Albania - Medal of the Order of the Black Eagle

[Eric Schena]

Hi all:

Here's my latest addition to my collection of Albanian decorations and it is my first non communist medal as well.

This is the silver medal to the Order of the Black Eagle. The Order was founded by Prince Wilhelm of Wied on March 26, 1914 and was awarded for distinguished civil and military service. It came in 5 classes (Grand Cross/Cordon, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer, Member/Knight) as well as 3 classes of medals (gold, silver, & bronze). It became obsolete when Wilhelm fled Albania on September 5, 1914 and was not resurrected by Zog. It is very possible that Wilhelm continued to hand out awards after he left Albania, as one source I found indicates that it continued to be awarded up to 1922. The order itself was made by Berlin jeweler Willibald Kluge, though I am not sure that they made the medal, as well. Supposedly, the official records (wherever they may be) state that the Grand Cross was awarded 6 times, the Grand Officer class 4 times and also claim that only 12 silver medals were handed out, however, that seems low. The medal usually seen is the bronze class, this is only the second silver class one I have seen. It is made out of silver and is the size of a crown sized coin.

Edited October 4, 2005 by Eric Schena

[Gerd Becker]

Ahhhh, Eric Schena found its way to Imperial awards

Interesting Medal. Only 22 Awards, thats really rare.

best,

Gerd

[Eric Schena]

...and for those with deep pockets, if you don't feel like buying a used car, you could always spring for these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Like I mentioned earlier, it's my understanding that Wilhelm handed these out for a short time after he went into exile, so the numbers awarded may not be accurate (I know of at least 3 silver class medals, including mine, so there are most likely more than a dozen awarded). That said, this is one rare order! At least I can drool over the pics...

Cheers,

Eric

[Bob Hunter]

Hmmmmm, is the imperial bug about to claim another victim? Let's see...

Very exotic piece, Eric. Congratulations.

[Ed_Haynes]

Ahhhh, Eric Schena found its way to Imperial awards

"Imperial" Albania??

[Eric Schena]

"Imperial" Albania??

Well, I think that a lot of folks will link Wilhelm of Wied's awards to Imperial German decorations because they will show up in Imperial groups every now and again, plus there is a German connection with Wilhelm. One of the neatest German medal bar I've seen was one with the Accession of Wilhelm Medal.

Here's a little background:

It started out as an Ottoman vassal state, then later, was declared a principality on December 21, 1913 after the Balkan Wars gave Albania its independence. On February 6, 1914, Wilhelm of Wied (a nephew of the Romanian royal family) was declared the first prince. Plagued with internal turmoil between rival families from the start, Wilhelm tried to maintain stability, however, the outbreak of WW II prevented him from obtaining the necessary funding to restore order and was obliged to flee Albania on September 5, 1914. Wilhelm never abdicated his claim to the throne and appears he continued to hand out awards (namely the Order of the Black Eagle) afterwards for a time.

After Wilhelm?s departure in 1914, Serbia, Austria and Italy seized control and attempted to rule Albania. However, in 1917, Italy declared Albania a protectorate on June 3, 1917, a situation that lasted until January 20, 1920 when Albania once again secured its independence from the allied powers. Civil war erupted and turbulence became de rigueur. However, while Ahmed Bey Zogu became prime minister in 1922 and was forced to flee to Serbia in 1924, he mustered enough support to become president in 1925. After consolidating power, he proclaimed himself as King Zog I and was crowned in September, 1928. While some measure of stability was restored to the new nation, ever increasing reliance on military and monetary support from Fascist Italy brought about enough concern for Zog to attempt to wrest control in 1934 when he expelled all of his Italian advisors. However, this attempt at wresting control from Italian domination was reversed when the Italian fleet entered the harbor at Durazzo. For five years after, Albania was allowed to continue on as an Italian protectorate, however, in 1939, Mussolini annexed Albania, forcing Zog to flee on April 8, 1939, and the crown passed to Vittorio Emmanuele III, a situation that lasted until Fascist Italy?s collapse in WW II.