Item number: M538-3

Reference number: Borna Barac III#499

Year: AD 1912-1914

Material: Silver

Provenance: Bertolami Fine Art s.r.l. 2025

This is a miniature version of the Commemorative Medal for the Italo-Turkish War. Instituted in AD 1912 pursuant to Royal Decree No. 1342 of 21 November AD 1912, it was conferred upon both military and civilian personnel who took part in the Italo-Turkish War.

The obverse features the right-facing profile portrait of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, encircled by the Latin inscription “VITTORIO • EMANVELE • III • RE • D’ITALIA”, meaning “Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy”. The original medal was designed by Evaristo Luigi Giorgi, then chief engraver at the Mint of Rome. However, the abbreviation “S. J.” seen here indicates that it most likely originated from the “Stabilimento Stefano Johnson” in Milan.

The center of the reverse displays the horizontal Latin inscription “GUERRA / ITALO-TURCA / 1911-12”, translating to “Italo-Turkish War 1911-12”.

The “Stabilimento Stefano Johnson” was a representative Italian enterprise enjoying international renown in the fields of medal, badge, and coin manufacturing. The firm’s history can be traced back to 18th-century Birmingham, England, where the Johnson family was renowned for producing metal-pressed buttons and badges for court servants’ uniforms, liveries, and military attire. Around AD 1830, family member James Johnson relocated to Milan, introducing this craft to Italy. The company was subsequently inherited by his son, Stefano Johnson, who devoted himself to the workshop’s management and formally named the factory after himself. Although the facility was tragically reduced to ruins during the heavy bombing of Milan in August AD 1943, it was resiliently rebuilt under the stewardship of Stefano Carlo and his son, Cesare Johnson, who had recently returned from a prisoner-of-war camp with a degree in chemistry from the University of Milan. In AD 1958, they opened a modern new factory in Baranzate, a suburb of Milan, and resumed close collaboration with numerous Italian engravers and contemporary artists.

Following Italian Unification, in order to establish Mediterranean hegemony and secure navigation routes in the Adriatic Sea, Italy regarded controlling Albania and the former Ottoman territories across the Balkan coast as core objectives. Simultaneously, unified Italy faced severe dilemmas, including a stark north-south wealth disparity, economic recession, and political instability; the government sought to divert domestic contradictions through external expansion, whilst extreme nationalists vigorously advocated reviving the glory of the ancient Roman Empire.

In AD 1911, under the pretext of protecting its own nationals, Italy initiated the Italo-Turkish War against the Ottoman Empire, successfully acquiring Libya as a territory following the signing of the Treaty of Ouchy (Lousanne). During operations against the Turks, the Italian Royal Navy also opportunistically occupied the Dodecanese Islands in the Aegean Sea. Following the signing of the Treaty of London in AD 1915, the Allied Powers secretly recognised Italian sovereignty over Libya and the Dodecanese Islands; Italy subsequently declared war on Turkey, further consolidating and expanding its sphere of influence in the Eastern Mediterranean.

In expansionist operations across the Balkan Peninsula, Albania and the Adriatic coast became the focus of Italian contention. Upon the outbreak of the Balkan Wars in AD 1912, Italy and Austria chose to support Albanian independence based on their respective strategic interests, secretly partitioning spheres of influence in AD 1913. Following the outbreak of the First World War, political turmoil ensued in Albania, and Italy seized the opportunity to dispatch troops to occupy strategic positions such as Sazan Island and Valona. Pursuant to the Treaty of London, the Allied Powers not only recognised Italian control over these strongholds, but also planned to establish the remainder of Albania as a territory under Italian protection. Furthermore, the Treaty of London promised the cession of Adriatic coastal territories, such as Dalmatia and Trieste, to Italy; Italian forces subsequently moved in to occupy these areas following the defeat of the Austrian army at the tail end of the First World War.

However, the Paris Peace Conference following the conclusion of the First World War failed to fully honour the Allied commitments outlined in the Treaty of London. Due to US President Woodrow Wilson’s advocacy of national self-determination and obstructions from nations such as France, Italy, whilst retaining Libya and the Dodecanese Islands, received only a fraction of its claimed Balkan territories, with many disputed regions assigned to the newly established Kingdom of Yugoslavia. This diplomatic discrepancy engendered a widespread sense of profound frustration throughout Italian society, termed the “mutilated victory”. The heavy treasury burdens wrought by foreign wars, alongside resentment over stymied post-war territorial expansion, severely undermined the prestige of the liberal government, ultimately laying the groundwork for the rise of Mussolini and the fascist regime.

Victor Emmanuel III (Vittorio Emanuele III) reigned from AD 1900 to 1946. During his tenure, he witnessed the Italo-Turkish War, the First World War, and the post-war social crisis, earning the title “King of Victory” after the AD 1918 triumph. Nevertheless, his decision in AD 1922 not to employ military force against Mussolini’s Blackshirts, allowing the Fascist Party to take over the government, is regarded as a pivotal catalyst enabling the establishment of the fascist dictatorship. During the AD 1930s, he remained the nominal head of state, though actual power was entirely monopolised by Mussolini. Following Italy’s defeat in the Second World War and the rise of the republican movement, he abdicated in AD 1946, went into exile in Egypt, and passed away in Alexandria in AD 1947.

物件編號: M538-3

參考書目編號: Borna Barac III#499

年代: 公元 1912-1914 年

材質: 銀

來源: Bertolami Fine Art s.r.l. 2025

這是一枚義土戰爭紀念章的迷你版。依公元1912年11月21日第1342號皇家法令設立，頒予參與義土戰爭的軍職與文職人員。

正面為義大利國王伊曼紐三世右側肖像，周圍環列拉丁銘文「VITTORIO • EMANVELE • III • RE • D’ITALIA」，即「維克多·伊曼紐三世，義大利國王」。原章設計者為埃瓦里斯托·路易吉·喬治（Evaristo Luigi Giorgi），時任羅馬鑄幣廠首席雕刻師。但由此處縮寫「S. J.」，可知很可能來自米蘭的「斯蒂法諾·強森工廠」（Stabilimento Stefano Johnson）。

背面中央橫列拉丁銘文「GUERRA / ITALO-TURCA / 1911-12」，即「1911-12 義土戰爭」。

「斯蒂法諾·強森工廠」（Stabilimento StefanoJohnson），是一家在獎牌、徽章和硬幣製造領域享有國際盛譽的義大利代表性企業。該工廠的歷史可追溯至18世紀的英國伯明罕，強森家族當時以生產宮廷侍從制服、禮服和軍裝上的金屬壓製鈕扣與徽章聞名。公元1830年左右，家族成員詹姆斯（James Johnson）移居米蘭，並將此工藝帶入義大利，隨後公司由其子斯蒂法諾（Stefano Johnson）繼承，他全心投入工坊經營並以自己的名字正式為工廠命名。該工廠雖然在公元1943年8月的米蘭大轟炸中不幸淪為一片廢墟，但在負責人斯蒂法諾·卡洛（Stefano Carlo）與畢業於米蘭大學化學系、剛從戰俘營歸來的兒子柴薩雷·強森（Cesare Johnson）的堅韌重建下，於公元1958年在米蘭郊區巴蘭扎泰開設了現代化的新工廠，並重啟與諸多義大利雕刻家、當代藝術家的密切合作。

義大利統一後，為了建立地中海霸權、確保亞德里亞海航道安全，義大利將控制巴爾幹對岸的阿爾巴尼亞與土耳其舊轄區視為核心目標。同時，統一後的義大利面臨南北貧富懸殊、經濟衰退及政局動盪等困境，政府試圖透過對外擴張轉移國內矛盾，而極端國家主義分子亦極力鼓吹重振古羅馬帝國的光榮。

公元1911年，義大利假借保護本國僑民為由，向鄂圖曼土耳其帝國發動義土戰爭，戰後簽訂《洛桑條約》成功奪取利比亞作為屬地。在對土作戰期間，義大利海軍亦順勢占領了位於愛琴海的多得卡列斯群島。公元1915年簽署《倫敦協定》後，協約國密許承認義大利對利比亞與多得卡列斯群島的主權，義大利隨即對土耳其宣戰，進一步鞏固並擴大了其在地中海東部的勢力範圍。

在巴爾幹半島的擴張行動中，阿爾巴尼亞與亞德里亞海沿岸成為義大利角逐的焦點。公元1912年巴爾幹戰爭爆發時，義大利與奧地利基於各自的戰略利益選擇支持阿爾巴尼亞獨立，並於公元1913年秘密劃分勢力範圍。一戰爆發後，阿爾巴尼亞政局混亂，義大利趁機出兵佔領薩斯諾島與瓦羅那等戰略要地。依據《倫敦協定》，協約國不僅承認義大利對上述要地的掌控，更規劃將阿爾巴尼亞其餘區域建為由義大利保護的領域。此外，《倫敦協定》亦答應將達爾馬提亞與的里雅斯特等亞德里亞海沿岸領土劃歸義大利，義軍並在一戰尾聲擊敗奧軍後實際進駐相關區域。

然而，一戰結束後的巴黎和會並未完全兌現協約國在《倫敦協定》中的承諾。由於美國總統威爾遜提倡民族自決以及法國等國的阻撓，義大利雖保有了利比亞與多得卡列斯群島，但在巴爾幹半島僅獲得部分領土，許多爭議地區被劃歸新成立的南斯拉夫。這種外交落差讓義大利社會普遍產生「殘缺的勝利」之強烈挫折感。對外戰爭造成的沉重國庫負擔與戰後領土擴張受阻的怨氣，嚴重打擊了自由派政府的威信，最終為墨索里尼與法西斯政權的崛起埋下伏筆。

維克多·伊曼紐三世(Vittorio Emanuele III)，公元1900至1946年在位。任內歷經義土戰爭、第一次世界大戰與戰後社會危機，並在公元1918年勝利後獲稱「勝利之王」。然而，他在公元1922年選擇不對墨索里尼的黑衫軍採取武力抵制，允許法西斯黨接管政府，被視為法西斯獨裁得以建立的關鍵推手。公元1930年代，他名義上仍是國家元首，但實權被墨索里尼完全壟斷。二戰後隨著義大利戰敗與共和派興起，他於公元1946年退位並流亡埃及，於公元1947年在亞歷山卓逝世。