Austrian Medal question

[uscob]

Hi guy's,
can anybody help me to date this Award?
I found so many styles with different Beards etc. that my brain begin's to smoke.
The Diameter is about 31.5mm, so I guess it's a 2nd Class silver Award.

[Don D.]

1916-18.

[Brian L.]

Hi guy's,
can anybody help me to date this Award?
I found so many styles with different Beards etc. that my brain begin's to smoke.
The Diameter is about 31.5mm, so I guess it's a 2nd Class silver Award.

Kaiser Karl never had a beard, only a small moustache. You're thinking of Franz Josef who died in 1916. But, he didn't have a beard, either. He had a heavy moustache and mutton chop combo.

[uscob]

Thanks Guy's. The Beard was maybe confusing, on a German Site they wrote about a "Bart" what can be the meaning for Both Moustache and Beard.

[Reibert-Austria]

I´d also guess Silberne Tapferkeitsmedaille II. Klasse Kaiser Karl (1917-1918)

[Elmar Lang]

Emperor Karl I was the last Emperor of Austria and King of Hungaria: he reigned from December 1916, until Nov. 11th, 1918 (Nov. 13th, for Hungary).

He changed the motto of the Medal for Valour, from the traditional "Der Tapferkeit" to the latin "Fortitudini" (that was also the motto of the Military Order of Maria Theresia).

The medal for valour existed in the following "classes":

Gold

Silver 1st Class

Silver 2nd Class (the one of this discussion)

Bronze.

Emperor Karl I also created the class "for Officers" of the Medals in gold and Silver 1st Class. The difference between those for NCOs and OR, was a resp. gold and silver "K" applied to the ribbon.

Best wishes,

E.L.