“Crown” is one of the first words that come to mind whenever the subject of monarchs is brought to the table, anyone asked to draw a king or queen would not fail to include a sparkly crown and certainly it is impossible to disassociate the concept of monarchy with the concept of grandiosity. However, how familiarized are we with the concept of coronation? Yes, believe it or not, a few bunches of countries in our twentieth-century world still have this ancient ritual included in their traditions. Yes, they are way more entertaining and grand than any Disney movie. And yes, we are witnessing one this year! 

 

 As I write this, in less than three months' time, the United Kingdom will see its 62nd monarch since the bygone days of the Anglo-Saxon rulers in the ninth century, Charles III, get crowned at Westminster Abbey with thousand of attendants and millions more watching on the television at home and abroad. Keeping in mind the small yet momentous historical nugget that is about to happen, it is only right to go back to the basics and get a deeper understanding of what this ritual consists of and what to expect to see on May 6th. 

 

What is a coronation? 

 

Grab any dictionary, and it will tell you it is the act of placing a crown on a king's or queen's head, usually done by a religious figurehead such as the Archbishop of Canterbury, the pope of the Holy Roman Empire or like in Bhutan by the monarch´s predecessor. This is, of course, the core meaning of the word, nevertheless, it is just half the story. A coronation, besides being the best opportunity to display a nation's finest pomp and pageantry, is above everything a sacred and personal commitment to the people and, most importantly, to God to keep the promises made during the ceremony (such as ensuring the protection of the faith practiced in the country or preceding a fair and prosperous reign).   

 

When did it all began? 

 

From the moment humans began to divide power and create structuralism systems where a strong leader at the top of the pyramid is a must, there has existed a sort of ceremony to officialize the occasion. In the case of coronations, they can be traced back to ancient Egypt where pharaohs were considered to be the earthly embodiment of Horus, son of Osiris and Isis. The Bible also makes a mention of this in 1 Chronicles 29:21-23 when Salomon is proclaimed king, “(...) Then they acknowledged Salomon, son of David as king a second time, anointing him before the Lord to be ruler and Zadok to be priest. So Salomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of his father David. He prospered and all Israel obeyed him.” The Holy Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, Thailand and Cambodia, among many other great civilizations, have also had a coronation since the beginning of their existence and are a base to what the contemporary ceremony looks like in different countries. 

 

Who gets crowned? 

 

The monarch is crowned alongside the consort. Or perhaps not…  If a king is married, like Edward VII or George V of the United Kingdom, he gets crowned first and only afterwards during the ceremony the queen consort can be crowned. If a king is not married yet, like Anglo-Saxon king Æthelstan, the ceremony is business as usual. If a king gets married after his coronation, like Henry VIII of England, his wife, in this case his second wife Anne Boleyn, the queen has her own coronation ceremony. Finally, a queen regnant, like Isabel I of Castilla or Sālote Tupou III of Tonga, regardless of civil status is crowned alone while their spouse is given no special officialisation as the husband of a queen holds the rank of prince. Keep in mind all this may vary depending on the country.

 

Where are coronations still a thing? 

 

Due to being the most talked about monarchy in the world, the British coronation ceremony has been largely studied by historians and amateurs alike, but other countries must not be overlooked when it comes to this ritual. Surprisingly other monarchies in Europe, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, among others, have scrapped or replaced their coronation with something that resembles more a presidential inauguration without losing the majesty of royalty. Keeping that in mind, where else could a ceremony as archaical as a coronation survive the test of modernization and radical change? In terms of sovereign states, Tonga, Brunei, Swaziland, Lesotho are part of the list of the exceptions. Monarchies within countries, something that can be found in various African countries, like the Yoruba, that can be found in the south-west of Nigeria, also retain this tradition.

 

Sources

 

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9412/#:~:text=The%20 contemporary%20form%20of%20the,Abbey%20back%20to%20the%20Palace.

 

https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/coronation-of-king-taufa-ahau-tupou-iv-1968

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34641411

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/23/africa/olu-of-warri-coronation-intl/index.html

 

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/08/ogiame-atuwatse-iii-thorny-path-to-the-crown/

 

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/KingsQueensofBritain/#:~:text=There%20have%20been%2062%20monarchs,period%20of%20approximately%201200%20years.

 

https://www.allsaintskingston.co.uk/heritage/where-england-began

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z9ng4xs

 

http://archive.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/11/bhutan_crowns_a_new_king.html

 

https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/kingship-rituals