Royal Medal of Recompense(full Size) Christian IX, 1st type

Item number: M27

Year: AD 1865-1905

Material: Gold

Size: 28 x 85 mm

Weight: 31.26 g

Provenance: Livepool Medals 2022

This medal is the officially named and engraved the 1^st type of Royal Medal of Recompense of Denmark, established by King Christian IX in AD 1865. The medal was awarded based on the monarch’s privilege and did not require prior recommendations from public institutions or sources. The 1^st type of the medal was issued between AD 1865 and AD 1905, all of these 1st type were officially named on the edge, and were only awarded about 202 times. Currently, it is primarily used to honour individuals who have dedicated 50 years of service to the same private employer or who have provided at least 40 years of loyal service, even if no longer in active service. In addition to private enterprises, the medal is also used as a royal decoration and for individuals who have rendered special services to the king or royal family.

The medal is produced by the Royal Danish Mint, circular in shape, and made of gold. The obverse side features a profile portrait of King Christian IX with the inscription “Christianus IX Rex Daniæ” around the portrait. The reverse side depicts the goddess Victoria, holding an olive wreath in one hand and a weapon in the other.

The name of the recipient is engraved on the side of the medal, indicating that the medal becomes the private property of the awardee and is not required to be returned upon the recipient’s demise, unlike most orders. The medal is suspended from a ribbon with a white cross on a red background.

There are four classes of the medal: Gold Crown Medal, Gold Medal, Silver Crown Medal, and Silver Medal (the medal shown here is a Gold Medal). There are five types based on the design on both sides, with different portraits on the obverse, including Christian IX, Frederick VIII, Frederick IX, Christian X, and Margrethe II. The reverse side for the other four types features an oak leaf wreath, making the design of this medal’s reverse side unique.

The recipient of this medal is John Blackburn, a highly esteemed royal House Steward who served King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra(Princess of Denmark) for an extended period. He was probably one of the most important and well-paid members of the Royal Household, as on the books, he was earning over £300 per year at the time.

Although he had served for many years in the Household, he was not entitled to the Royal Household Faithful Service Medal for his service to Prince Edward (as one would have to serve Queen Victoria directly to get the medal), making this his sole named medal.

The Blackburn family developed a close friendship with the royal family, with John’s wife Mary becoming the nanny for George V and Prince Albert Victor(Eddy) after their marriage. Mary was particularly fond of Prince Eddy, even went as far as keeping his first lost tooth, set into a ring with turquoises, and defending him against Queen Victoria’s views.(Queen Victoria believed that the prince was excessively fragile, unable to survive and inherit, and indeed, this turned out to be the case as the prince ultimately passed away at a young age.)

Apart from this medal, John was also the first British recipient of the Royal Victorian Silver Medal in AD 1896. Interestingly, his wife Mary once made Queen Victoria laugh, a rare sight, when, on a royal yacht trip back from a visit to Denmark, baby Eddy was forcefully thrown against Mary on the rough sea, resulting in her getting a black eye. Upon hearing the events and seeing Mary’s injury, Queen Victoria burst into genuine laughter.

皇家功績勳章第一版

(官方版)

物件編號: M27

年代: 公元 1865-1905 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 28 x 85 mm

重量: 31.26 g

來源: 利物浦獎章 2022

此獎章為丹麥的皇家功績獎章，該功績獎章由克里斯蒂安九世國王於公元1865年創立，獎章是根據君主的特權頒發的，不需要事先獲得公共機構或來源的推薦，在公元1865-1905年間這個獎章只頒發了約202次。目前，該獎章主要用於表彰在同一私人雇主工作50年的人，或者雖然已不再在職，但至少有40年忠誠服務的人。除私人企業外，該獎章也用作皇室獎章以及為國王或王室成員提供特殊服務的獎章。

這枚獎章由丹麥皇家造幣廠生產，呈圓形，並由金製成（金質獎章）。在正面，它呈現克里斯蒂安九世的側面肖像。肖像周圍刻有文字“Christianus IX Rex Daniæ”。獎章的背面則是一手拿橄欖葉冠，一手持武器的勝利女神維多利亞。獲獎者的名字被刻在獎章側邊，表明該獎章是獲獎者的私人財產，不必在死後歸還，不同於多數的勳章徽章。獎章懸掛在一條帶有白色十字的紅色緞帶上。

獎章分為四個等級：金冠獎章、金獎章、銀冠獎章和銀獎章(此枚屬於金獎章)，依據獎章正反面設計的不同又可分五種類型。正面肖像的設計包含克里斯蒂安九世、腓特烈八世、腓特烈九世、克里斯蒂安十世、以及瑪格莉特二世。因其餘四種類型背面的圖樣皆為一個橡樹葉花環，因此其中又以此枚獎章的背面設計最為獨特。

該獎章的獲獎者為John Blackburn，他是當時十分被鍾愛的一位王室管家，為國王愛德華七世以及王后亞歷珊卓(丹麥公主)服務十分長的時間。他可能是皇室家庭中最重要且薪酬最豐厚的成員之一，因為按照記錄，他當時的年收入超過了300英鎊。儘管他在皇室家庭中服務了許多年，但由於他並未直接為維多利亞女王效力（只有直接為維多利亞女王服務才能獲得該獎章），因此他並沒有資格獲得皇家家庭忠誠服務獎章，這也成為他唯一的被命名獎章。

並且Blackburn一家與皇室建立了密切的情誼，John的妻子Mary在結婚後也成為負責扶養喬治五世和Albert Victor王子(Eddy)長大的保母，而Eddy王子尤其受到Mary的喜愛，她甚至將Eddy王子換牙時掉的第一顆乳齒鑲進綠寶石中做成戒指，並為了王子反駁維多利亞女王的觀點。(維多利亞女王認為王子過度脆弱，無法生存下來繼承，而事實也是如此，王子最終英年早逝)

除了此枚獎章，在公元1896年，John作為英國人也是首位皇家維多利亞銀質獎章的獲獎者。有趣的是，他的妻子Mary曾逗笑過維多利亞女王，這可是十分罕見的景象。那是在探訪丹麥回程的皇家遊艇上，當時艾迪王子還是嬰兒並且在大浪中被用力的甩向Mary，她也因此被打的臉色黑青，而維多利亞女王在聽完事件的因果並看見Mary的傷以後，衷心的大笑起來。

更多相關訊息請參考:

https://web.archive.org/web/20130128080904/http://kongehuset.dk/english/the-monarchy-in-denmark/the-royal-symbols/the-royal-orders-of-chivalry/the-royal-orders-of-chivalry

https://www.medalbook.com/europe-west/denmark-1

https://www.medals.org.uk/denmark/denmark065.htm

https://www.liverpoolmedals.com/product/medal-of-recompense-cix-british-1st-rvm-recipient