History

This Order was instituted by Prince Alexander I and it was conferred upon military Officers of the Bulgarian Army in recognition of acts of courage in peacetime and wartime, or for exceptional accomplishments that furthered Bulgaria's civil and military aims.

The Order was closely associated with the Order of St. Alexander.

The medals were awarded on a red ribbon for peacetime merit, and on a blue ribbon with silver stripes on the edges for wartime merit.

The reverse inscription translate to "For Merit".

The Type II awards were issued during the reign of Ferdinand I.

In Type I the earlier medals feature a younger right-facing Ferdinand I on the obverse, while the later medals feature his older, bearded left-facing portrait on the obverse.

The later medals may, or may not, be stamped by the designer "P.TELGE" on the obverse.