IDENTIFIERS ----------- id: 141330 accession number: CM.1236-2009 DATE AUDIT ---------- created: Saturday 6 August 2011 updated: Monday 15 January 2024 DESCRIPTIVE DATA ---------------- object type: The serious weakening of Ottoman Egyptian power under foreign influence led to increasing attempts to shed Egyptian dominion in the Sudan, where in 1881 Sheikh Muhammad Ahmad ibn al-Sayyid 'Abd Allah was proclaimed as Mahdi (the legendary final redeemer of Islam). He and his allies soon threatened to remove the Sudan entirely from the Khedive's control. Several serious defeats of Egyptian forces in 1884 led to a concerted British campaign in defence of Egyptian claims, but control could not be recovered. The British withdrew their forces to Khartoum, where General Gordon defended the city whilst awaiting a relief column that, beset by Mahdist attacks, arrived too late. This heavy silver-gilt star was manufactured in the besieged city by order of General Gordon by a city jeweller, in an attempt to raise the morale of his beleaguered troops. The design was a copy of the Turkish Order of the Medjidie. Payne reported a story which suggests that owners of these stars became particular targets of the Mahdi's vengeance. The stars were issued numbered, but not named, and were available for purchase by anyone in the city, military or not. It is not known to whom this one was presented. It was one of the last pieces that Lester Watson acquired, buying it from the London dealer Spink in 1936. title: Gordon's Star NOTES ----- type: history note value: Gift of L. Hoyt Watson; ex Lester Watson Collection, bt Spink 1936. LICENSING --------- text license status: CC0 image license status: CC-BY-NC-SA OWNERSHIP --------- instutition: The Fitzwilliam Museum department: Coins and Medals collection: Lester Watson Collection creditline: Given by Lester Watson through Cambridge in America, 2009 STABLE URL ---------- url: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/141330 TECHNIQUES ---------- struck CATEGORIES ------ category: medal DATING ------ creation date: 1884 - 1884 creation date earliest: 1884 creation date latest: 1884 CREATORS -------- maker: Khartoum maker: Gordon, Charles George, General Sir maker: Abdel Molak, Bishara maker: Victoria (1837-1901) DIMENSIONS ---------- dimension: Diameter units: mm value: 56.9 dimension: Weight units: g value: 55.85 EXHIBITIONS HISTORY ------------------- title: Imagery of War CITATIONS -------- Handbook of British and Foreign Orders, War Medals and Decorations Awarded to the Ar British and other Campaign and Gallantry Medals From the Collection of Lester Watson (d. 1959) --- IMAGES surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0119_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 278 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0119_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 278 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0119_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 278 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/preview_LW_0119_281_29.jpg height: 328 pixels width: 250 pixels surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0119_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 279 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0119_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 279 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0119_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 279 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/preview_LW_0119_282_29.jpg height: 327 pixels width: 250 pixels