central and northern Finland.

In January AD 1918, Carl Gustav Mannerheim was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the White Guards, becoming one of the most decisive military and political figures of the conflict. A member of the Finnish nobility with extensive experience in the Imperial Russian Army, he quickly set about transforming the White Guards from local militias into a more unified and disciplined force, emphasising command structure, training and strategic planning. Militarily, Mannerheim directed the advance against Red forces in central and southern Finland, with the Battle of Tampere proving a decisive turning point in which the core strength of the Reds was defeated, securing the outcome of the war.

Although Mannerheim cooperated with the conservative Finnish government, he remained wary of excessive German influence in Finnish affairs. While accepting German military assistance during the conflict, he consistently advocated the preservation of Finland’s national autonomy and opposed undue dependence on Germany. Following the comprehensive victory of the White Guards in May AD 1918, the war came to an end and Finland’s post-independence state structure was consolidated. Despite the victory being accompanied by mass internment of prisoners and severe humanitarian suffering, Mannerheim gradually became a symbolic figure of “White Finland”, and his influence extended into the Second World War and the post-war period.

物件編號: M441

年代: 公元 1918 年

XRF分析結果:

材質: 銅質鍍金、琺瑯

尺寸: 42.0 x 16.4 x 2.5 mm

重量: 2.4 g

來源: 第納里烏斯 2025

這是一枚自由十字勳章(Vapaudenristin ritarikunta)的迷你版，由芬蘭國防軍總司令卡爾·古斯塔夫·曼納海姆男爵之建議，於公元1918年設立。迷你版則是用以著非軍服正裝(例如燕尾服)時配戴。

勳章正背面均為仿俄羅斯聖喬治勳章的鍍金白色琺瑯十字，但琺瑯只填充四臂的兩側，一側長，一側短，使金屬部分圖樣呈現為「卐」。為芬蘭於鐵器時代便已出現的古斯堪地那維亞文化符號「菲爾弗特十字」(fylfot cross)，又稱「歪頭十字」(vääräpääksi)，該符號與納粹「鈎十字」(hakenkreutz)的關係一直備受爭議。琺瑯的白色同時顯示此章為「二等自由十字勳章」(2. lk:n Vapaudenristi (VR 2))以上的等級。正面中央圓章為鍍金玫瑰，官方版(full size)中則為白色琺瑯鑲金。在芬蘭國徽中，盾徽上的九朵銀玫瑰據稱代表芬蘭的九個省份。勳章頂飾為持劍交擊的雙臂，為十六世紀卡累利阿地區的紋章，象徵瑞典與俄羅斯之間的長期對抗。該紋章以桂冠環繞，稱｢配劍｣(miekkojen kera)，表示勳章因軍事功績而頒發。背面中央圓章「1918」，年分標示此章為戰時授予，「1918」則為芬蘭內戰(Suomen sisällissota)，或稱「自由戰爭」(vapaussota)的爆發年分。頂飾背面為平背。

帶劍頂飾於背面扣連綬帶。於和平時所頒則應佩黃底綬帶，兩側飾以與邊緣稍微相隔的紅色條紋；因戰時功績而頒則佩為紅底綬帶，兩側飾以與邊緣稍微相隔的白色條紋。官方版的戰時大十字自由十字勳章應佩於大綬上，綬帶配戴於右肩至左髖部，星章則佩於左胸；戰時一等帶星自由十字勳章以及一等自由十字勳章應佩於頸綬，星章則佩於左胸；戰時二等自由十字勳章應佩於胸綬。但此迷你版所懸掛之綬帶為芬蘭白玫瑰勳章所配用的深藍色，不知是否為受勳者或收藏者的錯配。

自由十字勳章(Vapaudenristinritarikunta)、騎士團與頒授體系起源於戰時的自由十字勳章。該勳章依當時芬蘭國防軍總司令卡爾·古斯塔夫·曼納海姆男爵之建議，委由阿克塞利·加倫-卡萊拉(Akseli Gallen-Kallela)設計，於公元1918年3月4日為芬蘭內戰而設立，並於公元1939年12月8日因冬季戰爭而復設。該勳章於公元1940年12月16日改制為戰時與和平時期皆可授予之常設勳章。現行章程訂於公元1944年8月18日。

本勳章可授予芬蘭國防軍之軍官、士官與士兵，以表彰其軍事服務；亦可授予平民，以表彰其對國防有功之服務；並得授予外國人士。除個人外，戰時亦可授予芬蘭境內之軍事單位與組織。芬蘭國防軍總司令為本勳章之騎士團大團長。勳章節日為6月4日，即曼納海姆元帥之誕辰。

本勳章分為軍事部門與文職部門，其差別在於是否配劍。兩部門皆設大十字級及四個等級，其中一等再分為兩個級別。

軍事部門之等級與佩章如下：

作為特殊榮譽，大十字級可加授「鑽飾」；同樣地，配劍之四個等級可因戰時前線或指揮之特殊功績而加授「橡葉」。

文職部門之佩章不配劍，不配橡葉，綬帶顏色亦不同，為黃色配紅色邊條或中央條紋。三級與四級之勳章徽為藍色琺瑯。

戰時授予之勳章，背面刻有戰爭爆發之年份。

星章依等級大小不同，為五角銀星；軍事部門星章另配交叉之劍。中央圓章為黑底「卐」字背景上的紋章玫瑰，紅底銘文為「ISÄNMAAN PUOLESTA」(為了祖國)。

軍事部門之綬帶為紅底白條紋，文職部門為黃底紅條紋。大十字級以及一、二級綬帶為邊條紋，三級與四級綬帶為中央條紋。軍事部門之胸前綬帶在勳章花環後另加玫瑰結。加授「橡葉」者，一級之橡葉固定於花環上，其餘等級則縫於花環上方之綬帶處。

因戰時之卓越勇氣與傑出軍事行動，軍人不論軍階，皆可獲授自由十字之曼納海姆十字，分為兩級：

醫療人員可獲授：

依戰時或和平時期授予，分別佩戴於軍事部門紅色胸綬(不附玫瑰結)或文職部門黃色胸綬。

軍職可獲授自由十字獎章，分為兩級：

戰時授予之獎章，正面為芬蘭獅，銘文「Urheudesta – För Tapperhet」，可譯為「芬蘭人民為你的勇敢致敬」，並刻有戰爭爆發年份；和平時期授予者，其正反面題材與自由十字功績獎章相同。

文職或平民可獲授自由十字功績獎章，分為兩級：

因特殊功績者，該獎章可改授金質。獎章正面為芬蘭獅，銘文「Isänmaan puolesta」(為了祖國)；背面為「Suomen kansalta」(來自芬蘭人民)，不刻年份。

陣亡者之遺屬可獲授自由十字喪紀勳章：為銀質章體，黑色琺瑯，黑色胸前綬帶並附玫瑰結。其餘視同四級自由十字勳章。其他於戰爭中罹難者之遺屬，則可獲授自由十字喪紀獎章：為銀質獎章，黑色胸前綬帶。

本勳章以不同形式共可有數十種授予方式。戰時同一人若獲授多項本勳章裝飾，得同時佩戴；和平時期僅佩戴其中最高等級者。和平時期授予外國人士之勳章，於持有人去世後須繳回。

公元1918年的芬蘭內戰(Suomen sisällissota)爆發於芬蘭自俄羅斯帝國獨立後不久，起因為長期累積的社會階級矛盾、政治權力分配失衡，以及俄國革命所引發的權力真空。衝突雙方分別為以工人階級與社會民主勢力為主：主張社會主義革命的「紅衛隊」，以及由資產階級、自耕農與保守派政治勢力支持的「白衛隊」。兩方同時亦稱該戰爭為「自由戰爭」或「解放戰爭」(Vapaussota)，紅衛隊主張要將芬蘭自資產階級的統治下解放，白衛隊則主張要將芬蘭自蘇俄的影響下解放。紅衛隊主要控制芬蘭南部的工業區與城市，而白衛隊則在中部與北部建立政權與軍事基礎。

卡爾·古斯塔夫·曼納海姆於公元1918年1月被任命為白衛隊總司令，成為內戰期間最關鍵的軍事與政治人物之一。曼納海姆出身於芬蘭貴族，曾長期服役於俄羅斯帝國軍隊，具備豐富的正規軍事經驗。他上任後迅速著手將白衛隊由地方性民兵整編為較為統一且紀律嚴明的武裝力量，並強調指揮體系、訓練與戰略行動的重要性。在軍事行動上，曼納海姆主導了對中部與南部紅衛隊勢力的推進，其中尤以坦佩雷戰役為內戰的關鍵轉捩點，白衛隊在該役中成功擊潰紅衛隊核心兵力，奠定戰爭勝局。

此外，曼納海姆在政治立場上雖與芬蘭保守政府合作，但對德國在芬蘭事務中的影響力始終保持警惕。他在內戰期間雖接受德意志帝國對白衛隊的軍事支援，卻仍主張維持芬蘭的國家自主性，反對芬蘭過度依附德國。隨著白衛隊於1918年5月取得全面勝利，內戰結束，芬蘭的國家權力結構得以確立。儘管白方勝利伴隨著大規模的俘虜營拘禁與人道災難，曼納海姆本人逐漸成為「白色芬蘭」的象徵人物，其影響力並延伸至二戰及戰後。