Circular bronze medal; the face with a portrait of Emperor Pedro II circumscribed ‘D. PEDRO II IMPERADOR DO BRAZIL’ (Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil); the reverse with the date '17 - 12 - 1851' (17 December 1851 - the date of the Battle of Tonelero) encircled by a laurel wreath and circumscribed ‘CAMPANHA NAVAL DO RIO PRATO EC DO TONELERO’ (Naval Campaign of the River Plate and Tonelero); lacking crown suspension and ribbon. This medal for the naval battle of Tonelero, together with that for the Rio da Prata naval campaign of 1851-1852, were created by Imperial Decree 547 on 1 April 1852 and intended to reward those who took part in the Battle of Tonelero. In 1851 Argentina, under the dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas, attempted to annex Paraguay and Uruguay. Land forces, supported by a Brazilian naval squadron operating on the River Plate under Vice Admiral John (João) Pascoe Grenfell, routed the Argentinian forces. Very rare early Brazilian naval medal.
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