Physical Description

The I Class set was bestowed twice to recipients who did not belong to the Karageorgevich Royal Family. The first set was conferred upon Russian Czar Nicholas II, and the second was bestowed to the Turkish Sultan Mehmed V in 1910. The latter is currently kept in the treasure of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Shaped by an 18kt Gold frame, each arm is completed with a variation of diamonds carved in jewelry, with refined rays made of Gold between the arms. The crown is hollow, formed by a Gold frame and delineated by diamonds of different sizes, with original medallions in enamels and Gold in both obverse and reverse. This set was manufactured by Arthus-Bertrand.

History

The Order of the Star of Karageorge was introduced in commemoration of the May Coup of 1903, when the Karageorgevich Dynasty returned to the Serbian throne after 45 years of Obrenovich rule. It was founded to reward nationals and foreigners in recognition of services rendered to King and country, both in peacetime and war.

Shortly after King Peter I Karageorgevich returned to the country on 12 June 1903, he modified the existing Serbian decoration system. By then, the Order of Takovo and Milosh the Great were abolished and replaced by the dynastic Order of the Star of Karageorge, which was authorized in both civil and military divisions.

In 1904 the Order was regulated, and the number of holders was limited. In total, the holders within Serbia were limited to 10 for Class I, 40 for Class II, 150 for Class III, and 300 for Class IV. The Order was granted by classes starting with the lowest class, and recipients should remain in a specific class two years before the next class could be granted. Decorations with sword were granted since 1912.

The obverse features an inscription in Cyrllic which translates to "FOR FAITH AND LIBERTY 1804" and the reverse translates to "PETAR 1 1904"

The Order was ceased to be granted after the breakup of the Yugoslav Kingdom in 1941. However, it was restored by the Serbian government in 2010, when tennis player Novak Djokovic was awarded as the first person to receive this Order. Although, there is limited information regarding the restoration standards of this Order.

In MedalBook, this Order is classified into two types. Type I contains civil awards between 1904 and 1941, while Type II consists of the insignia with swords for services rendered in war until 1941.

In Type I, the prototype of the Order was in charge of G.A. Scheid, Vienna, who was also the main manufacturer of the Order. During the WWI, the Order was also produced by Arthus-Bertrand, and after 1920, the production was also assumed by Huguenin Freres.