Item number: M557-13

Reference number: Borna Barac IV#163-169

Year: AD 1851-1917

Material: Silver, Gold and Enamel

Provenance:

1. Leu Numismatik 2025

2. Reza Najafi Collection

This is a miniature of the Order of the Medjidie, instituted in AD 1851 in the name of the Sultan himself. Modelled upon European chivalric systems, it was structured into five distinct classes, with eligibility criteria strictly codified by statutory regulations (see table below).

For subjects of the Empire to qualify for conferment, a minimum of twenty years of meritorious service was the fundamental prerequisite. Subsequent advancement between classes was likewise contingent upon length of service: two years to advance to the Fourth Class, three years to the Third Class, and four years to the Second Class. During wartime, periods of active service were calculated double. The fundamental design across all classes of the Order of the Medjidie remained uniform, differing only slightly in dimensions; recipients of the premier two classes were additionally entitled to wear a sunburst breast star on the left breast. The original riband featured a green ground flanked by red stripes on either side.

The badge itself is fashioned as a radiating seven-pointed star composed of seven faceted ray clusters. Each cluster consists of Three (5 for full-size version) graduated, diamond-cut rays designed to refract light in all directions, creating a gem-like brilliance, with metallic crescent-and-star motifs nestled between the clusters. Although the intricate design has suffered slight distortion and softening due to the reduction in scale, the centre of the original badge features a slightly convex circular medallion bearing the imperial cipher (Tughra) of Sultan Abdülmecid I, which appears laterally reversed on this miniature piece. Enclosing the Tughra is a circular band of deep crimson translucent enamel, delicately inscribed in gold Ottoman Turkish script with three noble maxims: “غيرة” (Gayret, denoting “Zeal” or “Diligence”) at the top; “حمية” (Hamiyet, denoting “Ardour” or “Patriotism”) to the right; and “صداقة” (Sadakat, denoting “Loyalty” or “Fidelity”) to the left, with the foundation date “١٢٦٨” (Sene 1268) inscribed directly at the bottom. The suspension piece at the top likewise adopts a red-enamelled crescent and star, whilst the reverse typically bears the hallmark of the Imperial Mint (Darbhane-i Amire), prominent court jewellers (such as the Düzoğulları family), or Parisian workshops commissioned to manufacture the insignia.

The thirty-first Sultan of the Ottoman Empire was Abdülmecid I. He was the eldest son of Sultan Mahmud II and Bezmiâlem Sultan. Spared the cloistered confinement traditionally imposed upon imperial princes, Abdülmecid received a modern education attuned to contemporary developments and became the first Ottoman Sultan proficient in a Western language (French), ascending the throne in AD 1839 at the tender age of seventeen. Early in his reign, the eminent statesman and diplomat Mustafa Reşid Pasha spearheaded the promulgation of the renowned Edict of Gülhane, which formally inaugurated the Tanzimat (Reorganisation) era, aiming to modernise imperial administration, the judiciary, public finance, and education along European lines. Demonstrating a fervent commitment to Westernisation and reform, Abdülmecid I discarded ancient court seclusion, conducting imperial tours of the realm, attending balls hosted at foreign embassies, and breaking precedent by accepting decorations from foreign monarchs—most notably the French Légion d’honneur and the British Order of the Garter. During his reign, state funds were allocated to erect European-influenced architectural landmarks such as Dolmabahçe Palace, Beykoz Pavilion, Küçüksu Pavilion, and the Mecidiye Mosque, while establishing civil service academies, military midwifery courses, and an academy of sciences. Nevertheless, the outbreak of the Crimean War exacerbated the imperial treasury’s deficits, compelling the Ottoman Empire to contract foreign loans from European powers such as Britain and France for the first time in AD 1854. This plunged the state into a spiralling debt crisis, and Abdülmecid I ultimately succumbed to tuberculosis in AD 1861 at the age of thirty-nine.

Prior to the inception of an honours system in the modern sense, the Ottoman Empire had traditionally relied upon jewelled aigrettes (sorguç), plumes, and gem-encrusted çelenks as marks of distinction bestowed upon meritorious statesmen and celebrated commanders. In AD 1798, following the British naval victory over the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile (Abukir) by Admiral Nelson, Sultan Selim III commissioned the diamond-set “Order of the Crescent” to fete him, thereby creating the prototype for modern Ottoman decorations. By the reign of Mahmud II, insignia denoting bureaucratic rank and military achievement had proliferated, though they remained disparate in form and lacked systematic codification. Confronted with the demands of administrative modernisation and increasingly intimate diplomatic engagement with Europe, the reformist Abdülmecid I resolved to abolish these disparate archaic decorations. Drawing upon the established practices of European powers, he issued an imperial decree in the Islamic year 1268 (AD 1851/1852) instituting the Order of the Medjidie in his own name. In August AD 1852, a comprehensive regulation comprising twenty-eight articles was promulgated, establishing a rigorous honours system that served as a principal vehicle for encouraging civic devotion internally and asserting sovereign parity abroad. The statutes stipulated that inductees typically commenced at the Fifth Class, with progression through the grades subject to strict tenure requirements; furthermore, conferments to Ottoman subjects were capped at an aggregate of 10,000 awards, though foreign recipients were exempt from these quotas. Bestowed for the lifetime of the recipient, the insignia were, in principle, returnable to the Imperial Treasury upon the holder’s decease.

From its inception, the Order of the Medjidie occupied a pivotal role in Ottoman domestic statecraft and modern diplomatic history. During the Crimean War, extensive conferments upon senior British and French allied commanders and officers elevated the order to immense prominence across European diplomatic circles, rendering it the first Eastern honour to enjoy parity with the premier chivalric orders of the West. To acknowledge conspicuous gallantry and selfless valour on the battlefield, the addition of crossed sabres (çifte kılıç) above the badge was authorised during wartime, an embellishment formally integrated into the statutory regulations under Mehmed V. Throughout the reigns of successive sultans—including Abdülaziz, Abdülhamid II, and Mehmed V—the Order of the Medjidie remained the most frequently conferred and widely distributed high imperial honour. Notably, the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, was invested with the Order of the Medjidie on four separate occasions across different classes, including versions with crossed sabres, in recognition of his distinguished military career.

物件編號: M557-13

參考書目編號: Borna Barac IV#163-169

年代: 公元 1851-1917 年

材質: 銀、黃金、琺瑯

來源:

1. Leu Numismatik 2025

2. 雷扎·納加菲舊藏

這是一枚邁吉德勳章的迷你版，於公元1851年，以蘇丹本人的名諱創建，參考歐洲制訂為五個等級，對頒獎資格亦有法律的明文規範。(見下圖)

帝國的臣民若想得到獲獎資格，服役至少二十年是最基本的條件。後續的升等也取決於服役時間，升格為四等為兩年，三等為三年，二等則是四年。但戰時的服役時間會以雙倍計算。各等級的邁吉德勳章設計均一致，僅大小有些微區別，頭兩個等級的邁吉德勳章，於左胸還得以配戴一枚太陽形狀的星章。原綬帶為綠底，兩側有紅色色帶。

勳章本體為放射狀的七芒星造型，由七組星芒單元構成，每組星芒各包含三道（正式版為五道）長短交錯、採多面立體鑽石切工（Diamond-cut）的星芒，以反射各方向的光芒，形成類似寶石的外觀，於各組星芒夾角之間皆裝飾著金屬星月圖案。勳章因為圖案的縮小而模糊失真，但原章正中央應為一枚微凸的圓形徽盤，鐫刻著蘇丹阿卜杜勒-邁吉德一世的皇家花押（Tughra），在此迷你版中左右顛倒。圍繞花押的外圈為深酒紅色透明琺瑯圓環，其上以金色奧斯曼土耳其文字精刻三項崇高格言：正上方為「غيرة」（Gayret），即「勤勉」；右側為「حمية」（Hamiyet），即「熱忱」或「愛國」；左側為「صداقة」（Sadakat），即「忠誠」，並在正下方標註創立紀年「١٢٦٨」（Sene 1268）。勳章上方頂飾同樣採用紅色琺瑯星月設計，背面光素，原章則多蓋有皇家鑄幣廠（Darbhane-i Amire）、知名御用金匠（如Düzoğulları）或承製該章的巴黎工坊戳記。

奧斯曼帝國第三十一任蘇丹阿卜杜勒-邁吉德一世（Abdülmecid I）。他是蘇丹馬哈茂德二世之長子，母親為貝茲米雅萊姆蘇丹（Bezmiâlem Sultan）。阿卜杜勒-邁吉德一世未曾經歷以往皇子受限封閉的禁錮生活，自幼接受符合時代新潮的現代化教育，並成為奧斯曼歷史上首位通曉西方語言（法語）的蘇丹，於公元1839年年僅十七歲時登基。在其執政初期，重臣兼外交家穆斯塔法·雷希德帕夏主導頒布了著名的《花廳御詔》，正式揭開坦志麥特（Tanzimat，重組改革）時代的序幕，致力於將帝國行政、司法、財政及教育全方位朝向歐洲體制近代化。阿卜杜勒-邁吉德一世展現出強烈的西化與改革意志，打破了過去深居宮禁的舊習，不僅巡視帝國疆域、親赴外國使館舞會，更開創先例接受外國君主頒授勳章，先後佩戴法國榮譽軍團勳章與英國嘉德勳章；在位期間，他動用財政資金營建了多爾瑪巴赫切宮、貝伊科茲宮殿、小水宮與邁吉迪耶清真寺等兼具歐式風貌的地標，並廣設文官學校、軍醫助產課程及科學院。然而，克里米亞戰爭的爆發加劇了帝國的財政赤字，迫使奧斯曼帝國於公元1854年首度向英法等歐洲列強大舉借債，致使國家深陷債務危機，阿卜杜勒-邁吉德一世最終於公元1861年因肺結核病逝，年僅三十九歲。

在現代意義的勳獎制度形成之前，帝國傳統主要依賴頭飾寶石羽冠（Sorguç）、羽翎以及鑲嵌寶石的雀靈克（Çelenk）作為賞賜功臣與名將的榮譽標誌。公元1798年塞利姆三世因英國海軍名將納爾遜在阿布基爾海戰大破法軍，特製鑲有星月的「新月勳章」予以表彰，成為奧斯曼近代勳章的雛形。到了馬哈茂德二世時期，各類官職與功階徽章逐漸普及，但形式紛繁且缺乏系統性標準。面對近代官僚體制建設與日益密切的歐洲外交關係，力行革新的阿卜杜勒-邁吉德一世決定廢止過往名目雜亂的舊式勳章，參照歐洲列強的通用制度，於伊斯蘭曆1268年（公元1851/1852年）正式敕令設立以自己名字命名的「邁吉德勳章」，並於公元1852年8月頒布包含二十八條細則的章程，建立起嚴格的授勳制度，使之成為帝國對內激勵臣民、對外樹立現代國家尊嚴的核心象徵。章程規定初授者通常由五等開始晉階，各級晉升均設有嚴格任職年限，且國內獲頒總額限定為一萬枚，唯獨授予外國受勳者不受此額度限制；受勳者生前享有終身榮譽，身故後勳章本體原則上須繳還帝國國庫。

邁吉德勳章自誕生起便在奧斯曼內政與近代外交史上扮演關鍵角色，克里米亞戰爭期間英法聯軍大批高級將領與軍官獲頒此章，使其在歐洲外交圈聲名大噪，成為首款與西方頂級騎士勳章平起平坐的東方榮譽符號。為了表彰戰場上卓越勇敢與自我犧牲的軍功，自戰時起便准許在勳章本體上方加綴象徵武功的「雙劍」（Çifte Kılıç）標誌，後續亦於穆罕默德五世統治時期進一步納入法定章程。在阿卜杜勒-阿齊茲、阿卜杜勒-哈米德二世及穆罕默德五世等後續諸帝治下，邁吉德勳章始終是頒發頻率最高、涵蓋面最廣的帝國最高榮譽，土耳其國父穆斯塔法·凱末爾·阿塔圖爾克在其軍旅生涯中便曾先後四度榮獲不同等級與帶雙劍版的邁吉德勳章。