Item number: M557-12

Reference number: Borna Barac III#71-83; ODEC#8-14

Year: AD 1847-1873

Material: Gold and Enamel

Provenance:

1. Leu Numismatik 2025

2. Reza Najafi Collection

This order is the miniature version of the Order of St. Olav, established by Oscar I, the highest ruler of the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway (AD 1818-1905), on August 21, AD 1847. The order is named after St. Olav II (AD 995-1030), the Norwegian king who led Norway to embrace Christianity and was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. The Order of St. Olav is the highest-ranking honor in Norway and, besides being awarded to foreign royalty and heads of state, is exclusively conferred upon Norwegian citizens. The Order has evolved over time, expanding from its initial three grades to the current six grades. (See table)

This item is the First type of the Civilian Knight grade, presented in the form of a breast badge with a ribbon. Recipients of this honor are allowed to wear the Order on the left side of the chest with a ribbon featuring the colors of the Norwegian flag—red, white, and blue. Depending on the nature of the award, the Order comes in both civilian and military types. The military type features a pair of crossed blue-gilded swords at the intersection of the cross and the crown, while the civilian type lacks this specific design element.

The badge of the order comprises a gold, white-enamelled Maltese cross surmounted by a royal crown, which is attached to the riband by means of a suspension ring. At the centre of the badge lies a medallion with a crimson enamelled ground, enclosed by concentric bands of alternating blue and white enamel. The obverse depicts a rampant lion grasping the battle-axe of St Olaf, which constitutes the coat of arms of Norway. The reverse bears the royal motto of King Oscar I in Norwegian, ‘RET OG SANDHED’ (Justice and Truth). Set within the angles between the arms of the cross are Gothic letters ‘O’ wrought in gold; whilst frequently assumed to denote King Olaf II, these in fact represent the royal cypher of the founder, King Oscar I.

The protracted political entanglements between Norway and Sweden can be traced back to the fourteenth century. Following the demise of the childless Norwegian monarch, King Haakon, the throne was inherited by King Magnus Eriksson of Sweden, inaugurating an extended epoch during which Norway remained subordinate to other Scandinavian powers. After four centuries of union with Denmark, Norway was ceded to Sweden in AD 1814, establishing the personal union of Sweden and Norway. This dual-monarchy arrangement endured until the early twentieth century; only with the definitive collapse of the union in AD 1905 did Norway achieve complete national independence. During the period of the union, King Oscar II instituted the Order of the Norwegian Lion in AD 1904, intending it to rank equally with the venerable Swedish Order of the Seraphim. However, upon Norway’s independence in the following year, the order was promptly abolished, leaving the Order of St Olaf as Norway’s paramount and sole chivalric order.

The Order of St Olaf was instituted during the union period on 21 August AD 1847 by King Oscar I, who then ruled both Norway and Sweden, to serve as the premier order of merit in Norway. Oscar I possessed a distinguished pedigree, being the son of Jean Bernadotte, the celebrated Marshal of the French Empire who subsequently ascended the Swedish throne as King Charles XIV John. Following Norway’s secession from Sweden in AD 1905, the order was formally revived in AD 1906 by the newly elected Norwegian monarch, King Haakon VII. Its current statutes were promulgated in AD 1928, firmly establishing it as the supreme honour exclusive to the Kingdom of Norway.

The order takes its name from the patron saint of Norway, St Olaf (King Olaf II). Born in AD 995, Olaf II was the son of the Norwegian commander Harald; in his youth, by virtue of his formidable physique, he was known as ‘Olaf the Stout’ and frequently led Viking fleets on maritime raids. Tradition records that he was inspired in a dream by Olaf Tryggvason—the monarch who initiated the Christianisation of Norway—leading to his baptism in AD 1013 and subsequent spiritual conversion, whereupon he embraced the mission of propagating the Christian faith throughout Norway. In the realm of dynastic diplomacy, he was initially betrothed to the Swedish princess Ingegerd to consolidate an alliance between Norway and Sweden; however, the Swedish king subsequently gave the princess in marriage to Yaroslav the Wise, Grand Prince of Novgorod, compelling Olaf II to wed Ingegerd’s half-sister, Astrid. In later times, Oscar I’s creation of the Order of St Olaf may also have been intended as an allusion to this enduring, historic friendship between Norway and Sweden.

Olaf II subsequently formed an alliance with Sweden to counter King Cnut the Great of Denmark, who sought to expand his dominion over the Norse lands. Following military setbacks, Olaf was forced into exile in AD 1028, seeking sanctuary at the court of Grand Prince Yaroslav. In AD 1030, Olaf II fell in the Battle of Stiklestad; his mortal remains were entombed in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, and he was formally canonised by Pope Alexander III in AD 1164. As the foundational figure and enduring emblem of the Norwegian nation, the battle-axe borne by Olaf II at the time of his death remains an integral component of the national arms, clasped within the forepaws of the golden, rampant Norwegian lion.

物件編號: M557-12

參考書目編號: Borna Barac III#71-83; ODEC#8-14

年代: 公元 1847-1873 年

材質: 黃金, 琺瑯

來源:

1. Leu Numismatik 2025

2. 雷扎·納加菲舊藏

此勳章是迷你版的聖歐拉夫勳章(Sankt Olavs Orden)，由瑞典和挪威聯合王國(公元1818-1905年)最高統治者：奧斯卡一世，於公元1847年8月21日以帶領挪威皈依基督教的國王，羅馬教會封聖的歐拉夫二世(公元995-1030年)之名，創立挪威最高等級的榮耀勳章。外國皇室和國家元首之外，聖歐拉夫勳章僅授予挪威國民。隨著時間的推移，勳章的等級從最初的三個擴展到當前的六個等級。 (見表格)

此物件為第一版的民事騎士級勳章，為襟綬形式的勳章。授勳者得以用搭配挪威國旗顏色的紅白藍相間綬帶，將勳章別在左胸前方穿戴。依照頒發的對象不同，勳章分為民事和軍事兩種版本。軍事版在十字架跟皇冠的交接處，鑲有一對交叉的鑲金邊藍寶劍，民事版則沒有上述的設計。

綬章的外觀為金製白色琺瑯馬耳他十字，章體上方頂飾為皇冠，以環與綬帶相連。綬章中央以深紅色琺瑯為底，周圍為數道藍白環相間。正面繪有一隻持聖歐拉夫之斧的獅子，是為挪威的國徽。綬章反面以挪威文寫上奧斯卡一世國王的座右銘「正義和真理」(RET OG SANHED)。十字架各臂角隅，各有一個以黃金打造的哥特式字母「O」，經常被認為是指歐拉夫二世，但其實應是奧斯卡一世的名諱簡寫。

挪威與瑞典長達數百年的政治糾葛可追溯至十四世紀。當時無嗣的挪威國王哈康去世，王位由瑞典國王馬格努斯·埃里克森繼承，使挪威自此長期附庸於其他斯堪地那維亞國家。在與丹麥維持了四百年的聯盟之後，挪威於公元1814年被割讓給瑞典，形成瑞典-挪威共主邦聯。這段共主體制一直延續到二十世紀初；直到公元1905年兩國聯盟徹底破裂，挪威才真正贏得完全的國家獨立。在聯盟時期，瑞典國王奧斯卡二世曾於公元1904年創立挪威雄獅勳章，意圖使其與瑞典古老的六翼天使勳章平起平坐，但隨著挪威於隔年獨立，該勳章隨即被廢除，使聖歐拉夫勳章成為挪威最核心且唯一的騎士團榮譽。

聖歐拉夫勳章正是誕生於兩國同盟時期的公元1847年8月21日，由當時統治挪威與瑞典的國王奧斯卡一世創立，成為挪威最高等級的勳章。奧斯卡一世身世特殊，其父親是拿破崙麾下的著名帝國元帥讓·貝爾納多特（即後來的瑞典國王卡爾十四世·約翰）。這枚勳章在公元1905年挪威脫離瑞典獨立後，於公元1906年由挪威新國王哈康七世正式恢復，並於公元1928年頒布了現行章程，成為專屬於挪威王國的最高功勳。

該勳章以挪威的主保聖人「聖歐拉夫」（歐拉夫二世）命名。歐拉夫二世生於公元995年，是挪威將領哈拉爾之子，早年因體魄健壯而被稱為「胖子歐拉夫」，曾多次率領維京船隊出海征戰。傳說他在夢中受到首開挪威基督教化先河的歐拉夫·特里格瓦松感召，於公元1013年受洗並走向精神歸依，繼承了在挪威傳播基督教的使命。在政治與婚姻上，他原定迎娶瑞典公主英格格德以鞏固挪威與瑞典的同盟，但瑞典國王轉而將公主許配給諾夫哥羅德大公智者雅羅斯拉夫，歐拉夫二世因而改娶英格格德同父異母的妹妹阿斯特麗德。後世奧斯卡一世設聖歐拉夫勳章，可能也有以此暗示挪威與瑞典的友誼綿長之意。

歐拉夫二世後來與瑞典結盟共同對抗企圖擴張勢力的丹麥國王克努特大帝，但在戰事失利後，他於公元1028年被迫流亡至雅羅斯拉夫大公的宮廷避難。公元1030年，歐拉夫二世在斯蒂克萊斯塔德戰役中壯烈陣亡，其遺體安葬於特隆赫姆的尼達洛斯主教座堂，並在公元1164年由教宗亞歷山大三世正式封聖。作為挪威的奠基者與象徵，歐拉夫二世陣亡時所持的戰斧，至今仍作為國徽的一部分，緊握在後肢站立的金色挪威雄獅前爪之中。