[Daughters_of_Ataturk] Medals and decorations

TRH <trh@cyberspace.org> wrote:

Subject: x0x Medals and decorations
To: TurkC-L@googlegroups.com
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2008 00:46:33 -0500 (EST)
From: trh@cyberspace.org (TRH)


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x0x Medals and decorations

By BAHAR KALKAN

From the aigrette given to Admiral Nelson in 1798
to the War Medals of World War I, the history of
Ottoman medals and decorations is as complex as it
is interesting. The story of Ottoman medals and
decorations is tantamount to an historical novel
with illustrations, harboring all manner of
fascinating information among its pages.

Sultanate and regime; military and political
propaganda; wars, peace treaties and alliances;
honor, pride, envy; cultural and administrative
change; in short, 120 years of an empire's
history.

'Pride and Privilege: An Exhibition of Ottoman
Orders, Medals and Decorations', an Ottoman Bank
Museum project, realized by Prof. Dr.

Edhem Eldem of the History Department at Bosphorus
University and designed by Bulent Erkmen, made us
privy to that history up to the end of December.
Going beyond a mere display of objects, the
exhibition enabled us to hear their stories as
well. Taking the exhibition as his point of
departure, Prof. Dr. Edhem Eldem has authored a
book of, in his own words, 'somewhat
uncontrollable growth'.

In this important work Eldem examines how a system
that was initially foreign to the Ottomans evolved
over time and how they succeeded in recasting it
into a form that suited their own needs, both
practical and ideological. While the book can be
read as a history of Ottoman medals and
decorations, it also constitutes a useful
catalogue thanks to real-size reproductions of all
the items examined and detailed captions
describing them.

ENGLISH ADMIRAL IS RECIPIENT OF FIRST OTTOMAN
MEDAL

The history of Ottoman medals and decorations
dates back to the beginning of the 19th century.
In the classical Ottoman system, caftans or robes
of honor known as 'hil'at', or of opulent jewels,
known as 'celenk's or bejeweled aigrettes. The
story of Ottoman medals and decorations begins in
1798 when the English Admiral, Lord Nelson, earned
the appreciation of the Ottomans by defeating the
French, who English invention and design,

Eldem points out that English sources from the
outset regarded contrast, considered it a piece of
honorific jewelry awarded as a gift. Nonetheless,
the new system of rewards gradually began to
supersede the existing system during the
westernization movement, one of the most important
processes undergone by the empire during the
course of the 19th century. Far more than a pale
copy of their original western models, however,
the rewards took on a unique style as adapted by
the Ottomans.

DECORATIONS BOASTING PORTRAITS OF THE SULTAN

The first order to be conferred on a local notable
was given during the reign of Mahmud II. The
Portrait of the Padishah, the sole surviving
example of which is found in Topkapi Palace today,
was the highest honor bestowed during the period.
Also observed in this period are decorations of
rank, which, as Eldem points out, served the same
function as modern epaulettes.

The first examples of decorations in the sense we
understand them today began to appear in the 1840s
as the close correlation between rank and insignia
began to break down. During the Crimean War
especially, such matters assumed increasing
importance, and the Ottoman Empire began to make
frequent use of medals and decorations for
political and diplomatic purposes. Indeed such
decorations came to perform a virtual 'public
relations' function. The Ottomans' first order by
European standards is the Mecidi order, which was
issued during the reign of Sultan Abdulmecid. The
first two classes of this five-class order, which
was created by decree in 1852, consisted of a
breast star which was pinned to the chest and a
badge hung round the neck. Medals set with
precious stones were given only in very special
circumstances, generally to the highest ranking
military officers and state officials or to
members of local or foreign dynasties. The first
sultan to accept a foreign order was Sultan
Abdulmecid, although he never wore it. The reign
of Sultan Abdulmecid was a period when medals and
decorations were conferred with great frequency on
officers and soldiers.

Indeed the practice reached a peak during the
Crimean War when a large number and variety of
medals was distributed to both Ottoman and foreign
soldiers. It was also in this period that the
Ottomans made the acquaintance of a new and
different type of medal, the famous commemorative
medals such as that in honor of the restoration of
the Haghia Sophia.

FORGING A 'NATIONAL' IDENTITY

Sultan Abdulaziz issued an order unique unto
himself when he ascended the throne in 1861. Edhem
Eldem explains the significance of this
decoration, the 'Ottoman Order' or the 'Order of
Osman', as follows: "The choice of the name
'Osmani' or 'Ottoman' for this order could be
perceived as a reference either to the Ottoman
State or to the eponymous founder of the dynasty,
Osman Gazi. The date 699 (1299/1300) stamped on
the reverse of the medal refers to the founding of
the Ottoman State.

When the colors red and green used for the Arabic
expression that appears in place of a 'tugra'
(imperial cipher) inside the rosette are added to
this, it becomes readily apparent that this was
the first decoration that attempted to establish a
'national' identity uniting Ottomanism with
Islam." A look at other decorations from the
period reveals that Abdulmecid's successor Sultan
Abdulaziz acted rather more modestly with respect
to medals, of which he issued a relatively small
number.

EXCLUSIVELY FOR WOMEN: THE 'ORDER OF MERCY'

During the long sultanate of Sultan Abdulhamid II,
Ottoman medals and decorations reached a peak
unseen in earlier periods. Characterizing this
period as one of 'Use and Abuse', Eldem describes
it as follows in his book: "While the old awards
continued to be given, this period also gave rise
to a number of 'firsts'. The Order of Mercy, which
was created to be given exclusively to women, is
one of the most fascinating examples of Ottoman
decorations. Rapidly becoming very popular, this
medal, which was created originally to be given to
people who had aided victims of war or other
disasters, came to be used as well for arbitrary
and political purposes. The 'Medal for Education'
for outstanding students, the Medals for Merit and
Distinction presented to those in the service of
the state, the Medals for Glory and Art bestowed
mainly on performers in the fine arts, and the
medals that were given in return, for example, for
donations to the construction of the Hedjaz
Railroad or to relief funds following the Istanbul
earthquake, are among these 'firsts'. The Nisan-i
Âli-i Imtiyaz (High Order of Distinction), which
was deemed worthy of kings and emperors, and the
Hanedan-i Âl-i Osman Nisani (Order of the Ottoman
Dynasty), which was distributed only to members of
the Ottoman and foreign dynasties, occupied a
privileged place among them. "Abdulhamid II used
medals and decorations consciously and
deliberately in a policy that often led to
arbitrary, unfair, even ridiculous consequences.
The gradual debasement of medals and decorations
was lampooned in verses and cartoons by
contemporary opponents of the regime."

THE FIRST AND ONLY MEDAL OF THE WAR OF
INDEPENDENCE

The Young Turk rebellion of 1908 and the war that
followed constituted a new turning point for
medals and decorations. Having been regarded as a
monopoly of the state in the Hamidian period
especially, medals now became a dime a dozen, and
a whole host of unofficial medals, rosettes and
commemorative medallions appeared, reflecting
ideological and political rhetoric and wartime
propaganda. Postcards meanwhile became the 'medals
of the poor' in the proliferation of promotional
and propaganda activity during World War I. During
the process of collapse that followed the defeat
in October 1918, the Ottoman Empire's symbols of
honor and reward also began to wane. Meanwhile the
first medal of the newly founded Turkish Republic
was the Istiklal Madalyasi or 'Independence Medal'
awarded at the end of the War of Independence.

Eldem describes this process as follows: "The
Medal of Independence, which seems to have been a
commemorative medal and not a real award,
symbolized the abandonment of more than a century
of Ottoman practice with orders, medals, and
decorations.

The reason behind this radical change was the
close association made between decorations and the
ancien regime, to the point that a number of
members of the Assembly had even opposed the
creation of the Medal of Independence, [which was]
perceived as a concession made to continuity with
an Ottoman practice. The Turkish Republic would
therefore be conceived as a medal- and order-free
society." The medals and decorations that were
'discovered', adopted, and gradually put to
extensive use by the Ottomans as a way of honoring
and rewarding people survive today not only as
important documents bearing witness to the history
of the empire from the end of the 18th century to
the collapse after World War I, but also as a
reflection of the visual richness that
characterizes their designs.

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www.DofA.org
www.wearetheturks.org

Daughters of Atatürk is proud to promote Turkish Heritage across the globe. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk shaped the legacy we proudly inherited.
His integrity and dynamism and vision constantly inspires us. We are thankful to him for walking the untrodden path, achieving the unimaginable dream, living the eternal vision. We are the Turks, we are the future of Turkey.

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