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A crown is a traditional "symbolic form of "headwear, or "hat, worn by a "monarch or by a "deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents "power, "legitimacy, "victory, "triumph, "honor, and "glory, as well as "immortality, "righteousness, and "resurrection. In "art, the crown may be shown being offered to those on Earth by "angels. Apart from the traditional form,["clarification needed] crowns also may be in the form of a "wreath and be made of flowers, "oak leaves, or "thorns and be worn by others, representing what the "coronation part aims to symbolize with the specific crown. In religious art, a crown of "stars is used similarly to a "halo. Crowns worn by rulers often contain "jewels.
A crown is often an "emblem of the monarchy, a monarch's government, or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, particularly in Commonwealth countries, as an abstract name for the monarchy itself, as distinct from the individual who inhabits it (see "The Crown). A specific type of crown (or "coronet for lower ranks of peerage) is employed in "heraldry under strict rules. Indeed, some monarchies never had a physical crown, just a heraldic representation, as in the constitutional kingdom of Belgium, where no coronation ever took place; the royal installation is done by a solemn oath in parliament, wearing a military uniform: the King is not acknowledged as by divine right, but assumes the only hereditary public office in the service of the law; so he in turn will swear in all members of "his" federal government.
Three distinct categories of crowns exist in those "monarchies that use crowns or state regalia.
Crowns or similar headgear, as worn by "nobility and other high-ranking people below the ruler, is in English often called a "coronet; However, in many languages, this distinction is not made and the same word is used for both types of headgear (e.g., French couronne, German Krone, Dutch kroon). In some of these languages the term "rank crown" (rangkroon, etc.) refers to the way these crowns may be ranked according to hierarchical status.
In "Classical antiquity, the crown (corona) that was sometimes awarded to people other than rulers, such as triumphal "military "generals or "athletes, was actually a "wreath or chaplet, or ribbon-like "diadem.
The precursor to the crown was the browband called the "diadem, which had been worn by the "Achaemenid Persian emperors, was adopted by "Constantine I, and was worn by all subsequent rulers of the later Roman Empire.
The corona radiata, the ""radiant crown" known best on the "Statue of Liberty, and perhaps worn by the "Helios that was the "Colossus of Rhodes, was worn by Roman emperors as part of the cult of "Sol Invictus prior to the "Roman Empire's conversion to Christianity. It was referred to as "the chaplet studded with sunbeams” by "Lucian, about 180 AD.
Perhaps the oldest extant Christian crown in Europe is the "Iron Crown of Lombardy, of Roman and "Longobard age, later again used to crown modern Kings of Napoleonic and Austrian Italy, and to represent united Italy after 1860.
In the Christian tradition of European cultures, where ecclesiastical sanction authenticates monarchic power, when a new monarch assumes the throne in a coronation ceremony, the crown is placed on the new monarch's head by a religious official. Some, though not all early "Holy Roman Emperors travelled to Rome at some point in their careers to be crowned by the pope. "Napoleon, according to legend, surprised "Pius VII when he reached out and crowned himself, although in reality this order of ceremony had been pre-arranged (see "coronation).
Today, only the "British Monarchy and "Tongan Monarchy continue this tradition as the only remaining anointed and crowned monarchs, though many monarchies retain a crown as a national symbol in heraldry. The "French Crown Jewels were sold in 1885 on the orders of the "Third French Republic, with only a token number, with their precious stones replaced by glass, held on to for historic reasons and displayed by the "Louvre. The "Spanish Crown Jewels were destroyed in a major fire in the 18th century while the so-called ""Irish Crown Jewels" (actually merely the British Sovereign's insignia of the "Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick) were stolen from "Dublin Castle in 1907, just before the investiture of "Bernard Edward Barnaby FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Castletown.
Special headgear to designate rulers dates back to pre-history, and is found in many separate civilizations around the globe. Commonly, rare and precious materials are incorporated into the crown, but that is only essential for the notion of crown jewels. "Gold and precious "jewels are common in western and oriental crowns. In the "Native American civilizations of the "Pre-Columbian "New World, rare "feathers, such as that of the "quetzal, often decorated crowns; so too in Polynesia (e.g. Hawaii).
In other cultures, no crown is used in the equivalent of coronation, but the head may still be otherwise symbolically adorned, as a royal "tikka in the Hindu tradition of India.
Crown of the "Essen Cathedral Treasury (11th century)
"Crown of the Holy Roman Empire (11th century)
Medieval Crown of "Bulgaria kert in the National history museum of Bulgaria
"Holy Crown of Hungary (12th century)
Crown of "Eric IX of Sweden (12th century)
"Crown of Saint Wenceslas (1347; modern replica shown)
"Royal Crown of Sweden (1561)
"St Edward's Crown (1661)
Crown of "Louis XV
Reproduction of Imperial Crown of "Napoleon III of France.
"Pahlavi Crown (1926)
Because one or more crowns, alone or as part of a more elaborate design, often appear on coins, several monetary denominations came to be known as 'a crown' (see "Crown (British coin)) or the equivalent word in the local language, such as krone. This persists in the case of the national currencies of the Scandinavian countries and the Czech Republic. The generic term "crown sized" is frequently used for any coin roughly the size of an American "silver dollar.
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