Circular gilt bronze medal with laterally pierced spherical eyelet for ribbon ring; the face with the head of King Nicholas I crowned with a laurel wreath and signed ‘ST.SCHWARTZ’ circumscribed ‘? ?????????????? ??????????????? ????????? 1910’ (In commemoration of the celebrations of fifty years’ reign 1910), signed ‘ST•SCHWARTZ’; the reverse with the cross pattée alisée of the Order of Danilo, the central medallion with the crowned cipher of Nicholas I and circumscribed ‘?? ???????? ? ????????’ (For King and Country), the upper arm dated ‘1 ???.’ (1st August), the left and right arms bearing the dates ‘1860’ and ‘1910’, with laurel leaves between the arms; age oxidisation and wear marks; on probably original ribbon. The medal was instituted in 1910 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the reign of Prince, later King, Nicholas I. The celebrations marked not only the royal golden jubilee but also the King’s golden wedding anniversary and his proclamation as King. Montenegro had been at peace since 1878 and Nicholas I was known as ‘the father-in-law of Europe’ for his daughters had made very successful marriages to royal houses across Europe. The celebrations in Cetinje, the Montenegrin capital, were thus a great and grand occasion. A particularly good example.
|