Original Item: Only One Set of Two Available. Now this is an interesting medal set. The set contains the Grand Cross: Badge which is on a long sash, meant to be worn across the body and the other medal is the Grand Cross: Star, which is just a medal/badge meant to be worn on the chest of the recipient.

The Order of May is one of the highest decorations in Argentina. The order is named after the May Revolution which led to the birth of the Republic of Argentina. It was founded as the Order of Merit, and revised to its current form by Decree No. 16.629 on 17 December 1957.

The order is awarded to Argentinian and foreign military personnel in recognition of meritorious contributions to the Argentinian Navy.

The Order Awarded in Five Grades:
Knight “Caballero”
Officer “Oficial”
Commander “Comendador”
Grand Officer “Gran Oficial”
Grand Cross “Gran Cruz”
Collar “Collar”

The order was further divided into the categories Merit, Military Merit, Naval Merit and Aeronautical Merit.

Both badges are in great condition, however the “sash” has faded from many years of being proudly displayed by the possible recipient. The Gran Cruz sash/badge has a total length of approximately 32”, including the sash. The Gran Cruz badge is 2 ½” x 2 ½” and is a “safety pin” attachment type. The enamel on both pieces is retained very nicely and easily discernible without any fading.

These are seldom seen pieces and are very hard to come across! Comes ready to display in your foreign military collection!

May Revolution
The May Revolution was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and parts of Brazil. The result was the removal of Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros and the establishment of a local government, the Primera Junta (First Junta), on May 25. The junta would eventually become the country of Argentina. It was the first successful revolution in the South American Independence process.
The May Revolution was a direct reaction to Spain's Peninsular War. In 1808, King Ferdinand VII of Spain abdicated in favor of Napoleon, who granted the throne to his brother, Joseph Bonaparte. A Supreme Central Junta led resistance to Joseph's government and the French occupation of Spain, but eventually suffered a series of reversals that resulted in the Spanish loss of the northern half of the country. On February 1, 1810, French troops took Seville and gained control of most of Andalusia. The Supreme Junta retreated to Cadiz and dissolved itself, and the Council of Regency of Spain and the Indies replaced it. News of these events arrived in Buenos Aires on May 18, brought by British ships.

Viceroy Cisneros tried to maintain the political status quo, but a group of criollo lawyers and military officials organized an open cabildo (a special meeting of notables of the city) on May 22 to decide the future of the Viceroyalty. Delegates denied recognition to the Council of Regency in Spain and established a junta to govern in place of Cisneros, since the government that had appointed him Viceroy no longer existed. To maintain a sense of continuity, Cisneros was initially appointed president of the Junta. However, this caused much popular unrest, so he resigned under pressure on May 25. The newly formed government, the Primera Junta, included only representatives from Buenos Aires and invited other cities of the Viceroyalty to send delegates to join them. This resulted in the outbreak of war between the regions that accepted the outcome of the events at Buenos Aires and those that did not.
The May Revolution began the Argentine War of Independence, although no formal declaration of independence was issued at the time and the Primera Junta continued to govern in the name of the deposed king, Ferdinand VII. As similar events occurred in many other cities of the continent, the May Revolution is also considered one of the early events of the Spanish American wars of independence. Historians today debate whether the revolutionaries were truly loyal to the Spanish crown or whether the declaration of fidelity to the king was a necessary ruse to conceal the true objective—to achieve independence—from a population that was not yet ready to accept such a radical change. A formal declaration of independence was finally issued at the Congress of Tucumán on July 9, 1816.