Item number: M510-4

Year: AD 1890-1917

Material: Gilt Bronze

Size: 24.4 x 15.6 x 1.2 mm

Provenance: eMedals 2026

This is a Military Merit Medal, instituted in AD 1890.

Circular in shape, the obverse features a central portrait in right profile of Franz Joseph I wearing a laurel crown, bordered along the rim by the abbreviated Latin inscription “FRANCISCVS·IOS·I·D·G·IMP·AVST·REX·BOH·ETC·ET·REX·APOST·HVNG·”, representing in full “Franciscus Josephus I, Dei Gratia Imperator Austriae, Rex Bohemiae, etc., et Rex Apostolicus Hungariae”, which translates as “Franz Joseph I, by the Grace of God, Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, etc., and Apostolic King of Hungary”, with a five-pointed star marking the beginning and end of the text. On full-sized examples, the outer rim is encircled by a border of laurel leaf clusters, whereas on this miniature version it is simplified into a dotted ring. The reverse features the central Latin inscription “SIGNVM / LAVDIS”, which translates roughly as “Token of Praise”. The text is framed by a laurel branch on the left (symbolising military honour and victory) and an oak branch on the right (symbolising loyalty and bravery), bound with a ribbon at the bottom and enclosed within a fine beaded ring. Both the obverse and reverse possess raised outer rims. The piece is surmounted by the Crown of Rudolf (Rudolfskrone), representing the sovereignty of the House of Habsburg.

The Military Merit Medal was established on 12 March AD 1890 by Emperor Franz Joseph I as a high-level personal commendation for officers, intended specifically for outstanding acts that had already received “Supreme Praise” (Allerhöchste belobende Anerkennung) yet fell short of the criteria required for the higher Military Merit Cross or order decorations. In AD 1911, a higher-ranking silver medal was introduced to recognise repeated acts of distinguished service. In AD 1916, the highest tier, the Grand Military Merit Medal, was created to represent “Special and Supreme Praise” (Besondere und allerhöchste Anerkennung); this version was slightly larger in scale and struck in gold. Meanwhile, repeated awards of the same class were denoted by ribbon bars, and exceptional gallantry could be distinguished by crossed swords affixed to the ribbon. In AD 1917, the portrait on the medal was updated to depict Karl I. Military Merit Medals earned through front-line combat were worn on the Military Merit Ribbon, which featured a white ground flanked by red edge stripes crossed with fine, dense horizontal lines, whereas medals awarded for non-frontline service were worn on a plain red ribbon. Following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in AD 1918, the Military Merit Medal briefly continued to be recognised and used in Hungary and in Austria following the Anschluss.

Franz Joseph I was Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary from his accession in AD 1848 until his death in AD 1916. Reigning for sixty-eight years, he was one of the longest-ruling monarchs in European history. His succession occurred amidst a series of major upheavals across Europe, including the revolutions of AD 1848, which swept through numerous countries demanding liberalism and national independence. During his reign, the Austro-Hungarian Empire occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina following the Congress of Berlin in AD 1878 and commenced administration over the region, whilst its former ruler, the Ottoman Empire, retained nominal suzerainty. In AD 1908, the Austro-Hungarian Empire formally annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, an action that incensed Serbia and Russia, heightening tensions in the Balkans. In AD 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, nephew to Franz Joseph I and heir presumptive, was assassinated in Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital—an event known to history as the Sarajevo Assassination. Subsequently, the Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia, setting off a sequence of events that ultimately led to the outbreak of the First World War.

物件編號: M510-4

年代: 公元 1890-1917 年

材質: 青銅鍍金

尺寸: 24.4 x 15.6 x 1.2 mm

來源: eMedals 2026

這是一枚軍事功績獎章，於公元1890年設立。

章體呈圓形，正面中央正面為法蘭茲·約瑟夫一世的右側肖像，頭戴桂冠，沿章緣環列拉丁簡寫銘文「FRANCISCVS·IOS·I·D·G·IMP·AVST·REX·BOH·ETC·ET·REX·APOST·HVNG·」，，全稱為「Franciscus Josephus I, Dei Gratia Imperator Austriae, Rex Bohemiae, etc., et Rex Apostolicus Hungariae.」，即「弗朗茨·約瑟夫一世，蒙上帝恩典，奧地利皇帝、波希米亞國王等，暨匈牙利使徒國王」，銘文起訖處有一五角星。銘文外側，原章沿環有月桂葉簇成環，此迷你版則省略為虛線。

背面中央為拉丁銘文「SIGNVM / LAVDIS」，大約可譯為「讚譽之徽」。銘文環繞以左側的月桂葉枝（Laurel，象徵軍事榮耀與勝利），與右側的橡樹葉枝（Oak，象徵忠誠與勇敢），底部以絲帶結繫，外側再以細珠圈環繞。正背面章緣均有邊環。上方頂飾為魯道夫皇冠（Rudolfskrone），象徵哈布斯堡的王權。

軍事功績獎章由皇帝弗朗茨·約瑟夫一世於公元1890年3月12日設立，作為給予軍官的高階個人榮譽表彰（特別是針對那些已經獲得「最高讚譽」（Allerhöchste belobende Anerkennung），但尚未達到頒發更高一級軍功十字章或勳章標準的卓越行為）。公元1911年，增設更高一級的銀質獎章，表彰多次獲得表彰的卓越功績。公元1916年增設最高級的大軍事功績獎章，作為「特別最高嘉獎」（Besondere und allerhöchste Anerkennung），章體稍大，為金質。同時，多次獲頒同級獎章以勳扣作別，突出的功績可在綬帶上加裝雙劍交叉的勳飾。公元1917年，獎章的頭像改為卡爾一世。前線接敵所獲之軍事功績獎章以軍功綬帶配戴，為白底，兩側紅帶，與紅帶間與紅帶垂直的細密橫線組成。其餘非前線功績所獲之軍事功績獎章配以紅色綬帶。公元1918年，奧匈帝國崩潰，但在匈牙利和德奧合併後的奧地利，軍事功績獎章仍短暫得被承認及使用。

法蘭茲·約瑟夫一世是奧地利皇帝兼匈牙利國王，自公元1848年登基，統治直至公元1916年去世，統治時間長達68年，是歐洲歷史上在位時間最長的君主之一。繼位之時，正值歐洲發生一連串重大動盪事件，包括公元1848年的一系列革命，這些革命浪潮席捲歐洲多國，要求自由和民族獨立。他在位期間，奧匈帝國於公元1878年柏林會議後佔領了波斯尼亞和黑塞哥維那，並開始對該地區進行統治，原統治者鄂圖曼土耳其帝國成為名義上的宗主國。公元1908年，奧匈帝國正式吞併了波斯尼亞和黑塞哥維那，這一舉動激怒了塞爾維亞和俄羅斯，加劇了巴爾幹半島的緊張局勢。公元1914年，法蘭茲·約瑟夫一世的侄子、皇儲法蘭茲·斐迪南大公在波斯尼亞首府薩拉熱窩被刺殺，史稱「薩拉熱窩事件」。隨後，奧匈帝國向塞爾維亞宣戰，引發了一系列事件，最終導致第一次世界大戰的爆發。