Item number: M313

Year: AD 1798

Material: Gold

Size: 47.4 x 47.4 x 2.9 mm

Weight: 80.55 g

Manufactured by: Soho Mint

Provenance:

1. Dixons Medals 2024

2. Noonans 2024

This is a “Nile Medal,” commissioned and funded personally by Admiral Nelson’s close friend and medal agent, Alexander Davison, to commemorate the decisive victory of the British Royal Navy, led by Rear Admiral Nelson, over the French Mediterranean fleet at the Battle of the Nile in Aboukir Bay on August 1, AD 1798.

This medal was crafted in gold, with eligibility limited to Nelson himself and the ship captains, totalling 25 pieces. In accordance with rank, the medal was also produced in other variants: 150 in silver, 30 in gilt bronze (later increased to 500), 6,000 in bronze, and 525 in copper. Nelson received his medal in August AD 1799 and, in a letter of thanks to Davison, expressed his appreciation and willingness to wear it proudly at all times.

The obverse of the medal depicts the goddess of Hope standing on a cliff with the sea in the background, her right chest exposed, and holding a branch. In her left hand, she supports an oval shield featuring a profile of Nelson’s left face. Around the shield is inscribed “EUROPE’S HOPE AND BRITAIN’S GLORY.” Surrounding the obverse is the inscription “REAR-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON OF THE NILE.” The designer, C.H. Küchler, has his initials, “C.H.K,” engraved in the lower right corner. The reverse side of the goddess features a ship’s anchor, symbolising the navy.

The reverse of the medal vividly portrays the British fleet on August 1, advancing in a wave-like formation into Aboukir Bay at dawn to launch their attack. The upper portion bears the circular inscription, “ALMIGHTY GOD HAS BLESSED HIS MAJESTY’S ARMS,” while the lower section reads “VICTORY OF THE NILE AUGUST 1.1798.” Near the bottom, within a small compartment, the left side is stamped with the mark “M.B.SOHO” for the Soho Mint, and the right side bears the full name of the designer, “C.H. KÜCHLER.FEC.”

The edge of the medal is inscribed in uppercase serifed English letters with the dedication, “A TRIBUTE OF REGARD FROM ALEXR DAVISON ESQR. ST JAMES’S SQUARE,” signifying Alexander Davison’s tribute of respect, with reference to his location at St. James’s Square.

In AD 1798, with Napoleon facing a blockade from European powers, he sought to break through Britain’s dominant naval control by advancing on Egypt, a key British stronghold in the Near East that was then a province of the Ottoman Empire. Napoleon’s strategy was to control Egypt, thereby disrupting the route between Britain and its most valuable colony, India. In July AD 1798, Napoleon landed in Alexandria and advanced toward Cairo. Since the French fleet had departed Toulon in May, Admiral Nelson’s British fleet had been searching for an opportunity to decisively engage and destroy the French forces. Nelson finally chose Aboukir Bay, where the French fleet had anchored, as the site for an annihilation battle. On August 1, the British fleet launched a two-sided assault on the French, decimating their Mediterranean fleet and leaving Napoleon stranded in Egypt without naval support. As a result of this victory, Rear Admiral Nelson was ennobled as a baron.

物件編號: M313

年代: 公元 1798 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 47.4 x 47.4 x 2.9 mm

重量: 80.55 g

製造地: 蘇荷鑄幣廠

來源:

1. 迪生獎章 2024

2. 諾南斯 2024

這是一枚為紀念公元1798年8月1日，納爾遜少將領導的皇家海軍在尼羅河口的阿布基爾灣大勝法國地中海艦隊，由納爾遜少將的密友兼獎章代理人亞歷山大·戴維森自掏腰包餽贈的「尼羅河獎章」。

這枚獎章材質為黃金，僅有納爾遜本人和船長們有資格領取，總數量為25枚。依照官階差異，這枚獎章尚有150枚銀質、30枚銅鍍金(後追加至500枚)、6000枚青銅和525枚紅銅。納爾遜本人在公元1799年8月收到獎章，還去信感謝戴維森表示自己樂意隨時配戴於身上。

獎章正面鐫刻站在峭壁上以大海為背景，袒露右胸和手持枝葉的希望女神，背面是象徵海軍的船錨。女神左手攙扶的橢圓形盾牌是納爾遜的左臉側身像，盾牌邊緣寫有「EUROPE’S HOPE AND BRITAIN’S GLORY」(歐洲的希望和不列顛的榮光)。正面的周圍鐫刻「REAR-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON OF THE NILE」(尼羅河海軍少將納爾遜勳爵)，右下角則有設計者C.H. Küchler名字縮寫「C.H.K」。

獎章背面則生動重現8月1日當天，英國艦隊在太陽從東方天際線升起的時刻，呈現波浪陣勢進入阿布基爾灣展開攻擊的畫面。上半部是環形銘文「ALMIGHTY GOD HAS BLESSED HIS MAJESTY’S ARMS」(全能的上帝保佑了國王陛下的武裝)，下半部則標示「VICTORY OF THE NILE AUGUST 1.1798」(尼羅河的勝利 公元1798年8月1日)。靠近下半部的小間格內，左側打印蘇荷鑄幣廠的戳記「M.B.SOHO」，右側則是設計者的全名「C.H. KÜCHLER.FEC.」。

獎章邊緣則以襯線體大寫英文鐫刻「A TRIBUTE OF REGARD FROM ALEXR DAVISON ESQR. ST JAMES’S SQUARE」(來自亞歷山大·戴維森先生的致敬。聖詹姆斯廣場)。

公元1798年，遭到歐洲各國圍堵的拿破崙為突破主力英國的封鎖，決定改以進軍英國在近東最為重要的據點，彼時仍作為鄂圖曼土耳其帝國行省的埃及。拿破崙的計畫是控制埃及，便能箝制英國本土和其最為重要的殖民地印度之間的航線。公元1798年7月，拿破崙率兵登陸亞歷山大港並且朝開羅進軍。自從法軍艦隊於5月離開土倫之後，納爾遜指揮的英國艦隊就在尋找適合一舉殲滅法軍艦隊的時機。最終納爾遜決定在法軍選擇停泊的阿布基爾灣展開殲滅戰。8月1日，英軍艦隊以兩面向法軍展開夾擊，殲滅法國的地中海艦隊，使得拿破崙喪失制海權困守埃及。納爾遜少將也因為這場戰役被冊封為男爵。