Pamětní medaile Balkánského svazu 1912

Commemorative medal of the Balkan Union 1912
Memorial of the Balkan Savez 1912


From 1860 to 1914 we register four Balkan politico-military unions and one military pact. The most famous and important is the Balkan Union of 1912 -(Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Greece ). This military-political grouping completed the defeat of Turkey in the First Balkan War in 1912.
The crisis in the Balkans began in 1909 with the victory of the " Young Turk " and the removal of Sultan Andul Hamit. Although the Young Turks proclaimed the democratization of the country, the opposite was true or the country was returning to a rigid regime of violent subjugation of the territory, which culminated in the victorious First Balkan War in 1912.


However, the first move against the expansion of the Ottoman Empire was launched by Italy in 1911 with the invasion of Tripoli and Kirenik (Kyrenia ). The Balkan states ( Bulgaria, Montenegro, Greece and Serbia ) took advantage of a weakened Turkey, mobilized and combined armies achieved victory. Turkey leaves the Balkans .


On the occasion of the end of the war a commemorative medal is established as a reminder of the alliance in the war of 1912. It is certainly interesting for us that it is the Prague company PICHL " that was commissioned to mint the medal.


Description of the medal :



Obverse:
The bust of King Petar I in ceremonial uniform with the chain of the Order of St. Lazarus visible on the chest on the obverse face of the medal. At the top of the medal is an inscription in Cyrillic :
PETAR I. KING OF SERBIA


Reverse:
In the centre of the medal is the so-called Patriarchal Cross of Loreto in a wreath of thorns and around it is spread the inscription :
IN HOC SIGNO VINCES -( In his name thou shalt conquer )


The medal has a diameter of 35 mm. Made by Pichl Praha. The bronze gilt medal is quite common and well known, rarely there is a medal struck in silver. The decoration was worn on the colours of the Slavic tricolour .


When evaluating the decoration it is necessary to remember that it is an unofficial medal, we do not know who gave the impetus to mint it, but this Balkan Union already in 1913 disintegrated and the 2nd Balkan War of 1913 ( Serbo-Bulgarian War ) followed.