1st and 4th class Orders of St.George awarded to Alexander I

For the first time St. George's Order Duma presented Emperor Alexander I with the 1st class Order of St. George in 1801 as a "petition of the entire cavalier estate." The emperor refused to accept the highest class of this order. St. George Duma repeated the proposal to lay upon the Emperor 1st class insignias of the order in 1805 after the return of Alexander I from a foreign campaign and the battle of Austerlitz. The emperor replied that "no matter how flattering the wish expressed by the Cavalier Duma is for him, but having yet only one opportunity to show his personal courage and as proof of how much he respects the Military Order, he now finds it possible to accept only the insignia of the fourth class of the order". The 1st class cross of the Order of St. George with a ribbon that was presented to Emperor Alexander I was kept in the Chapter /Kapitul/ of Russian Orders as a reminder of the act of the monarch. After 1917 he entered into the collection of the Moscow Kremlin.

/В первый раз Георгиевская орденская дума предподнесла в знаки ордена Святого Георгия первой степени императору Александру I в 1801 году в качестве"прошения всего кавалерского сословия". Император отказался возложить на себя высшую степень этого ордена. Предложение возложить на императора знаки ордена Георгиевская дума повторила в 1805 году, после возвращения Александра I из заграничного похода и битвы при Аустерлице. Император ответил, что "сколько ни лестно для него изъявленное Кавалерскою думою желание, но, имев еще единственный случай оказать личную свою храбрость и в доказательство, сколь он Военный орден уважает, находит теперь приличным принять только знак четвертого класса онаго". Знак ордена Св. Георгия I степени на ленте, преподнесенный императору Александру I как намять о поступке монарха, хранился в Капитуле российских орденов. Оттуда он после 1917 года поступил в коллекцию Москового Кремля./

Excerpt from Historical sketch of Russian orders and a collection of the main order statutes /Исторический очерк российских орденов и сборник основных орденских статутов/ published in 1891.​

Source.

Original record regarding laying on himself the insignia of the Order of St. George 4th class (instead of 1st class insignia) by Emperor Alexander I on December 13, 1805.

Gold, enamel.
Size 68 mm.

Central medallion.

 

Very early (in fact, one of the very first) cross in pristine condition.

 

On display.

Note how thick is the cross.

 

Sash length 1680 mm.
Sash width 85 mm.

Together with the gold breast star of Catherine II the Great https://asiamedals.info/threads/1st...-of-catherine-ii-the-great.23678/#post-349050

 

The family of General of Artillery Ivan Karlovich Arnoldi donated to the Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812 (now part of the State Historical Museum in Moscow) Alexander I's 4th class Saint George order. General Arnoldi received it along with a handkerchief and a lorgnette of Alexander I from his wife Empress Elizabeth Alekseevna as a gift for his efforts in sending the body of the deceased Emperor from Taganrog to Petersburg.​

Gold, enamel.
Size 37 x 40 mm.
Weight 6.25 g.

 

Under different light.

 

On April 26, 1826, the commander of the St. Petersburg arsenal, Major General S.I. Zuev (1769–1836), signed the list of orders of Alexander I that were used in the funeral procession from Taganrog and accepted by him for storage in the Memorable Hall [now Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal Corps in St. Petersburg]. Among the seventy awards that were received were "two crosses of the Order of St. George of the 4th class", "collection crosses and medals sewn on and containing 7 orders and medals" [i.e. Alexander I's medal bar].

26 апреля 1826 г. командир Санкт-Петербургского арсенала генерал-майор С. И. Зуев (1769–1836) расписался в перечне орденов Александра I, участвовавших в траурном шествии из Таганрога и принятых им на хранение в Достопамятном зале. Среди семи десятков наград поступили «кресты ордена Св. Георгия 4-го класса — 2 шт.», «коллекция крестов и медалей, нашитых и содержащих при себе 7 орденов и медалей».​

4th class cross and medal bar of Alexander I from the collection of Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal Corps in St. Petersburg.

 

Medal bar under different light and with differently sewed awards.

1. Order of St. George 4th degree.
2. Medal "In memory of the Patriotic War of 1812".
3. Austrian Military Order of Maria Theresa.
4. Prussian Iron Cross 2nd class.
5. Swedish Military Order of the Sword, Grand Cross, 1st Class.
6. Austrian Army (Cannon) Cross “In memory of the war of 1813–1814”.
7. Prussian medal "In memory of the war of 1813-1814" with half-erased inscription along the edge: "Aus Erobertem Geschütz" ("From captured guns").

 

On display.

 

Reverse of the cross donated to the State Historical Museum by family of General of Artillery Ivan Karlovich Arnoldi.

 

Anthropometry of 4th class Saint George order that belonged to Alexander I from the collection of Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal Corps in St. Petersburg https://asiamedals.info/threads/1st...ge-awarded-to-alexander-i.26120/#post-358602/.

Gold, enamel.
Size 34 × 30.1 mm.
Weight 5.9 g.

Unmarked.