Bulgaria, Kingdom. An Order of Military Bravery, IV Class, c.1944
Военна ордена на смелостта, Гранд Крос. Instituted in 1880. Type VI (1944-1950). Grade One. In silvered bronze with red and white enamels, gilt lion and text on the centrepiece, measuring 50 mm (w) x 50.2 mm (h), vertical pinback, silvering wear evident on the swords and on the reverse, intact enamels, better than very fine.
Footnote: The Military Order for Bravery is the oldest and most recognizable order in the history of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom. Its history begins in 1879 when the first Constitution of the Bulgarian Principality had been passed by the National Parliament in Tarnovo. Under clause 58 of this new highest document, it was stated that within the borders of the newly established state, "…no noble titles and orders of distinction may exist of any sort". However, the next clause makes an exception by allowing the new Monarch to establish "a single decoration for military distinction in wartime and only for army men". This clause made it possible for the order to be established on January 1, 1880, as the nation’s only official order which is being awarded for exceptional military deeds and demonstrated valour on the battlefield.