Fortjenstmedaljen

Official abbreviation: F.M.1* (Gold with Crown)
Official abbreviation: F.M.1 (Gold)
Official abbreviation: F.M.2.M.SPÆNDE. (Silver with clasp)
Official abbreviation: F.M.2 (Silver)

Instituted May 16th 1792 by King Christian 7th, after proposal of the League of Commerce (kommercekollegiet).

Awarded: There are no actual statutes for this medal, so there is no official rule for when the medal can be awarded.
Normally awarded in silver to persons who have been employed in the public sector for 40 consecutive years or military personnel who doesn’t qualify for the Order of Dannebrog or Long Service Medal with Oak Leaf Device. For military personnel the 40 years are only counted after the 21st birthday.
Currently about 800 medals in silver are awarded every year.

The medal in Silver with Clasp have been awarded for participation in scientific explorations, and the clasp would have the name of the expedition. The last time the medal was awarded in silver with clasp was in 1984.
Examples are; The Galathea Expedition, Danmarks-Ekspeditionen, The Thule Expedition and others.

The medal in gold is almost never awarded. It is mostly awarded to persons who due to political reason can’t or won’t get the Order of Dannebrog.
Among persons who have received the medal are Prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen after the successful Danish EU-presidency. The gold medal is awarded so rarely it can be compared to the Grand Cross of the Order of Dannebrog. As of 2011 there are 7 living recipients of the medal in gold.
The medal in gold have also been awarded as an extra decoration for people who already have the Medal Ingenio Et Arti, and who deserve more recognition.

The medal in Gold with Crown is even rarer, and has only been awarded 10 times since 1863. Among people who have gotten this is Niels Bohr. The medal is so rare, isn’t even listed in most official documents.

Other information: Awarded in 1802 to sailors and soldiers as a decoration for bravery in the fights against the british. (19 in total)
King Christian 9th used the medal as a decoration for outstanding artists, in gold and with the ribbon from the Order of Dannebrog.

Obverse and reverse of the medal in silver, awarded by Queen Margrethe II. Image courtesy of Liverpoolmedals.com.
Obverse and reverse of the medal in gold, awarded by Queen Margrethe II. Image courtesy of ??.
Obverse of the medal in silver, awarded by King Frederik IX. Image courtesy of Liverpoolmedals.com.