The military campaigns of the Ottoman Empire are a chronicle of the decline and fragmentation of the Empire. The medals issued for these campaigns, however, offer only a partial view of the events. Those campaigns which were looked upon as successful (if not altogether victorious) had medals issued to record them, but campaigns that ended in failure, such as the Balkan wars of 1911-1913, had no official recognition other than to the crew of the successful battle cruiser Hamidiye.
Most Ottoman campaign medals were issued in multiple classes - usually gold and silver. As a rule, the gold medals were for officers, and silver or bronze went to enlisted men. This, combined with the temptations offered by the value of gold over the many intervening years, results in a far greater rarity among medals issued in gold. In many cases, there were various sizes of jeweled gold medals representing even higher classes, and these are sometimes considered orders rather than medals. Theses jeweled pieces were awarded in very small numbers.
Ribbons used for Ottoman medals vary widely, not only in the variety of replacement ribbons used, but even in the exact configuration of older ribbons that are commonly seen on these medals. This is not because the statutes of these medals were not specific - most Ottoman campaign medals have very specific statute ribbons. As the originals wore out, however, they were replaced with whatever ribbon was on hand. It has become very difficult to ascertain what the original ribbon colors were supposed to be on many of these medals, and some are simply not known, but by far the most commonly used ribbon was red with green border stripes.
To the best of my knowledge, what follows is a complete list of all military campaign medals issued by the Ottoman Empire.
Egypt - 1801
Scutari - 1831
Hunkar Iskelesi - 1833
Acre - 1840
Kurdistan - 1846
1st Yemen - 1846
Bosnia - 1850
General Service Medal (Danube Medal)
- 1853
Silistria - 1854
Crimea - 1854
Defense of Kars - 1855
Sebastopol - 1854
Montenegro - 1863
1st Crete Medal - 1869
Russian War - 1877
Plevna - 1877
2nd Crete - 1890
2nd Yemen - 1892
Greek War - 1897
In 1798 a flotilla of French troops occupied Egypt, declaring the Egyptian people freed from the tyranny of local "Mamelukes", and preaching France's alliance with Sultan Selim III. The Sultan, however, was not impressed by this unsolicited "help" from France, and promptly declared war. He sought the assistance of the British, who had cut off the French army in Egypt by Nelson's victory at the Battle of the Nile on July 31, 1798. In March 1801, a joint Ottoman and British army landed in Egypt and defeated the French army. The first recognition for these events went to Lord Nelson, who was awarded the Order of the Turkish Crescent. After the successful conclusion of the campaign in 1801, this medal was struck in various classes and awarded mainly to British Navy personnel who participated in the campaign.
The medal comes in six classes: a 55 mm. large gold medal set with
diamonds, 55 mm. plain gold, 48 mm. gold, 43 mm gold, 36 mm. gold, and a 36 mm
silver medal. They all have a common design: The obverse contains a crescent
and 8-pointed star (set with diamonds or brilliants in the highest class)
surrounded by a floral decoration around the border. The reverse has the
tughra of Sultan Selim III, surrounded by a floral decoration, with the
year "1801" at the bottom. The suspension for these medals is usually by
a short gold chain with a sharp hook, but many examples have been seen
suspended from a ribbon of pale yellow or cream color. The total number
awarded to British personnel, in all classes, is less than 500.
After the destruction of the powerful corps of Janissaries, the Sultan revoked the power of countless military fiefs across the empire, and brought them directly under the domain of the central government. The Governors of Albania, Mehmed Bushati and his descendants, had wielded enough power in the region extending from Scutari to Tirana to challenge Ottoman central authority for almost fifty years. They rose up against the Imperial government, but their power play was crushed by the Ottoman army in 1831 when Mehmed's grandson Moustafa Bushati was captured in the Rosafat Citadel in Scutari. To recognize the victory, Sultan Mahmud II erected a mosque on the shores of the bosporus - the Nusret mosque (which is still standing). The medal commemorating this campaign came in a dizzying number of varieties, apparently representing no less than seven classes. At the bottom is a bronze medal, 25mm in diameter, followed by silver and gold medals the same size. Then there is a silver medal of 29mm, a gold medal of 29mm, and finally two diamond-rimmed medals - one with rose-cut diamonds, said to have been for the Sultan's Ministers, and one with larger diamonds for the Sultan himself. The obverse of all classes bears the tughra of Sultan Mahmud II on a multi-pointed star, above a crescent with the inscription "Mahmud Khan, Son of Abdulhamid, The Ever Victorious", and "Medal of Glory". The reverse has an image of the Nusret mosque, with the date AH 1247 (1831 AD). The ribbon was red with green stripes near each edge.
Hunkar Iskelesi Medal (Russian Military Mission), 1833
This medal was struck for issue to Russian military personnel who encamped at Hunkar Iskelesi, on the Eastern bank of the Bosporus in 1833. A rare alliance between Turkey and Russia, this military mission was intended as a show of strength against the insurgent Egyptian forces of Ibrahim Pasha, the son of Muhammad Ali, the governor of Egypt. Ibrahim had contributed his army to several long campaigns, and demanded compensation in the form of territory. This he took by force, marching northward deep into Anatolia. Refusing to negotiate, and unable to get help from the British, the Sultan turned to the Russians. The Russians sent a flotilla to the shores of the Bosporus, deploying about 30,000 troops. Muhammad Ali agreed to mediation by the French, and further conflict was avoided. The treaty formed with Russia on this occasion set the stage for all of the military and political involvement of the European powers in Ottoman affairs henceforth. The medal for this event was round, 28 mm. in diameter, and issued in bronze, silver and gold. The date "1833" appears on the obverse, indicating that the medal was intended for Russian recipients.
Photo courtesy Tom Brand
Acre or Saint Jean D'Acre (Akka), 1840
Like many of the campaign medals of this period, this one was awarded to numerous British troops who assisted in the suppression of rebellious Egyptian forces under the Egyptian Viceroy Mehmed Ali, in 1840. The forces of Mehmed Ali marched up the coast into Syria to seize Acre, then held the city from September 10 to December 9. All British personnel who qualified for the Naval General Service Medal with "Syria" clasp were eligible for this medal, although the class awarded was dependent on rank. The medal came in three classes: bronze, silver and gold, but examples are known in silvered bronze. In addition, there were three jeweled classes of the gold medal, with various sizes of diamonds set in a bezel around the medal itself. These jeweled classes were awarded only to the highest ranks of government, with the highest class probably going only to the Sultan. The medal is 29 mm, and bears the tughra of Sultan Abdulmejid I on the obverse, surrounded by two branches of laurel. On the reverse is the castle of Acre, with a semicircle of stars around the top, and an inscription around the bottom that reads: "The People of Syria". The ribbon for the gold medal is watered rose colored with white border stripes, while the silver and bronze medals uses salmon pink, unwatered, with white border stripes.
There is also a variant of this medal, referred to as "sancakli"
or "with flag", which has a different obverse and reverse. The
obverse features a flag over a smaller tughra, and the reverse has the
inscription in English: "ACRE - 1840 - SYRIA" in three lines.
This variant is only known in silver.
In 1846 an Ottoman army led by Field Marshall Osman Pasha fought a a rebellious Kurdish force led by Bedirhan Pasha. Bedhiran was defeated and the castle of Orak, which was held by Kurdish rebel leaders was taken. The leaders of the rebellion were taken to Istanbul for punishment.
The medal commemorating the suppression of this rebellion was awarded in gold, silver, and bronze, in two sizes: 29 mm. and 26.5 mm. The smaller size was in all three metals, while the larger size was only in silver and gold. There were, as was customary in this time period, jeweled classes for those of very high rank. These came in three types, with the 29mm gold medal in the center and a circle of diamonds of varying sizes around the perimeter.
The obverse features the tughra of Abdulmejid I, while the reverse has an image of the mountains of Kurdistan, above which is an inscription that reads "Kurdistan - 1263." The original ribbon was the standard ribbon for all medals at this time: a narrow red ribbon with green stripes inset from the borders.
This medal was instituted in 1846, and
although the actions for which this medal was given are not well recorded,
it is apparently for an uprising of Yemeni tribes in the region. See the 2nd Yemen
Medal for more information.
The medal comes in gold, silver and bronze, all 29 mm. in diameter. The obverse bears the tughra of Abdulmejid I, and the reverse a calligraphic inscription that translates as "Commemorative of Yemen, 1263." The original ribbon for this medal is the standard narrow red with green border stripes used for almost all Ottoman medals of that time.
Instituted in 1850 for the suppression of rebellious local land barons in Bosnia, who rose up against the central authority of the Ottoman government, which sought to change their long held habit of levying and collecting taxes within their own domains. The medal is 36 mm. in diameter, in gold and silver. Silver gilt examples have been seen, but it is not clear if these were issued in this material, or if the gilding was added after the fact. Bronze examples are also believed to have been struck, but whether they were actually issued is uncertain. The obverse has the tughra of Sultan Abdulmejid I. The reverse has a crescent and star, facing right, above a scroll containing the word "Bosnia," and below that the year 1266 (ca. 1850). The original ribbon is believed to be similar to the other campaign medals of this era, i.e. red with green edges.
General Service Medal or Danube Medal (Iftihar Madalyasi), 1853
This medal bears the title in Turkish of "Order of Glory" because it was in fact a medal associated with the highest Ottoman order of its time. In practice, it seems to have been used primarily as a campaign medal for the Danube Campaign early in the Crimean War, and other recognition for which no other medal existed. While the participation of Turkey's foreign allies, particularly the British, is well known, few are aware of the battles fought by the Turks against the Russians early in the war. The Danube campaign was particularly costly to the Turks.
Strictly speaking, this medal probably belongs on the Decorations page, but as it was often used as a general campaign service medal, I have placed it here among the campaign medals.
The 31 mm. medal came in two classes: gold and silver. The obverse has
the tughra of Abdulmejid I above the date 1270 (1854) surrounded by an
ornate circle, behind which flags and sprays of laurel project upwards.
Above that is a crescent and star, facing left. The inscription reads "Abdulmejid
Khan, Son of Mahmud, the Ever Victorious". On the reverse, at the top,
is a faceted star of 11 points, with a small 6 pointed star superimposed
over that (roughly resembling the Order of Glory). Below that is a banner
with the inscription "Nishani Iftihar" - Order of Glory. The ribbon
is red with green edges.
Photo courtesy Spink
Instituted in 1854 for the defense of the fortress at Silistria in 1854. The Turks holding the fortress succeeded in holding it against a superior Russian force force that besieged it between May 19 and June 22. The medal was awarded in silver and gold, both 36 mm in diameter. The obverse has the Sultan's tughra surrounded by a wreath. On the reverse is an image of the fortress looking across the Danube river, above a scroll containing the inscription "Silistria - 1277." The ribbon was red with green edges, as was customary for medals of this period.
A variant this medal "with flag" is known to have existed in silver and gold, and possibly even bronze. This variant differed in a number of ways, the most apparent being that the fort on the reverse is shown close-up, appearing to be a single tower with the flag flying prominently overhead.
The total number struck in all classes (including variants) was 13,862.
This is probably the most common Turkish campaign medal, as it was awarded to a great number of troops from England, France and Sardinia who participated in the Crimean War. Because there is so much information available regarding the Crimean War in numerous languages, I will not elaborate here. As this medal was not issued to Turkish troops, but only to allied forces, the medal was struck in three different languages: English, French and Italian (Sardinian issue). Because the majority of the recipients were British, supplies of English strikes ran out, and many British recipients were given French or Sardinian versions. The 36 mm. silver medal has the tughra of Abdulmejid on the obverse, with the date AH 1271, while the reverse has an image of cannons, cannonballs, and the flags of the allied nations, over the words "Crimea" (English), "La Crimee" (French) or "La Crimea" (Sardinian) and the date 1855. The order of the flags on the reverse varies depending on the issue, with the flag of the appropriate nation to the right of the Turkish flag. The ribbon commonly used by English recipients is salmon pink with dark green border stripes, but this pink color was in fact copied from older ribbons which were originally red but had faded. Early illustrations of this medal, depict a narrow ribbon (perhaps 20 mm) of bright red with green borders. This is the standard ribbon of all Ottoman medals from this time period, and examples of these medals still turn up on occasion with the original narrow ribbon.
The fortress at the city of Kars was besieged in 1855 by 50,000 Russian troops. The Turkish garrison at Kars was only 15,000 strong, with the assistance of a tiny number of British officers and troops. With the help of British General William Fenwick Williams, the garrison resisted repeated Russian assaults, and was only forced to capitulate after an outbreak of cholera. Williams was awarded the Victoria Cross for this action, and a handful of British officers received the silver medal for Kars. Bronze and gold classes also exist. The medal is 36 mm in diameter, and the ribbon is red with green border stripes.
The total number struck in all classes was around 20,000.
Photo Courtesy Daniel Spier
This little know medal was awarded to general officers of the Ottoman and Allied high command for the capture of the city of Sebastopol in the Crimean war.
Its appearance is similar to the Turkish Crimea medal, except that below the tughra on the obverse is the inscription "Sivastopol 1271" in Ottoman script, and the reverse has only the three flags of France, Britain and Turkey. Also on the reverse, the word "SEBASTOPOL" appears in Latin letters at the bottom. This medal was only awarded in gold.
As the Empire continued to struggle with rebellious local land barons and revolts of Christian subjects in the Balkans, Prince Danilo of Montenegro pushed for independence, and tried to expand the borders of his territory. Still a vassal state of the Empire, Montenegro was invaded by Turkish forces on a number of occasions, until Prince Danilo accepted a settlement granting Montenegro autonomy, but denying it the territorial gains he sought. After Danilo's assassination, his successor Nicholas Petrovic incited rebel groups in Herzegovina, who seized some villages near the Montenegrin border and massacred Muslims living there. The result was a punitive expedition by Turkish forces led by Omer Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Western powers intervened to force a settlement, maintaining Montenegrin borders as they were drawn before the conflict began.
The silver medal bears a crescent on the obverse, above which is the inscription "Relying on the Assistance of Almighty God, Abdulaziz Khan, Sovereign of the Ottoman Empire." (Note that the obverse of the medal is essentially the same as the center medallion of the Osmanie Order, which was created at approximately the same time.) The reverse of the medal shows the mountainous terrain of Montenegro, with a cannon in the foreground and a Turkish flag flying overhead. Below this image is a banner with the word "Karadag", or Montenegro, and the date 1279 (1863). The original ribbon color is believed to have been red with green borders, although it is possible that the Osmanie Order ribbon of green with red borders may have been used.
The total number of these medals struck by the Ottoman Mint was about 30,000.
1st Crete Medal (Atîk Girid), 1869
Although uprisings among the Greek inhabitants of the island of Crete had been occurring for years, an outright revolt began on May 14, 1866, when a group of Greek citizens demanded lower taxes and changes in the court system. Although their demands were met, Ottoman troops were mobilized immediately, expecting outright rebellion. This became a self fulfilling prophecy, and fighting broke out between Cretan Greeks and Turkish soldiers. Thousands of Greek volunteers arrived on the island from the mainland, and the Greek government appealed to the Western powers to intervene on their behalf. Britain and Austria, however, were opposed to intervention for the time being. Thus, the Ottoman armies achieved one of their most uncompromised victories of the century, settling the affair in 1869. The Empire was able to retain Crete in some form for another 43 years.
The medal is silver, 36 mm in diameter, with the tughra of Abdulaziz on the obverse above a crescent, and a panoramic view of the island of crete on the reverse below the word "Girid" (Crete). At the bottom of the reverse is the date 1285 (1869). The original ribbon color is believed to have been solid red. About 50,000 of these medals were awarded.
For decades the Russians had yearned to own Istanbul and control the passage from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean - a goal that was held in check not so much by the Turks as by the machinations of the other Western powers. Ottoman suppression of revolts in the Balkans in 1876 and 1877 (see 2nd Bosnia, below) gave the Russians a pretext to invade Western Turkey ostensibly to free their Slavic cousins. The Russians declared war on April 24, 1877, supported diplomatically by Austria and facilitated by declared neutrality on the part of Britain, where public outrage over the violence in Bulgaria had eroded support for the Turks. But after the battle of Plevna, Britain and Austria intervened and brought the Russians to the table at the Congress of Berlin to settle an armistice. The medal commemorating this is silver, 32 mm. in diameter. The obverse has the tughra of Abdulhamid II, and the date AH 1294 (1878 AD). The reverse has a rising sun beneath a five-pointed star, flanked by draped flags above a crescent bearing the words "Russian War." According to the Ottoman archives, 13,412 of these medals were issued.
Ribbon: Red with thin green border stripes.
This 27 mm. silver medal was awarded for a particular battle of the Russo-Turkish war. The small Bulgarian town of Plevna became a key strategic location in the Russian advance into European Ottoman territory in 1877. The Turks, under the leadership of Osman Pasha, put up a heroic defense at Plevna, and succeeding in blunting the Russian advance. Though the defense ultimately failed, and Plevna fell to the Russian army, the resistance was so heroic that it turned British public opinion in favor of the Turks. The obverse and reverse of this medal are almost the same - with allowances for the smaller size - as the Russian War medal, but with the inscription "Plevna Campaign" instead of "Russian War" on the reverse. According to the Ottoman Archives, 15,581 Plevna medals were issued.
The ribbon is 26 mm, red with green border stripes.
2nd Crete Medal (TarziCedid Girit), 1890
This medal was awarded for the successful suppression of revolts by the Christian population (who constituted a majority) in Crete in 1890. The resulting flood of Christian refugees arriving on the Greek mainland inspired worldwide sympathy for the Greek cause, however, and Abdulhamid II made promises of reforms in order to calm the situation. The suppression of this revolt would prove to be the last successful campaign in Crete by the Ottoman Empire. In 1896 another uprising was crushed violently by the Ottoman government, resulting in a full-scale Greek invasion of Crete and intervention by European powers. The Empire was forced to grant autonomy to Crete, although Crete still remained nominally a Turkish possession until annexed by Greece during the Balkan wars in 1912.
The medal is 23 mm., in gold or silver. The obverse bears the tughra of Abdulhamid II, and the date AH 1308 (1890). The reverse bears the inscription "Medal Specially for the Soldiers of the Ottoman Empire Who Demonstrated Effective and Meritorious Services, as well as Courage and Valor in Crete". The gold class of this medal is one of the rarest Turkish campaign medals, with only about 50 awards. The original ribbon is 20 mm green with narrow red stripes inset from each edge. This appears to have been changed later to a red ribbon with three equal green stripes, as used on the 2nd Yemen and Greek War medals.
Yemen was the scene of almost constant rebellion against the Ottoman government during the late 19th Century. The two most violent uprisings were in 1891 and 1903, but of these only the first was successfully put down by Ottoman troops. Service in Yemen was a fearsome and dangerous prospect, and some soldiers mutinied rather than being sent to the Yemen front. For those who did fight, this medal was hard won.
The medal is 25 mm. in diameter, in both gold and silver, and is suspended from a ribbon of red with 3 equal green stripes, as is the Greek War medal. (The medal was in fact instituted in 1894, shortly before the Greek War medal.) The obverse of this medal bears the inscription "Gazi Abdulhamid Khan, Relying on Divine Guidance and Assistance, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire". The reverse reads: "Special Medal for the Soldiers of the Ottoman Empire Who Showed Effective and Meritorious Service, and Courage and Valor in Yemen," with the dates AH 1263 and AH 1310. The exact number awarded has not been established, but this medal appears on the collectors market quite frequently.
This medal was awarded for the 30 day war with Greece in 1897. After Greece had come within a breath of invading Crete, prevented only by mediation from the Western powers, groups of militant Greeks went to Crete to fight a guerilla war against the Turkish government there. At the same time, another Greek army led by Price Constantine of Greece invaded Turkish territory near Ioannina. This gave the Sultan ample justification for a declaration of war, and a Turkish force from Monastir pushed the Greek force back into Thessaly, where it routed a Greek counterattack and advanced to the Gulf of Volo before the Greeks could put up an adequate defense. At this point the Western powers intervened. The Turks withdrew in exchange for monetary compensation, and were allowed to repatriate some Turkish refugees. The outcome of the campaign served to bolster Abdulhamid's prestige among Ottoman subjects, forestalling the reform movement of the Young Turks. The medal of the Greek war is silver, 24 mm. diameter, worn from a ribbon of four red and three green stripes of equal width. The obverse bears the tughra of Abdulhamid II, surrounded by a laurel wreath, with a distinctive feature: a rose at the bottom of the wreath. The reverse bears the inscription "Greek War Day - Sunday, 23rd of Zildake (11th month of the Hejira calendar), 1314". Approximately 130,000 of these medals were awarded.
3rd Yemen Medal (Son Yemen Madalyasi) 1905
The last of the medals for the seemingly continual uprisings in Yemen, this medal was awarded specifically for an incident involving the Zeydi tribe. This tribe, with assistance from the British government, rebelled against the Empire in 1905, and managed to keep the rebellion going until 1908. Finally, after significant victories by the Ottoman forces, the Zeydi were compelled to sign a treaty and the rebellion was ended.
The medal for this campaign was issued only in silver. It was 23 mm in diameter, with the tughra of Abdulhamid II on the obverse, and the inscription "Yemen Madalyasi" on the reverse (a considerably shorter inscription than on the second Yemen medal). No date appears on the medal. It was worn from a plain green ribbon. Although numbers awarded are not known, it would certainly have been much rarer than the 2nd Yemen medal.
Cruiser Hamidiye Medal (Hamidiye Kruvazoru Humayunu Madalyasi) 1913
This medal was the only commemorative military medal issued for the Balkan War of 1912-1913. The cruiser Hamidiye and its Captain, Rauf Bey, achieved considerable success in the naval battles of this war, sinking several Greek ships and defending the Aegean and Adriatic waters of Turkey. Although the outcome of the war as a whole was a failure for the Ottoman Empire, the exploits of this one ship achieved enough fame to merit this medal.
The medal was struck only in bronze, 31.5 mm in diameter, and was awarded to the 394 crewmen of the Hamidiye. The obverse bore the tughra of Mehmed Reshad, surrounded by a swirling ornamental design reminiscent of waves. On the reverse is an image of the battle cruiser, below which is an ornamental scroll with a blank space where the name of the recipient was engraved. This award was to be passed to the heirs of the recipient upon his death. The ribbon was red with wide green borders.