Order of the Iron crown
3rd class, gold
(Full Size)
奧地利鐵王冠騎士級勳章, 金
(官方版)
Item number: M38
Year: AD 1860s
Material: Gold and Enamel
Size: order 62.3 x 29.07 / ribbon 51.29 x 42.64 mm
Weight: 19.23 g
Provenance: Liverpool Medals 2022
The Order of the Iron Crown (Kaiserlicher Orden der Eisernen Krone) was one of the highest merit orders in Austria and the Austro-Hungarian Empire before AD 1918. Established in 1815 by Emperor Francis I of Austria to honor civil and military merits, the order comprised three classes, each with specific rules for wearing and granted hereditary ennoblement.
配戴規範 Manner of order wearing | 爵位授予與權利 hereditary ennoblement and right | |
大十字Grand Cross (first class) | 右肩飾帶上有勳章, 星章配戴於左胸 Badge on sash on right shoulder, and star on left chest | 樞密院爵位、貴族尊稱、出庭權 the title of Privy Councillor, the style of Excellency and the right to attend court |
指揮官Commander (second class) | 領綬勳章 Badge on necklet | 男爵爵位 conferred the rank of Baron |
騎士Knight (third class) | 襟綬勳章,配戴於左胸 Badge on ribbon on left chest | 騎士爵位 conferred the rank of Ritter |
Appointment to the third or second class of the Order of the Iron Crown became one of the main routes to ennoblement for Austrian bourgeois families and for civil servants and military officers.
The order had strict regulations, limiting the total number of members for each class, the first class is restricted to no more than 20 individuals, the second class to 30 members, and the third class to 50 individuals, with the total numbers of order’s members restricted to 100, excluding Austrian princes or foreigners.
This order featured a golden double-headed eagle symbolizing the royal family, with a small gold crown suspended above and a distinctive Lombard Iron Crown as its base. The central blue enamelled medallion displayed the letter ‘F,’ representing the founder, Francis I, while the reverse side indicated the year of the establishment of the order.
The Lombard Iron Crown is considered one of the oldest symbols of royalty in the Christian world. It comprises six jewel-encrusted and enameled gold plates connected through hinges. The inner circle is stabilized by a 0.5-inch-wide iron band, reflecting Byzantine craftsmanship. Early records make no mention of the iron band, leading scholars to posit its addition around the 12th century. It was not until approximately 1585 or later that the iron band began to be described as crafted from nails believed to be from the crucifixion of Christ. This evolution in the description of the iron band highlights the evolving historical interpretations surrounding the Lombard Iron Crown.
Legend has it that Queen Theodelinda of the Lombards, in the 6th century, melted a holy nail from the cross of Jesus and combined it with gold plates to create the Iron Crown. Charlemagne, after conquering the Lombard region in AD 774, used the Iron Crown for his coronation, initiating a tradition adopted by subsequent Holy Roman Emperors and even Napoleon I in AD 1805.
Napoleon I once uttered the famous quote while putting the iron crown atop his head in AD 1805: God has given it to me; beware he who touches it!(Dio me l’ha data, guai a chi la tocca!)
Initially established by Napoleon I in AD 1805, the Order of the Iron Crown underwent reestablishment by Emperor Francis I of Austria in AD 1815, after the collapse of Napoleon’s empire. With the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in AD 1918, all knightly orders except the Order of the Golden Fleece were officially abolished. The order’s ribbon design incorporated the symbolic colors of the Austrian Empire, with gold as the base and thin blue edges.
The order’s ribbon, following the colors of the Austrian Empire, was gold with blue edges. The ribbon’s width for the shown medal above is 42.64 mm, and excluding the medal’s body, the length of the ribbon is 51.29 mm.
The decoration of the Iron Crown Order varied depending on circumstances, including a war decoration featuring an oak leaf wreath extending above the crown or crossed swords below the crown. During world war I, a sword decoration, distinct from the former, was awarded, with crossed swords pinned to the ribbon. This specific medal shown above is an undecorated civilian version.
物件編號: M38
年代: 公元 1860 年代
材料: 黃金, 琺瑯
尺寸: 勳章 62.3 x 29.07 / 勳帶 51.29 x 42.64 mm
重量: 19.23 g
來源: 利物浦獎章 2022
鐵王冠帝國勳章( Kaiserlicher Orden der Eisernen Krone)是公元1918年之前奧地利和奧匈帝國的最高功績勳章之一,於公元1815年由奧地利皇帝弗朗茨一世設立,以獎勵民事和軍事功績 。
鐵王冠勳章分為三個等級,勳章分別有不同的佩戴方式,並且皆會授予世襲爵位,詳細規範與待遇如下方表格:
配戴規範 Manner of order wearing | 爵位授予與權利 hereditary ennoblement and right | |
大十字Grand Cross (first class) | 右肩飾帶上有勳章, 星章配戴於左胸 Badge on sash on right shoulder, and star on left chest | 樞密院爵位、貴族尊稱、出庭權 the title of Privy Councillor, the style of Excellency and the right to attend court |
指揮官Commander (second class) | 領綬勳章 Badge on necklet | 男爵爵位 conferred the rank of Baron |
騎士Knight (third class) | 襟綬勳章,配戴於左胸 Badge on ribbon on left chest | 騎士爵位 conferred the rank of Ritter |