Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
Order of the Star of Ethiopia (Miniature)
Knight Commander Class
騎士指揮官級衣索比亞之星勳章
(迷你版)
Item number: M337
Year: AD 1879-1900
Material: Gold
Size: 61.8 x 15.7 x 3.0 mm
Weight: 2.1 g
Provenance: Antiques of Warwick 2024
This is a miniature 19th-century Knight Commander’s grade of the “Order of the Star of Ethiopia.” The medal features an eight-pointed star with a prominent central round bead. At the top, three shields are aligned side by side to form the suspension, connecting the medal to a ring and ribbon. The ribbon is coloured in red, yellow, and green, symbolising Ethiopia.
In AD 1879, the then-King of the semi-autonomous Kingdom of Shewa, Sahle Maryam (who would later become Emperor of Ethiopia), established the Order of the Star of Ethiopia. Divided into five classes, this is Ethiopia’s oldest order of merit in recorded history.
After founding the Order, Sahle Maryam secured the Ethiopian throne in AD 1889, ascending as Emperor Menelik II. Under his rule, Ethiopia famously defeated an Italian invasion in AD 1896, becoming one of only two independent African nations at the time and embarking on a path toward modernisation. The Order of the Star of Ethiopia retained its status as a national order until the monarchy was overthrown by a military government in AD 1974. Today, it is awarded solely by the Ethiopian royal family in exile, administered by the “Crown Council of Ethiopia.”