Bulgaria. Officer's Order for Bravery, 3rd degree, 2nd class, 1941, in a case

Bronze, enamel, gilding, stamping. The original order is in excellent collector's condition. The original case is included. Guarantee of authenticity.

The Order "For Bravery" (bolg. The Order of Bravery was a state award of the principality, and from 1908 to 1946, of the Kingdom of Bulgaria. Since 2003 — the State award of the Republic of Bulgaria. The Order for Bravery is the very first Bulgarian order. It was established by decree of Prince Alexander Battenberg on January 1, 1880 to reward military personnel who showed courage and heroism on the battlefield. It was the highest award of the Principality of Bulgaria until 1908, when, after Bulgaria was declared an independent kingdom, the Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius was established, which became the new highest state award. After Bulgaria defected to the anti-Hitler coalition in September 1944, before the end of World War II in 1945, 39 Bulgarian women soldiers were awarded 40 orders for Bravery (Velichka Karamanolova was awarded two orders; V. Tashevskaya, who died in battle on October 8, 1944, was awarded posthumously). After the communist government came to power in Bulgaria, the order was abolished on September 15, 1946, but previously awarded recipients received badges until 1950. It was replaced by the Republican Order of the same name, which existed in three degrees from 1948 to 1991. On June 13, 2003, with some changes, the Order for Bravery was restored to its former form as the State award of the Republic of Bulgaria.