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Eagle Sword

Order of the Iron Crown

Significance of the Iron Crown

Iron Crown of Lombardy

The Iron Crown of Lombardy, made for Theodelinda, Queen of the Lombards, was alleged to be crafted from one of the original nails in the True Cross used in the Crucifixion of Jesus. Regardless of origin, her crown was crafted of six hinged plates of gold, set with precious gems, and held together with an iron circlet structure, underneath. Thus, came the term ron Crown.

Upon Theolinda death in 628, her crown was donated to the Church at Monza, where it still remains. It was used during the coronation of Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, as he took the throne of Lombardy, in 774. Later Holy Roman Emperors followed suit in this tradition.

During his continued expansion of power, Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Italy in much the same manner as Charlemagne. As a symbolic gesture, he too, had himself crowned as King of Italy, using the Iron Crown of Lombardy for the coronation. The coronation occurred on May 26, 1805.

Imperial Order of the Iron Crown

(French) Imperial Order of the Iron Crown

(Austrian) Order of the Iron Crown, Third Class

Three weeks later, Emperor Napoleon founded the Imperial Order of the Iron Crown, on June 15, 1805. The Order was divided into three classes, with 20 grand cross knights, 30 knight commanders, and 50 ordinary knights. With his eventual defeat at Waterloo, in 1815, the Imperial French Order ceased to exist.

Austrian Order of the Iron Crown

The Holy Roman Empire, ruled by the Habsburg dynasty, gave way to the Empire of Austria, between 1804 and 1806. The last Holy Roman Emperor, Franz II, was proclaimed Emperor Franz I of Austria. His daughter, the Archduchess Maria Louise, was Napoleon second wife and Empress Consort, and the mother of Napoleon only legitimate son and heir, Napoleon, Duke of Reichstadt. With the collapse of Napoleon empire, Imperial Austria regained its traditional control of Lombardy. Emperor Franz re-established the Order of the Iron Crown as an Austrian order.

The Austrian order was also divided into three distinct classes of knighthood, recognized as the First, Second, and Third Classes. Investment of this order carried an Imperial patent of nobility. With the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in 1918, all but one (the Order of the Golden Fleece) of the chivalric orders of its monarchy was formally abolished.

Insignia

While the ribbon colors changed from the Imperial French gold and green to the Imperial Austrian gold and royal blue, the general look of the medal remained largely the same an imperial eagle set within a representation of the Iron Crown of Lombardy. Grand Cross (French) and First Class (Austrian) knights wore a sash and badge over the right shoulder, with an eight-pointed star (that featured the Iron Crown at its center) on the left breast. Imperial French knight commanders wore a traditional military style medal on the left chest, with the addition of a bow in the center of the ribbon to delineate them from ordinary knights. Imperial Austrian Second Class knights wore the medal suspended from ribbon about the neck. French ordinary knights and Austrian Third Class knights wore a traditional military medal on the left chest.

From 1908 for First Class knights, and from 1917 for Second Class knights, the Imperial Austrian order allowed for an undress version to be worn with service dress. First Class knights were authorized to wear a Third Class military medal on the left breast, with an addition of a device known as a “kleine decoration”. The pin device was a miniature version of the First Class breast star, and was worn on the center of the ribbon to delineate the wearer as a knight of the First Class. Variations in the star matched the details of the knight’s specific award: including the war decoration wreath and the crossed swords. The Second Class kleine decoration was a miniature depiction of the Iron Crown of Lombardy (copied from the lower part of the actual medal). As with the e First Class knights, the kleine docorations for the Second Class knights matched the award to teh knights: crown only for peacetime award, crown encircled by a wreath for the war decoration, and topped with swords for those awards “with swords”, and was worn in the same fashion as that of the First Class knights. During the Great War, awards “with swords” were given to symbolize personal valor of the knight that led to his award. Hence, ordinary knights medals were also frequently adorned with crossed swords, pinned to the tri-fold ribbon.

Masters of the Order

Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1806 1814; 1815

Franz I, Emperor of Austria, 1816 1838

Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria, 1838 1848

Franz Josef I, Emperor of Austria-Hungary, 1848 1916

Karl I, Emperor of Austria-Hungary, 1916 1918

Sources

Blom, Philipp. To Have and to Hold: An Intimate History of Collectors and Collecting. Overlook, 2003. pp. 146-147.

Gottschalck, Friedrich. Almanach der Ritter-Orden. Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony: Georg Joachim Goeschen, 1819.

Categories: Orders of knighthood of Austria | Orders, decorations, and medals of Austriaungary
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