Medal of Merit (Denmark)

The Medal of Merit (Danish: Fortjenstmedaljen) is the oldest extant award medal presented by the Kingdom of Denmark. Established by Christian VII on 16 May 1792, and re-instituted by ordinance of Christian VIII on 24 July 1845, it is a personal award of the Sovereign. ^[1]

Medal of Merit Fortjenstmedaljen
Silver Medal of Merit
Type	Award medal
Country	Denmark
Presented by	Frederik X
Post-nominals	F.M.1* (Medal of Merit in Gold with Crown) F.M.1 (Medal of Merit in Gold) F.M.2.M.SPÆNDE (Medal of Merit in Silver with Clasp) F.M.2 (Medal of Merit in Silver)
Established	16 May 1792[1]
Ribbon bar of the medal
Precedence
Next (higher)	Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog (Gold Medal) Medal of Recompense in Gold (Silver Medal)
Next (lower)	Ingenio et Arti (Gold Medal) Medal of Recompense in Silver with Crown (Silver Medal)

Appearance

Golden Medal of Merit with Crown

The medal, depending on the version, is made of either gold or silver. The obverse bears the effigy, in profile, of The Queen and the inscription, Margareta II – Regina Daniæ. The reverse bears the single word Fortient, surrounded by an oak leaf wreath. Recipient’s name is engraved on the edge of the medal. This indicates that it is the personal property of the recipient, and is not returned upon death, like the badges of some orders of chivalry. The medal is suspended by a red ribbon with a white cross.^[1]

Recipients

This is a alphabetical selection of recipients with articles in english.

• Roald Amundsen, Norwegian explorer
• Princess Benedikte of Denmark, member of the Danish royal family
• Jutta Bojsen-Møller, educator and women's rights activist
• Enrico Dalgas, engineer
• Maurice Egan
• Thora Fiedler, nurse, prosthetist and inventor
• Frederik X, Danish king
• Achton Friis, painter
• Ingrid Jespersen, educator
• Marie Kruse, educator
• Magdalene Lauridsen, educator
• Rasmus Malling-Hansen, inventor
• Samuel Margoshes, journalist, newspaper editor, activist
• Charlotte Munck (1932), nurse and educator
• Fridtjof Nansen, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
• Camilla Nielsen, philanthropist
• Oda Nielsen, actress
• Anders Fogh Rasmussen, politician

See also

• List of orders, decorations, and medals of the Kingdom of Denmark