The Medal for Noble Deeds ( sv, För berömliga gärningar, GM/SMbg) is a Swedish medal intended to honour personal courage in a civilian context. It is used to honour not only the noble deed of lifesaving but also courage and presence of mind. Since its inception in 1832, the medal has been awarded in gold in two sizes and in silver in one size.
History
Gustav III
Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia.
Gustav was a vocal opponent of what ...
approved the medal
''Illis quorum meruere labores'', in 1785, but there is no information to indicate that it was awarded until 1787. After Gustav III's death, no awards were given.
Gustav IV Adolf
Gustav IV Adolf or Gustav IV Adolph (1 November 1778 – 7 February 1837) was King of Sweden from 1792 until he was deposed in a coup in 1809. He was also the last Swedish monarch to be the ruler of Finland.
The occupation of Finland in 1808–09 ...
took the medal into use in 1798 and it was used relatively extensively during the 19th century. The medal was used for various contributions and for people from large parts of society. ''Sui memores alios fecere merendo'' ("To those who affirm their memory in others by doing good deeds") was established in 1805 by Gustaf IV Adolf intended to honor efforts for public benefit activities. It then became a reward for saving human lives.
In 1832,
Charles XIV John
sv, Karl Johan Baptist Julius
, spouse =
, issue = Oscar I of Sweden
, house = Bernadotte
, father = Henri Bernadotte
, mother = Jeanne de Saint-Jean
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Pau, ...
decided that the medals would be issued in Swedish in the future, but that the variants in Latin would be retained for special cases. This meant that a certain confusion took place between the medals for a number of years. In the 1860s, ''Illis quorum'' regained its status as an award for Swedish citizens for civic merit. ''Illis quorum''s equivalent in Swedish, the Medal for Noble Deeds (''För medborgerlig förtjänst''), therefore became in 1832 an award for long-lasting and solid locally emphasized efforts in the municipal and of a practical nature. ''Illis quourum'' was awarded to a large extent for e.g. cultural merits. The Medal for Noble Deeds, which is the Swedish version of ''Sui memores alios fecere merendo'', was also instituted in 1832 to be awarded to Swedes, while the version in Latin is awarded to foreigners.
Appearance
Sizes
Gold medal of the 8th size (GMbg8), gold medal of the 5th size (GMbg5) and silver medal of the 8th size (SMbg8).
Ribbon
The ribbon is
royal blue
Royal blue is a deep and vivid shade of blue. It is said to have been created by clothiers in Rode, Somerset, a consortium of whom won a competition to make a dress for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III.
Brightness
The ''Oxford En ...
with a yellow stripe toward each edge.
Presenting
The medal is rarely awarded, on average less than once a year. Between 1975 and 2005, the medal was awarded only 17 times, and only in gold of the fifth size.
Selected recipients
References
Notes
Print
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{{DEFAULTSORT:För berömliga gärningar
Orders, decorations, and medals of Sweden
Awards established in 1832
1832 establishments in Sweden