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| Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1870–1871 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1870–1871 |
| Presenter | France |
| Type | Médaille commémorative |
| Established | 1871 |
| Eligibility | Participants of the Franco-Prussian War |
Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1870–1871 was a French commemorative medal issued after the Franco-Prussian War to recognize service during the conflict between Second French Empire forces and the Kingdom of Prussia alongside the North German Confederation and other German states. The decoration intersected with the political aftermath involving the French Third Republic, the fall of Napoleon III, and the proclamation of the German Empire at Versailles (1871). As a tangible artifact it linked veterans, municipal authorities, national assemblies, and state institutions to memory practices following sieges such as Siege of Paris (1870–1871) and battles including Battle of Sedan, Battle of Gravelotte, and Battle of Coulmiers.
The medal emerged amid the collapse of the Second French Empire after the Battle of Sedan and the capture of Napoleon III by Prussian Army forces under Friedrich Graf von Wrangel and operational commands associated with Helmuth von Moltke the Elder. The armistice, preliminary treaties like the Treaty of Versailles (1871), and negotiations at the conclusion of the Franco-Prussian War produced demographic displacements, municipal relief efforts in Paris, Lyon, and Marseille, and veterans’ associations in regions such as Alsace and Lorraine. The political context included the Paris Commune, debates in the National Assembly (1871), and cultural responses from figures like Victor Hugo, Jules Ferry, and Adolphe Thiers.
Established by decrees associated with the French Republic in 1871, the medal's award criteria followed petitions from veterans, municipal councils in Bordeaux, Nantes, and Rouen, and advocacy by organizations including early veterans’ societies and charitable committees connected to the Comité de la Souvenir. Eligibility encompassed members of the French Army and irregular formations such as the Garde Nationale who fought in field engagements, defensive sieges like the Siege of Belfort, or naval operations involving units from Toulon and Cherbourg. Documentation requirements referenced muster rolls, discharge papers from depots like Camp de Châlons, and attestations from commanding officers including generals tied to the Armée de la Loire and the Armée du Nord.
The obverse typically bore allegorical figures resonant with monuments in Paris and medals contemporary to the Legion of Honour tradition, evoking personifications similar to those sculpted by François Rude and Auguste Bartholdi. Inscriptions recalled dates associated with the Siege of Paris (1870–1871) and engagements at Orléans and Metz. The reverse often featured emblems resonant with regimental colours preserved in museums such as the Musée de l'Armée and iconography paralleling commemorative works by painters like Édouard Detaille and Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier. The ribbon patterns and laurel motifs aligned with contemporary patriotic symbolism visible in memorials on the Place Vendôme and municipal monuments in Reims and Strasbourg.
Multiple variants were struck by firms and ateliers linked to the broader Parisian medal-making tradition, including workshops in the rue de Louvre and houses analogous to firms such as Monnaie de Paris contractors and private medalists who supplied regimental decorations. Differences appeared in metal grades—bronze, argenté, and gilt—reflecting supply networks involving foundries in Lille and engraving ateliers in Metz and Nancy. Some variants bore maker’s marks reminiscent of artisans who worked on contemporary civic medals and decorations produced for institutions in Bordeaux and Lyon. Collecting communities compare die varieties with plates conserved in archives related to the Grand Chancellery of the Legion of Honour.
Regulations on wear followed precedents set by state decisions and municipal bylaws governing veterans’ insignia alongside standards used for the Legion of Honour and campaign medals issued in later conflicts like the Crimean War and the Italian Campaigns (19th century). Protocols addressed placement relative to other decorations on uniforms of units such as the Chasseurs d'Afrique and naval uniforms from ports like Brest. Administrative oversight intersected with registers maintained by prefectures in departments such as Seine, Nord (department), and Bas-Rhin, and with parliamentary debates in the Chamber of Deputies over veterans’ recognition and pensions.
The medal shaped memory cultures entwined with monuments commemorating the Franco-Prussian War, veterans’ reunions in towns like Versailles and Tours, and historiography produced by historians such as Jules Michelet and later commentators in the Third Republic. Its circulation influenced collecting practices among antiquarians in Paris and curators at institutions like the Musée Carnavalet and Musée d'Orsay. Debates on regional identity in Alsace-Lorraine, repatriation of artefacts, and later commemorations during anniversaries of 1870–1871 connected the medal to broader currents in French political memory involving figures such as Georges Clemenceau and Raymond Poincaré.
Category:French medals Category:Franco-Prussian War