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Draft:Order of the Red Cross (Montenegro)

Order of the Red Cross
Орден Црвеног крста
Badge of a Member of the order
Awarded by the Royal House of Montenegro
TypeDynastic order of knighthood
Established1912; 114 years ago (1912)
Royal houseHouse of Petrović Njegoš
EligibilityOpen to nationals and foreigners
Awarded forOriginally, praiseworthy service in relieving the suffering of the sick and wounded in war; today also humanitarian service in the care of the sick and afflicted in peacetime
StatusCurrently constituted
FounderNikola I
SovereignNikola II
Grand MasterHereditary Prince Boris, Grand Duke of Grahovo and Zeta
GradesCross (with or without Star), Medal (Gold and Silver)
Precedence
Next (higher)Order of Petrović-Njegoš
Next (lower)Order for the Freedom of Montenegro

Ribbon bar

The Order of the Red Cross (Montenegrin: Orden Crvenog krsta; Cyrillic: Орден Црвеног крста) is an order instituted in 1912 by King Nikola I of Montenegro. It was bestowed upon those who had performed praiseworthy work in alleviating the suffering of the sick and wounded, initially during the First Balkan War.[1] The Montenegrin decoration is closely related in appearance and purpose to the concurrent Order of the Red Cross of Serbia, from which it is distinguished chiefly by its inscription and by the Montenegrin coat of arms borne on the obverse.[2]

Following the fall of the monarchy in 1918, the Order is today maintained as a dynastic order of the Royal House of Montenegro, being awarded for humanitarian service in the care of the sick and afflicted in peacetime.

History

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King Nikola I established the Order of the Red Cross in 1912 to recognise service in caring for the sick and wounded during the First Balkan War.[1] Montenegro had founded the first Red Cross society in the Balkans in 1875, the twenty-second national society in the world.[3][4]

The reverse of the original badge bore the date "1912". At the close of the Second Balkan War a new version was produced bearing the dates "1912–1913"; this became the most commonly encountered type. During the First World War a third version was issued without any date at all.[1] Two further, simplified variants – with a wider medallion and cross, altered crown and, in one case, the absence of the coat of arms – appear to have been struck between the end of the Balkan Wars and the beginning of the First World War, most likely as cheaper issues; it has not been established with certainty whether these were authorised or are unofficial specimens.[5]

Although the order is regarded as among the most beautifully designed of all Red Cross decorations, later examples show a certain want of finish, reflecting the growing wartime financial difficulties of Montenegro.[1] The standard model was manufactured in Paris by the firm of G. Lemaître (Bijouterie · Ordres · Médailles, 346 Rue Saint-Honoré); several examples, however, were produced by the Herman Silberberger firm.[6] The Lemaître mark and cases of issue appear on surviving examples, including a known breast star.[7] Examples survive in silver-gilt and enamel, and at least one badge is recorded in gold, said to be the only Montenegrin Red Cross Order struck in that metal;[8] one auction house has stated that only about 220 examples of the order were issued.[9]

Insignia

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The badge was made of gilt (silver-gilt) and enamel and measured approximately 33 mm in diameter (the simplified variants 32–33 mm).[1][5]

Obverse

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The centre of the field bears an equal-armed Red Cross in red enamel on a white ground, surrounded by a laurel wreath in green and gold enamel, the whole surmounted by a gilt royal crown. On the original type and its principal variants a gilt replica of the Montenegrin national coat of arms with mantle is applied at the centre of the cross.[1] In the simplified variants the medallion and the cross are broader; on one, the crown is of a different shape and lacks its pendilia (crown pennants), and on the other the coat of arms and the crown's pendilia are omitted altogether.[5]

Reverse

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The inscription in the centre of the field identifies the order and, on most types, its dates of service:[1]

  • Original type: "Montenegrin Red Cross 1912"
  • Second type: "Montenegrin Red Cross 1912–1913"
  • Wartime type: "Montenegrin Red Cross" (undated)

On one simplified variant the circumscription reads "Montenegrin Red Cross", divided at the foot by a five-pointed star, with the year "1913" in the centre.[5]

Breast star

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Star of the Order of the Red Cross

A breast star associated with the order is known from a surviving example, described by the auctioneer as most likely a prototype. It is an eight-pointed silver star with clusters of faceted rays, the central medallion bearing a red enamel cross on a white enamel field within a blue enamel ring inscribed in Cyrillic ЦРНОГОРСКИ ЦРВЕНИ КРСТ ("Montenegrin Red Cross"). The reverse carries a vertical pin assembly and the maker's cartouche of G. Lemaître, 346 Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris; the star measures about 91 mm and weighs some 73 g.[7]

Suspension and ribbon

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The badge is suspended from a laterally pierced orb set on top of the crown, which is in turn hinged to the badge.[1] It is worn from a ribbon of white with red stripes.[1] Examples were delivered in a black fitted case of issue by G. Lemaître.[8]

Contemporary status

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The Kingdom of Montenegro issued its own royal awards until the fall of the monarchy in 1918. The head of the Royal House of Montenegro has since continued to confer the historic dynastic honours, a practice acknowledged by the Montenegrin state under the 2011 "Law on the Status of the Descendants of the Petrović Njegoš Dynasty".[10]

As presently constituted, the Sovereign of the order is Nikola II, head of the Royal House, and its Grand Master is Hereditary Prince Boris, Grand Duke of Grahovo and Zeta.

Red Cross Medal

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In addition to the Order, King Nikola I instituted at the end of the Second Balkan War the Red Cross Medal, awarded to those who had taken an active part in nursing the sick and wounded during both Balkan Wars. It was struck in two classes, the first in gold (gilt) and the second in silver, some 33 mm in diameter.[2] The obverse carries the inscription ЗА УСЛУГЕ ЦРНОГОРСКОМ ЦРВЕНОМ КРСТУ 1912–13 ("For service to the Montenegrin Red Cross, 1912–13") together with the national arms and mantle; the reverse depicts the "Kosovo Maiden" and the year of the Battle of Kosovo, 1389, after the painting by Uroš Predić now in the National Museum in Belgrade.[2] The medal closely resembles a concurrent Serbian issue and is distinguished by its inscription and by the small national coat of arms on the obverse. During the First Balkan War a committee founded in the Netherlands to aid Montenegro also instituted its own red cross medal, inscribed on the reverse "Comité Ambulance Montenegro Pays-Bas 1912–1913" with the Dutch arms at the base.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Romanoff, Prince Dimitri (1980). The Orders, Medals and History of Montenegro. Copenhagen: Bent Carlsens Forlag. ISBN 87-85216-27-5. pp. 80–81.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Romanoff (1980), pp. 84–85.
  3. ↑ Meyre, Camille (2025). "Cautious or zealous? The ICRC's humanitarian action in Montenegro (1875–1876)". International Review of the Red Cross. 107 (930): 1218–1240.
  4. ↑ "About us". Red Cross of Montenegro. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Romanoff (1980), pp. 82–83.
  6. ↑ "Order of the Red Cross, Type I". Medalbook. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Montenegro, Kingdom. A Rare Order of the Red Cross, Breast Star, by Lemaitre". eMedals. Item M0501-1. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Montenegro, Gold Red Cross Order". eMedals. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Montenegro, Kingdom. A Red Cross Order, c.1912". eMedals. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "Montenegro 'Corrects Injustice' To Ex-Royals". Balkan Insight. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2026.

Further reading

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