Bulgaria. Order of Military Merit, 5th degree

The original order is in excellent collector's condition. Silver, enamel, gilding. The sign is made in the form of a Pisan (papal) cross with flaring ends. The rays of the cross are covered with high-quality dark red (ruby) hot enamel on a guilloched background. Between the rays of the cross are two crossed golden swords, points up, which indicates the purely military status of the award. In the center of the cross on the obverse is a round medallion covered with red enamel, which depicts a golden crowned rising lion, the coat of arms of Bulgaria. The medallion is framed by a wide white enamel ring, on which the inscription "FOR MILITARY MERIT" is written in gold letters in Old Bulgarian Cyrillic script and the date of the order's foundation is "1891" at the bottom. From above, the cross is crowned by a movable suspension link in the form of a large golden crown with fluttering ribbons (inflows). The badge is attached to the ring of the shoe. A special yellow and black ribbon with white stripes around the edges was provided for the order (the original moire ribbon is visible in the photo). Guarantee of authenticity.

The Order was established on August 2, 1891 by decree of the Bulgarian Prince (later Tsar) Ferdinand I of Coburg. The award was conceived as a sign of recognition of outstanding achievements, impeccable service and bravery for the military personnel of the army, Navy and (later) the Bulgarian Air Force. The Order had a complex system and was divided into the Grand Cross and six major degrees.:

I degree (Grand Cross) — for the highest generals.

II degree (Grand Officer's Cross).

III degree (Commander's Cross).

IV degree (Officer's Cross).

V degree (Cavalier grade: Original) — awarded to company and platoon commanders up to the rank of captain, militia and volunteers (this is the degree in the photo).

Grade VI (Silver Cross) is the lowest grade that had no enamel coating (it was made entirely of silver/metal).

Award categories

The order was awarded in two versions:

In peacetime: On a standard ribbon (as in the photo).

In wartime (with military honors): A green enamel laurel crown was added to the badge, passing under the central medallion, and the order itself was worn on the ribbon of the Order "For Bravery".

Historical fate

The Order was actively awarded during the Balkan Wars (1912-1913), the First World War (1915-1918) and the Second World War (1941-1944). The design of the crown changed slightly depending on the issue (under Ferdinand I and Boris III). After the abolition of the monarchy and the creation of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (NRB) in 1946, the order was briefly awarded in a modified form: the royal crown and monogram were removed from it, replacing them with a rosette in the colors of the national flag, after which the award was finally abolished. On June 13, 2003, the Order of Military Merit was officially reinstated in the award system of the modern Republic of Bulgaria. Today it has 2 degrees and is awarded by the President of the country for great achievements in the development and strengthening of the Bulgarian Army.