Rumania: Order "Pentru Merit"

[Elmar Lang]

Hello,

in a group of orders and decorations, I've found a piece of this Rumanian award. It looks like a knight's cross, but its suspension is a royal crown with a loop on the reverse, hinged to the cross'upper arm.

Pity, the double "C" monogram is lost from the centre medallion; the reverse is plain.

Material, gilt silver; the centre medallion, gold and enamels.

Measures: h. 66 mm. (incl. crown); w. 46 mm.

What class could this cross be? I didn't know that the order "Pentru Merit" could have a crown suspension (or is it the Military Class, similarly to the Crown Order?).

Many thanks in advance,

Elmar Lang

[Kev in Deva]

Hi Elmar,

Please can you post some pictures??

Kevin in Deva. :beer:

[Carol I]

The Order for Merit had a white-enamelled cross.

[Carol I]

Here is an image of a (fake) officer's badge of the Order for Merit. Does your badge look like it, Elmar?

[Elmar Lang]

Hello,

in the next days I'll take some pictures of the piece.

It doesn't look like the cross posted from the colleague Carol I.

My cross is a silver gilt, four-armed maltese-type cross; centre medallion in gold, white and green enamel (the double-C royal monogram, wanting); the suspension is a royal crown, hinged to the upper arm of the cross; on the crown's reverse there is a vertical loop.

The decoration's reverse is plain, with two tiny rivets to fix the obverse centre medallion. The overall finish is of the best quality.

Best wishes,

Elmar Lang

[Carol I]

It doesn't look like the cross posted from the colleague Carol I.

Then it's not the Order for Merit, Elmar.

My cross is a silver gilt, four-armed maltese-type cross; centre medallion in gold, white and green enamel (the double-C royal monogram, wanting); the suspension is a royal crown, hinged to the upper arm of the cross; on the crown's reverse there is a vertical loop.

The decoration's reverse is plain, with two tiny rivets to fix the obverse centre medallion. The overall finish is of the best quality.

Does it look like the one below? If it does then it might be a Honour Cross for Merit. The one below was displayed in the National Military Museum (with a wrong ribbon though). But as you can see neither these had crown suspensions.

[Carol I]

No photos yet, Elmar? It would be really intersting to see the crowned badge you mentioned.

[Carol I]

There could be some confusion regarding these two decorations as they bore quite similar names for some time. Information regarding them is rather scarce, but this is what I could piece together. The Order for Merit was established in 1932 as a dynastic award under the name the Honour Sign for Merit. The Honour Cross for Merit was established one year later as a separate award that complemented of the former. When established both awards were under the exclusive control of the king, without the involvement of the chancellery of orders that administered the national orders. They were included in the list of national decorations in 1937, but following the abdication of Carol II in 1940 they were no longer mentioned in the list of military decorations.

[Elmar Lang]

Hello,

following, the images of the Rumanian Cross of the type "Pentru Merit" (excuse me for the confusion between the Cross of Merit and the Order itself.

The material is gilt silver and the centre medallion is gold and enamels. As said, the double "C" monogram is missing.

Excuse me if I've left some time pass before posting the images.

Best wishes,

Elmar Lang

Edited July 12, 2008 by Elmar Lang

[Elmar Lang]

The reverse:

[Carol I]

following, the images of the Rumanian Cross of the type "Pentru Merit" (excuse me for the confusion between the Cross of Merit and the Order itself.

The material is gilt silver and the centre medallion is gold and enamels. As said, the double "C" monogram is missing.

Excuse me if I've left some time pass before posting the images.

Hi, Elmar! No need to apologise for the delay or the confusion between the cross and the sign/order.

It appears your badge looks like a Honour Cross for Merit. However, the crown makes it suspicious as in the literature on Romanian orders this award is not mentioned to have had a crown. It is true that there was no official description of the peacetime award, but when wartime awards were introduced and described, the crown was not mentioned either.

Besides, it appears to have less detail than I have seen in images of this decorations. Please see below an image of the Honour Cross for Merit from the book Rom?nia - Decoraţii 1859-1991.

[Kev in Deva]

Hallo Gents

Here is an illustration from:

KLIETMANN PHALERISTIK RUM?NIAN:

Kevin in Deva. :beer:

[Kev in Deva]

From old auction catalogs:-

Order of Merit 1933, Grand Cross Breast Star for Civil, hallmarked "No 10 - 1937"

Only 12 pieces awarded. Auction blurb.

Kevin in Deva :cheers:

[Kev in Deva]

342: Cross For Merit, for civil 1933 maker marks: H. WEISS.

Kevin in Deva :cheers:

[Kev in Deva]

124: Cross of Honour for Merit 1933, silver hallmarked H.W. for Hentich Weiss.

Kevin in Deva.

Pictures added for comparison of the central wreath area around the C C cypher.

Kevin in Deva

[Carol I]

From old auction catalogs:-

Order of Merit 1933, Grand Cross Breast Star for Civil, hallmarked "No 10 - 1937"

This is another confounding factor. The Honour Cross for Merit used the same cross as the Grand Cross star of the Honour Sign/Order for Merit.

[Elmar Lang]

Hello,

thank you very much for the many, detailed replies!

Yes, actually, that strange crown started my questions, besides my small bibliography (I have Klietmann's "Phaleristik Rum?nien" and a few other, dated references...).

The pieces shown are made with much better detail and different, higher manufacturing. My piece is also very well made and almost surely of old production. It comes from private property, but who knows how decorations come in the hands of their former owner, if the descendants just say: "huh, I remember it since ages..." and decide to sell a box full of pins, medals etc.

I think that Rumania is a highly interesting field: until not long ago, the prices were extremely fair, if compared to the quality and the relative rarity of many pieces.

Best wishes,

Enzo (Elmar Lang)

[Megan]

This, I think, is a Commander of the actual order:

I would appreciate any comments...

[Carol I]

This, I think, is a Commander of the actual order:

I would appreciate any comments...

No Megan, it is a Honour Cross for Merit. The Order for Merit was enamelled in white (see badge no. 7 in Kevin's post above). Furthermore, the ribbon is a peacetime one not suited with the swords on the badge. And I also think the ribbon is that of the Order for Merit, but there is conflicting information as to what was the ribbon of the order and what was the ribbon of the cross.

[Megan]

Interesting... How do the Honour Cross for Merit and the Order for Merit relate to each other?

How was a peacetime award to a military person presented, then?

(I seem to be full of questions today - but then I teach by the Socratic method, and often learn by it as well!)

[Carol I]

Interesting... How do the Honour Cross for Merit and the Order for Merit relate to each other?

See post #8 above.

How was a peacetime award to a military person presented, then?

Without swords. Only the Order of the Star of Romania and the Order of the Crown of Romania had different insignia for peacetime awards to military personnel. The other ones did not.

[922F]

Could Elmar's insignia with suspension crown [post 9 above] be a Carol II exile-in-Spain award? It is unclear whether Carol II sanctioned insignia variations for his "personal" exile awards but that might explain it. The "cravat loop" style and basic cross body form/finish do not look like Weiss work in the least [to me!]. They appear to be more of a Spanish workmanship tradition. {And we cannot forget "exile" awards made by Carol II's bastard offspring in Spain or Portugal.} Edited August 31, 2008 by 922F

[Carol I]

{And we cannot forget "exile" awards made by Carol II's bastard offspring in Spain or Portugal.}

Can you give more details about this? Thanks.

[922F]

Hello Carol I,

While in French-Spanish-Portugese exile, Carol II awarded 'personal' decorations including the Honor Cross and it appears that his morganatic son {Carol} and perhaps grandson {Paul} (see below) did so as well. Paul now runs some sort of 'charitable' organization in Romania. There seem to be problems between Paul and ex-king Michael.

There was also a supposed bastard son of morganatic Carol, Karl, born in Paris in the early 1950s--not sure if he was involved in orders/decorations affairs (c.f. www.chivalricorders.org/royalty/fantasy/paulof.htm.) May be discussion of this in Contre Ordres.

Carol Lambrino, self-styled HRH Prince Carol of Romania (8 August 1920 - 27 January 2006) was the eldest son of King Carol II of Romania from his morganatic first marriage to Zizi Lambrino Joanna Marie Valentina Zizi Lambrino (3 October 1898 in Roman, Romania - 11 March 1953 in Paris, France). Paul Philip Lambrino (born 13 August 1948 in Paris), who styled himself H.R.H. Prince Paul of Romania and Paul Hohenzollern, is the grandson of King Carol II of Romania and of Zizi Lambrino. and the first wife of King Carol II of Romania.

Carol Lambrino was married three times:

• 1) Helene Nagavitzine (1944-1950); one son
  • Paul Lambrino
• 2) Jeanne Williams (1960-1977); one son
  • Ion Nicholas George Alexander (born 1961)
• 3) Antonia Colville (1984-2006)

His lifetime quest to prove his legitimacy was finally resolved in Romania in 2003. The court's decision allowed him to claim the surname Hohenzollern and cast some doubt on the legitimacy of King Carol II's later marriages. His half-brother King Michael I of Romania is awaiting the result of an appeal regarding the verdict. The royal claims of Carol's line (to the defunct throne of Romania) continue to be pressed by his son Paul. {This info from Nationmaster.com entry for Carol Lambrino.}

At any rate, what appear to be Spanish made Honor Crosses exist.

[Carol I]

Paul Philip Lambrino (born 13 August 1948 in Paris), who styled himself H.R.H. Prince Paul of Romania and Paul Hohenzollern, is the grandson of King Carol II of Romania and of Zizi Lambrino. and the first wife of King Carol II of Romania.

Paul now runs some sort of 'charitable' organization in Romania. There seem to be problems between Paul and ex-king Michael.

Here is his homepage.

Carol Lambrino

His lifetime quest to prove his legitimacy was finally resolved in Romania in 2003. The court's decision allowed him to claim the surname Hohenzollern and cast some doubt on the legitimacy of King Carol II's later marriages.

As far as I know, the 2003 decision of the Romanian court recognised his inheritance rights as a child of Carol II, but not his claim to the throne, the rights of succession being decided according to the constitution and the rules of the royal family.