The crown can be of various shapes and made of various materials, including not only precious ones. The first hats in the form of a crown appear even in the most ancient civilizations of human history. But the origin of the word has Latin roots from "corona" - a wreath, a crown. The most popular symbols of power acquired in Europe during the Middle Ages. Today we will present the most beautiful crowns of both historical and modern monarchical houses of the world.
1
Crown of the State of Silla. V century
One of the three Korean kingdoms was founded in 57 AD. After the capture and unification of neighboring states, the Force became the most powerful in the region.
Naturally, the rulers of a strong state needed monastic regalia, for which a magnificent crown was made.
Jewelry of oriental masters combines the power of power with the harmony of Buddhist ornaments.
2
Lombard kingdom. VI century
According to legend, one of the first relics of the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire is made of a nail from the cross of Jesus Christ.
Pope Gregory presented the shrine to the wife of the Duke of Turin, Princess Theodelinda. Already in 593 she ordered to make a crown out of a nail, which was used during the coronation of her husband. It was the Duke of Turin and the King of the Lombards, Agilulf, who first tried on this sacred royal crown.
Sometimes, Napoleon Bonaparte put on a unique piece of iron and jewelry in solemn occasions in order to give legitimacy and importance to his power.
3
Crown of St. Stephen. XI century
The jewelers who made the main regalia of the Hungarian kings performed it in the form of a helmet. They skillfully fastened together gold plates. For the first time, the crown adorned the crowned head of the King of Hungary, Istvan I, around 1001.
The crown top is decorated with a curved cross, traditional for Hungarian heraldry. For many centuries, unique regalia has been a vivid symbol of the greatness of Hungary, and, consequently, of the rulers of the European monarchy.
4
Imperial crown of the Holy Roman Empire. XI century
This relic went down in history under the name "Crown of Charlemagne." Most likely, it was made at the end of the X - beginning of the XI century for the coronation of monarchs until the fall of the empire in 1806.
Imperial regalia differs from others in its original octagonal shape, and gold plates are decorated with scenes from the Bible.
It is Christian motifs in the decoration of the product that symbolize the divinity of royal power.
5
Kunigunda Luxembourg. XI century
The descendant of Charlemagne in the seventh tribe of Kunigund was the wife of King Henry II. She went down in history as the first queen of Germany.
To legitimize their royal power, a crown was made specially of her order from a wide golden ring and jewelry.
Now the ancient Germanic relic is located in the Bavarian city of Bamberg and is open for general viewing by visitors.
6
Crown of Boleslaw the Brave. XI century
According to legend, the first king of Poland received his symbol of power from the hands of the German king Otto III. But in just one generation, the regalia was lost, and the Polish rulers dispensed with the crown.
The Polish shrine was accompanied by a series of setbacks; in obscure situations they lost the second royal regalia, called the “Crown of Boleslaw the Brave”.
In 2001, they decided again for reconstruction, and a third copy of the crown of the Polish rulers was made. It is now stored in the national museum next to the sword of Boleslav.
7
Monomakh hat. The end of the 13th century
Photo: Wikipedia / Shakko / CC BY-SA
The Monomakh hat is a unique Central Asian headdress, which is called “borik” among nomads. For a long time it was the main symbol of the power of Russian princes and tsars.
The pointed top of the cap is crowned with a golden cross, and its sides are studded with jewelry. The last time a unique historical value was used during the coronation of Ivan V.
Note that this is the oldest jewelry of this kind, stored in the Armory of the Kremlin. Most-beauty recommends that you visit the Armory at your earliest convenience.
8
Crown of Anna of Bohemia. XIV century
This masterpiece of original form and incredible beauty is also known as the “Princess Blanche crown” or “Palatine Crown”.
And she belonged to the wife of the first wife of Richard II, Anna Cheshskoy. But during the overthrow of the king, among the inventory of jewelry belonging to Blanca's second wife, there is also a record of this royal regalia.
9
Crown of Margarita of York. XV century
A masterpiece of decorative art was commissioned by the wife of Karl the Bold Margarita.
During the civil war, which went down in history as the “White and Scarlet Rose Wars” in 1468, the crown was secretly taken out of England and is now stored in the town of Aachen in western Germany.
By the way, on our site most-beauty.ru there is a very interesting article about the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in Germany.
10
Crown of the Austrian Empire. XVI century
The first who began to use the symbol of royal power was the King of Germany Rudolph II, so her second name is “The Crown of Rudolph”.
Interestingly, the crown was never used for its intended purpose, namely for coronation. It was made by the famous jeweler Jean Vermeyen based on samples of crowns from previous eras stored in Prague.
11
Crowns of Charles VII. 1742
In the Holy Roman Empire, one crown was used for the coronation of rulers, while others were intended for other solemn events.
Having ascended the throne, Charles VII ordered two crowns from the masters. One craftsman lived and worked in Augsburg, the second is a skilled jeweler in Frankfurt.
Charles VII used two imperial hats in various situations of court life.
12
Crown of the King of Denmark Christian IV. 1595
The master of jewelry, Dierig Firing, put all his skills, talent and soul into the making of the crown of the Scandinavian monarch.
Traditionally, the symbol of the royal authority was made of gold, and was decorated with a large number of pearls and emeralds.
The crown contains many symbols connecting the monarchy with the ideas of Christianity. The masterpiece of jewelry has an open type, its petals are not interconnected, which was a characteristic feature of the crowns of the northern monarchies.
13
Crown of the Danish King Christian V. 1670
This crown became a symbol of the absolute monarchy in Europe and was used by the Norwegian rulers until 1840. As a symbol of power, a hat is used in funeral rites during the burial of monarchs.
A beautiful piece between 1670 and 1671 was made by master Paul Kertz. The gold base is adorned with two large agates and two sapphires.
The master took the crown of the French kings as a basis in the manufacture, but Paul replaced the royal lilies with leaves.
14
Crown of Anna Ivanovna. 1830
A precious crown was created in the reign of Anna Ioannovna in 1831. The gilded crown fits 2,500 diamonds on itself.
Immediately after the wedding to the kingdom, the jewel was sent to the Armory of the Moscow Kremlin, where it is still stored.
15
Big imperial crown. 1762
The tradition to be crowned by this masterpiece of Russian jewelry was laid by Catherine II. The crown crowned the head of the Russian monarchs at all state celebrations until the death of the empire in 1917. But the last time she was presented to the public in 1906.
There was a definite meaning to the design. Two silver hemispheres of the crown symbolize the merger of East and West on the territory of the Russian Empire. Below are the symbols of power, glory, power and greatness of Russia.
16
Crown of Queen Sofia Magdalena. 1731
Another crown of Danish monarchs, but already made for a woman. Sofia refused to wear the crown of her predecessor, which she despised, and she needed to make a new one.
The Danish queen, who never learned the Danish language in her entire life, had a great influence on the country's social life. Sofia loved luxury and, in addition to the unique crown, her husband built for her chic, expensive castles.
17
The steel crown of Romania. 1871
An unusual crown was cast from the steel of a melted Turkish cannon captured by the Romanian forces during the war of the Romanian people for liberation from Ottoman rule.
A steel product made by order of King Carol I without expensive excesses became a symbol of the heroism of the Romanian soldiers.
But women are women, and already in 1881, when ascending the throne of the Romanian Queen Elizabeth, a golden crown was made.
18
Crown of Louis XV. 1722
The only crown of the rulers of France that survived the storm of the French revolution, all its predecessors were destroyed by the revolutionaries.
This relic has an amazing story, having survived the revolution, during the Third Republic some of the stones were sold and replaced with glass copies. Today, the famous crown made of hundreds of diamonds, rubies and other expensive stones is exhibited in the Louvre.
19
Crown of Napoleon. 1804
Starting his career as a simple artillery lieutenant of the French revolutionary army, Napoleon in 1804 became emperor of France.
Like any European monarch, Bonaparte ordered to make a crown for coronation.
The newly-made monarch called her the crown of Charlemagne, and she became a symbol of the revival of the tradition of coronation, and the Pope of Rome crowned the emperor of the French in the Notre Dame Cathedral.
20
Crown of Eugenia. 1855
The wife of the last monarch of France, Napoleon III Eugene, after accepting the spouse's title of emperor, ordered himself a crown.
Created by the sketches of the master Gabriel Lemonier, the symbol of power, Empress Eugene tried on at the time of her coronation in 1855.
But the crown did not bring happiness to its owner, over time, her husband was overthrown, and the empress fell into disgrace.
21
Crown of the Grand Dukes of Baden. 1811
In 1806, the dukes of Baden also needed the symbol of royal power. According to his new status, Karl Friedrich ordered a new crown to be poured.
Royal regalia was made by 1811, but it was used only at the funeral of Karl Friedrich.
After participating in the funeral ceremony, the crown was no longer used.
22
By order of Queen Victoria. 1870
After the death of her husband, Prince Albert in 1861, Victoria ordered a small crown studded with diamonds to be made.
An unknown master completed the order by 1870. The Dowager Queen often wore it over a black veil.
23
Crown of Ranavaluna III. End of the 19th century
The last ruler of Imerina had an amazing crown of expensive gilded fabrics and red velvet.
The crown was decorated with national patterns of gold and Maltese crosses. After the capture of Madagascar by France, the queen was exiled to Algeria, and her regalia sent to Paris.
24
Crown of William II. 1888
The only royal regalia of Prussia, made during the existence of the Prussian Empire for William II.
The crown, with a diameter of 21 centimeters, is made of pure gold. But the design of the Prussian crown was developed by the famous artist and great specialist in heraldry Emil Döpler.
Her production was purely symbolic. Not a single emperor of Prussia used Emil’s masterpiece for coronation.
After the death of the empire is stored in the castle of Hohenzollern.
25
Crown of George V. 1911
The British monarch was crowned also as the king of India, therefore the second name of the crown, entrenched in historical literature, was "The Imperial Crown of India."
The magnificent product consists of 6,450 diamonds. Unique and crown shape, consisting of a crown with four Maltese crosses and heraldic lines.
After the death of the monarch in 1936, it was not used and exhibited in the Tower.
26
Crown of Pahlavi. 1925
The world saw a unique masterpiece of oriental craftsmen in 1925, when the new ruling Pahlavi dynasty in Iran entered the throne. It was for this event that a coronation crown of extraordinary beauty was made.
A unique jewel encrusted with many diamonds was used for the second time in 1967 at the beginning of the reign of Shah Mohammed Rez Pahlavi.
Using a diamond to the base of gold and silver, the feather of a white heron is attached to the crown of the Iranian shahs.
27
Kingdom of Sweden. 1561
Since 1907, the Swedish monarchs don’t put on this crown, but they use it constantly at all ceremonies. For her, even a special red pillow is embroidered with gold.
The unique jewelry was restored in its original form in 1970, and now it can often be seen at the weddings of Swedish monarchs, christenings and royal funerals.
28
Principality of Liechtenstein. 1626
The royal cap of the European principality disappeared in 1871, but was then restored and is now on display at the National Museum.
Monarchical regalia is rarely used in celebrations, but it is rightfully considered the property of a small European country.
29
A masterpiece of oriental masters
Finally, a royal headdress with an original name and an amazing story.
The golden “makhkot”, the so-called crown in the Sultanate of Brunei, was made specifically for the coronation of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in 1968. The oldest sketches of the relic lost at the end of the 17th century were collected. It was for them that the headdress of the Sultan was restored.
According to legend, and perhaps the way it was, the then sultan of the eastern state Abdul Mubin fired from a cannon towards the sea bay with an ancient crown. It was a gesture of despair because of a lost battle.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we note that each crown has its own amazing history and unique destiny. Most of them were lost and restored according to ancient samples and old drawings.
Many of them are used in ceremonial occasions and ceremonies, while others have long become an adornment of the exhibition halls of the best museums in the world.
Each historical era introduced its special elements into the design and shape of crowns, but they always remained the main symbol of the monarch’s power both in the West and in the East.
Most of the ruling royal dynasties have sunk into oblivion, and the crowns that crowned the heads of their representatives still amaze tourists, history buffs and admirers of jewelry with their splendor.