Item number: M31

Year: AD 1863-1906

Material: Gold and Enamel

Size: 64 x 17 mm

Weight: 3.47 g

Provenance: Dixons Medals 2022

This is the Order of the Dannebrog, Knight class(miniature), established by King Christian V of Denmark-Norway in AD 1671. Members of the Order, known as the White Knights, correspond to the members of the Order of the Elephant, who were known as the Blue Knights. The Order of the Elephant, originating in Denmark in the 15th century, is the highest honor in Denmark. In AD 1808, King Frederick VI reformed the Order of the Dannebrog, dividing it into four classes, each further sub-divided into different grades and titles:

In AD 1863, the class of Commander was split into two classes(with and without a breast star). In AD 1951, following a royal decree amendment, women were allowed to join the Order. In AD 1952, the rank of Knight was similarly divided into two classes. It is noteworthy that the class of Grand Commander is reserved for persons of princely origin or those members closely related to the Danish royal family. 

At present, the Order is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated meritorious service in civil or military capacities, made significant contributions to arts, science, or business, or contributed to Danish interests. 

The order features an enameled, red-bordered white cross of the Danish national flag, with a Danish royal crown decorations in each angle between the arms of the cross.Positioned at the center of the obverse is the royal cypher of King Christian V, encircled by the motto of the Order: “Gud og Kongen” (God and the King) on each top of the arms. On the reverse, the royal cypher of King Valdemar II Sejr is at the centerof the cross, linked to the legend of the origin of the Danish national flag. 

Legend attributes the adoption of Denmark’s national flag—characterized by a red background bearing a white cross—to King Valdemar II. During the Battle of Lindanise in AD 1219, when King Valdemar II led an expedition to Estonia, the Danish forcesfaced imminent defeat. According to the tale, at a critical moment, a red cloth with a white cross supposedly descended from the sky. This event is said to have turned the tide of fortune for the Danish army, leading to their ultimate victory. This occurrence is believed to be the inspiration for the choice of the red and white cross as the symbol for Denmark’s national flag. 

The 12 o’clock arm of the cross bears the royal cypher of King Frederick VI (pertaining to the significant reform of the Order in AD 1808), while the other three arms are inscribed with the accession years of three important figures: Valdemar II (AD 1219), Christian V (AD 1671), and Frederick VI (AD 1808). 

Attached to the suspension ring is the Danish crown, with the monogram of the reigning monarch below, main materials of both are gold. Each new monarch introduces a unique letter combination. The featured order, bestowed by Christian IX.

Christian IX, known as the “Father-in-law of Europe,” reigned as the King of Denmark from AD 1863 to AD 1906. His lineage extended across various European royal houses, earning him the moniker. To this day, a majority of reigning and former European royal families trace their ancestry directly to Christian IX. Current European monarchs, such as Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, King Charles III of the United Kingdom, King Philippe of Belgium, are his direct descendants. 

Ascending the throne during a challenging period, he successfully navigated Denmark through constitutional changes and the Second Schleswig War. Christian IX fostered a new era of diplomacy by strategically marrying his children into European royal houses, earning him the moniker. His descendants went on to play significant roles in various European monarchies, earning him the reputation of the “Father-in-law of Europe.” Christian IX’s reign was characterized by his diplomatic acumen, modernization efforts, and the establishment of lasting royal connections across Europe. 

Generally, the width of a Knight-class Order of the Dannebrog insignia falls within the range of 40-50 millimeters, with a weight of approximately 20 grams. However, this specific medal has a width of 17 millimeters and a total weight of only 3.47 grams, indicating it is a miniature version likely crafted by private artisans. During that era, many recipients would commission local jewelers to create scaled-down or miniature versions of the insignia for easier portability or as substitutes when official replacements were needed. The image below illustrates a price list from the early times, showing various sizes and materials offered by private craftsmen.

物件編號: M31

年代: 公元 1863-1906 年

材質: 黃金和琺瑯

尺寸: 64 x 17 mm

重量: 3.47 g

來源: 迪生獎章 2022

此枚勳章是丹麥-挪威國王克里斯蒂安五世在公元1671年設立的丹麥國旗勳章(又作丹尼布羅格勳章)騎士階級的迷你版，丹麥國旗騎士團的成員被稱為白騎士，和大象騎士團的成員「藍騎士」互相對應。(大象騎士團是15世紀於丹麥起源的騎士勳章，也是丹麥的最高榮譽)在公元1808年，腓特烈六世國王將丹麥國旗騎士團進行改革，分為四個階級，階級下又細分為不同的級與稱謂: 

公元1863年，指揮官階級被一分為二(戴星章和不戴星章)，公元1951年皇家法令修改法規後，女性也被允許加入該騎士團。公元1952 年，騎士階級同樣被分為兩個級。值得注意的是，大指揮官級僅授予與丹麥王室有密切家族關係的皇室成員。 

目前，該勳章用來表彰在民事或軍事服務方面有功績，對藝術、科學或商業生活做出特殊貢獻，或者為丹麥利益做出了貢獻的人。 

此徽章的外形是一個琺瑯材質的帶紅色邊框的白色丹麥國旗十字，十字架臂間的各個角落各有一頂丹麥王冠，在徽章正面十字架的中心刻有騎士團創始人克里斯蒂安五世的皇家記號，十字架四個頂端的文字則為該騎士團的訓言: Gud og Kongen(上帝和國王)。 

在此勳章的背面，十字架的中心有丹麥國王瓦爾德馬二世 (Valdemar II Sejr)的皇家記號，傳聞瓦爾德馬二世國王與丹麥使用紅底白十字作為國旗的來由有關。瓦爾德馬二世國王在公元1219年的林達尼斯戰役中遠征愛沙尼亞時，一度屈居下風差點落敗，傳說中此時天空飄下一片帶白十字的紅布，讓丹麥軍隊的運勢轉變，贏得勝利。 

12點鐘方向的十字架臂則是腓德烈六世的皇家記號(公元1808年為丹麥國旗騎士團進行重大改革並分為四個階級)，另外三邊的十字架頂端則刻有瓦爾德馬二世、克里斯蒂安五世、以及腓特烈六世這三位重要人物各自即位的年份:公元1219、1671、和1808年。 

與吊環連接著的是丹麥皇冠，下方則為授勳君主的花押字，主要材質皆為金。每個新君主都會改變字母組合，此徽章為克里斯蒂安九世所頒授。

克里斯蒂安九世，於公元1863 年至公元1906 年在位 ，又被稱為「歐洲岳父」，因其血統幾乎遍佈整個歐洲的皇室，直至今日，大多數歐洲在位和前任王室家族都是克里斯蒂安九世的直系後裔，大多數現任歐洲君主都是他的後裔，包括丹麥女王瑪格麗特二世、英國國王查理三世、比利時國王菲利普……等。 

他在一個充滿挑戰的時期即位，成功引領丹麥應對憲法變革和第二次什勒斯維希戰爭。克里斯蒂安九世透過巧妙地將子女聯姻到歐洲王室，創建了一個新的外交時代，因而獲得了「歐洲岳父」的美譽。他的後代在歐洲各國皇室中扮演重要角色，使他成為歐洲歷史上傳奇的君主之一。克里斯蒂安九世的統治生涯以其卓越的外交手腕、現代化改革和在歐洲建立持久的皇室聯繫而著稱。 

普遍而言，騎士級的丹麥國旗勳章的寬度約落在40-50毫米，重量為20克上下，而此枚勳章的寬度為17毫米，總重僅3.47克，屬於迷你版，即民間工匠自製的非官方勳章。在當時，許多受勳者會委託民間的珠寶匠製作縮小或迷你版的勳章以便攜帶，或是作為官方版勳章修補時的替代品。下圖為早期荷蘭民間工匠根據不同尺寸、材質的報價表。