Circular silver medal with loop for ribbon suspension; the face with the head and shoulders portraits of Duke Alfred of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna facing right, laurel leaves and roses below, circumscribed ‘ALFRED 1874-1899 MARIE’ above, signed ‘Max von Kawacrünski ad viv.ler’; the reverse with two German shields on a bed of oak and laurel leaves, surmounted with a crown, that to the left bearing the arms of Duke Alfred, that to the right bearing the arms of Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, a ribbon above inscribed ‘TREUE UND FEST’ (Faithful and Constant, the motto of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) imposed on a radiant star, inscribed ’23 JANUAR’ below; on correct, probably original slightly faded ribbon. The medal was issued in 1899 to commemorate the 25th wedding anniversary of Duke Alfred and his wife, senior members of the British and Russian Royal and Imperial families respectively, many of whose members received an example. Alfred was born in 1844, second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and her Consort, Prince Albert. He chose a career in the Royal Navy, was diligent in his duties and rose to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet. On 23 January 1874 he married the Grand Duchess Maria, daughter of Tsar Alexander II, at the Winter Palace in St Petersburg. Maria was related through her mother to the Grand Dukes of Hesse and of Baden. He succeeded his paternal uncle Ernst as Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha on 23 August 1893, the Prince of Wales having renounced his claim. The silver wedding celebrations in 1899 were marred by their son shooting himself as a result of a scandal involving his mistress and dying of his wounds two weeks later. Alfred died on 30 July 1900 and was succeeded by his nephew, Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany. Maria lived on until 1920 and is buried with her husband in the Ducal family mausoleum at Coburg. The population of the Dukedom was less than 250,000 and the medal is relatively rare.
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