Going back to time immemorial, leaders have found ways to bestow individuals with recognition and gratitude for an act of merit; the practice dates to the oldest tribal communities. In the days of old, such gifts included furs, arms and precious fabrics. In medieval times, only feudal lords who enjoyed certain titles and privileges could be rewarded with membership in a particular order, like the Knights Templar, Teutonic Knights and later the Maltese Knights.
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The practice of conferring orders, medals or memorial certificates as tokens of a ruler’s and/or a country’s gratitude — depending on the personal merits of the individual — emerged in the 18th century in most newly-formed European states and elsewhere in the world as a derivation from the Middle Ages.
Serbian decorations — exhibited as part of the permanent exhibition at the Military Museum in Belgrade — were given for valour and self-sacrifice in wars conducted in the region. In times of peace, they were conferred on individuals who contributed to society’s development by advancing education, science or the creative arts. The royal dynasties of the Obrenović and Karadjordjević families for the most part introduced them to mark significant events in the history of Serbia, but also during the frequent defensive wars to which the Serbian army and people were fatefully exposed.
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King Petar I Karadjordjević
with the Order of the
Holy Prince Lazar |
"The first Serbian order, as a decoration of the highest rank, is associated with Prince Mihailo Obrenović. In 1865 he introduced the Cross of Takovo to mark the 50th anniversary of the Second Serbian Uprising. The prince thereby sought to reward all the surviving participants in the Uprising as well as the families of those who perished in it", says Military Museum curator Dušanka Maričić.
That marked the beginning of the development of the Order of the Cross of Takovo that would later be defined as a five-class order. During the Serbian-Turkish Wars of 1876–1878, this order became the Order of the Cross of Takovo with Swords, conferring the status of hero through 1903 and the end of the reign of the Obrenović dynasty.
The renewed proclamation in 1882 establishing the Kingdom of Serbia, which had ceased to exist in the late Middle Ages — with its renewal lasting through the First Serbian Uprising — led to legislation on decorations in 1883. Two new Serbian decorations were then introduced – the Order of the White Eagle and the Order of St. Sava. They were instituted by the first Serbian king of modern times, King Milan I Obrenović.
Many view the Order of the White Eagle as one of the handsomest Serbian decorations. It was decreed by law as a five-class order. The first class, the Grand Cross — could be conferred only on five individuals; the second, the Grand Officer — could be borne by 20; the third, the Commander – by 40; the fourth, the Officer – by 150, while the fifth class, the Cavalier – could be awarded to up to 300 worthy individuals. The Karadjordjević dynasty continued conferring this order, albeit with a changed reverse side. Instead of its founder king’s monogram (MI), it featured the year of the Serbian state’s renewal (1883). Thirty-two years after the Order of the White Eagle was first instituted, King Petar I Karadjordjević during World War I established the Order of the White Eagle with Swords, which was awarded for wartime services contributing to Serbia’s victories.
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Order of the Star of Karadjordje with Swords Fourth Class |
Order of the Cross of Takovo with Swords Third Class |
Order of the Star of St. Sava First Class |
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Albania Honor Memorial badge |
Order of the White Eagle with Swords Third Class |
Miloš Obilić Gold Medal of Bravery |
For meritorious services rendered in education, literature, Church and fine arts, King Milan I introduced the Order of St. Sava. The order’s slogan and message of this greatest Serbian saint — "Hard work conquers all" —embodies St. Sava’s centuries-old, timeless and always topical message to his people.
"This decoration is also organised in five classes. The Order of St. Sava First Class for peacetime merits awarded to Vojvoda (highest military rank in the Serbian Army, above General — equivalent to Field Marshal in other armies) Stepa Stepanović is kept at the Military Museum", says higher curator Dušanka Maričić.
At the time this decoration was not – as is the case today – an order conferred by the Serbian Orthodox Church but an official state decoration awarded by the King, as from the Obrenović, so also from the Karadjordjević dynasty. As such, the Order of St. Sava was in use through the end of World War II.
In 1889, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo, the single-class Order of the Holy Prince Lazar was introduced. Reliable data on the fate of this dynastic decoration is still lacking, and its appearance can only be inferred from portraits of the kings and crown princes of the Obrenović and Karadjordjević dynasties, as they alone had the right to wear it. The draft design for the Order of the Holy Prince Lazar decoration by Mihailo Valtrović is kept in the History Museum of Serbia.
"All three insignias of this vanished decoration, one of Alexander I Obrenović, the second of King Peter I Karadjordjević and the third that Prince Pavle had ordered to be made when King Petar II Karadjordjević came of age, were done in gold and decorated with rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds and pearls", says Dragomir Acović, member of the Crown Council of H.R.H. Crown Prince Aleksandar II Karadjordjević and president of the Serbian Heraldry Society.
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Chain with miniatures decorations of Milutin Garašanin, Serbian foreign minister (1884 –1886) |
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Mercy Cross |
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Order of Miloš the Great |
On December 11, 1898, to mark the 40th anniversary of the so-called St. Andrew Assembly (after St. Andrew the First-Called), when the House of Obrenović removed from power the rival Karadjordjević dynasty, King Alexander I Obrenović instituted the Royal Order of Miloš the Great. It was awarded to individuals who had rendered particular services to the ruling family. This Order took precedence over all other decorations in the Kingdom of Serbia until the Karadjordjević dynasty returned to the thrown.
The four-class Order of the Star of Karadjordje bearing the slogan "For Faith and Freedom 1804" was instituted by Petar I Karadjordjević to commemorate Karadjordje’s 1804 uprising. As of 1904, to mark the 100th anniversary from the First Serbian Uprising, this Order became the highest decoration of the Kingdom of Serbia. As with the Order of the Cross of Takovo and the Order of the White Eagle, this decoration, too, was introduced during peacetime, but in time of war it became the Order of the Star of Karadjordje with Swords. Beginning in 1912 and with the First Balkan War, it was awarded for conspicuous valor and merit in war. During World War I, King Petar I instituted (also military) the Order of the Star of Karadjordje that he awarded to Serbian Army noncommissioned officers and troops with the inscribed words: "For Bravery".
In addition to orders, as top rank decorations, a prominent place in the system of rewards in other countries as well as in Serbia is held by medals. Their name was usually associated with some recognized virtue worthy of conferring a decoration. In terms of their significance, some medals carried greater weight than orders. They were awarded for courage, deeds of heroism, dedicated service, military prowess and other proven loyalty to king and country.
"One of the handsomest and most appreciated is the medal bearing the name of the legendary hero, Miloš Obilić. It was introduced in 1913 during the Second Balkan War and had two classes, gold and silver – explains Ms Maričić.
Honour Memorial badges are honourary decorations of lower orders, but they do carry historical weight, as they were awarded to all participants of certain events at anniversaries gatherings.
"One of the most representative is the so-called Albania Honour Memorial badge borne by all those who crossed Albania in 1915. It carries the inscription 'To My War Comrades In Arms, Alexander', while the reverse side has the words: "For Loyalty to the Fatherland".
After World War I and the formation of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918, Serbia brought its decorations into the newly-formed state. These decorations, along with the new ones introduced in the meantime, continued as compelling tokens of the state’s gratitude to distinguished individuals up until World War II, when awarding them came to a complete stop. | 
