Item number: M538-2

Reference number: Borna Barac III#533; ODEC#391

Year: AD 1918-1946

Material: Bronze

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

This is a miniature version of the War Merit Cross issued by the Kingdom of Italy. It was established by royal decree promulgated by King Vittorio Emanuele III on 19 January AD 1918. It was primarily awarded to military personnel who demonstrated distinguished performance on the battlefield—including during the First World War and the Second World War—completed a specified period of front-line service (such as one year or more), sustained combat injuries, or received battlefield promotions.

The cross takes the form of an equal-armed and equal-width Greek Cross, featuring a suspension loop at the top and raised borders along the edges. The horizontal arms of the obverse bear the inscription ‘MERITO DI GVERRA’, meaning ‘War Merit’. The upper vertical arm is engraved with a crown, intertwined letters ‘VE’, and the Roman numerals ‘III’, representing the royal cypher of King Vittorio Emanuele III. The lower vertical arm depicts a Roman gladius with an upward-pointing blade entwined with oak leaves, symbolising strength and honour. At the centre lies a prominent five-pointed star, known as the ‘Star of Italy’ (Stella d’Italia), which has been associated with the Italian region alongside the morning star since ancient Greek times and became a national and military symbol following the unification of Italy. The background consists of radiant lines emanating from the centre outwards.

The ribbon features a blue background with two vertical white stripes arranged in a blue-white-blue-white-blue pattern, with the blue sections being slightly wider.

Owing to their similar outlines, the War Merit Cross is easily confused with the Cross for Military Valour. Aside from differences in the inscriptions and ribbons, the Cross for Military Valour required extraordinary acts of bravery for bestowal, rendering it significantly rarer.

This decoration could be awarded multiple times for front-line service duration and deeds, though recipients could only wear one at a time, with distinctions indicated by ornaments on the ribbon: bronze, silver, and gold crowns during the Kingdom of Italy period, and a five-pointed star during the Republic period. In AD 1947, the Italian Republic inherited this honours system and replaced the royal cypher with the abbreviation for the Italian Republic (‘Repubblica Italiana’), ‘RI’.

The Kingdom of Italy was established following the completion of national unification in AD 1861. After the foundational establishment and development under Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I, early twentieth-century Italy faced severe industrialisation transformations, regional developmental imbalances, and diplomatic and military considerations such as Mediterranean expansion. With the outbreak of the First World War, the Kingdom of Italy entered the conflict on the side of the Allies; although it ultimately achieved victory and recovered territories, it paid a catastrophic price, leading to post-war social unrest and economic hardship.

Vittorio Emanuele III, who reigned from AD 1900 to AD 1946, was one of the longest-serving monarchs in Italian history. His reign witnessed the Italo-Turkish War, the First World War, and the post-war social crisis, and following the victory in AD 1918, he was acclaimed as the ‘Soldier King’. However, his decision in AD 1922 not to employ military force against Mussolini’s Blackshirts and his acquiescence to the Fascist Party taking over the government are regarded as pivotal factors enabling the establishment of the fascist dictatorship. During the 1930s, he remained head of state nominally, but actual power was completely monopolised by Mussolini. Following Italy’s defeat in the Second World War and the rise of republican factions, he abdicated in AD 1946 and went into exile in Egypt, passing away in Alexandria in AD 1947.

物件編號: M538-2

參考書目編號: Borna Barac III#533; ODEC#391

年代: 公元 1918-1946 年

材質: 青銅

來源: Bertolami Fine Art s.r.l. 2025

這是一枚義大利王國所頒戰功十字的迷你版。公元1918年1月19日由義大利國王維托里奧·埃馬努埃萊三世（Vittorio Emanuele III）頒佈皇家法令設立。主要頒發給在戰場（包含第一次世界大戰及第二次世界大戰等）有優異表現、在前線服役滿一定期限（如一年以上）、作戰負傷或獲得戰功提拔的軍人。

章體採用等臂等寬的希臘十字（Greek Cross）造型，頂部帶有吊環，邊緣均有凸起。正面十字橫臂上橫列「MERITO DI GVERRA」，即「戰功」。上豎臂刻有皇冠、交疊的字母「VE」及羅馬數字「III」，為國王維托里奧·埃馬努埃萊三世的皇家花押（Royal Cypher）。下豎臂刻有一柄刃朝上的羅馬短劍（Gladio），劍身纏繞橡樹葉，象徵力量與榮譽。中央為一顆顯眼的五角星，為｢義大利之星」（Stella d’Italia），自古希臘時期起便與金星一同與義大利地區相聯繫，義大利統一後更成為國家與軍事象徵。背景為從中心向四周發散的放射狀線條。

綬帶為藍色底色搭兩條白色縱向條紋，即藍-白-藍-白-藍，藍色稍寬。

因輪廓相近，戰功十字容易與英勇十字混淆。除了銘文與綬帶的差異外，獲頒英勇十字需要有特出的英勇事蹟，使得英勇十字更加罕見。

該章可因前線服役期限和事蹟多次獲頒，但僅能同時配戴一枚，以綬帶上的裝飾物作區別。義大利王國時期為銅質、銀質與金質的王冠，共和國時期則為五角星。公元1947年，義大利共和國繼承了該榮勳制度，並將皇家花押改為共和國（Repubblica Italiana）的縮寫「RI」。

義大利王國自公元1861年完成國家統一後成立，在維克多·伊曼紐二世與翁貝托一世的開國與建設後，二十世紀初的義大利面對著嚴峻的工業化變革、區域發展失衡以及地中海擴張等外交與軍事考量。隨著第一次世界大戰的爆發，義大利王國投入同盟國陣營，雖最終取得勝利並收復領土，卻也付出了極其慘重的代價，導致戰後社會動盪不安與經濟困頓。

維克多·伊曼紐三世(Vittorio Emanuele III)，公元1900年至1946年在位，是義大利歷史上在位時間最長的國王之一。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。