Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Leopold II

The Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Leopold II (French: Médaille Commémorative du Règne du Roi Léopold II, Dutch: Herinneringsmedaille aan de Regeerperiode van Leopold II) was a Belgian civilian and later military and police forces medal originally established on 21 July 1905 by royal decree to commemorate the 40th year of the reign of King Leopold II.[1]

Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Leopold II
Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Leopold II (obverse)
TypeCommemorative medal
Awarded for20 years of service between 1865 and 1909
Presented by Kingdom of Belgium
EligibilityBelgian citizens
StatusNo longer awarded
Established21 July 1905
Reverse of the three variants
Lieutenant General Félix Wielemans, a recipient of the Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Leopold II
Lieutenant General Baron Jules Jacques de Dixmude, a recipient of the Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Leopold II

The medal was initially awarded to civil servants with a minimum of 20 years of honourable service between 1865 and 1905 who were eligible for the Civic Decoration for long service.[1] It was reissued slightly modified (see description below) in 1951 at the request of veterans' groups, to veterans and military personnel who had a minimum of one year's good and faithful service between 16 December 1865 and 18 December 1909.[2] The medal was once again reissued for a third time in 1952, again slightly modified, to members and veterans of the Force Publique who also had a minimum of one year's good and faithful service between 1 July 1885 and 18 December 1909.[3] The one year's minimum service requirement was later removed by royal decrees in 1959 and 1960.

Award description

The Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Leopold II was a 33 mm in diameter gilt bronze circular medal. Its obverse bore the relief image of a cross pattée with a central medallion bearing the left profile of King Leopold II; the cross was superimposed over a wreath of laurel and oak branches along the medal's circumference. The reverse bore the same basic design except for the king's profile which was replaced by the years inscribed in relief on two rows "1865 1905" for the initial type (1905) awarded to civil servants,[1] "1865 1909" for the second type (1951) awarded to the military[2] and "1885 1909" to the Force Publique (1952).[3]

The medal was suspended by a ring through a ribbon and bow-shaped suspension loop from a 37 mm wide silk moiré red ribbon with a 3 mm wide central black stripe bordered on both sides by 5 mm wide yellow stripes.[1]

Notable recipients (partial list)

The individuals listed below were awarded the Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Leopold II:[4]

See also

References
  1. "Royal decree of 21 July 1905 creating the Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Leopold II". Belgian Defence Ministry. 1905-07-21. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  2. "1951 Royal decree amending the statute of the Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Leopold II". Belgian Defence Ministry. 1951. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  3. "1952 Royal decree amending the statute of the Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Leopold II". Belgian Defence Ministry. 1952. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  4. "Recipients of the Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Leopold II compiled from the ARS MORIENDI web site" (in French). ARS MORIENDI. 2012-07-06. Retrieved 2012-09-06.

Other sources
  • Quinot H., 1950, Recueil illustré des décorations belges et congolaises, 4e Edition. (Hasselt)
  • Cornet R., 1982, Recueil des dispositions légales et réglementaires régissant les ordres nationaux belges. 2e Ed. N.pl., (Brussels)
  • Borné A.C., 1985, Distinctions honorifiques de la Belgique, 1830-1985 (Brussels)
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