History

The Medal of Merit was established in Spain by King Charles III in 1764. It was founded to reward the military personnel who participated in the battles against United Kingdom in Cuba during the War of the Seven Years (1756-63).

It is not clear if the composition of the Medal denotes the ranks of the recipient.

There are two different models of this Medal. The first design, coined in 1764, depicts the bust of Charles III on the obverse of the Medal. The second design, coined in 1808, depicts the bust of Ferdinand VII, instead of the bust of Charles III, and the obverse inscription is written in Latin.

The designer of this Medal was Tomás Francisco Prieto.

The Medal features an obverse inscription that translates to "Charles III King of Spain and Emperor of the Indias," and a reverse inscription that translates to "To Merit."