The Médaillon Des Deux Épées (''Medallion of the Two Swords'' – commonly known as the "Medallion of Veterancy", ''Médaillion de Vétérance'', in French) was a French military award in the 18th century. The medal was established on 16 April 1771 by King

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

for the Army, and on 25 December 1774 by King

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

for the Navy. It was created to encourage non-commissioned officers and other ranks with at least 24 years of service, but could not receive the

Order of Saint Louis The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis () is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, notable as the fi ...

or the

Institution of Military Merit The Order of Military Merit, which was initially known as the Institution of Military Merit (), was a Order (honour), French military order that was created on 10 March 1759 by King Louis XV of France, Louis XV for non-Catholic military officers ...

, to reenlist in the army or navy. The award came with exemptions from personal tax (

Taille The ''taille'' () was a direct land tax on the French peasantry and non-nobles in ''Ancien Régime'' France. The tax was imposed on each household and was based on how much land it held, and was paid directly to the state. History Originally ...

Corvée Corvée () is a form of unpaid forced labour that is intermittent in nature, lasting for limited periods of time, typically only a certain number of days' work each year. Statute labour is a corvée imposed by a state (polity), state for the ...

work and soldiers' lodging. At the award ceremony, the recipient took an oath of loyalty to the king. The Médaillon Des Deux Épées consisted of two crossed swords tied together with a ribbon and surrounded by a

laurel wreath A laurel wreath is a symbol of triumph, a wreath (attire), wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. It was also later made from spineless butcher's broom (''Ruscus hypoglossum'') or cher ...

on a red background. The naval version of the medal included an anchor superimposed over the swords. The first awards were made of cloth and sewn to the soldier's uniform. Later, the medal was made of metal, suspended from a red ribbon and worn in the same manner as the Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis. Soldiers with 48 years of service were eligible to receive the award a second time, and only one soldier,

Jean Thurel Jean Thurel, or Jean Theurel (; 6 September 169810 March 1807), was a ''fusilier'' of the French Army and a centenarian with an extraordinarily long career that spanned over 75 years of service in the Touraine Regiment. Born in the reign of Lo ...

(1699–1807), received the award three times. It was a highly regarded medal among soldiers, and remained the only medal not removed by soldiers who participated in the French Revolution, despite its accompanying oath of loyalty to the king. Although military honors were abolished in 1792, the Médaillon Des Deux Épées continued to be awarded, but only to officers. No legislation is known to exist abolishing the award and it is known to have been awarded as late as 1795.

See also