The collective term "Crown Jewels" denotes the regalia and vestments worn by the Holy Roman Emperor, and later the Austrian Emperor during the coronation ceremony and at various other state functions. The term refers to the following objects: the crowns, sceptres, orbs, swords, rings, crosses, holy relics, and the royal robes, as well as several other objects connected with the ceremony itself.
The Austrian Crown Jewels are all kept at the Imperial Treasury (in German: Schatzkammer) 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 Insignia of the Austrian Hereditary Homage
- The Empire of Austria
- The Habsburg-Lorraine Household Treasure
- The Holy Roman Empire
- The Burgundian Inheritance and the Order of the Golden Fleece
- The Ecclesiastical Treasury
The most outstanding objects are the insignia of the hereditary empire of Austria. They consist of the Imperial Crown, the Imperial Orb and the mantle of the Austrian Empire, and the Coronation Robes of the Lombard-Venetian Kingdom. The Imperial Crown, Orb, Cross, and Holy Lance of the Holy Roman Empire are also highlights.
The Insignia of the Austrian Hereditary Homage
Austria started as a small duchy, and was later elevated to an archduchy. The house of Babenberg and later Habsburg dynasty were the dukes and later archdukes of this fiefdom. After the death of the last Babenberg duke, Frederick II in 1246, King Ottokar II of Bohemia took over for a while. He was however defeated by Rudolf of Habsburg in 1278, with the help of his sons Albert and Rudolf. Rudolf was eventually elected Holy Roman Emperor and King of Germany. The enthronement ceremony of the new Archduke of Austria was not an actual coronation, but more a ceremony of homage by the estates. The estates in parliament swore obedience to their new ruler and he in turn guaranteed their rights and uphold their privileges. However, in this ceremony sovereign insignia were also used.
The Insignia consist of the Austrian archducal coronet, which was made for Joseph II’s entry into Frankfurt for his coronation as German king in 1764. The orb and the sceptre were in use as the royal insignia of the Kingdom of Bohemia until the early 17th century.
The Empire of Austria
The Habsburg-Lorraine Household Treasure
The Holy Roman Empire
The Burgundian Inheritance and the Order of the Golden Fleece
The Ecclesiastical Treasury
Weblinks