Hungarian Crown
Encyclopedia
The Hungarian Crown was a part of the Polish Crown Jewels
. It was made in the 16th century, resembling the Crown of Saint Stephen, as a private crown of John II Sigismund Zápolya
.
in 1551, when she was forced to leave Transylvania
, which fell into the Ferdinard's hands in accordance with the treaty of Nyírbátor
. According to a contemporary Polish chronicler she broke the cross off the Crown of Saint Stephen’s peak for her son, John Sigismund Zápolya. The copy of the main Hungarian insignium
was probably made at that time.
After John Sigismund's death the crown was inherited in 1571 by King Sigismund II Augustus
of Poland, Isabella's brother. The Polish king treated the crown of Hungary as a family keepsake, and kept it in a private vault in the Tykocin Castle
. In 1572, when the last of the Jagiellons
died the insignium was used as an exequial crown during the funeral
ceremonies to Sigismund Augustus in Knyszyn
and eventually passed to his sister Anna Jagiellon
. After the king's death the opposition led by the primate, made the guardian of the Wawel
Royal Treasury, refused to bestow the Polish royal insignia
on the newly elected Anna Jagiellon and her husband Stephen Báthory. Unable to use the Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
, Báthory used the Hungarian Crown as an alternative.
In about 1576 the crown was bequeathed to the State Treasury at the Wawel Castle
, where it was kept until October 1795. It was then stolen by Prussian soldiers after the seizure of Kraków
by the Prussian army
, and was appropriated to the collections of the Hohenzollerns
in Berlin. After 1809 it was destroyed, as was the majority of Polish regalia.
The Hungarian Crown was made in the form of rims topped with a globe and a cross at their intersection. It was decorated with enamel
plaques, filigree
work, pendant
s and precious stones including four large sapphire
s and rubies
. In the 18th century the crown was depicted in the portrait of Louis I of Hungary by Marcello Bacciarelli
, painted to embellish the Marble Room at the Royal Castle in Warsaw
.
Polish Crown Jewels
The only surviving original piece of the Polish Crown Jewels from the time of the Piast dynasty is the ceremonial sword - Szczerbiec. It is currently on display along with other preserved royal items in the Wawel Royal Castle Museum, Kraków....
. It was made in the 16th century, resembling the Crown of Saint Stephen, as a private crown of John II Sigismund Zápolya
John II Sigismund Zápolya
John II Sigismund Zápolya was King of Hungary from 1540 to 1570 and Prince of Transylvania from 1570–1571.-Family:The son of King John I and Isabella Jagiełło, he succeeded his father as an infant...
.
History
The original Hungarian Regalia were handed over by Queen Isabella Jagiellon to Ferdinand of AustriaFerdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
in 1551, when she was forced to leave Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, which fell into the Ferdinard's hands in accordance with the treaty of Nyírbátor
Nyírbátor
Nyírbátor /ˈɲiːɾbaːtoɾ/ is a town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary. With its historic atmosphere, this city is known for its 15th- and 16th-century ecclesiastic and secular built heritage and for the family of the former landowners, the Báthory...
. According to a contemporary Polish chronicler she broke the cross off the Crown of Saint Stephen’s peak for her son, John Sigismund Zápolya. The copy of the main Hungarian insignium
Insignia
Insignia or insigne pl -nia or -nias : a symbol or token of personal power, status or office, or of an official body of government or jurisdiction...
was probably made at that time.
After John Sigismund's death the crown was inherited in 1571 by King Sigismund II Augustus
Sigismund II Augustus
Sigismund II Augustus I was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the only son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548...
of Poland, Isabella's brother. The Polish king treated the crown of Hungary as a family keepsake, and kept it in a private vault in the Tykocin Castle
Tykocin Castle
The Tykocin Royal Castle is a 15th century castle located on the right bank of the river Narew in Tykocin, Poland. It fell into ruin in the 18th century and its reconstruction began in 2002.-History:...
. In 1572, when the last of the Jagiellons
Jagiellon dynasty
The Jagiellonian dynasty was a royal dynasty originating from the Lithuanian House of Gediminas dynasty that reigned in Central European countries between the 14th and 16th century...
died the insignium was used as an exequial crown during the funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
ceremonies to Sigismund Augustus in Knyszyn
Knyszyn
Knyszyn is a town in north-eastern Poland, northwest of Białystok. It is situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship , and was formerly in the Białystok Voivodeship ....
and eventually passed to his sister Anna Jagiellon
Anna Jagiellon
Anna Jagiellon was queen of Poland from 1575 to 1586. She was the daughter of Poland's King Sigismund I the Old, and the wife of Stephen Báthory. She was elected, along with her then fiance, Báthory, as co-ruler in the second election of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
. After the king's death the opposition led by the primate, made the guardian of the Wawel
Wawel
Wawel is an architectural complex erected over many centuries atop a limestone outcrop on the left bank of the Vistula River in Kraków, Poland, at an altitude of 228 metres above the sea level. It is a place of great significance to the Polish people. The Royal Castle with an armoury and the...
Royal Treasury, refused to bestow the Polish royal insignia
Polish Crown Jewels
The only surviving original piece of the Polish Crown Jewels from the time of the Piast dynasty is the ceremonial sword - Szczerbiec. It is currently on display along with other preserved royal items in the Wawel Royal Castle Museum, Kraków....
on the newly elected Anna Jagiellon and her husband Stephen Báthory. Unable to use the Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
The Crown of Bolesław I the Brave was the coronation crown of the Polish monarchs.- History :The origins of the Polish crown are shrouded in mystery...
, Báthory used the Hungarian Crown as an alternative.
In about 1576 the crown was bequeathed to the State Treasury at the Wawel Castle
Wawel Castle
The Gothic Wawel Castle in Kraków in Poland was built at the behest of Casimir III the Great and consists of a number of structures situated around the central courtyard. In the 14th century it was rebuilt by Jogaila and Jadwiga of Poland. Their reign saw the addition of the tower called the Hen's...
, where it was kept until October 1795. It was then stolen by Prussian soldiers after the seizure of Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
by the Prussian army
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
, and was appropriated to the collections of the Hohenzollerns
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
in Berlin. After 1809 it was destroyed, as was the majority of Polish regalia.
The Hungarian Crown was made in the form of rims topped with a globe and a cross at their intersection. It was decorated with enamel
Vitreous enamel
Vitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...
plaques, filigree
Filigree
Filigree is a delicate kind of jewellery metalwork made with twisted threads usually of gold and silver or stitching of the same curving motifs. It often suggests lace, and in recent centuries remains popular in Indian and other Asian metalwork, and French from 1660 to the late 19th century...
work, pendant
Pendant
A pendant is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery, generally attached by a small loop to a necklace, when the ensemble may be known as a "pendant necklace". A pendant earring is an earring with a piece hanging down. In modern French "pendant" is the gerund form of “hanging”...
s and precious stones including four large sapphire
Sapphire
Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
s and rubies
Ruby
A ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum . The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires...
. In the 18th century the crown was depicted in the portrait of Louis I of Hungary by Marcello Bacciarelli
Marcello Bacciarelli
Marcello Bacciarelli was an Italian painter of the late-baroque and Neoclassic periods.He studied in Rome under Marco Benefial. In 1750 he was called to Dresden, Saxony, where he was employed by Elected King Augustus III of Poland; after whose death he went to Vienna, and thence to Warsaw...
, painted to embellish the Marble Room at the Royal Castle in Warsaw
Royal Castle, Warsaw
The Royal Castle in Warsaw is a castle residency and was the official residence of the Polish monarchs. It is located in the Castle Square, at the entrance to the Warsaw Old Town. The personal offices of the king and the administrative offices of the Royal Court of Poland were located there from...
.
Further reading
- Jerzy Lileyko. Regalia Polskie. Warszawa 1987. ISBN 83-03-02021-8
- Janusz Miniewicz. Tajemnica polskich koron. Czy jest szansa ich odnalezienia?. Nowy Sącz 2006. ISBN 83-924034-2-8
- Michał Rożek. Polskie koronacje i korony. Kraków 1987. ISBN 83-03-01914-7