The Sardinian Crimean War Medal or, more formally, the silver medal for Military Valour for the Eastern Expedition 1855–1856 () was a gallantry medal awarded by King
Victor Emmanuel II of
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...
for bravery during the
Crimean War
The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...
(1855–1856) against the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
. It is a variant of the Sardinian
Medal of Military Valor.
Ribbon and medal
A silver medal with a blue watered ribbon. The obverse shows a crown with laurel and palm branch surrounding the
arms of Savoy, with the inscription "Al Valore Militare". The reverse is inscribed "Spedizione d'Oriente 1854–1856" outside a laurel wreath, with the name, rank and unit of the recipient usually engraved within the wreath.
In addition to awards to the
Sardinian Expeditionary Corps and other allied soldiers, the medal was awarded to 450 specially selected officers and men of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
and
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
.
Queen Victoria gave permission for the medal to be worn by British servicemen in uniform.
See also
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British Crimean War Medal
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Turkish Order of the Medjidie
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Turkish Crimea Medal
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Baltic Medal
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Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
*
Médaille militaire
Notes
External links
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Military awards and decorations of Italy
Crimean War
Awards established in 1856
1856 establishments in the Kingdom of Sardinia
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