Item number: M60

Year: AD 1830s-1867

Material: Gold and Enamel

Size: Order 40.12 x 32.65 mm

Weight: 7.45 g

Provenance: Liverpool Medals 2022

The title of “Benemérito a la Patria,” which was associated with the “Cruz de Benemérito por la Patria,” originated during the War of Independence. Initially, it held an immaterial “nomen iuris” (name in law), denoting an honorary title that beneficiaries could nominally use without additional privileges. The first recipients were the ‘neighbors, residents, and militiamen’ of Zaragoza, honored for their role in the Second Siege, as granted by the Royal Decree on March 9, AD 1809. This honor extended to defenders of Girona the following year.

After the war, discretion governed the distribution of the title, prompting several attempts to formalize the criteria for its conferral. During the reign of Isabel II, certain Royal Orders aimed, particularly in the military sphere, to delineate eligibility for this title. A Royal Order dated February 18, AD 1839 (Madrid Gazette number 1572, March 6), consistently referred to the ‘right to the declaration of merit of the country’ as an exclusively honorary title, without any association with a medal.

Although the royal order referred to the “Benemérito a la Patria” as an exclusively honorary title, without any association with a medal, a medal resembling a five-armed cross, enameled in black with each point ending in a globule, appeared shortly thereafter. This medal mirrored the one from the National Voluntary Militia of Madrid in Cádiz, established by Royal Decree on July 14, AD 1834. It raises the possibility that certain opportunistic sellers sought to exploit soldiers’ vanity by materializing a title that was merely a “nomen iuris.” This hypothesis gains plausibility given the close timeline with the creation of the National Volunteer Militia medal.

The medal gained widespread popularity in Spain and persisted until recent times. Many 19th-century Spanish soldiers, depicted in portraits at the Military Casino of Havana, proudly displayed this medal on their chests. However, its unofficial status posed a challenge to military regulations. Eventually, scrutiny ensued, leading to a resolution regarding the medal’s presence. In a publication dated September 13, 1870, in the “Official Gazette of the Captaincy General of Cuba, year IX, number 51,” Manuel González González, a volunteer from the Havana Battalion, sought authorization to wear the “Cross of Benemérito de la Patria,” citing its usage by Army Chiefs and Officers. The Captain General dismissed the request, clarifying that the Cross did not officially exist and its usage was prohibited according to various royal provisions, the most recent dated August 26, AD 1867. Thus, to the dismay of the deceitful manufacturer and its adherents, the medal fell into disuse, eventually disappearing from adornments by the late 19th century.

The medal is characterized by a black enamel five-armed Maltese cross with ball-tipped finials, featuring castellated infills between the arms, suspended on a scroll and laterally pierced ball suspension. The obverse and reverse sides are identical, each displaying a central circular white enamel medallion with inscription “BENEMERENTI A LA PATRIA” (Merit to the Homeland).”

物件編號: M60

年代: 公元 1830年代-1867 年

材質: 黃金, 琺瑯

尺寸: 勳章 340.12 x 32.65 mm

重量: 7.45 g

來源: 利物浦獎章 2022

“Benemérito a la Patria”這個頭銜與“Cruz de Benemérito por la Patria”（祖國十字功勳勳章）有關，起源於獨立戰爭期間。最初，它具有一種“nomen iuris”（法律名稱）的抽象性，表示受益者僅能名義上使用這個榮譽頭銜，而無其他特權。首批獲得者是薩拉戈薩的“鄰居、居民和民兵”，因他們在第二次圍攻中的貢獻而獲得表彰，根據公元1809年3月9日的皇家法令授予此榮譽，隨後這項榮譽也擴展到了赫羅納的捍衛者身上。

戰爭結束後，這個頭銜的授予相當謹慎，促使了多次試圖正式確定頒發標準的嘗試。在伊莎貝拉二世統治時期，一些皇家命令，特別是在軍事領域，旨在界定獲得此頭銜的資格。公元1839年2月18日的一項皇家法令（公元1839年3月6日《馬德里公報》第1572號），一直稱呼“擁有國家榮譽宣告的權利”是一種純粹榮譽頭銜，與任何勳章無關。

儘管皇家令提到“Benemérito a la Patria”僅為一種榮譽頭銜，與獎牌無關，但很快就出現了一枚形狀類似五臂十字的獎牌，黑色琺瑯，每個尖端都以一個小球結束。這枚獎牌與公元1834年7月14日由皇家法令在卡迪斯成立的馬德里國家志願民兵的獎牌相似。這引發了某些機會主義者可能試圖通過實現僅為“法定名稱”的頭銜來利用士兵的虛榮心。考慮到與國家志願民兵獎牌創建的時間緊密相關，這個假設變得更加合理。

這枚勳章在西班牙廣泛流傳，一直到近代。許多公元19世紀的西班牙士兵在哈瓦那軍事俱樂部的肖像中，自豪地佩戴這枚勳章。然而，它的非官方地位對軍事規定構成了挑戰。最終，人們開始審視這枚勳章，導致了針對它存在的一項決議。在公元1870年9月13日的《古巴總督區官方公報，第九年，第51號》的一篇文章中，來自哈瓦那大隊的志願者曼努埃爾·貢薩雷斯·貢薩雷斯，要求獲准佩戴“Benemérito de la Patria”十字勳章，理由是該勳章被軍隊首長和軍官們使用。總督回絕了這一請求，澄清了該十字勳章並不存在，根據多條皇家法規，最近的一條日期是公元1867年8月26日，禁止使用。因此，對於詭詐製造商及其追隨者來說，這枚勳章逐漸失去了使用，最終在19世紀末完全消失。這枚勳章是由黑色琺瑯製成的五臂馬耳他十字架，每個末端都帶有球狀尖頭，臂之間有城垛裝飾，懸掛在卷軸和側面穿孔的球環上。正反面相同，都展示了中央的白色琺瑯圓形飾板，用鍍金字母書寫“BENEMERENTI A LA PATRIA（對祖國的功績）”。