Crown jewels are
jewels or
artifacts of the reigning
royal family
of their respective country. They belong to monarchs and are passed
to the next sovereign to symbolize the right to rule. They may
include
crowns,
scepters,
orbs,
swords,
rings, and
other objects.
See also: regalia.
Africa
Ashanti
The
Golden Stool (sika 'dwa) of the
Ashanti people in Ghana, used in the
enthronement ritual of the
Asantehene, the Ashanti ruler, is
believed to embody the very soul of the Ashanti people and is thus
the most sacred ritual object in Ashanti culture. Only the
Asantehene is allowed to touch it.
Burundi
The traditional emblem of the
Mwami
(
king) was the
Karyenda drum. These holy drums were kept at
special drum-sanctuaries throughout the country and were brought
out for special ceremonies only.
One such place is in Gitega
, location of
the ibwami royal court.
Central African Republic
See Emperor Bokassa and the Central African Empire.The
jewels were also told that they had special powers. Kings would
wear crowns and lightning would come out of their eyes.
Egypt
The
treasures of the Pharaohs can be seen in the
Egyptian
Museum
in Cairo
and in other
museums throughout the world.
Most of the Crown Jewels of the
Mehmet Ali Dynasty are at the Museum at
Abdin Palace in Cairo.
Ethiopia
The principal crowns worn by Ethiopian emperors and kings and
empress regnant are unique in that they are made to be worn over a
turban. They usually have the form of a cylinder of gold (although
some of the crowns at the Church of St. Mary in Zion in Aksum have
the form of a gold cube) with a convex dome on the top with usually
some form of cross on a pedestal. These gold cylinders/cubes are
composed of openwork, filigree, medallions with images of saints in
repousse and settings of precious stones. Fringes of small gold
cones on short gold chains are also frequently used in the
decoration of these crowns, both on the cylinders/cubes themselves
and on the pedestal supporting the cross on the top. Also, convex
circular gold medallions/disks of openwork or filigree hanging from
chains over the ears are also frequently found on these crowns as
well, much like the ornaments that formerly hung from sides of the
Byzantine imperial crowns and which hang from the sides and back of
the Holy Crown of St. Stephan of Hungary. Some crowns also appear
to have a semi-circular platform for additional ornaments attached
to the lower front edge of the crown (on two of the crowns of
Menelik II these platforms each support a small gold statuette of
St. George fighting the dragon). For a photograph of one of Menelik
II's crowns; a photograph of Haile Selassie wearing his imperial
crown.
Other parts of the Ethiopian regalia include, a jeweled gold sword,
a gold and ivory scepter, a large gold orb with cross, a diamond
studded ring, two gold filigreed lances of traditional Ethiopian
form, long scarlet robes heavily embroidered in gold. Each of these
seven ornaments is given to the emperor after each of his seven
anointing on his head, brow and shoulders with seven differently
scented holy oils, the last being the crown itself.
These imperial robes consist of a number of tunics and cloaks, of
scarlet cloth heavy embroidered in gold and including an elbow
length cape with a deeply scalloped edge, fringed in gold (the
scallops on either side of the opening on the front being
particularly long, giving them the appearance of a western priest’s
stole) and two large squares of scarlet cloth similarly heavily
embroidered and fringed in gold attached to each shoulder. This
cape is apparently identical in form to that also worn by the
Patriarch and other higher ranking members of the Ethiopian
clergy.
The empress consort also is crowned and given a ring at her at her
husband’s coronation, although formerly this took place at a
semi-public court ceremony three days after the emperor’s
coronation. Her scarlet imperial mantle has a very similar shape
and ornamentation as that of the emperor, but lacking the scalloped
edge and shoulder squares. The crowns of empress consorts took a
variety of different forms; that of Empress Menen was modeled on
the traditional form of European sovereign’s crown. Other members
of the imperial family and high ranking Ethiopian princes and
nobles also had crowns, some resembling the coronets worn by the
members of the British peerage at a British coronation, while
others have uniquely Ethiopian forms.
Traditionally Ethiopian emperors were crowned
at the Church of St. Mary of Zion in Axum
, the site of
the chapel in which is kept what is believed to be the Ark of the
Covenant, in order to validate the new emperor’s legitimacy by
reinforcing his claim to descent from Menelik I, the son of King
Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, who is believed to have brought the
Ark from Jerusalem to Axum. Their imperial crowns were
afterwards frequently donated to the church and are kept in the
church’s treasury — medieval crowns and those of more recent
monarchs - although other monarchs have given their crowns and
other regalia to various other churches.
The Crown Jewels used
at the coronation of Emperor Haile
Selassie are kept at the museum in the National Palace
(formerly the Jubilee Palace) in Addis Ababa
.
Ghana and Cameroon
The symbol of the royal power of the
Asantehene (ruler of
the
Ashanti) is the sacred
Golden Stool, the
Sika 'dwa.
It is used for the enthronement and symbolizes the power of the
Ashanti.
It is kept alongside with other royal regalia
at the Royal Palace in Kumasi
.
Madagascar
Radama II, with crown
The crown of the Malagasy sovereign was made in France for
Ranavalona I. It was large crown made of gold and very heavy. In
its essential form it followed the pattern of crown associated with
a sovereign in European heraldry and had four arches which
intersected at the top of the crown, while the circlet was made of
openwork and set with precious stones and from the circlet between
the arches were triangular leaf-like ornaments which also were set
with precious stones (pearls?). One of the two most distinctive
features of the crown was a large fan-like ornament generally
described as a representation of seven of the spearhead of the
traditional Malagasy warrior’s spear joined together at the base,
but in photographs and paintings it appear to look more like seven
large feathers. The second distinctive feature is the
representation of a falcon at the very top of the crown in the same
position a cross would occupy on the top of an orb in the
traditional crown of a Christian sovereign. The falcon is a
traditional symbol of the Malagasy sovereign. The inside of the
crown was filled with a large red velvet cap — red being the
color traditionally associated with royalty in Malagasy tradition.
The crown appears to have been destroyed with many other royal
artifacts when the Rova (the royal palace and royal tomb complex)
in Antananarivo burned on November 6, 1995. There is a painting of
Ravavalona I wearing this crown.
Nigeria
The
Nigerian Royal Regalia is
normally kept in the capital city of the respective state.
See
also List of
Nigerian traditional states.
List of some of the kingdomsAbeokuta
-Adamawa
-Benin -
Borno
-Edo -Fika (Nigeria)|Fika -
Gombe
-Ibadan
-Ijebu -
Ile
Ife
-Ilorin
-Jos
-Kano
-Katsina
-Lagos
-Onitsha
-Oshogbo
-Oyo -
Sokoto
-Tiv -
Warri
-Zaria
(Zazzau)
-Zamfara
Rwanda
Close to
the old capital of Butare
lies the
nearby Nyabisindu
, formerly known as Nyanza
, the
traditional seat of Rwanda’s
monarchy. The Royal Palace at Nyanza, a domed
construction made with traditional
materials, has been restored to its 19th century
state and is now maintained as a museum. Further historical
artifacts are kept at the National Museum of Rwanda|National Museum
in Butare.
South Africa
Tanzania
Uganda
There are several
kingdoms in
Uganda. During the upheavals after gaining
independence, the monarchies were abolished.
Only in the 1990s were the various kings restored to their thrones.
Although they do not wield any political powers anymore, they are
still a symbol of unity and continuance to their people. The royal
regalia normally consisted of the Royal Drums, and are kept at the
various palaces in the capital cities of the
Ugandan states.
See Ugandan Royal
Regalia.
The kingdomsAnkole -
Buganda -
Bunyoro -
Busoga -
Toro
Asia
Burma
The
treasures of Burma
´s Konbaung Dynasty are kept in the National
Museum in Yangon
. They
include items such as the
Sihasana
Pallanka (
Great Lion
Throne), and various other items.
Other items can be
seen in the old capital city of Mandalay
.
India
The Koh-I-Nor Diamond, mined in India whilst under British rule,
are part of the British Imperial Crown.
Brunei
The royal
regalia of Brunei
are kept in
the Royal Regalia Building,
which was completed in 1992, in Bandar Seri Begawan
. Also housed are the
Royal Chariot, the gold and silver ceremonial
armoury and the jewel-encrusted crowns.
China
The most important item for the assumption of the throne were the
Imperial Seals, which gave
the emperor the
mandate of heaven
authority.
These are kept either in the Forbidden
City
or the National Palace Museum
. Numerous crowns, robes, jewels and headwear
made especially for coronations and other official events.
They
usually contain very large Manchurian pearls and most date from the
Qing
Dynasty
.
Indonesia
Indonesia
has various kingdoms and sultanates, all with their own unique
history. The most known royal
courts are distributed amongst the islands of Java
, Madura
, Bali
, Sumatra
, Kalimantan, Sulawesi
, and Sumbawa
. There are 23 royal courts or more which
still exist today, headed either by a
sultan
or a
ruler. Although today only
HM the
Sultan of
Yogyakarta wields any political influence as the
governor. In Indonesia the royal courts are either
called
Kraton or
istana. Below are some of them
listed:
Kraton Ngayogyakarta
Hadiningrat and
Puro Pakualaman;
Kraton Surakarta
Hadiningrat and
Puro
Mangkunegaraan;
Kraton Kasepuhan of Cirebon
, Kraton Kanoman, and
Kraton Kacirebonan;
Kraton Sumenep;
Istana Siak;
Istana Palembang
Darussalam;
Istana Maimun of
Kesultanan Deli;
Istana Amantubillah
Mempawah, and
Istana
Alwatzkubillah;
Kutai of
Tenggarong;
Istana Bima;
Istana Luwu
;
Istana Walio of Buton
Island;
Istana Saoraja of
Bone and
Istana Balla
Lompoa of
Gowa.
Various royal regalia and other items used for court functions may
be viewed in some the respective palaces.
Iran (Persia)
The
Imperial Crown Jewels of Iran
(
alternatively known as the 'Imperial Crown Jewels of
Persia
) includes several elaborate Crowns and
decorative Thrones, 30 tiaras and numerous
aigrettes, a dozen jewel laden swords and
shields, a vast amount of precious unset gemstones, numerous plates
and other dining services cast in precious metals and encrusted
with gems and several other more unique items (such as a
gemstone globe) collected by the Iranian monarchy during its 2,500 year
existence.
For many centuries the
Iranian
Crown Jewels were kept in the vaults of the Imperial Treasury.
However, in the early 20th century, the first
Pahlavi Shah transferred ownership of the
crown jewels to the state as part of a massive restructuring of the
country's financial system. Later in the 1950s his son and
successor,
Mohammad Reza
Pahlavi, decreed that the most spectacular of these items be
put on public display at the
Central Bank of Iran.
When the
Iranian revolution
toppled the
Pahlavi dynasty in 1979,
it was feared that in the chaos the magnificent collection had been
stolen or sold by the revolutionaries. Although some smaller items
may have been stolen and smuggled across Iran's borders, the bulk
of the collection remained intact and was returned to permanent
exhibition under the presidency of
Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Korea
There are many regalias which belonged to the various Korean
kingdoms. There are regalias of the Silla dynasty, the Chosun
Dynasty, the Goryeo Dynasty, The Goguryeo Dynasty, the Baekjae
Dynasty, the Gaya Dynasty, the Buyeo dynasty, the Balhae Dynasty,
the Tamora Dynasty, and the Gojoseon Dynasty. Many of the regalias
of dynasties which consisted most of present day China and parts of
Russia were lost due to the fact that the palaces and royal tombs
were plundered by the Chinese since the dynasties lost their land
to the Qing Mongolian dynasty. The surviving regalias are from the
Silla Dynasty, the Gaya Dynasty, the Baekjae Dynasty, the Joseon
Dynasty, and the Goguryeo Dynasty. The Silla regalis is noted for
its esquisite gold and jade workmanship which research shows
resulted from the spread of goldsmithing from Egypt and Mesopotamia
to Korea via the Silk Road which passed through Silla. Silla
regalia consists of a crown, a golden girdle, a golden belt, a
string of 50 gold and jade and lapiz lazul necklaces, a sword, a
dagger, golden shoes, earrings, and more than 35 rings and
hairpins. However, the Silla custom was that every king and queen
had their own set of regalia, hence the regalia for each monarch
was buried with them in their tombs, warranting the creation of
many different regalias depending on personal preferences, fashion,
and technology. The Joseon dynasty regalis consists of formal jewel
encrusted wigs for the queen and everyday crows encrusted with
diamonds, rubies, jade, lapiz lazul, aquamarine, pearls, emeralds,
and tigers eye. The Baekjae regalia is similar to the Silla gold
crowns but are even more arabesque and consisted of magnificent
girdles.
Japan
("Three Sacred Treasures") consist of the Holy Sword Kusanagi (草薙剣), the Holy Jewel Yasakani no magatama (八尺瓊曲玉), and the Holy Mirror Yata no kagami (八咫鏡). The sword and the mirror are kept at the Shinto shrines in Nagoya and Ise
in Central Japan
, and the jewel at the Kokyo
Imperial Palace in Tokyo
.
The
enthronement cerenomy is
traditionally held in
Kyoto. The
Imperial Throne is kept at the
Gosho Imperial Palace in Kyoto.
Laos
The
regalia of Laos
are kept
in the Royal Palace Museum in
Luang
Prabang
.
Malaysia
The royal
regalia of Malaysia
are kept in the Istana
Negara
(National Palace) in Kuala Lumpur
. The regalia is worn by HM the King (ms:
Yang di-Pertuan
Agong), and HM the
Queen
(
Raja Permaisuri
Agong) during certain ceremonies, such as the
election as
head of
state, HM's birthday, awards ceremonies, and the calling of
parliament.
They consist of the
Tengkolok Diraja (Royal Head Dress),
the Queen's
Gendik di Raja (Royal Tiara), the
Keris
Panjang di Raja (Royal Long Kris or Keris of State), the
Kris Pendek di Raja (Royal Short Keris), the
Cogan
Alam dan Cogan Agama (Sceptre of the Universe and Sceptre of
Religion), the
Cokmar (
Maces), the
Pedang Keris Panjang dan
Sundang (Royal sword, long
Keris and
sword Keris), the
Payung Ubur-ubur Kuming] dan Tombak
Berambu (Yellow-fringed
umbrella and
tassled lances), and the
Pending di Raja (Royal Waist
Buckle).
Malaysia is a
federal state,
consisting of thirteen states and two federal territories. Out of
these, nine are monarchies headed by sultans. Royal regalia and
other items of the rulers are kept in the respective palaces and
courts. These are:
Johore
-Kedah
-Kelantan
-Negeri Sembilan
-Pahang
-Perak
-Perlis
-Selangor
-Terengganu
Philippines
Thailand (Siam)
The Royal Regalia, Royal Utensils, and the Royal Eight Weapons of
Sovereignty comprise a total of 28 items. The Royal Regalia
consists of the
Great Crown of
Victory, the
Sword of Victory,
the
Royal Staff, the Royal Fan (or
Flywhisk), and the Royal Slippers.The 28
items are traditionally presented to the
Kings of Thailand at their
coronation ceremonies.
They are kept,
amongst other royal items, at the Grand Palace
in Bangkok
.
Vietnam
The signs
of the imperial power of the Nguyen
Emperors were the Great Imperial Seal and the
Sword. When Bao Dai, the
last Emperor of Vietnam,
abdicated in August 1945 at Huế
he is recorded to have surrendered the royal
insignia to the new communist authorities. What happened to them
after this is not known, but presumably they took them away,
perhaps to Hanoi
. In
1949 the former emperor became "Head of State"
of the
Republic of Vietnam, was
not crowned, and soon resigned in
1954 to spend
the rest of his life in exile. In
1968 the city
of Huế was the scene of fierce fighting between the communist
Vietminh and the
US
Army. The imperial palace was bombed, ransacked and almost
completely destroyed. It is possible that the imperial insignia, if
they had not been removed and taken elsewhere in 1945, were lost or
destroyed at this time.
Europe
Albania
Crown of Skanderbeg dating from the 15th Century now kept in
Vienna
The crown of
Skanderbeg, believed to have
been created for the
medieval king in the
15th Century, was smuggled out of Albania members of the
Kastrioti family following the occupation of
Albania by the
Ottoman Empire.
The crown
eventually found it's way into the collections of the Habsburg dynasty (via an Italian noble family) and
currently resides in the Schatzkammer
in Vienna
, Austria
. In 1931,
King Zog
of Albania made a rare foreign tour and visited Vienna in an
unsuccessful attempt to repatriate the crown, presumably for a
future coronation (he considered giving himself the regnal name
"Skanderbeg III"). Several replicas exist in Albania, most notably
at
Kruja Castle.
Austria
The
Austrian Crown Jewels (de:
Insignien und Kleinodien) are kept at the Schatzkammer (Imperial Treasury) located in the Hofburg
Palace in Vienna.
They are a collection of imperial regalia and jewels dating from
the 10th century to the 19th. They are one of the biggest and most
important
collection of royal
objects still today, and reflect more than a thousand years of
European history. The treasury can be quantified into six important
parts:
The most
outstanding objects are the ancient crown of the Holy Roman
Emperors and also the insignia of the much later hereditary
Austrian
emperors
. They consist of the 10th Century Imperial Crown of the
Holy Roman Empire as well as the associated Orb, Cross, and
Holy Lance, the Imperial Crown, the
Imperial Orb and the mantle of the
Austrian
Empire
, and the Coronation Robes of the Kingdom of
Lombardy-Venetia.
Croatia
The 11th century
Crown of Zvonimir
was a Papal gift to King Zvonimir of
Croatia. It is thought likely to
have been lost during the
Ottoman invasions
of the
Balkans in the 1500s.
The distinctive crown
adorns several local flags in Croatia
and Dalmatia.
Bohemia
The
jewels (cs: korunovační
klenoty), and the Crown of
Saint Wenceslas of Bohemia
(Svatováclavská koruna) are kept in Prague Castle
(Pražský hrad) and are displayed to the
public only once every (circa) eight years.
The crown is named and dedicated after the
Duke and
Patron
Saint Wenceslas I
of the
Přemyslids dynasty of Bohemia.
The crown has an unusual design, with vertical
fleurs-de-lis standing at the front, back and
sides. Made from
gold and
precious stones, its weight is 2.475g. It
was made for King
Charles
IV in 1346.
Since 1867 it has been stored in St. Vitus
Cathedral
of Prague Castle. The jewels have always
played an important role as a symbol of Bohemian
statehood.
An ancient Czech legend says that any usurper who places the crown
on his head is doomed to die within a year. In the eyes of some
this was confirmed during
World War II
when
Reinhard Heydrich, the Nazi
governor of the puppet
Protectorate of Bohemia and
Moravia secretly wore them believing himself to be a great
king, and was assassinated less than a year later by the
Czech underground.
Denmark
The Crown of Christian IV of
Denmark
The crown
jewels and other royal regalia of Denmark
are kept in Rosenborg Castle
in Copenhagen
.
Finland
The never used crown of the King of
Finland and Karelia, Duke of Åland, Grand Prince of Lapland, Lord
of Kaleva and the North
In 1918 a
unique crown was designed in Finland for the proposed "King
of Finland
and Karelia
, Duke of Åland
, Grand Prince of Lapland, Lord of Kaleva
and the North" (Suomen ja Karjalan
kuningas, Ahvenanmaan herttua, Lapinmaan suuriruhtinas, Kalevan ja
Pohjolan isäntä). However, the political situation
changed before the new crown could be used in the coronation
ceremony of Finland's first independent monarch. By the end of 1918
the uncrowned monarch had abdicated and Finland had adopted a new
republican constitution.
The crown which exists today was made by
goldsmith Teuvo Ypyä in the 1990's, based on the original drawings,
and is kept in a museum in Kemi
where it
can be seen today. The crown, which is made of silver gilt,
consists of a circlet and cap decorated with the
arms in
enamel of various
provinces of the realm. Above the
circlet
are two arches. Topping the arches is not a Globus Crusiger like in
most European crowns, but a gold rampant lion in the form as found
in the
Coat of arms of
Finland. Inner circumference of the crown is approximately 58
centimeters and it weight about 2 kilograms.
France
The
surviving French Crown Jewels, principally a set of historic crowns
now set with decorated glass, are on display in the Galerie
d'Apollon of the Louvre
, France's premier museum and former royal
palace,
Georgia
The Crown
of Imereti
dating from the 12th century and believed to have
been commissioned by David IV of
Georgia was known to have been kept at the Monastery at
Gelati
after Solomon
II was deposed and Imereti occupied by Russia
in 1810. It is recorded as remaining there
until at least 1917 after which it disappears from the record,
presumably stolen or destroyed during the
communist revolution, but perhaps
hidden. Another crown which existed at the same time was one
commissioned by
George XII the king of
another Georgian realm called
Kartli-Kakheti for his coronation in 1798. It
was made in Russia and was a closed crown or "corona clausa" made
of gold and decorated with 145 diamonds, 58 rubies, 24 emeralds and
16 amethysts. It took the form of a circlet surmounted by ornaments
and eight arches. A globe surmounted by a cross rested on the top
of the crown. There is no information about any crown for
Kartli-Kakheti predating 1798 although presumably given the
existence of one for Imereti there was.
Following the death of George XII in 1800 the crown was sent to
Moscow and deposited in the Kremlin to prevent any of his
successors being crowned. In 1923 it was given to the State Museum
in Tbilisi but in 1930 it was once again sent back to Moscow where
it was broken up.
A sword of King
Heraclius II
survives and is kept at the National Museum in Tbilisi.
Germany
Anhalt
MISSING
Baden
Grand Duke Karl II of Baden was given a crown by Napoleon I, the
cousin by marriage of his wife, Stéphanie Louise Adrienne de
Beauharnais. The design of the crown follows the general pattern
typical of a European royal crown, but is unique in that the
circlet and the arches of the crown are made of gold fabric rather
than of a precious metal such as gold or silver-gilt. The precious
stones which ornament this crown are in metal settings which are
attached to this circlet and these arches much like brooches pinned
to fabric. At the intersection of the four arches of this crown is
a blue enameled orb and a cross both set with diamonds. The cap on
the inside of the crown is made of the same crimson velvet which
also covers the reverse sides of the arches of the crown.
Bavaria
In 1806,
Napoleon I of France
conquered the Holy Roman Empire. He restructured the many German
states and the
Duchy of Bavaria was
promoted to a 'Kingdom'.
The ruling Wittelsbach Duke became Maximilian I became King of
Bavaria
.With his new status, the King ordered new
regalia to be made, which included the 35.56-carat
Wittelsbach Diamond, an oval Old Mine
cut blue diamond. The diamond's history dates back to the 1660s and
for the most part has been uneventful. The gem was offered with
other Bavarian Crown Jewels in a 1931 auction at Christies in
London, but apparently it did not sell, nor did it return to its
display in Munich. Rumors included one that the stone had been sold
illegally in 1932 through a Munich jeweller and had reappeared in
Holland. Later research unveiled the fact that the gem had actually
been sold in Belgium in 1951 and that it had changed hands again in
1955. In 1958 millions of visitors came to Brussels for the World
Exhibition and many must have cast eyes upon the jewelry display
which included a large blue diamond. But not one person appeared to
have any inkling that this was in fact a missing famous gem: the
Wittelsbach Diamond. Credit for the recognition of the true
identity of the blue diamond must go to Joseph Komkommer, a leading
figure in the Belgian diamond industry and the fourth generation of
a diamond family. In January 1962 Mr. Komkommer received a phone
call asking him to look at an Old Mine cut diamond with a view of
its recutting. When he opened the package he received a
shock — a dark blue diamond is among the rarest and most
valuable of gems. Mr. Komkommer at once recognized that the diamond
was one of historical significance and that it would be a tragedy
to recut it. With the assistance of his son, Jacques Komkommer, he
identified the diamond as the 'lost' blue diamond that was formerly
owned by the House of Wittelsbach. He thereupon formed a consortium
of diamond buyers from Belgium and the USA which purchased the
diamond, then valued at £180,000. The vendors were the trustees of
an estate whose identity remained undisclosed. Finally, the
Wittelsbach was acquired by private collector in 1964. It was
announced in October 2008 the diamond would be offered for auction
at
Christies in December.
Its original Golden
Fleece ornament can be seen today in the Treasury of the Residenz
Palace in Munich
, a blue glass replica of the Wittelsbach in place
of where the diamond was set.
The
Bavarian Coronation Set
consists of the Crown of Bavaria, the Crown of the Queen
(originally made for Maximilian's Queen,
Caroline Frederika of
Baden, the State Sword, the Royal Orb, and the
Royal Sceptre.
Hessia
MISSING
Liechtenstein
After they achieved sovereign status the Princes of Liechtenstein
in 1719 had a crown made to symbolize their new status. The Princes
were apparently never crowned or otherwise formally invested with
this crown. The circlet of the crown was modeled on the circlet of
the
Imperial Crown
of_Austria, while eight jeweled acanthus leaves, alternately
large and small, rested on the rim of the circlet. As with the
imperial crown of Rudolf II, the precious stones used in this crown
were white (diamonds and pearls) and red (rubies or red spinels),
which may have had some alchemist significance. Inside the crown
was a red velvet cap topped with a large jeweled button. Although
the crown itself no longer exists, a copy was made by the people of
Liechtenstein and given to Prince
Franz
Joseph II on his 70th birthday.
Mecklenburg
MISSING
Saxony
The
treasures of the Kings of Saxony
are kept in Dresden
.
Thurn and Taxis
MISSING
Prussia
The crown
and the insignia of the Kingdom of Prussia
are kept at Hohenzollern Castle
in Sigmarigen, Baden-Württemberg
.
Württemberg
Holy Roman Empire
The
Imperial Regalia like the Holy Crown of Charlemagne, the orb, the sceptre, the Holy Lance,
and various other items are kept in the Schatzkammer Treasury in
Vienna, Austria.
Greece
- The crown of the Byzantine emperor Nicephorus Phocas (963-969)
at the Great Lavra monastery on Mount Athos.
- The enameled plates from the crown of the Byzantine emperor
Constantine IX Monomachos,
1042-1055, made c. 1042, survive in Budapest.
Hungary
The crown
jewels of Hungary
are on display in the Parliament Building in
Budapest
.
Italy
the
Iron Crown of the Kingdom of
Lombardy is kept at the Cathedral of Monza
. The
coronation robe is kept in the Schatzkammer in Vienna, Austria.
The Crown jewels of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946) are in the
custody of the
Bank of Italy, due to
legal controversy between the Italian Republic and the Savoia
family. It is not clear who is the legal owner. The value of
crowns, diadems and various jewels is valued at over €2,5 Billion.
On being made Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo I de' Medici was granted the use
of an open radial crown with a representation of the red Florentine
fleurs-de-lis with its stamens posed between the petals in place of
the ray in the front, completely covered with precious stones, by
Pope Pius V, who specified that the circlet of this crown be
engraved with an inscription that the crown had been granted him to
wear by the Pope. On the actual crown made this inscription was
place on the back of the circlet, while the front was actually
covered with precious stones like the rest of the crown. A sceptre
consisting of a gilt rod topped with a red-enameled globe topped in
turn by a red-enameled Florentine Lily also formed part of the
regalia of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. The coronation portrait of
the Grand Duke Gian Gastone de' Medici shows the same Florentine
grand ducal crown closed with the pearl set arches associated with
sovereignty. This crown was also used as the heraldic crown in the
arms of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
Monaco
Monaco
features a heraldic
crown on its coat-of-arms, but does
not possess any crown jewels or regalia per se.
Netherlands
Norway
The crown
jewels, or royal regalia, of Norway
are together with some other old treasures on
permanent display in an exhibition next to the Nidaros
Cathedral
, in Trondheim
.
Poland
The only
surviving part of the Polish
Crown Jewels is from the Piast dynasty and consists of the coronation
sword known as the Szczerbiec.
It is
currently on display along with other royal items in the Wawel Royal Castle Museum
, Kraków
. Most of the Crown Jewels were plundered by
foreign invaders such as the Swedes, Germans and Russians.
One of many royal crowns was made for King
August II, Elector of Saxony when he
became King of Poland in 1697. Since the original set was stolen, a
new set was made for the coronation in Kraków.
Today it is displayed
in the Royal Castle in Dresden, Germany
.
Portugal
The royal
Crown of Portugal
was made in 1817. It was created in
Rio de
Janeiro
, Brazil
, in the workshop of Don Antonio Gomes da Silva, for King
John VI. Today, the crown
along with other royal regalia is kept in the Ajuda Palace
, Lisbon
.
Romania
The Romanian Crown Jewels consist of three crowns: the
Steel Crown, the
Crown of Queen Elisabeta and the
Crown of Queen Maria; and two
scepters: the
Scepter of
Ferdinand I and the
Scepter of
Carol II. They are displayed at The National History Museum of
Romania in Bucharest.
Russia
The
coronation regalia, such as the Great Imperial Crown, the Imperial Orb
of Catherine II the Great, the Imperial Sceptre with the Orloff Diamond, the Shah Diamond, and others are kept at the
Kremlin
Armoury
in Moscow
. See Imperial Crown of Russia and
Monomakh's Cap.
Serbia
Spain
The kingdoms that would consolidate to form Spain during the 15th
and 16th centuries, namely the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon, did
not have consistent coronation ceremonies. The last recorded
coronation ceremony in what would become Spain occurred in the 15th
century; since then, the monarchs were not crowned, but proclaimed.
As such, there was decreased importance for a coherent set of crown
jewels, as these are usually themselves coronation regalia.
Much of
what did exist into the modern era of the regalia of Spain was
destroyed in the Great
Fire
of Christmas Eve 1734. In the 18th century,
King
Charles III ordered a new
crown and sceptre to be made. This crown is made of golden silver,
and it features half-arches resting on 8 plates bearing the emblems
of the Kingdom. The crown and scepter are displayed during the
opening of the
Cortes
(
Parliament). During ceremonies of
accession with a new monarch, the crown and scepter are also
present, but the crown itself is never placed on the monarch's
head. Today they are kept by the
Patrimonio Nacional (the Crown
Heritage).
Today, there are other pieces of jewelry and historically important
items that would be considered "crown jewels" in other countries
but are not denominated as such in Spain. In terms of jewelry, all
of the jewels and tiaras worn by the members of the
Spanish Royal Family are privately
owned by them. More historically important elements are kept as
pieces of cultural interest in different parts of Spain. For
example, the personal crown used by
Isabel I of Castile, her scepters, and
her sword, are kept in the Royal Chapel in the Cathedral of
Granada. As a consequence, this means that beyond the crown and
scepter used during important occasions of the Spanish state, there
is no other element of the crown jewels of Spain.
Sweden
Sweden
's Crown Jewels are kept deep in the vaults of
the Royal Treasury, underneath the
Royal
Palace in Stockholm
. The symbols of
Swedish monarchy have not actually been
worn since 1907, but they are still displayed at weddings,
christenings and funerals.
Until 1974 the crown jewels were also
displayed at the opening of the Riksdag
(Parliament). Among the oldest
priceless objects are the sword of
Gustav
Vasa and the crown, orb, sceptre and key of King
Erik XIV and numerous other sovereigns.Eric XIV’s
crown, made in Stockholm in 1561 by Flemish goldsmith Cornelius ver
Welden, is typical of the Renaissance style of jewelry of his time.
Originally his crown bore four pairs of the letter ‘E’ and ‘R’, the
initials of the Latin form of his name, “Ericus Rex”, in green
enamel, each pair being on either side of the central stones on the
front, sides and back of the circlet. When he was deposed by his
brother, John III, John had each of these letter s covered with
identical cartouches each set with two pearls. The Swedish monarchs
of the Houses of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, of Hesse and of
Holstein-Gottorp preferred to use Queen Christina’s crown rather
than that of Eric XIV, however, the House of Bernadotte choose to
use Eric’s crown. However, they replaced the original orb and cross
at the top of the crown with a new large orb enameled blue with
gold star and set with diamond and with a cross of ten diamonds.
They also replaced the original pearls on the top of the eight
large ornaments on the circlet with diamonds and replacing the
pearl cartouches with eight diamond rosettes moved the circlet 45
degrees. This is the form the crown has in the portrait of Oscar II
painted by Oscar Björck. In the early twentieth century this orb
and cross and these diamond rosettes were removed and the crown
restored to essentially the form it had under John III.
Eric also had a scepter, an orb, a key and an anointing horn made
for his coronation. This key is an item found only in the Swedish
regalia (although a pair of gold and silver keys also were formerly
presented to a new pope at his coronation). The anointing horn is
of gold in the shape of a bull’s horn supported by a pedestal. The
large end is closed with a lid with a chain and the on the opposite
point of the horn stands a small figure of justice holding a pair
of scales. His scepter is of gold, enameled and jeweled and still
used as the monarch’s scepter. The orb is also of gold and is
unique among European regalia in that it is engraved and enameled
with a map of the earth according to the cartography current at the
time it was made. At the top of the orb is a smaller orb in blue
enamel and covered with stars, above which is a small cross formed
of a table cut diamond surrounded by three pearls.
Christina of Sweden took for her
coronation and state crown the crown of her mother,
Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg,
as the queen consort of
Gustav II
Adolphus, made in Stockholm in 1620 by German goldsmith
Rupprecht Miller, which originally had two arches in a very fine
foliage design in gold with black enameling and set with rubies and
diamonds (a reference to the colors of the arms of her father, John
Sigimond of Brandenburg) , with a small blue enameled orb and a
cross, both set with diamonds. Christina had two more arches added
to her mother’s crown matching the first two and had more diamonds
and rubies added to it to enhance the crown’s appearance as the
crown of a queen regnant. She also and had a cap of purple satin,
embroidered in gold and set with more diamonds added to the inside
of the crown. The circlet of the crown has eight large cabochon
rubies set beneath each of the eight arches of the crown and
diamonds in large rosette patterns in the intervening spaces of the
circlet. Queen Christina’s crown was the crown chosen to be
displayed with other items of the Swedish regalia and artifacts
from the Swedish royal collections in a 1988-89 exhibition in the
National Gallery in Washington D.C. and the Minneapolis Institute
of Art commemorating the founding of Delaware as a Swedish colony
in 1638.
The Crown of
Louisa Ulrika was made in
Stockholm in 1751 by Andreas Almgren and was modeled on the crown
made by Ronde for the French queen consort,
Marie Leczinska to wear at her wedding to
Louis XV of France in 1725. It was, in turn, the model for the
Norwegian queen’s crown. It is made of silver set entirely with
diamonds. On the circlet rests representations of eight open crowns
with trefoils for leaves (the heraldic symbol of Sweden) from back
of which rise eight half arches which curl back on themselves at
the top where they support a blue enameled orb and a cross also set
with diamonds. Between each of these eight open crowns are eight
small points each topped with a diamond. Inside the cap is a
scarlet cap of velvet strewn with silver sequins. Two large
diamonds are set between the circlet and the front crown, the
central trefoil in the front of the crown being replaced with a
large oval diamond. This is the crown from which Louisa Ulrika
removed 44 diamonds and pawned in Berlin to finance her attempted
coup in 1756. This is the crown still used on formal occasions such
as the royal weddings and funerals of Swedish queen consorts.
The scepter and orb made for
Gunilla
Bielke, the wife of John III, continued to be used by
succeeding Swedish queen consorts, although this orb was habitually
used by a Swedish monarchs of the of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, of
Hesse and of Holstein-Gottorp dynasties, though those of the House
of Bernadotte preferred to use the orb of Eric XIV. The use of an
orb by a queen consort appears to be original to Sweden, although
the practice was also adopted by Norway during the period of its
dual monarchy with Sweden.
Crown Prince coronet, was made for
Charles X Gustav to wear at the coronation
of Christina as her designated heir. It was hurriedly made in two
weeks time from parts of an earlier queen’s crown. It has the form
of a radial crown with eight rays or spikes with two black enameled
sheaves of grain, the heraldic emblem of the Vasa dynasty one
between the front two rays and the other between the back two rays,
with other smaller ornaments between the other rays. Originally
worn over a fur lined hat, the Crown Prince’s coronet is now worn
with cap of light blue satin covered with gold embroidery. The
heraldic crown for the Crown Prince/Princess is based on the actual
appearance of this crown and also shows a central Vasa sheaf
between four rays of a jeweled radial crown.
Similar coronets, but of a simpler design and with rays in the
central position in the front and back and with eight smaller
sheaves of gold between the eight rays were made in the eighteen
century for the other princes and princesses, those of the
princesses being of similar design, but much smaller. These
coronets are set primarily with diamonds, emeralds and pearls. The
heraldic crown for a duke (in Sweden always the son of a monarch)
or duchess (always the daughter of a monarch or wife of a duke) is
similarly depicted as a jeweled radial crown with five rays.
In addition to the Crown Jewels proper, the Royal Treasury also
includes some jeweled insignia of the Swedish royal orders of
chivalry, especially of the Order of the Seraphim. and
United Kingdom
The Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom are considered to be the
most valuable and one of the largest jewellery collections in
existence, with a number of famous diamonds and rubies including
the
Cullinan Diamond (the largest
diamond ever found before it was cut).
England
The
crown jewels of England
, and now of the United Kingdom
, are kept in the Tower of London
. Apart from an
Ampule and
Spoon they all date
from after
The Restoration of
Charles II in 1661. The
ancient crown jewels of England were destroyed by
Oliver Cromwell in 1649 when he established
Commonwealth of England.
Among the original crown jewels were
Alfred the Great's State Crown
described as
"Gould wyerworke set with slight stones and two
little bells" which once melted down the gold it contained
fetched £248 and 10 shillings, while the little 11th century crown
of
Queen Edith only realised £16. It
is considered that both these crowns date from the 11th century and
the crown described as that of Alfred the Great is, in fact, the
Crown of St. Edward the Confessor and was renamed thus following
the
Reformation. There are
conflicting legends that this ancient Crown of England still
exists; that it was secreted by some Royalist and its hiding place
was never revealed, although official sources state that the gold
from this crown was recovered and used to make the present
St.
Edward's Crown.
We know the appearance of the later State Crown of Henry VII, which
shared their fate, as it is depicted in some of the portraits of
Charles I, by Daniel Mytens and
Van Dyck.
The state crown of Henry VII had five fleurs-de-lis, five crosses
and two arches topped by a gold orb and cross. The five
fleurs-de-lis each had the enameled image of a saint on the central
upright petal (the front fleur-de-lis had an image of the Virgin
and Child, while two of the other fleurs-de-lis had images of St.
George and the dragon) as well as precious stones on the two curved
side petals, while the five crosses and the arches were ornamented
only with precious stones. The early paintings of Charles I show
the front fleur-de-lis, (as , for example, in the painting by
Daniel Mytens), while later paintings show the cross on the back of
the crown (i. e., the crown shown from the back), which some
suggest might have been a concession to Puritan objections to the
representation of saints on the state crown.There were also various
sceptres, swords,
coronets,
rings and an
Anglo-Saxon comb, Some of the pieces were
probably reclaimed burial regalia, including those stripped from
the rich
shrine of Edward the Confessor in
Westminster Abbey by
Henry VIII. Various
medieval garments used in past coronation ceremonies were also sold
off at the time, an irreparable loss.
In 1660 when a replacement crown called "
St. Edward's Crown" was cast for the
coronation of Charles II the gold from the aforementioned
King
Alfred's Crown (the original crown of Edward the Confessor)
was used, so presumably even after the various jewels had been
melted down strenuous efforts were made to recover their
components. The present
Imperial Crown of State is
decorated with the principal surviving historic jewels, which were
recovered at the time of the Restoration. These include
Edward
the Confessor's Sapphire, which is set in a
Maltese cross at the top of the crown. This
sapphire was once part of a ring owned by Edward the Confessor,
which was buried with him in 1066. In 1101, when his shrine was
opened and the ring removed, the sapphire was re-set in a crown
worn by
Henry I of England.
Glass copies of the Cullinan
diamonds
The ruby which adorns the centre of the Imperial Crown of State has
a rich and dramatic history. It once belonged to a
Sultan of Granada, who was murdered by
Pedro the Cruel, King of
Castille. He presented it to
Edward, the Black Prince, in
gratitude for his military assistance at the
Battle of Navaretto in 1367. It was
inherited by Edward's son,
Richard
II of England. Richard had it in his possession when he
surrendered to his cousin, the future
Henry IV of England in Wales in 1399.
Henry later usurped the throne and Richard was murdered. Henry's
son,
Henry V of England, wore
this ruby in the crown he wore around his helmet at the Battle of
Agincourt, a bejewelled gold fleuron was struck of this same crown
during the battle and lost.
The ruby was similarly worn in the crown of
Richard III of England at the
Battle
of Bosworth Field
in 1485. When Richard was killed during
the fighting it famously rolled under a hawthorn bush to be
retrieved by Lord Stanley and placed on the head of the victorious
Henry Tudor, later Henry VII of England. The Imperial Crown of
State also contains pearls worn as earrings by
Queen Elizabeth I of England,
these are suspended from the arches of the crown.
Scotland
The
crown jewels, or 'Honours',
including the Stone of Destiny, are
kept in Edinburgh Castle
. They are the oldest surviving crown
jewels in the United Kingdom and were a gift by the
Pope to the
King of
Scotland in the 16th century. They were hidden during the
Interregnum.
The Honours of Scotland were almost
forgotten following their last use at the coronation of Charles II
in 1651 until they were discovered in a chest inside Edinburgh
Castle in the early Nineteenth century.
A "golden royal crown" pre-dating the existing "Honours of
Scotland" had been in existence. It is recorded that it was seized
by the English authorities following a search of the luggage of the
deposed
John Balliol as he attempted to
leave England and make his way to exile in France following his
release from imprisonment in London in 1299.
This crown was sent
to King Edward I in London where it was
probably placed with the English crown jewels at Westminster Abbey
. The later fate of this crown is not
entirely clear, but it may have been returned to Scotland during
the negotiations between
Robert I
of Scotland and
Edward II of England
(following the English defeat at Bannockburn in 1314) or perhaps
was returned to Scotland for use in the coronation of
Edward Balliol when he was installed as king
of Scots by England in 1332. Nevertheless, it is not in existence
today.
Wales
The
Honours of the
Principality of Wales.
The original regalia of the Welsh princes have been lost.
Llywelyn's coronet was kept after its
capture with the English crown jewels between 1284 and 1649.
Ireland
The Crown Jewels of Ireland were heavily jewelled insignia of the
Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick. They were worn by the
sovereign at the installation of knights of that order, the Irish
equivalent of the English Order of the Garter and the Scottish
Order of the Thistle.
Vatican
Latin America
Chile
- The Kingdom of Araucania and
Patagonia has a crown, presented to Prince Philippe of
Araucania in 1986 by a group of Araucanian "nobles". Previously,
the Royal House had no crown. Made of steel
and containing stones from the Rio
Bio-Bio, it is on display at the Museum of the Kings of
Araucania.
Brazil
Emperor Pedro II and the Brazilian
Imperial Regalia
The
Imperial Crown of Brazil
alongside with other regalia and mementos of the Brazilian Empire
are kept at the Imperial Museum of Brazil
(Museu Imperial) in the former palace of Brazilian emperor
Pedro II, in Petrópolis
, Brazil.
North America
Hawaii
Some of
the Crown Jewels and the original Thrones of
the Kingdom of Hawaii reside within the custody of the Bishop
Museum
. Copies of the thrones can be seen at
Iolani
Palace
. Some lie in state with the royals at the
Royal
Mausoleum at Mauna Ala
. Feather cloak and wear are among the oldest of
Hawaiian regalias: Nahienaena's
Pa'u, the 180 feather skirt of Nahienaena and later the funeral attire for the
dead monarch while lying in state; Kiwalao's Cloak aka Kamehameha's Cloak, the
cloak won by Kamehameha I during his battle with Kiwalao; and Liloa's
Kaei, the feather belt of Liloa, the 14th century King of
Hawaii. Also the
Kiha-pu or the War Trumpet (Conch
Shell) of
Kihanuilulumoku which is
one generation older than Liloa's Kaei.
Oceania
New Zealand
This Kingdom is an unofficial one, but one that has become an
important one to
Māori today. The current
monarch is
Tuheitia Paki. The crown
jewels consist of a cloak.
References
- History of jewels Pictures and
details (requires QuickTime)
- See picture at
http://www.royal-magazin.de/german/baden/index.htm
- http://www.mnir.ro The National History Museum of Romania
- An image of the crown destroyed in 1734 may be seen at
http://benatlas.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/carlos_ii_koning_van_spanje-396x608.jpg
-
http://www.royalcourt.se/royalcourt/themonarchytheroyalcourt/theswedishmonarchy/regalsymbols.4.396160511584257f2180001975.html
- http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/NorthEuropeCrns.html
- http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/NorthEuropeCrns.html
-
http://www.royalcourt.se/royalcourt/theroyalpalaces/theroyalpalace/thepalace/theroyalcollections.4.396160511584257f21800016441.html
- http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/NorthEuropeCrns.html
-
http://www.royalcourt.se/royalcourt/themonarchytheroyalcourt/theswedishmonarchy/regalsymbols.4.396160511584257f2180001975.html
-
http://www.royalcourt.se/royalcourt/theroyalpalaces/theroyalpalace/thetreasury.4.396160511584257f2180002742.html
- See also:
- http://www.ordersandmedals.net/Sweden/Seraphim/S206.htm
- http://www.houstonjewelry.com/jewels2.html
- http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/crown_jewels.htm
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, in Lower
Austria
. See archducal
hat for further information.
in Graz
,
Styria. See ducal hat for
further information.
. For further Information, see
Papal regalia and
insignia.