What was the origin of the Peace Medal (or was the concept borrowed from Europe)?

Longacre

Does anyone know what country started the peace medal concept? I know that there are Indian Peace Medals issued by the US government to the Native Americans, but I doubt that the peace medal concept was strictly a US concept. Does anyone know if medals were issued in other countries before the US? If so, were these peace medals as well? What sorts of people were they issued to and why? Does anyone know?

keets

to my knowledge the presentation of medals was a European tradition, but the nature of giving medals with the Peace and Friendship message was a tradition started with the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

PerryHall

The British government issued Indian peace medals with King George III during the colonial era and I believe the French also issued Indian peace medals.

Conder101

PerryHall is correct, both the British and French engaged in the presentation of Peace medals LONG before the independence of the colonies was even thought about. I don't think the Spanish ever followed the practice, but the Russians might have in the northwest. According to Collecting Peace Medals by Rita Laws, Indian Peace medals date back to at least the 1600's.