Sources:

- Diário de Lisboa, Diário do Governo e Diário da República;


- MELO, Olímpio de (1923), Ordens Militares Portuguesas e Outras Condecorações, Lisboa: Imprensa Nacional de Lisboa;

- OLIVEIRA, Humberto Nuno de (1995), "World War I Portuguese Campaign Medal Bars", in: JOMSA, Volume 56, Number 4, July-August 2005.

 

 



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HISTORY

Historical chronogram of the Portuguese military medals.
This chronogram is in permanent construction, so only confirmed information is put here (dates are presented as day/month).

1861
22/10 - Creation of the D. Pedro e D. Maria medal, commemorating the Liberal Army campaigns during the civil war from 1828 to 1834.

1863
2/10 - Creation of the Military Medal, in 3 classes (Valor, Good Services and Exemplary Behaviour).
16/12 - Creation of the Auxiliary Division to Spain medal, commemorating the campaign from 1835 to 1837.

1886
21/12 - Publication of the “Regulamento para a concessão da medalha militar a que se refere o decreto d'esta lei" (Regulation for the concession of the Military Medal to which this decree refers). This is the 2nd version and the update of the previous decree of October 2, 1863.
Fundamentally, it clarifies points which were not consecrated in the first decree, much smaller.

1895
28/9 - Alteration to the article 5 of the 1886 decree, adjusting the minimal service time of the navy enlisted men, for the award of the copper degree of the Exemplary Behaviour medal.
23/12 - Creation of the Queen D. Amélia medal, to commemorate the Campaigns in Mozambique, 1894-1895, and India, in 1895

1896
6/6 - The Queen D. Amélia medal, created 6 months before, commemorates now, not only the campaigns in Mozambique (1894-1895) and India (1895), but any campaign sent to the overseas, of equal importance.

1902
11/12 - The Queen D. Amélia medal, created in 1895, and reformulated in 1896, is altered a third time, this time acting as a general service medal, with a bar for each campaign. In the same day, 3 bars are approved: "Oio - 1902"; "Bailundo - 1902" & "Barué - 1902".

1911
4/2 - Publication of the "Regulamento para a concessão da medalha militar" (Regulation for the Concession of the Military Medal). It’s the third update of the regulation, the first made in the Republic. It’s fundamentally the substitution of the effigy of king D. Luiz with the effigy of the Republic (on the obverse), as weel as small adjustments to the design.

1916
30/11 - Decree nr. 2870 – Creation of the War Cross medal, in 4 classes, to “award the acts and feats practised in campaign by military or civilians” & a of a general service medal, with no particular name yet.

1917
18/1 - Decree nr. 2940 – Regulation of the Portuguese Army Campaigns Commemorative medal, in 3 degrees (gold, silver and copper), created the previous year.
26/7 - Decree nr. 3259 - Regulation of the War Cross medal.
28/9 - Update of the "Regulamento para a concessão da medalha militar" (Regulation for the Concession of the Military Medal), the fourth since 1863, and the 2nd in the Republic.

1918
5/10 - Decree nr. 4886 - Creates the ribbon for mutilated of the war.

1919
11/9 - Decree nr. 6093 – The following alterations are introduced to the Regulation of the Military Medal:
- Creation of the copper degree for the Good Services medal;
- Use of device “C”, on the ribbon buckle, to indicate that a certain medal was won while in campaign, mainly Valor and Good Services.
30/10 - Creation of the Victory Medal (Vitória), “inter-allied commemorative medal”, by decree nr. 6186.
3/12 - Decree nr. 6264 - Creates the ribbon for the promoted by distinction.

1921
25/4 - Decree nr. 7464 – The reverse of the Victory medal is altered, not complying with the reverse decided between the allied nations.
25/7 – Decree nr. 7611 – The new designs for the Military medal and the Army Campaigns Commemorative medal are introduced.

1926
7/5 – Decree nr. 11649 – New alterations are introduced to the Military Medal Regulations:
- The device “C”, formerly used to indicate that a medal was won in campaign, now indicates that it was won in campaign in continental Portugal, against insurrectionals;
- A golden Plam device is to be used on the ribbon buckle to indicate that the medal was won in Africa or France.
9/8 – Decree nr. 12081 updates, marginally, the alteration of May, 7th.

1946
28/5 - Decree nr. 35667 – Publication of the “Regulamento da Medalha Militar" (Regulation of the Military Medal). This is the 5th version of the regulation and the 3rd in the Republic. Besides updating the Military Medal, this law brings the following novelties:
- Distinction between Military Medal and Commemorative Medal, which exists today;
- Creation of the Military Merit medal;
- The previous ribbons for War Mutilated and Promoted for Distinguished Acts in Campaign became medals.
It establishes new designs, very much different from the previous.

1949
4/2 - Portaria nr. 12731 - updates some elements of the 1946 regulations and presents new designs for the majority of the medals.

1963
7/10 – Decree nr. 45295 – Introduces small alterations to the Military Medal Regulation, mainly updating the condition of concession of the Military Merit medal.

 

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© 2006-2007, Jorge Quinta-Nova