Item number: M142

Year: AD 1864-1904

Material: Silver Gilt

Size: 33.0 x 33.0 x 1.8 mm

Weight: 16.95 g

Provenance: Aberdeen Medals 2024

This medal is the Medal Of The Reign Of Norodom I established by King of Cambodia Norodom I. The medal was awarded to individuals who provided personal services to the monarch or the royal family and ceased to be effective upon the end of the monarch’s reign (in the year AD 1904).

The medal is circular in shape, with the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Cambodia depicted at the centre of the obverse side. Surrounding this are inscriptions reading “SOMDACH PREA NORODOM PREA CHAU CRUNG CAMPUCHEA.” The reverse side features an encirclement of oak and laurel leaves, with the inscription “NORODOM 1ER ROI DU CAMBODGE” in the centre. A crown is suspended above the medal. The ribbon consists of equal stripes of red, yellow, and light blue.

Coat of Arms of Cambodia:
Coat of Arms of Cambodia, also serving as the symbol of the Cambodian monarchy , features a shield placed atop a mantle. At the centre of the shield rests a sword atop a pedestal (Phan), with the symbol “Om” positioned above the sword. Surrounding this motif is a laurel wreath, and at the bottom lies an image of the Royal Order of Cambodia. Above the shield sits the Cambodian royal crown. This version of the national emblem was in use from the year AD 1860 until AD 1970.

The silver hallmark of “Sanglier” can be observed at the top of the circular medal’s obverse side, indicating that this decoration was produced in Paris. Additionally, the suspension ring of the medal bears the imprint “AxC,” which represents the symbol of the Parisian manufacturer A. Chobillion. Historically, most Cambodian orders and decorations were manufactured in Paris by makers such as Arthus Bertrand and Chobillion, utilising ribbons manufactured in France.

The Medal Of The Reign Of Norodom I is divided into three grades: Gold (silver-gilt), Silver, and Bronze. This particular medal belongs to the silver-gilt grade.

Following the initial issuance of this medal by King Norodom I, subsequent monarchs reformed the design of the medal, replacing the crown on the medal of sovereignty with the traditional Khmer crown and changing the inscription on the obverse of the medal to Khmer script. Therefore, amongst the numerous medals of sovereignty issued by rulers, only the Medal Of The Reign Of Norodom I utilised Western script and a Western-style crown, making it unique amongst such decorations.

Norodom I, the King of Cambodia, ruled from AD 1860 to AD 1904, marking the longest verifiable reign in Cambodian history. During his reign, Norodom I faced challenges from various external forces. Siam (present-day Thailand) and Vietnam gradually exerted influence over Cambodia, necessitating Norodom I’s continuous efforts to defend Cambodia’s independence. Additionally, France’s expansion in Southeast Asia in the late 19th century compelled Norodom I to sign protection treaties, allowing France to strengthen its control over Cambodia’s internal affairs. Hence, the late period of Norodom I’s reign may be described by some scholars as a puppet regime of France.

物件編號: M142

年代: 公元 1864-1904 年

材質: 銀鍍金

尺寸: 33.0 x 33.0 x 1.8 mm

重量: 16.95 g

來源: 亞伯丁獎章 2024

此枚獎章為諾羅敦一世國王所設立的諾羅敦一世統治獎章。獎章頒予為君主或王室提供個人服務的人，並且在該君王統治結束時(公元1904年)失效。 

獎章的外觀為圓形，正面中央為柬埔寨王國的王室徽章，周圍刻有「SOMDACH PREA NORODOM PREA CHAU CRUNG CAMPUCHEA」的字樣，背面則由橡樹和月桂葉環圍繞，中央刻有銘文「NORODOM 1ER ROI DU CAMBODGE」。獎章上方懸掛著一頂王冠。綬帶由紅、黃、淺藍三色相等的條紋組成。 

王室徽章:
柬埔寨王室徽章，也是柬埔寨國徽。主體為一個置於斗篷上的盾牌，盾牌中央為一把劍放置於基座(Phan)，劍的上方有唵(Om)的符號，周圍由月桂花環圍繞，底部有柬埔寨皇家勳章的圖像。盾牌的上方則有一頂柬埔寨皇冠。該版本的國徽一直自公元1860年使用至公元1970年。

「野豬頭（Sanglier）」 的銀標誌可見於正面圓形獎章的頂部，表明此勳章為巴黎製作。而獎章的懸掛環上有著 AxC 的印記，為巴黎製造商 A. Chobillion 的符號。早期，大多數柬埔寨勳章和獎章是由 Arthus Bertrand 和 Chobillion 等製造商在巴黎製造的，並使用法國製造的綬帶。 

柬埔寨諾羅敦一世統治獎章分為三個等級: 金(銀鍍金)、銀、銅，此枚屬於銀鍍金級獎章。

在國王諾羅敦一世率先頒佈此獎章後，繼任國王對獎章的設計做出了改革將統治獎章上的王冠改為傳統的高棉王冠，並將獎章正面的銘文改為高棉文。因此在眾多統治者所頒發的統治獎章中，僅有諾羅敦一世統治獎章使用西方文字與西式王冠，這也是此枚統治獎章的獨特之處。

諾羅敦一世，柬埔寨國王，統治期間為公元1860到公元1904年，是柬埔寨歷史上可考證的在位時間最長的人。諾羅敦一世在位期間面臨來自多個外部勢力的挑戰，暹羅（今泰國）和越南逐漸對柬埔寨產生了影響力，使諾羅敦一世必須不斷努力保衛柬埔寨的獨立，而法國在公元19世紀後期於東南亞進行擴張，迫使諾羅敦一世簽署保護合約，使法國得以加強掌控柬埔寨的內政。因此，諾羅敦一世在位期間的晚期可能被某些學者描述為法國的魁儡政權。