Montenegro: Medal for Zeal, 1st Class in Gold, bronze-gilt, with young bust of Nicholas I, as Prince of Montenegro, 2nd Type with roller shaped suspension, affixed to original tri-fold ribbon.
Condition: gilding lightly rubbed on high-points, Good Very Fine.
The Medal for Zeal was instituted in 1895 by Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš. The Medal for Zeal was the first specifically civilian award to be issued in the Principality of Montenegro. This medal was awarded to the Royal Household personnel for long and loyal service as well as to individuals that had efficiently carried out their duties in the service of the State. It had two classes, the first being in gold (1st Class) and the second in silver (2nd Class).
Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš (7 October 1841 – 1 March 1921) was the ruler of Montenegro from 1860 to 1918, reigning as a sovereign prince from 1860 to 1910 and as a king from 1910 to 1918.
