1st class St. George order (and other awards) of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

Legendary cross.

Marks.

Sash.

 

The history of this cross is quite unusual.

Wellington was awarded with 1st class St. George on April 28, 1814.

Official citation:

"For successful actions against the French in the war of 1814".

"За успешные действия против французов в войну 1814 года".

But the cross he received was previously awarded to another person as 2nd class cross (since badges of 1st and 2nd class have the same size they are interchangeable: with the sash it is 1st class while with the neck ribbon it is 2nd class). How this is happened? When Alexander I decided to award the 1st class of the order to the British Field Marshal Wellington he didn`t know that Chief Marshal of the Court Tolstoy (who was in charge of issuing imperial awards during 1813 campaign) did not have a large (ie.1st/2nd class) сross of St. George order in stock (according to the documents of the Kapitul only the breast star and the ribbon were in marching treasury of Kapitul in Paris). Without hesitation Tolstoy decided to "borrow" 2nd class cross from the neck of the Russian Lieutenant General Konovnitsyn.​

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Коновницын,_Пётр_Петрович

Officially it was described as "cross of the second class temporarily withdrawn to be handed over to an Englishman/временно изъят крест второго класса, чтобы быть врученным англичанину". Later Konovnitsyn got another 2nd class cross instead of the "withdrawn" one.

In turn the previous owner of the Konovnitsyn 2nd class cross could be none other than General Field-Marshal Prince Mikhail Golenishchev-Kutuzov of Smolensk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Kutuzov

He received 1st class cross in December of 1812. Naturally his 2nd class cross (received on March 18, 1792) should be returned to Kapitul but that didn't happen. After his death Kapitul found out that his 2nd class cross "was layed upon one of the generals"/"был возложен на одного из господ генералитетов" back in 1813. Konovnitsyn was awarded with 2nd class on February 15, 1813 so it could be him. The problem with this hypothesis is that until the death of Kutuzov there were another four awardings with 2nd class orders: Dokhturov Dmitry Sergeevich (January 13, 1813), Vincengerode Ferdinand Fedorovich (February 4, 1813), Petr Stepanovich Kotlyarevsky (March 11, 1813) and Alexander Langeron (March 11 1813). Another argument against "Kutuzov provenance" - condition of the cross. For a cross that was in use for more than 20 years it is in very good condition.

 

Breast star (privately ordered by the cavalier in England since Kapitul issued only embodied breast stars during this time).

 

Wellington portrait (with St.George breast star) by Thomas Phillips.

Mezzotint by W. Say, 1814, after T. Phillips

 

On July 8, 1815 he was awarded with Order of St. Andrew (simultaneously he received Order of St. Alexander Nevsky and Order of St. Anna 1st class).
The reason is obvious - Waterloo.

Badge.

Chain.

Breast star.

 

His order of St. Alexander Nevsky.

Badge.

Breast star.

Details of the badge.

 

Currently in the collection of Apsley House https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apsley_House

Old exposition.

 

List of his awards and titles

from The order of proceeding and ceremonies observed in the public funeral of the late Field Marshal Arthur Duke of Wellington.

Another one from The London Gazette, 6 December 1852. pp. 3563–3564.

Dates of Awardings (chronologically).

Portugal: Knight Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword – 18 October 1811

Spain:
Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of St. Ferdinand – 11 April 1812
Knight of the Golden Fleece – 7 August 1812
Knight of the Order of Charles III – 1814
Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of St. Hermenegild – 1817

Sweden: Knight Grand Cross of the Sword, 1st Class – 26 February 1814

Austria: Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa – 4 March 1814

Russia:
Knight of St. George, 1st Class – 28 April 1814
Knight of St. Andrew – 8 July 1815
Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky – 8 July 1815
Knight of St. Anna, 1st Class – 8 July 1815

Prussia:
Knight of the Black Eagle – 26 June 1815
Knight Grand Cross of the Red Eagle

Denmark: Knight of the Elephant – 4 July 1815

Sardinia: Knight of the Annunciation, with Collar – 7 July 1815

Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross of the Military William Order – 8 July 1815

Saxony: Knight of the Rue Crown – 27 July 1815

Baden:
Knight Grand Cross of the House Order of Fidelity – July 1815
Knight Grand Cross of the Zähringer Lion

Bavaria: Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of Max Joseph – 16 October 1815

France: Knight of the Holy Spirit – 27 November 1815

Hesse-Kassel: Knight Grand Cross of the Golden Lion – 11 December 1815

Württemberg: Knight Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order – 1815; with Blue Band – 1830

Hanover: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order – March 1816

Two Sicilies:
Knight of St. Januarius – 16 July 1817
Knight Grand Cross of St. Ferdinand and Merit – 16 July 1817

Military ranks from Austria, Hanover, the Netherlands, Portugal, Prussia, Russia and Spain.

Marshal-General of the Portuguese Army – 6 July 1809
Captain-General of the Spanish Army – August 1809
Field Marshal of the Hanoverian Army – 21 June 1813
Field Marshal of the Army of the Netherlands – 1815
Field Marshal of the Austrian Army – 15 November 1818
Field Marshal of the Prussian Army – 15 November 1818
Field Marshal of the Russian Army – 15 November 1818

 

Prussian Order of the Black Eagle.
Awarded on June 26, 1815.

Details.

Breast star.

Prussian Order of the Red Eagle (only reverse).

 

Military Order of William, Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Awarded on July 18, 1815.

Close-ups.

Under different lightening.

Breast star.

 

Knight Grand Cross of the Sword, 1st Class, Sweden.
Awarded on February 26, 1814.

 

Knight Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order, Württemberg.
Awarded in 1815.

 

Knight Grand Cross of the Zähringer Lion, Grand Duchy of Baden.

 

Knight Grand Cross of the House Order of Fidelity, Grand Duchy of Baden.
Awarded in July 1815.

Breast star.

 

Order of the Rue Crown, Saxony.
Awarded on July 27, 1815.

Breast star.

 

Grand Cross of the Military Order of Max Joseph, Bavaria.
Awarded on October 16, 1815.

Breast star.

 

House Order of the Golden Lion, Hesse-Kassel.
Awarded on December 11, 1815.

Breast star.

 

Order of St. Januarius, Two Sicilies.
Awarded on July 16, 1817.

Breast star.

 

Order of the Holy Spirit, France.
Awarded on November 27, 1815.

Breast star.

 

Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation, Savoy.