Bulgaria Order of Alexander Nevski 1947 Bulgaria

[Bayoswede]

Hi !

Just want to show a award cert I bought a couple a years ago.

I love awards given to foreigners and the size of this one made me fall in love

Its big and it is a cert for Order of Alexander Nevski 4th Class with Swords to

an Russian LtCol named Kolodzey Aleksander Maximovitch (or something like it)

given 9th Sept 1947 wich was the last ocassion when this was awarded, after that the communist governement

closed the award down.

Now I just have to find a Order to get the doc complete ......

Maybe there is an Bank nearby?

Christer

[Guest Rick Research]

That must be from the "undelivered" award certificates haul of about 2001. I ran out of money going through the HEAP of these documents (turned my nose up at American Silver Star documents ) and plucked out anything that I could find for Generals, so I have a Bulgarian MMO-Commander document etc.

I remember seeing different classes for this, from Captains to Lieutenant Colonels.

I have NEVER seen one of these Bulgarian Nevskys. Anybody have any? What makes THIS Order particularly strange is that unlike the royal issue ones which had minor parts changed, THIS Nevsky must have been created completely NEW, in multiple classes...

and then it was suspended and never used again!

?????????

[922F]

Gents,

Denkov's 2002 & 2004 Orders and Medals of Bulgaria and Petrov's similarly titled and published work describe and illustrate these Alexander Nevesky awards. In short, tsarist Bulgar Orders' insignia were modified, first for the post-Boris regency [1944-46] and second for the so-called "bourgouise republic" [1946-50]. Most medals that had suspension crowns and/or a portrait of the Tsar followed these same general modifications. [A "Bulgar" lion replaces the Tsar's portrait where appropriate.]

Why a "Bourgouise republic" rather than a peoples' republic between 1946 and 1950? An alleged ex-Reichstag burner seemingly did not have enough trained "reliable" administrators, the "brotherly" Bulgar-Russian ties need not be overstrained, a fairly popular regency that followed a VERY popular tsardom could not be liquidated out-of-hand, and internal [royalist and Agrarian Party] dissent had to be accomodated--for a couple of years at least!

For regency St. Alexander pieces, decrees [cited in the works noted above] establish no design difference between them and pre-1944 St. Alexander forms. In regency Civil & Military Merit Order insignia, reverse centers became obverse centers and the "new" reverse center became a Bulgar tricolor. Sometimes but not always the obverse center lion had his crown removed. Classes that had suspension crowns retained those crowns. These same conditions applied to the Military Bravery Order.

"Bourgouise republic" decrees [cited in the works noted above] renamed the Order of St. Alexander as the Order of Alexander Nevesky. [st. Alex was Bulgaria's first 'independent in modern times' ruler Prince Alex of Battenburg's patron saint & St. Alexander Nevesky became Bulgaria's patron saint. Some 1879 documents actually call the Order of St. Alexander the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky!] For the "Bourgouise republic", suspension crowns were either simply removed or more usually [and by statute] replaced with wreaths of wheat, oak leaves and roses. The decrees mandated replacement with the wreath but economic conditions led to "sometimes" ignoring this requirement. No changes were required for the centers which continued to read St. Alexander [obverse] and the foundation date [reverse]. First class (secondary sash, badge & star grade) badges & stars formerly had a crowned lion center; that lion lost his crown during the "Bourgouise republic". A commander with swords-on-ring awarded to a Soviet general has the [former and recycled] cravat loop connected directly to the cross. The swords-on-ring device that formerly resided below the now vanished suspension crown is loosely 'threaded' through the cravat loop. It hangs loose in the loop.

Bulgarian Miitary Bravery Order classes that had crown suspensions during the tsardom and regency lost them via "Bourgouise republic" decree. Again, a wheat, oak leaf and rose wreath usually replaced the crown.

"Bourgouise republic" Civil & Military Merit Order pieces supposedly always had the obverse center lion's crown removed and badge suspension crowns were either, as the decree stipulates, replaced with wreaths of wheat, oak leaves and roses or simply removed. The "Bourgouise republic" Military Merit Order's ribbon replaced its yellow/black/white Coburg inspired colors with the Civil Merit Order's white/red/green Bulgar tricolor.

Bestowal documents I have seen are odd in that all large size formal "Bourgouise republic" ones have one of two 1946 or one of two 1947 dates.

Several "field documents" viewed are typed in that peculiar Soviet blue/purple ink on quarter sheets of rough paper.

Large size formal documents for all "Bourgouise republic" Orders exist named to apparent Bulgarian, Soviet, Czech, French, and Hungarian citizens. A British correspondent told me that he knew of documents named to British, Greek and Romanian citizens. Petrov notes that several Bulgarian Missions abroad were supplied with regency and "Bourgouise republic" insignia to hand out as they wished usually without the formal large document but with a note on Mission letterhead as the diploma.

The 1950 Yugoslav Nobel Prize literary award winner received a "Bourgouise republic" Bulgar Civil Merit Order commander in November, 1950. I have not seen that document and wonder if it was issued by the Bulgarian Mission to Belgrade in letter format rather than by the central chancery with the large document format.

Notes:

Once in a while Bulgarian eBayers offer the insignia varients or component pieces, especially suspension crowns, for sale.

Edited July 31, 2007 by 922F

[Ed_Haynes]

Thanks!

This is all fantastically interesting and delightfully confusing. Thanks, again, I think, "922F" (whoever you may mysteriously be).

[Carol I]

"Bourgouise republic" Civil & Military Merit Order pieces supposedly always had the obverse center lion's crown removed and badge suspension crowns were either, as the decree stipulates, replaced with wreaths of wheat and roses or simply removed.

Order for Civil Merit, republican issue (1946/7-1950)

(See Bulgarian Order of Military Merit, Different Obverse)

[Guest Rick Research]

Ah. I did not realize that the old Saint Alexxander was renamed by adding the foreign "Nevsky!" I thought it was some completely NEW award!