Order of the Medjidie

Order of the Medjidie (Turkish: Mecidiye Nişanı, August 29, 1852 – 1922[1]) is the name of a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire.[2] The Order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I.[3]

For the city in Romania, see Medgidia.
Order of the Medjidie
Arms of the Order of the Medjidie
TypeOrder
Awarded forOutstanding services to the state by foreign nationals
CountryOttoman Empire
Presented by

Ottoman Sultan
EligibilityCivilians and military
StatusNo longer awarded
Established1851
First awarded1851
Last awarded1917
Ribbon bar of the medal

History

Instituted in 1851, the Order was awarded in five classes, with the First Class being the highest. The Order was issued in considerable numbers by Sultan Abdülmecid as a reward for distinguished service to members of the British Army and the Royal Navy and the French Army who came to the aid of the Ottoman Empire during the Crimean War against Russia and to British recipients for later service in Egypt and/or the Sudan. In Britain it was worn after any British gallantry and campaign medals awarded, but, as an Order, before foreign medals like the Turkish Crimean War medal. The Order was usually conferred on officers but a few enlisted soldiers and sailors also received it in a lower class. During World War I it was also awarded to a number of German, Austrian and Bulgarian officers.

The Order was often conferred on non-Turkish nationals.

Design of the Order

On the obverse of the star is Sultan Abdülmecid's royal cipher surrounded by an inscription on a gold-bordered circle of red enamel; all on a star of seven triple quills with small crescents and five-pointed stars between them, suspended from a red enameled crescent and star suspender with green enameled edges.

First Class Order

Rough translation of the front: To the left: (you have) crossed. To the right: (you are proven to be) correct. At the top: (you have provided) protection. At the bottom: Year 1268. In the centre: In the name of the God the forgiver, the merciful.

The order has 5 classes. First, second, third and fourth classes are gold. Fifth (lower) class is silver.

Owners of the order:

  • First Class Order (Gold) - 50 people (Given by Sultan)
  • Second Class Order (Gold) - 150 people (Given by Sultan)
  • Third Class Order (Gold) - 800 people
  • Fourth Class Order (Gold) - 3,000 people
  • Fifth Class Order (Silver) - 6,000 people

Some notable recipients
Distribution of the Medjidie, after the Battle of Cetate (1854)
Order of the Medjidie awarded to Major Rodolph De Salis (1811-1880) of the 8th Hussars.


References

Citations
  1. Bir Onurlandırma Aracı olarak Osmanlı Nişan ve Madalyaları Archived 2012-05-22 at the Wayback Machine, Osmanlı Bankası Arşiv ve Araştırma Merkezi. (in Turkish)
  2. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Medjidie" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 69.
  3. The Americana, Vol.15, Ed. Frederick Converse Beach, George Edwin Rines, (1912);
  4. "Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon". ÖBL 1815-1950, Bd. 13 (Lfg. 62, 2010), S. 424f. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  5. "II. Abdülhamid'in Fransız kimyagere yaptığı yardım ortaya çıktı". CNN Türk. Retrieved 29 December 2016.

Bibliography
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