Hungarian Second World War Medal

Hungarian Second World War Medal

Military Medal

A sun damaged Second World War medal from 1940. On the front side of the medal is a portrait of the last Hungarian monarch of Hungary, King Matyas I Hunyadi who had ruled from 1458-1490. The reason for his appearance on the medal was to stoke nationalistic sentiment as the medal was minted for soldiers who participated in the annexation of Northern Transylvania after the Second Vienna Award. His appearance on the medal stokes such nationalism as Matyas' family, the Hunyadi family, had been born in Transylvania and had ruled the region as dukes within the Kingdom of Hungary. As the region had been ceded to the Kingdom of Romania after the First World War, the reclamation of a disputed territory is represented by picturing one of the heroes of Hungarian history who had originated from the disputed region. The lettering around the portrait also proclaims the so-called rightful liberation of Northern Transylvania as just and part of re-building the nation. The reverse side of the medal features the medieval coat of arms of Transylvania which once more evokes a nostalgia for the past of a "greater" Hungary. The medal is made of zinc as it was a mass-produced medal for soldiers who took part in the securing of military positions in the newly annexed territory.

Jakob Ware

Jakob Ware

1/12/2020

Digital Image

Hungarian

Medal