The Khedive's Star was a campaign medal established by
Khedive
Khedive (, ota, خدیو, hıdiv; ar, خديوي, khudaywī) was an honorific title of Persian origin used for the sultans and grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire, but most famously for the viceroy of Egypt from 1805 to 1914.Adam Mestyan"Kh ...
Tewfik Pasha
Mohamed Tewfik Pasha ( ar, محمد توفيق باشا ''Muḥammad Tawfīq Bāshā''; April 30 or 15 November 1852 – 7 January 1892), also known as Tawfiq of Egypt, was khedive of Egypt and the Sudan between 1879 and 1892 and the sixth rule ...
to reward those who had participated in the military campaigns in Egypt and the Sudan between 1882 and 1891. This included
British forces
The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...
who served during the
1882 Anglo-Egyptian War
The British conquest of Egypt (1882), also known as Anglo-Egyptian War (), occurred in 1882 between Egyptian and Sudanese forces under Ahmed ‘Urabi and the United Kingdom. It ended a nationalist uprising against the Khedive Tewfik Pasha. It ...
and the subsequent
Mahdist War
The Mahdist War ( ar, الثورة المهدية, ath-Thawra al-Mahdiyya; 1881–1899) was a war between the Mahdist Sudanese of the religious leader Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam (the "Guided On ...
, who received both the British
Egypt Medal
The Egypt Medal (1882–1889) was awarded for the military actions involving the British Army and Royal Navy during the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War and in the Sudan between 1884 and 1889.
Resentment at increasing British and other European involve ...
and the Khedive's Star. Cast in bronze and lacquered, it is also known as the Khedive's Bronze Star.
History
After the outbreak of the Anglo-Egyptian War in 1882, the United Kingdom met with opposition from
Ahmed ‘Urabi
Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet.
Etymology
The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...
a nationalist and supporter of Egyptian independence. The British success in the war strengthened the position of the
Khedive
Khedive (, ota, خدیو, hıdiv; ar, خديوي, khudaywī) was an honorific title of Persian origin used for the sultans and grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire, but most famously for the viceroy of Egypt from 1805 to 1914.Adam Mestyan"Kh ...
of Egypt,
Tewfik Pasha
Mohamed Tewfik Pasha ( ar, محمد توفيق باشا ''Muḥammad Tawfīq Bāshā''; April 30 or 15 November 1852 – 7 January 1892), also known as Tawfiq of Egypt, was khedive of Egypt and the Sudan between 1879 and 1892 and the sixth rule ...
, a supporter of the British government, who decided to reward all British and Indian Army soldiers who took part in the campaign and who had received the British
Egypt Medal
The Egypt Medal (1882–1889) was awarded for the military actions involving the British Army and Royal Navy during the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War and in the Sudan between 1884 and 1889.
Resentment at increasing British and other European involve ...
. Permission was granted to wear the star in uniform.
The award of the Star was extended to the subsequent
Mahdist War
The Mahdist War ( ar, الثورة المهدية, ath-Thawra al-Mahdiyya; 1881–1899) was a war between the Mahdist Sudanese of the religious leader Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam (the "Guided On ...
in the Sudan until 1891. When the
reconquest of the Sudan recommenced in 1896, the Khedive authorised a new
campaign medal
A campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of an armed force who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater. Campaign medals are very similar to service medals but carry a high ...
.
The Khedive also made a small number of awards of the Star to Egyptian civilians for non-military service.
Description
The medal consists of a five-pointed bronze star darkened by means of lacquer. On the obverse, the centre of the star shows an image of the sphinx with the pyramids in the background, all within a ring bearing the word "EGYPT" and the appropriate date, above the corresponding Arabic inscription. The reverse has the monogram of
Tawfiq Pasha
Mohamed Tewfik Pasha ( ar, محمد توفيق باشا ''Muḥammad Tawfīq Bāshā''; April 30 or 15 November 1852 – 7 January 1892), also known as Tawfiq of Egypt, was khedive of Egypt and the Sudan between 1879 and 1892 and the sixth ru ...
, crowned. The suspension bar for the dark blue ribbon bears a crescent and a star. Issued unnamed, some recipients arranged privately for their details to be engraved on the reverse.
Naming of Khedive's Stars
Michael Hargreave Mawson, accessed 27 February 2020.
The medal was manufactured by Henry Jenkins and Sons of Birmingham, who also made the Kabul to Kandahar Star
The Kabul to Kandahar Star, also known as the Roberts Star or Kandahar Bronze Star was awarded to those British and Indian troops who participated in the 320 mile march from Kabul to Kandahar in Afghanistan between 9–31 August 1880, under the co ...
of 1880.
Different versions
There are four variations of the star that correspond to the different campaigns with only one star, the earliest qualified for, awarded to each recipient:
* Dated 1882: for service in support of the Khedive in the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War
The British conquest of Egypt (1882), also known as Anglo-Egyptian War (), occurred in 1882 between Egyptian and Sudanese forces under Ahmed ‘Urabi and the United Kingdom. It ended a nationalist uprising against the Khedive Tewfik Pasha. It ...
.
For service in the Sudan during the Mahdist War
The Mahdist War ( ar, الثورة المهدية, ath-Thawra al-Mahdiyya; 1881–1899) was a war between the Mahdist Sudanese of the religious leader Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam (the "Guided On ...
:
* Dated 1884: operations between 19 February and 26 March 1884, relating to the first Suakin Expedition.
* Dated 1884-6: operations from 26 March 1884 to 7 October 1886, including the Nile expedition
The Nile Expedition, sometimes called the Gordon Relief Expedition (1884–85), was a British mission to relieve Major-General Charles George Gordon at Khartoum, Sudan. Gordon had been sent to the Sudan to help Egyptians evacuate from Sudan af ...
to relieve General Gordon besieged at Khartoum
Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...
and for the 1885 operations near Suakin
Suakin or Sawakin ( ar, سواكن, Sawákin, Beja: ''Oosook'') is a port city in northeastern Sudan, on the west coast of the Red Sea. It was formerly the region's chief port, but is now secondary to Port Sudan, about north.
Suakin used to b ...
.
* Undated: operations from 1887 to 1891, mainly near Suakin and along the Nile.
In addition, a clasp inscribed Tokar in Arabic only (توكار) was awarded to those present at the action at Tokar on 19 February 1891. This was fitted to the Star already held or, for new recipients, awarded with an undated Star.
The Tokar clasp
For British forces, the Star is always accompanied by the Egypt Medal
The Egypt Medal (1882–1889) was awarded for the military actions involving the British Army and Royal Navy during the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War and in the Sudan between 1884 and 1889.
Resentment at increasing British and other European involve ...
, with the exception of service at Tokar in 1891, where the Egypt Medal was not awarded.
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*{{cite book, last=Mayo, first=John Horsley, title= Medals and Decorations of the British Army and Navy, Volume II, url=https://archive.org/details/medalsdecoration02mayouoft/page/416/mode/2up , publisher=A. Constable & Co, London , year=1897
British campaign medals
Orders, decorations, and medals of Egypt
Awards established in 1882
Anglo-Egyptian War
Mahdist War
1882 establishments in Egypt