102915 | FRANCE. General Bugeaud silvered lead Medal.

102915  |  FRANCE. General Bugeaud silvered lead Medal. Issued 1849. Commemorating the career of the general (47mm, 25.06 g, 12h).

 

General Bugeaud, holding saber, standing left before five soldiers; to right, signpost reading ROUTE / DE PARIS; in three lines exergue, 4 HOMMES ET UN CAPORAL PLUS / EN EX DUC / 1849 // * BLYE * R TRANSONAIN * TAFNA * 24 FEVRIER 1848, BOUDJOU S'EN / VA T EN GUERRE / MIRONTON TON TON / MIRONTAINE! in four lines; rosette above and below. Edge: Plain.

 

Collignon 186. Mint State. Highly lustrous and brilliant. A great satirical type featuring stylized, caricaturish art on the obverse.

 

An intriguing satirical issue, the reverse of which lists the “highlights” of General Bugeaud’s career: guarding the Duchess of Berry in the Citadelle de Blaye, the massacre of the Rue Transnonain in 1834, and the 1837 Treaty of Tafna, with the central inscription serving as a parody of the popular folk song, “Marlbrough s'en va-t-en guerre,” (which shares the tune with the English folk tune, “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow"). Meanwhile, the obverse satirizes Bugeaud’s role in the February uprising in Paris, during which Louis Philippe had placed him in command of the army. Bugeaud strongly advocated for a military response—advice which the crown ignored.

 

Upload: 1 April 2025.