What medal did the Royal Society award Darwin in 1864?

What medal did the Royal Society award Darwin in 1864? It awarded him the Copley Medal.

The Royal Society gave Darwin the Copley Medal in 1864 for his important research in geology, zoology and botanical physiology. The award recognised a broad body of scientific work rather than a single publication. By then, Darwin had established himself as a leading Victorian naturalist through his studies of species, fossils, geological change and plant biology.

The Copley Medal was—and remains—the Royal Society's oldest and most prestigious scientific prize. It was first awarded in 1731, decades before the Nobel Prizes existed. Darwin's award came after the publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859 and reflected the wider importance of his accumulated research, including work stemming from the Beagle voyage.

Darwin also received the Royal Medal in 1853, which can cause confusion. That earlier honour recognised his geological and barnacle research. The Darwin Medal is another separate Royal Society award: it was created in Darwin's memory and first awarded in 1890, after his death. Thus, for 1864, the single canonical answer is the Copley Medal.