Austria-Hungary Archduke and General Peter Ferdinand of Austria

[Christian Zulus]

Dear Christian,

I think it is possible. Furthermore, I figure it was likely for a member of the k.u.k. Erzhaus to be an honorary member of it. The extended badge looks like the Matrikelzeichen too. I was trying to find a photo of this decoration on the Net, but I wasn't able to find any. I will make a scan and will post it on the forum.

I think that a member of the imperial house that the Archduke was must have had a variety of foreign orders. Notice, however, that he is not wearing any other ones on his tunic. He may have chosen to wear only his Austrian decorations. Well, as I said the photo is not clear, so I am not insisting.

Best regards,

Lukasz

Dear Lukasz,

o.k., you are the expert - I collect Soviet Union & communist Yugoslavia .

I think, that William will present to us rather soon a rare and great order of that Archduke to us, he has in his collection .

Best regards

Christian

[Lukasz Gaszewski]

I can't wait to see it! Will-iam, Will-iam, Will-iam!!!

L.

[new world]

The Duke was awarded with the highest order of Bulgarian Kingdom - order of Cyril and Methodius, which was bestowed to only NINE Bulgarians (including 3 for Royal family) and 52 foreigners, mostly heads of state.

Insignia of the order are worn in the form of the sach badge as well as breast star.

I am not aware of any miniatures for the order.

William

[Christian Zulus]

The Duke was awarded with the highest order of Bulgarian Kingdom - order of Cyril and Methodius, which was bestowed to only NINE Bulgarians (including 3 for Royal family) and 52 foreigners, mostly heads of state.

Insignia of the order are worn in the form of the sach badge as well as breast star.

I am not aware of any miniatures for the order.

William

Dear William,

that's really something extraordinary .

Please show us scans .

Best regards

Christian

[Lukasz Gaszewski]

Badge with sash, star and the so called Lesser Collar (the Greater Collar was worn solely by the Sovereign). Enjoy!

Lukasz

Edited April 17, 2007 by Lukasz Gaszewski

[new world]

Badge with sash, star and the so called Lesser Collar (the Greater Collar was worn solely by the Sovereign). Enjoy!

Lukasz

Lukasz,

That's the one!

Edited April 18, 2007 by new world

[Christian Zulus]

Gentlemen,

that's one of the most outstanding orders in the history of phaleristics .

Even 15 years ago such a very top set of that order costs a fortune - in 2007 .

At J?rg Nimmergut's old book from 1991 "Orden Europas" you can see that order at the cover:

Best regards & and congratulations to William

Christian

[Christian Zulus]

Dear William,

we are waiting for scans of the Archduke's order .

Best regards

Christian

[new world]

I don't have the order with me at the moment to make scans, but it looks exactly the same as the one Lukasz posted (on the left, with sach badge and breast star) in post #30.

William

[922F]

First, SS. Cyril & Methodius are ALWAYS Wonderful!! One of the most beautifully designed and executed insignia, with all sorts of historical connections! It's interesting that Ferdinand of Bulgaria decorated several Austrian personalities in 1909, the first year it existed. Another 3-4 awards to Austrians took place before 1914 and others during WW I. As New World states, records now available show only 9 Bulgarians (including royals) and 52 foreigners received this Order. On balance, it is likely that more Austrians got the Order than Bulgars! William deepest congratulations!!

The Order, like most of Ferdinand's creations had a complex organization. Of just one class, it had three different collars. The illustration above depicts the sash, badge & star plus the "lesser collar". A "large collar" that somewhat resembled the French Holy Spirit collar also could be awarded and an even more elaborate collar existed for the Order's Grand Master. Although reigning royals supposedly got the large collar, some apparently were given to crown princes or equivilents. The lesser collar went often to foreign non-royal leaders like Mussolini, Ciano, Ribbentrop, etc. Yet Boris III usually wore the small collar!! More or less definitive information may be found in Pavlov's Bulgarian Orders and Medals, Sofia 2002, pp.161-171 as well as Denkov and other sources.

As to post #22 and the likelihood that Peter Ferdinand would not have a Tuscan award, he almost certainly would have had at least one as he was a son of the (ex)reigning Tuscan royal/ducal family. More on the Tuscan-Austrian link: After much toing-and froing, following the formation and subsequent fall of the 1849 Tuscan Republic, his grandfather Leopold II requested Austrian support in returning to his throne, though he publicly denied doing so. In 1859, Leopold dithered over Tuscany's participation in the Franco-Piedmont war against Austria (a step towards Italian unification) and lost his position as a result. If he hadn't asked for Austrian assistance, while claiming he had not in 1849, he might have kept his throne. In the event, he abdicated in favor of Ferdinand IV, Peter F's father who did not reign but went to Austrian exile. Ferdinand IV (and possiby Leopold II) presented Tuscan decorations to many while in exile, especially in Austria. Most Tuscan decorations currently on the market are of Vienna, usually Rothe, work. So in effect. the Tuscan ruling family was beholden to Austria, lived there in exile, and continued to hand out honors perhaps as late as Ferdinand IV's death. There's another thread nearby with a photo of an 1870s Austrian officer wearing two Tuscan decorations (the thread seeks in part an ID for those awards. Sorry I cannot link to it.)

Members of the Tuscan ducal family live in Austria even today.