The double crown worn by the Egyptian kings. The symbolic meaning of the Egyptian royal crowns is deshret and hedged. Lower Egypt and the Red Crown
Pharaohs ruled in ancient Egypt for several millennia. They were considered the embodiment of the supreme god on earth. The Egyptians were convinced that the pharaoh was born from a supreme deity who was embodied in the reigning monarch and queen-mother. Pharaoh regulated the life of Egyptian society and participated in religious rites. With his death, the entire way of life of society collapsed, the order and peace of citizens was disturbed, because without him there is no Egypt.
What kind of life did the pharaohs lead? What were the attributes of power? What did the double crown of the Egyptian pharaohs symbolize? The answers to these questions are contained in the article.
Two parts of Egypt
What did the double crown of the Egyptian pharaohs symbolize? Unity. The first dynasties of rulers date back to the era of the Early Kingdom. History tells that this period is characterized by the dual unity of Egypt, which consisted of the Upper and Lower Kingdoms. This unity was fragile. When the new ruler ascended the throne, the lands of Egypt were united, but such a union was violent. The struggle of territorial parts runs like a red thread through the entire period of history, but the king was the head of state. For centuries, dynasties replaced each other, the state changed, but the power of the pharaoh remained inviolable.
Pharaoh is God
We call the kings of ancient Egypt Pharaohs. The emergence of the word is associated with the era of the New Kingdom and did not serve as an official name. It's just that this word was shorter and made it possible to avoid mentioning the long royal name and all his titles. This term was borrowed by the Greeks from the Bible. Translating it from Egyptian, we get the "great house". Most likely, the name comes from the palace where the Egyptian king lived.
The closest circle of the pharaoh could not call the sovereign by name. He was called “He,” “Horus,” “His Majesty,” God. " The reed and the Bee. "The reed stood for Upper Egypt, the bee for Lower.
All royal power was deified, there was a cult of the Pharaoh. If he was considered the embodiment of God in the guise of a man, then it means that he had a double nature. Pharaoh was born as a result of the marriage of a god in the guise of the reigning pharaoh and the mother of the future ruler. Initially, Ra was considered the god-father, later - Amon-Ra. Pharaoh was an incarnation on earth during his life, and after death - the incarnation of Osiris.
Double crown
What's her story? What did the double crown of the Egyptian pharaohs symbolize? How did she look?
One of the main attributes of power was a headdress called "pschent", which had the meaning of a crown. It consisted of two crowns, which were of different colors. Red belonged to Lower Egypt, white to Upper. Their merger meant the acquisition of power over both lands. These crowns were worn together.
What else did the double crown of the Egyptian pharaohs symbolize? Who did it belong to?
Both parts of the Egyptian land had their own patrons - goddesses. The Lower Egyptian goddess Wadzhet was revered in the form of a cobra, the Upper Egyptian, Nehbet, was depicted as a vulture. Their images were pinned to the front of the crown. Thus, the double crown of the Egyptian pharaohs symbolized the power over the united lands of Egypt.
Handkerchief
A scarf was adapted for everyday wear. It was worn everywhere. For Pharaoh, it consisted of a large piece of striped cloth, a ribbon and a diadem with a snake. Such a scarf was called "claft". How did he wear it? It was applied to the forehead in a horizontal position, then a ribbon was tied, on top it was fixed with a diadem. At the back, the fabric was collected and secured with the ends of the tape. Sometimes a crown was worn on the claft.
Other attributes
The oldest attribute of power is the staff, it was a memory of the times of cattle breeding, because then it played a significant role in people's lives. For several millennia, the staff remained among the symbols of the power of the pharaohs, but in frescoes the pharaoh was often depicted without it.
Another symbol of power was hake. It was a short rod, the upper end of which was rounded. This symbol was not individual; both gods and officials of the highest circle used the same rod. There was also another rod, only in the form of a long cane with a bifurcated end at the bottom. From above it was decorated with the head of a jackal. These attributes were depicted with a lash. As an attribute of royal dignity, kings wore a false beard made of gold.
Pharaoh's activities
There were 30 ruling dynasties in Egypt. Despite their divine origin, the pharaohs led a difficult and even exhausting life. They took an active part in the life of the country. Not a single economic report was complete without careful study, the pharaohs had to delve into all spheres of the life of the state and make decisions regarding war and peace.
Pharaoh for the Egyptians is the guarantor of stability, justice and order. Anyone could turn to the overlord for mercy. Therefore, his death was a tragedy, and his accession to the throne was a holiday.
Still from the film "Pharaoh" (1966, directed by Jerzy Kavalerowicz)
Many pharaohs from the Old Kingdom are depicted in shenti, wig and cane sandals, or barefoot. The first deviations from the generally accepted shenti appeared in the foraon costume. They were like second aprons of pleated fabric, worn over the usual loincloth.
The signs of the king's power of the pharaoh were a gold tied beard, crown and staff. In the Archaic era, before the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt (c. 3200 BC), the ruler of each of them had his own crown. According to the list of the pharaohs of Manetho - 2900 BC. NS. Upper Egypt ruled Pharaoh Men, possibly the same one that is called in other sources Narmer... Men moved north with a large army and captured the Nile delta. Thus, a single Egyptian kingdom was formed, stretching from north to south for about 1000 km, from the Mediterranean Sea to the first Nile rapids. The unification of Egypt by Pharaoh Men is considered the beginning of Egyptian history, however, until the end of the era of the Old Kingdom, there was a division of the kingdom into two territories, and the pharaoh was called the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt (Scientists suggest calling this period Early kingdom). The crown of Upper Egypt is white, in the form of a pin, the crown of Lower Egypt is cylindrical red, with a high rounded projection at the back. After the unification, from the beginning of the era of the Old Kingdom, the crown of the pharaohs was a combination of these two forms: one was inserted into the other, the colors were preserved. The double crown symbolized an important stage in the history of the country. It was called - millet(pa-scheti). Atef- a white crown with two red-colored ostrich feathers on the sides, worn by the ancient Egyptian god Osiris. Between two ostrich feathers (they symbolized two truths - life and death), there is a white surface of the crown that looks like an elongated onion. Ostrich feathers are lush at the base, form a small curl on top. The same feathers (only one at a time) were worn by the goddess of wisdom Maat. The crown of atef on the head of Osiris is a kind of symbol of ruling the afterlife. Feathers represent truth, justice and balance. In appearance, the atef crown looks like a crown hedge worn by the pharaohs of Upper Egypt. The difference between the two crowns is that the hedge crown did not have feathers on the sides. Several modernized types of royal headdresses also appeared in the New Kingdom. In the case of performing priestly duties, the pharaoh wore a sky-blue metal helmet ( hepresh) . Hemchemet(also known as "atef triple crown") - Ancient Egyptian ritual crown. Hemchemet consists of three atef crowns, each of which is painted with multi-colored stripes of yellow, blue, green and red; hemchemet is crowned with ostrich feathers on both sides; also the crown can be decorated with the solar discs of Ra; at the base of the crown two ram's horns twisted in a spiral branch out; sometimes, especially in cases where such crowns were worn by the pharaohs, large ureas could hang from the horns of the Hemchemet. Depending on the context, the ram's horns were a symbol of the sun god Amun, the creator of all living Khnum and the moon god Yah. A similar crown was sometimes worn over Nemes. The name of the crown can be translated as "scream" or "war cry".
The luxury that she allowed herself to feel is nothing compared to the splendor that royal persons surrounded themselves with. Pharaoh was considered the son of the sun god Ra himself, his person was deified. A special symbolism indicated a divine origin and unlimited power - a hoop with a ureus snake, the bite of which led to inevitable death. The golden ureus snake wrapped around the regal forehead so that the head of the terrible snake was in the center. Not only the headband of the pharaoh, but also the crown, belt and helmet were decorated with images of a snake and a kite. All the attributes of power were richly decorated with gold, colored enamel and precious stones.
The second most important headdress of the pharaoh was a large striped cloth scarf. It served as protection from the sun and dust, was called "Claft-usherby"- an attribute of the cult of the god Amun - and also belonged to the ancient symbols of royal power. The klaft consisted of a large piece of striped fabric, a ribbon and a diadem with the "uraeus" - a sculptural image of a cobra, the guardian of power on earth and heaven. The transverse side of the fabric was placed horizontally on the forehead, reinforced with a ribbon, and a diadem with a sculptural image of a snake inflated in the hood was put on top. The fabric hanging from the back, on the back, was collected and tightly wrapped with a cord, creating a semblance of a braid. The sides of the claft were rounded so that straight pieces of fabric on the front shoulders would be clearly straight. In addition, the pharaoh willingly put on, especially during hostilities, an exquisite and simple blue helmet with urei and with two ribbons on the back of his head - khepresh. Nemes- a special royal shawl, was large enough to tear off a small round wig. It was constructed of fabric, encircled the forehead, descended from both sides of the face to the chest and formed an acute-angled pocket in the back. Nemes was usually white with red stripes. It was prepared in advance. It was fixed on the head with a gold ribbon, which was simply necessary when the pharaoh placed a double crown, the crown of the South or the crown of the North, on top of the "nemes". In addition, two feathers or a crown "atef" were installed on the nemes: the cap of Upper Egypt with two tall feathers placed on the horns of a ram, between which a golden disc sparkled, framed by two Ureis crowned with the same golden discs.
The striped collar necklace cut in a circle is a solar sign. Also played a significant role stripe colors: yellow - for secular dignitaries, blue - for priests, red - for military leaders. Blue (wide and narrow alternately) stripes on a yellow background on the clafta and collar were the privilege of the pharaoh. In addition to ureus - the main symbol of royal power, the pharaoh belonged three-tailed whip and scepter with a crocheted top. There were also several scepter: simple staff- a symbol of agriculture and cattle breeding, wand the height of a man, which at the bottom ended in a two-pronged, and at the top was decorated with a pointed image of a jackal's head. An equally important rank mark for the pharaoh during all solemn ceremonies was false fake beard- a symbol of land ownership. Beards, like wigs, were made from different materials, including gold. They had a different shape: elongated in the form of a braided pigtail with a curled tip; elongated, perfectly flat and smooth; curled in small curls in transverse rows; in the form of a small cube or spatula. The beard was also decorated with a small ureus. It was usually fastened with two garters.
The robes of the royal people differed from the clothes of the nobility in the high cost of material and the finest workmanship. The main part of the pharaoh's attire, like all Egyptians, was a loincloth, but the royal was made crimped. It was adhered to by a wide belt with a metal buckle, with excellently executed hieroglyphs in a royal cartouche in the front and an oxtail in the back. Sometimes a trapezoid apron was tied to the belt. This apron was made entirely of precious metal or strands of beads stretched over a frame. On both sides the apron was decorated with ureas crowned with sun discs. Jewelry and ornaments complete this decoration. Pharaoh wore a variety of necklaces. Most often they were strung gold plates, balls and beads with a flat clasp at the back. The classic necklace consisted of a number of beads and weighed several kilograms, but the list of necessary jewelry did not end there. On the neck, on a double chain, they put on a breast ornament in the shape of the facade of the temple and at least three pairs of bracelets: one on the forearm, the second on the wrists, and the third on the ankles. Sometimes, over all these ornaments, the pharaoh wore a long transparent tunic with short sleeves and the same transparent belt tied in front.
Pharaoh and his wife wore sandals with gilded and gold decorations. The toe of these sandals curled upwards. The sandals themselves were attached to the leg with long colorful straps, wrapping them around the leg to the knee. Domestic and military scenes were depicted on the soles. It was impossible to appear at official receptions without shoes. But since this was a sign of a privileged position, they were very taken care of. Even the pharaohs walked barefoot, accompanied by a servant who carried sandals. In general, Egypt is the only civilization of the Ancient East, about which we know a lot. Due to its isolation from neighboring states, over the three millennia of its existence, a diverse world of rules, traditions and preferences has been created. Pharaoh was bound by especially strict rules of etiquette. Neither he nor his subjects could deviate one iota from the once and for all definite role in the general "state performance." The sacred meaning lay in all the words and deeds of the pharaoh - the living god, on whom the well-being of the "land of Kemet" depended. Even in the family circle, the pharaoh wore a wig and special attributes of power, which, together with the bracelets and necklaces laid, weighed several kilograms.
Pharaoh's wife, like all women, wore kalaziris. It could be complemented by a luxurious belt or a tunic-like dress, or a raincoat made of transparent fabric. The indispensable rank signs of the queen were urey and a hawk-shaped headdress - a symbol of the goddess Isis, who covered her head with his wings, and held a ring with a seal in his claws. The second rank headdress of the queen was a decorated cap with a small cap-like protrusion to which a lotus flower was attached. The queen was entitled to a scepter in the shape of a lotus flower.
Surrounding objects Pharaoh and his family, as a rule, had a symbolic meaning, which determined their shape and decoration. Royal throne- the most important accessory of power, has retained the simple shape of an equilateral cube since ancient times, but surpassed all other utensils in the splendor of its decoration. The chair itself was upholstered in gold leaf, the seat was painted with multi-colored enamel, on which lay a richly embroidered pillow. The throne chair was decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions explaining the divine origin of the pharaoh. The royal throne stood on a richly decorated wide platform. Above it towered a flat canopy, which was supported by four columns, the capitals of which depicted the sacred lotus flower. All the decoration of the throne was supposed to symbolize the power of the pharaoh.
No less luxuriously decorated throne stretcher, in which the pharaoh sat during solemn processions. The stretcher was carried by the most distinguished dignitaries of the state. Made of gold, they were decorated with the symbolic figure of a hawk - the emblem of wisdom, the sphinx with a double crown - the emblem of dominion over both worlds, the lion - the emblem of courage and strength, the Urei, etc. A fan was installed over the seat, which replaced the canopy.
The art and fashion of Ancient Egypt have always touched me personally, with the way they incredibly gracefully and subtly transferred their traditions from the depths of millennia, from century to century, from era to era, from Stone Age to Iron Age, neatly weaving primitive beliefs and customs into new ones. realities of life.
One of such interesting phenomena, which has walked through the entire history of Ancient Egypt, are the headdresses and crowns of queens and princesses. However, the royal insignias are the most conservative part of what I called art and fashion above, and it is all the more interesting to trace their history.
The well-known double red and white crown of Pshent - "Two strong", which symbolized power over the united Egypt and was a symbol of the power of the Kings-Gods, the Egyptian queens, judging by the images, did not wear. There were, of course, exceptions, like Queen Hatshepsut, but she ascended the throne of the country like a male pharaoh.
I want to trace the history of the tsar's headdresses, which were worn by women taking the place of the tsarina, that is, the tsar's mother or his wife (and not a lot about daughters).
And the most important question that puzzled me when I was discussing this topic, were there any?
One of the most characteristic early headdresses that crowned the heads of royal women and goddesses was the Neret, a cap in the shape of a female vulture. And it was this headdress that formed the basis of the royal crown in later times, a modification worn by Cleopatra, the very last queen of Egypt, who was the beloved of Caesar and Mark Antony.
The cap itself was tight to the head, and the neck and head of the Vulture protruded over the queen's forehead, in its claws the bird clutched the sign of eternity Shen.
Why exactly was the vulture placed on the beautiful heads of the Egyptian queens? Or rather, its species White-headed Vulture - Gyps fulvus.
Those who are at least not much familiar with Egyptian mythology know that there was such a goddess Nehbet, who patronized Upper Egypt and was revered in the city of Neheb. And she was depicted in the form of a female Vulture, and later in the form of a woman, on whose head there was a Neret cap.
Decoration Gold, carnelian, turquoise, glass National Museum The goddess Nehbet in the guise of a vulture, wearing the crown of Atef, shields with her wings the pharaoh, wrapped in the robe of the god of death Osiris
Together with another goddess - Uajit, who patronized Lower Egypt, and was depicted in the form of a cobra, Nehbet made up a two-pronged image, which was called "Both Lady". It was an important symbol of royal power. For example, one of the parts of the Pharaoh's title was his "name according to Nebti", which identified him with "The two rulers."
(So it was depicted in hieroglyphs.) Thus, it was emphasized that the pharaoh identifies all the power and fullness of power in the united Egypt.
(Around 3100 BC, the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt took place, the paired image of Ouadzhit and Nehbet symbolized power over both parts of the country).
Image of Nehbet in the form of a kite with the white crown of Upper Egypt and Wajit in the red crown of Lower Egypt
An image of the goddess Wajit in her serpentine form, attached to the forehead of a headdressPharaoh, was called Urey. And often Nehbet was next to Wajit.
Wajit, in the form of Ureya, together with Nehbet
on the forehead of the mask of Tutankhamun. Pharaoh's striped scarf was called Nemes.
Pharaoh Ptolemy I
X
in a crown of millet between the goddesses of Wajit and
Nehbet. Temple of Horus at Edfu. On both, the goddess Neret with the head of a Vulture
Wadjit in the red crown deshret Lower Egypt and Nehbet in the crown of Upper Egypt hedjet, with staffs entwined with snakes in the corresponding crowns. In the center Isis with the baby Horus among the reed. Dendera Temple
To the reign of Pharaoh Nyuserr (Vdynasty) refers to one of the earliest images of the Neret modification, which has in the frontal part not the head of the neck, but the urei, which is explained by the fact that in this particular case it is not Nehbet that is depicted in an anthropomorphic appearance, but the serpent goddess Uajit.
The reliefs from the pyramidal complex of King Pepi II (6th Dynasty) also show the goddesses Uajit and Nehbet in anthropomorphic form and wearing the Neret headdress worn over the classic three-part wig. The main visual difference between both goddesses from each other (except for the names inscribed above them) is the only element of their headdress: Nehbet has a vulture head on his forehead, and Urajit has a urey snake.
The images of Neret's cap on the heads of the goddesses, which they wear over a three-part wig, appear quite early, already in the days of
Dynasty IV. it
2639-2506 BC NS. (By the way, the same dynasty to which the famous pyramid-builders Pharaohs Khufu, Khafra and Menkaur belonged). And the privilege of wearing it belonged mainly to the goddesses. The regal women of the era of the Old Kingdom in the images differ from other aristocrats only in title. Already at this time, Neret is not an attribute only of the goddess Nehbet. He is tried on by Wadzhet, Meret and other goddesses.
Nehbet feeds Pharaoh Sahur from the V dynasty. Cairo, Egyptian Museum From the memorial temple of Sahur in Abydos. One of the earliest depictions of a goddess wearing a cap, Neret.
According to Gorapollo (4th century BC), “the genus of vultures ... is female only. Therefore, the Egyptians place the vulture as a crown on all female images, and, therefore, the Egyptians use this sign for all goddesses.
».
One of the aspects expressed by the vulture goddess Nehbet was motherhood. Vultures are very caring parents... In the hieroglyphic writing of Egypt, the identifier sign "Neret" - "Vulture" was also an ideogram for the word "Mut" - "Mother". And they also wrote the name of Mut - the great goddess-mother, the wife of the supreme god-creator in Theban cosmogony - Amun, the patroness of motherhood (accordingly, the name Mut is translated as "Mother").
Mut was not depicted as a vulture, its main appearance was human, and sometimes with a lion's head.
But on her head she often wore a headdress in the form of a female vulture - Neret, on top of which was placed the crown of Pshent.
Mut feeding the king of Seti I. Relief from the funeral temple of Seti I in Abydos. 13th century BC. photo - Victor Solkin.
In addition to the fact that Nehbet was a mother goddess, she also frightened the enemies of the pharaoh. The word "Neret" - "Vulture" is considered to be derived from the verb "Neri" - "to frighten". The vulture head (or simply the vulture) was used as a qualifier for the noun "Nehru" - "intimidation", "horror".
Neret not only frightened the enemies of the pharaoh, but also protected him.
In the Pyramid Texts, Nehbet is called to protect the Pharaoh: “May this king N live thanks to his father Atum! May you protect him, Nehbet! For you have already protected him, Nehbet, king N, who dwells in the House of the Noble, located in Yunu ».
The fact that Nehbet was depicted in the form of a vulture or a woman with a Neret headdress, over which the white crown of Upper Egypt - Henjent was worn, may serve in favor of the fact that this goddess was a kind of female parallel to the falcon god Horus, whose earthly incarnation was the Pharaoh himself ... In her sacred city of Nekhen, Gor Nekhen was considered Nehbet's spouse. According to legend, she was the embodiment of his invisible eye. And by analogy with how Horus clasped the head of the pharaoh, Nehbet was placed on the head of the queen
Pharaoh Khafre statue c. 2500 with Horus
Based on all that has been said, the main functions of Nehbet were to protect his son-pharaoh, to raise him, as well as to be a formidable intimidator of his enemies.
The earliest evidence that queens also wore Neret's headdresscan be found on a fragment of a sculptural portrait of the mother (possibly) of Tsar Khafre and a relief depicting the royal wife Hamerernebti II (IVdynasty). However, on the reliefs in the tomb of Meresankh III, Khafr's wife, this headdress is not found in her iconography. Neret is not found in other images of royal women of this era.
An even more revealing example is known from the reliefs of the burial complex of the "Tsar's mother" Khentkaus II in Abusir (V dynasty). At the end of the inscription with the title and the name of Hentkaus, there is a sign-identifier in the form of a figure of a queen sitting on a cube-shaped throne of gods and kings.
In one relief, the queen is shown in a long wig and a cap of Neret,
On the other - in a simple wig, but with urea on his forehead.
The Urey on the headdress of the Hentkaus II is the first reliably established evidence of the use of this important attribute in the iconography of royal women.According to S. Roth, the unique images of Hentkaus II are the only evidence of the era of the Old Kingdom of such a complete assimilation of a woman of the royal family to her divine prototypes (that is, the patron goddesses of Nehbet and Uajit).
Starting from the V dynasty, the headdress in the form of a vulture can be considered as a characteristic attribute of the mother of the reigning king, or the mother of the heir to the throne. This observation is best illustrated by a miniature alabaster statuette of the queen-mother Ankhesenmerir (Ankhesenpepi) II in the cap of Neret, holding the baby king Pepi II on her lapOK. 2288-2224 or 2194 BC Dynasty VI
Queen Ankhnesmerira II and her son, Pharaoh Piopi II
She wears a striped wig and a headdress in the shape of a royal vulture with outstretched wings; the bird's head, now lost, was made separately from metal (possibly gold) or stone and inserted into a hole in the front of the statue.During the reign of Pepi II, the wearing of a headdress in the form of a vulture, which was probably at first the exclusive privilege of the queen-mother, extended to royal wives in general.
A clear proof that the headdress in the form of a vulture became an attribute of both the ruling and future royal mothers no later than the era of the Old Kingdom is provided by the stele of King Sebekhotep III (XIII dynasty). On the stele, the mother of King Iuahetibu and his wife Senebhenas are shown wearing headdresses in the form of a vulture, while the princesses depicted in the lower register wear urei.
Since the beginning of the New Kingdom era (XVI-XI centuries BC), a headdress in the form of a female vulture has become the main type of headdress for mothers and spouses of the king.
Well, and already from the middle of the XVIII dynasty (XIV century BC), coming from the Old Kingdom, the combination of a three-part wig and Neret's cap became noticeably more complicated. From now on, a three-part blue wig covers the hammered Neret, the head of the neck on the cap either replaces the ureus, or is framed by two ureas, and the cap itself is complemented by a crown with a sun disk and two stylized feathers of a falcon or ostrich - the so-called Shuti crown. They were most likely made of metal (copper or gold).
Crown (from Latin corona - wreath, crown) - a headdress, which is a symbol of monarchical power. Crowns were made of various precious metals (usually gold) and decorated with precious and semiprecious stones.
Portrait of Charlemagne by Albrecht Durer
in ancient Egypt, the double crown of the pharaoh, decorated with the symbols of Upper and Lower Egypt - a kite and a snake-uraeus.
And after in 3200 BC. the Lower and Upper Egypt united, the pharaohs had a white-red double crown. Another headdress of the pharaoh was called "klaf-ushabti", its components were ribbons, a large piece of striped cloth and a hoop with a urey (snake).
Pharaoh in the white crown of the South
Crowns can have different shapes: hats, crowns, hoops crowned with leaves, teeth or plates.
Friedrich_III king of Austria.
The crown is placed on the helmet or, as in the state emblems, directly above the shield (for example, the princely crown in the coat of arms of Liechtenstein). The crown in the coat of arms is the most common class of heraldic signs of dignity, indicating the feudal status of the owner of the coat of arms. There are many varieties of crowns, any of them can be found in coats of arms, placed on a helmet, above a shield or above a mantle.
Jean_Paul_Laurens_Le_Pape_Formose_et_Etienne_VII_1870
Richard_II_of_England
Depending on the title of their owner, crowns are divided into:
imperial,
royal,
PRINCE CROWN
(German Fürstenkrone), an open crown depicted on coins of it. feudal principalities (see Prince) and consisted of a gold, bejeweled hoop with 5 visible teeth (3 leaves, 2 balls) and 3 visible pearl-decorated bows, connected at the top by a power and covering a purple cap.
ducal,
counts, etc.
1) Monomakhovskaya,
2) the Kingdom of Kazan,
3) Mikhail Fedorovich,
4) Peter I Alekseevich,
5) Ivan V Alekseevich,
6) Elizaveta Petrovna,
7) Catherine I,
8) Anna Ivanovna,
9) Great Imperial Crown,
10) Crown of the Empress.
There is also a papal crown - a tiara.
Tiara
The appearance is attributed to the states of the Ancient World ( Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Sumer). They were very common in the states of Europe during the period of developed feudalism (from the XI century). In Russia, Monomakh's hat was used as the crown of the Grand Duke, later the tsar, and the Great Imperial Crown under the emperors.
Monomakh's hat. Drawing of the early 1830s, F. G. Solntsev
Drawing of the Great Imperial Crown
Coronation, coronation is a formal procedure symbolizing the acceptance by the monarch of power and its attributes (throne, crown, scepter, etc.). Does not coincide with the moment of the beginning of the reign (death or abdication of the predecessor, election). In European Christian culture, coronation is a religious ceremony accompanied by the rite of anointing to the kingdom (of Old Testament origin).
Jean Fouquet. "Coronation of Charles VI the Mad at Reims Cathedral (November 4, 1380)"
In the Middle Ages, monarchs of some countries were crowned almost immediately, within days, or rarely weeks, after the beginning of the reign. The reason for this was that the uncrowned monarch was considered in many medieval countries illegal, graceless; the true king of France was to be crowned at Reims Cathedral and anointed from a special vessel (ampoule).
Louis IX - King of France
Theodosius the Great
In Byzantium, the coronation of co-emperors was timed to coincide with Easter. In modern times, after the death of his predecessor, many months or annual mourning began to be declared, which prevented an immediate coronation. For reasons of auspicious omens, the coronation from that time was timed to coincide with spring or summer.
Franz II - the last emperor of the Holy Roman Empire
In Christian countries, starting from the 5th century (Byzantium, and then the Western kingdoms), the placing of the crown on the head of the monarch was usually performed by the highest church hierarch, but many monarchs (almost all Russian, Napoleon I, some British) only took the crown from the hierarch and placed it on yourself.
Napoleon in full imperial attire
Regalia of Russian emperors
The crown is placed on the helmet or, as in the state emblems, directly above the shield (for example, the prince's crown in the coat of arms of Liechtenstein). The crown in the coat of arms is the most common class of heraldic insignia, indicating the feudal status of the owner of the coat of arms. There are many varieties of crowns, any of them can be found in coats of arms, placed on a helmet, above a shield or above a mantle.
Karl Reichel-portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
The custom of decorating a helmet with a crown appeared among knights in the 15th century. Crowned helmets were worn during tournaments, especially in Germany, where the crowned helmet was considered a sign of nobility. Often the crown is not a sign of royal or princely dignity, but performs a purely decorative function. This heraldic crown, or diadem, is placed on the helmet as a crest, supports the crest itself instead of a windbreak, or together with it, located on top.
Portrait of Ludwig I, King of Bavaria
In Russian heraldry of the 18th - early 20th centuries. the coats of arms of all the sovereigns who reigned after Catherine II contained the image of her Big diamond crown, with which each of them was crowned king. The princely title corresponded to the so-called. a princely hat with a red or crimson (purple) top protruding above the ermine edge.
Portrait of Empress Catherine II
The count's crown of dignity with nine pearls did not differ in any way from its German prototype, and the baron's crown repeated a similar sign of dignity adopted in French heraldry - a high gold hoop expanding upward, once entwined with a pearl thread. The noble crown, like the German variation corresponding to it in rank, had three leaf-shaped teeth with two pearls between them. Images of crowns of different types in accordance with titles of nobility.
Portrait of Emperor Nicholas II
In order to streamline herbalism in Russian Empire, in 1857, Baron Köhne drew up rules for decorating the coats of arms of provinces, regions, city governments, cities and townships. They were approved by the Highest on May 7, July 4 and 16 of the same year.
Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna.
The rules include: the classification of heraldic crowns over the shields, decorations (wreaths) around the shields, entwined with appropriate ribbons, and the way of indicating the provincial affiliation - in the free part of the shield.
Portraits of Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich
The imperial crown (model 1857) was installed for the capitals of the empire (St. Petersburg and Moscow) and provinces. Ancient royal (model 1857) - for cities that had the status of city governments, regions and counties. Ancient royal, crowned with a two-headed eagle - for cities that had the status of city government and fortress.
Portraits of Empress Eugenie
Monomakh's hat - for ancient Russian cities that were the capitals of the great princes (Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod, Tver, Yaroslavl, Ryazan, Smolensk, etc.); for Kazan and Astrakhan - the corresponding "personalized" hats (crowns).
MARIA FYODOROVNA
Russian Empress, wife of Alexander III (since October 28, 1866), mother of Emperor Nicholas II.
Maria - Queen of Romania
After the assassination of her husband Alexander in 1934, Maria became regent under her minor son, King of Yugoslavia, Peter II.
Maria - Queen of Romania
In 1945, after the proclamation of Yugoslavia as a Socialist Republic and the expulsion of the king, the monarchical family went to London. There Maria died on June 22, 1961.
Eleanor
Alienora (Alienor, Alienora) Aquitaine
At the age of 15 - after the death of her father and brother - Eleanor became the ruler of the Duchy of Aquitaine, which occupied vast territories in southwestern France.
Eleanor of Aquitaine
After the dissolution of her marriage with Louis, Eleanor on May 18, 1152, married the Count Henry of Anjou, who on October 25, 1154 became King of England - Henry II Plantagenet. The vast Aquitaine lands - her dowry - four times the size of the Capetian possessions, became English. According to a number of scholars, it is in the history of the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine that one should look for the origins of the war, which received in the 19th century. the name of the Centenary. From the first marriage, Eleanor of Aquitaine had two daughters, from the second - five sons, among whom is the knight-king Richard the Lionheart.
MARIA THERESIA
Maria Theresia (German Maria Theresia, May 13, 1717 - November 29, 1780) - Archduchess of Austria, King of Hungary (just like that, because Hungary, in principle, cannot be ruled by a woman) from June 25, 1741, Queen of Bohemia from October 20, 1740 (had these titles personally, by inheritance) and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire (as spouse and then widow of Franz I Stephen of Lorraine, elected emperor in 1745). Founder of the Lorraine branch of the Habsburg dynasty.
Coronation portrait of Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (September 7, 1533 - March 24, 1603), Queen Bess - Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from November 17, 1558, the last of the Tudor dynasty. She inherited the throne after the death of her sister, Queen Mary I.
The reign of Elizabeth is sometimes called the "golden age of England", both in connection with the flourishing of culture (the so-called "Elizabethans": Shakespeare, Marlowe, Bacon, etc.), and with the increased importance of England on the world stage (the defeat of the Invincible Armada, Drake, Reilly, East India Company).
Anna Yaroslavna 6th Queen Consort of France
eldest of three daughters Kiev prince Yaroslav the Wise from his marriage to Ingegerda of Sweden, wife of King Henry I of France and Queen of France.
Emperor of China. Guangxiu
Pu Y,
Edward III, who ruled England in the XIV century
Portrait of the Spanish King
Portrait of the King (Magus)
King of England Richard I Plantagenet
Jan Matejko captured Mieszko
Bonaparte Joseph
Now, as a rule, monarchs wear crowns only on especially solemn occasions.
