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Sweden's regalia are kept deep in the vaults of the Royal Treasury (Swedish : Skattkammaren), underneath the Royal Palace in Stockholm, in a museum that is open to the public. The crowns and coronets have not been worn by Swedish royalty since 1907, but they are still displayed at weddings, christenings and funerals.
Prior to 1907, the crowns and coronets were worn along with royal mantles by the king and other princes at the monarch's coronation, during the opening of the Riksdag, and displayed on other occasions. After the death of Oscar II (the last to be crowned) in 1907, the practice of wearing the crowns at the opening of the Riksdag ceased and the crowns were no longer worn. After this, the crown of the King and his sceptre were simply displayed on cushions on either side of the silver throne while the king's mantle was draped over it. The old opening of state lasted until 1974.
Among the oldest priceless objects are the sword of Gustav Vasa and the crown, orb, sceptre and key of King Erik XIV.
The Crown of Eric XIV, [1] 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 letters 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 chose to use Eric's crown. However, they replaced the original monde and cross at the top of the crown with a new large monde 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, and 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 monde and cross and these diamond rosettes were removed and the crown restored to essentially the form it had under John III. [2]
Eric also had a scepter, an orb and a key 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). His scepter was made by Hans Heiderick in 1561 and is of gold, enameled and set with diamonds, rubies and sapphires and still used as the monarch's scepter. It originally was surmounted by a large round sapphire at the top enclosed by two intersecting rows of pearls. This sapphire was lost at the baptism of Gustav IV Adolf and was replaced by the present dark blue enamelled orb in 1780. The orb is also of gold and is unique among European regalia in that it is engraved and enamelled 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. The orb was made by Cornelius ver Weiden and probably engraved by Franz Beijer in Antwerp in 1568. The present blue enamel dates from 1751 and replaces the original black enamel that was badly damaged at the coronation of Charles XI. The original model used for the engraving is not known, but the engraver placed the northern hemisphere upside down, while placing the names where they would have been if the map were right side up.
The anointing horn was made in 1606 in Stockholm by Peter Kilimpe for the coronation of Carl IX and is of gold in the shape of s bull's horn supported by a pedestal. The large end is closed by a lid with a chain and on the opposite point of the horn stands a small figure of justice holding a pair of scales. The horn is decorated in ornamental relief work with multi-colored opaque and translucent enamel and set with 10 diamonds and 14 rubies, including 6 Karelian 'rubies' (i.e., garnets).
The burial crowns, sceptres and orbs of King Carl IX and his Queen Christina have been kept at Strängnäs Cathedral. Such items are originally interred with the bodies but later have often been exhumed and put on display. [3] On 31 July 2018 thieves stole the crowns and one orb and escaped on a speedboat. [4] The lost regalia were found on 5 February 2019 in Åkersberga, Österåker municipality. [5]
Funerary regalia over the sarcophagus of King Eric XIV in Västerås Cathedral were also stolen in 2013, but were soon found [6] and are now on display in a special case there. [7]
Among other burial regalia in Sweden, those of King Carl X Gustav are on display at Livrustkammaren of Stockholm Palace, the burial crown of Queen Louise Ulrica (still used for the funeral of a king or queen) is shown in the Treasury there, and the crown of King Eric the Holy was on brief display at Uppsala Cathedral in 2014.
As her coronation and state crown Christina of Sweden [2] [8] used the crown that her mother Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg had used as the queen consort of Gustav II Adolph. It was made in Stockholm in 1620 by German goldsmith Rupprecht Miller and 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 Sigmund of Brandenburg), with a small blue enameled monde 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 added a cap of purple satin, embroidered in gold and set with more diamonds, 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 1988-1989 exhibition at the National Gallery of Art 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 [2] [1] 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 monde 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 Swedish monarchs of the 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.
The Crown Prince's Coronet [9] 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 triangular rays or spikes and has survived intact except for the addition by Gustav III for his coronation in 1772 of 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, replacing the smaller ornaments still found between the other rays. Originally worn over an ermine lined hat, the heir apparent's coronet is now worn with a cap of light blue satin covered with gold embroidery. The heraldic crown for the heir apparent is based on the actual appearance of this crown and also shows a central Vasa sheaf between four rays of a jeweled radial crown.
Seven 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 eighteenth and nineteenth centuries for the other princes (i. e., Prince Karl (XIII), 1771; Prince Fredrik Adolf, 1771; Prince Oskar (II), 1844; Prince Wilhelm, 1902) and princesses (i. e., Princess Sofia Albertina, 1771; Princess Hedvig Elisabet Charlotta, 1778; Princess Eugenie, 1860), 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.
Prince Wilhelm's crown is the newest among the princely crowns. It was made in 1902 for Prince Wilhelm, on the occasion of the declaration of his reaching the age of majority, during the opening of the Riksdag in 1903. [10] [11]
The Crown Prince's Coronet and one of these princely coronets were displayed on either side of the altar in Storkyrkan, the cathedral of Stockholm, for the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling on 19 June 2010.
In addition to the royal regalia, the Royal Treasury also includes some jeweled insignia of the Swedish royal orders of chivalry, especially of the Order of the Seraphim. [12] [13] [14] The Order of Charles XIII, the Order of Vasa, the Order of the Polar Star and the Order of the Sword.
Crown jewels are the objects of metalwork and jewellery in the regalia of a current or former monarchy. They are often used for the coronation of a monarch and a few other ceremonial occasions. A monarch may often be shown wearing them in portraits, as they symbolize the power and continuity of the monarchy. Additions to them may be made, but, since medieval times, the existing items have been typically passed down unchanged, symbolizing the continuity of a monarchy.
The Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, originally the Crown Jewels of England, are a collection of royal ceremonial objects kept in the Jewel House at the Tower of London, which include the coronation regalia and vestments worn by British monarchs.
The Honours of Scotland, informally known as the Scottish Crown Jewels, are the regalia that were worn by Scottish monarchs at their coronation. Kept in the Crown Room in Edinburgh Castle, they date from the 15th and 16th centuries, and are the oldest surviving set of crown jewels in the British Isles.
The French Crown Jewels and Regalia comprise the crowns, orb, sceptres, diadems and jewels that were symbols of Royal or Imperial power between 752 and 1870. These were worn by many Kings and Queens of France as well as Emperor Napoleon. The set was finally broken up, with most of it sold off in 1885 by the Third Republic. The surviving French Crown Jewels, principally a set of historic crowns, diadems and parures, are mainly on display in the Galerie d'Apollon of the Louvre, France's premier museum and former royal palace, together with the Regent Diamond, the Sancy Diamond and the 105-carat (21.0 g) Côte-de-Bretagne red spinel, carved into the form of a dragon. In addition, some gemstones and jewels are on display in the Treasury vault of the Mineralogy gallery in the National Museum of Natural History.
The Austrian Crown Jewels are the regalia and vestments worn by the Holy Roman Emperor, and later by the Emperor of Austria, during the coronation ceremony and other state functions. The term refers to the following objects: the crowns, sceptres, orbs, swords, rings, crosses, holy relics and royal robes, as well as several other objects connected with the ceremony. The collection dates from the 10th to the 19th centuries, and it reflects more than a thousand years of European history. It is kept in the Imperial Treasury at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria.
Danish Crown Regalia are the symbols of the Danish monarchy. They consist of three crowns, a sceptre, globus cruciger, the sword of state and an ampulla . The Danish Royal Regalia are kept in the treasury at Rosenborg Castle. The oldest of these is Christian III's sword of state from 1551. They further include King Christian IV's diamond; pearl- and gold-embroidered saddles; objects carved from ivory and rock-crystal; lapidary pieces of precious stones, and brooches in the form of fantastic animals.
The Imperial crown of Russia, also known as the great imperial crown, was used for the coronation of the monarchs of Russia from 1762 until the Russian monarchy's abolition in 1917. The great imperial crown was first used in the coronation by Catherine the Great, and it was last worn at the coronation of Nicholas II. It was displayed prominently next to Nicholas II on a cushion at the State Opening of the Russian Duma inside the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg in 1906. It survived the 1917 revolution and ensuing civil war and is currently on display in Moscow at the Kremlin Armoury's State Diamond Fund.
The regalia of Norway are items that symbolise the Norwegian monarch's power and majesty. Little is known of the old Norwegian regalia which have since been lost. The majority of the modern regalia date from 1818 and were made for the coronation of Jean Bernadotte as King Carl III Johan.
The State Crown of George I is the imperial and state crown crafted in 1714 for King George I. It was modified and used by subsequent monarchs until 1838. The empty gold frame and its aquamarine monde which dates from the reign of King James II are both part of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. They are on public display in the Martin Tower at the Tower of London.
The Imperial Crown of Austria is a crown formerly in use by the monarchs of the Habsburg monarchy. The crown was originally made in 1602 in Prague by Jan Vermeyen as the personal crown of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, and therefore is also known as the Crown of Emperor Rudolf II. The crown was used as a private crown of the Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Hungary and Bohemia from the House of Habsburg. In 1804 it became the official crown of the newly constituted Austrian Empire. After 1867 it remained the imperial crown of the Cisleithanian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918.
The Coronet of Charles, Prince of Wales is a small crown that is part of the Honours of Wales. The gold coronet, with diamonds set in platinum, was made for and used by King Charles III at his investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969. Designed by the artist Louis Osman, the coronet was a gift from the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths to the Prince's mother, Queen Elizabeth II. It has been described as modern but its form is traditional. The coronet is on permanent display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London.
The Crown of Scotland is the centrepiece of the Honours of Scotland. It is the crown that was used at the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland, and it is the oldest surviving crown in the British Isles and among the oldest in Europe.
The Royal Crown of Serbia is a royal regalia that existed during the Serbian monarchy.
The Crown of King Eric XIV of Sweden was made in Stockholm in 1561 by Flemish goldsmith Cornelius ver Weiden, for the coronation of king Eric XIV. It is held in the Treasury under the Stockholm Palace along with the rest of the Swedish Royal Regalia. The treasury is open to the public as a museum.
The Regalia of Romania are a set of items which were used for the coronation of the kings and queens of Romania. They are currently housed in the National Museum of Romanian History in Bucharest. The regalia consist of the Royal Crown, the Crown of Queen Elizabeth, the Crown of Queen Maria, orbs, the Scepter of King Ferdinand I the Scepter of King Carol II, the Sword of King Carol I and the Royal Mantle.
The Crown of Norway is the crown of the King of Norway and was made in Stockholm in 1818 by goldsmith Olof Wihlborg. The crown is a corona clausa consisting of a ring carrying eight hoops made of gold and surmounted by a monde of blue enamel and an amethyst cross on top of it. The crown is decorated with many pearls and gemstones including amethysts, chrysoprases, a topaz and an alexandrite. Its front is adorned with a huge green tourmaline, a gift of the Brazilian consul in Stockholm to King Charles III Johan. Its splendid colours and its richly elaborated ornaments make the crown typical of the Empire period. Although the goldsmith work was carried out by Olof Wihlborg, it is not known who designed the crown.
The Crown of the Netherlands is of relatively modern origin. In 1813 the new "Sovereign Ruler" of the Netherlands, Prince Willem of Orange, son and heir of the exiled stadtholder Willem V of Orange, was sworn in as Dutch monarch in Amsterdam. There was no crown present at the ceremony.
Regalia of the Russian tsars are the insignia of tsars and emperors of Russia, who ruled from the 13th to the 19th century. Over the centuries, the specific items used by Tsars changed greatly; the largest such shift occurred in the 18th century, when Peter the Great reformed the state to align it more closely with Western European monarchies.
Coronations were previously held in the monarchies of Europe. The United Kingdom is the only monarchy in Europe that still practises coronation. Other European monarchies have either replaced coronations with simpler ceremonies to mark an accession or have never practised coronations. Most monarchies today only require a simple oath to be taken in the presence of the country's legislature.
Coronations of the Swedish monarchs took place in various cities during the 13th and 14th centuries, but from the middle of the 15th century onward in the cathedrals of Uppsala or Stockholm, with the exception of the coronation of Gustav IV Adolf, which took place in Norrköping in 1800. Earlier coronations were also held at Uppsala, the ecclesiastical center of Sweden. Prior to Sweden's change to a hereditary monarchy, the focus of the coronation rite was on legitimising an elected king.