A coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. A coronet differs from other kinds of crowns in that a coronet never has arches, and from a tiara in that a coronet completely encircles the head, while a tiara does not. In other languages, this distinction is not made as usually the same word for ''crown'' is used irrespective of rank (german: Krone, nl, Kroon, sv, Krona, french: Couronne, etc.) Today, its main use is not as a headgear (indeed, many people entitled to a coronet never have a physical one created), but as a rank symbol in heraldry, adorning a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in it ...

Etymology

The word stems from the

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligi ...

''coronete'', a diminutive of ''co(u)ronne'' ('crown'), itself from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

''corona'' (also 'wreath') and from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

''κορώνη'' (''korōnē''; 'garland' or 'wreath'). Traditionally, such headgear is used by nobles and by

prince A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...

s and princesses in their coats of arms, rather than by

monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...

s, for whom the word 'crown' is customarily reserved in English, while many languages have no such terminological distinction. As a coronet shows the rank of the respective noble, in the German and

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

n languages there is also the term ''rangkrone'' (literally 'rank crown').

Commonwealth usage

In the United Kingdom, a

peer Peer may refer to: Sociology * Peer, an equal in age, education or social class; see Peer group * Peer, a member of the peerage; related to the term "peer of the realm" Computing * Peer, one of several functional units in the same layer of a net ...

wears the coronet on one occasion only: for a royal coronation, when it is worn along with coronation robes, equally standardised as a luxurious uniform. In the peerages of the United Kingdom, the design of a coronet shows the rank of its owner, as in German, French and various other heraldic traditions. Dukes were the first individuals authorised to wear coronets. Marquesses acquired coronets in the 15th century, earls in the 16th and viscounts and barons in the 17th. Until the barons received coronets in 1661, the coronets of earls, marquesses and dukes were engraved while those of viscounts were plain. After 1661, however, viscomital coronets became engraved, while baronial coronets were plain. Coronets may not bear any precious or semi-precious stones.Cox, Noel (1999)
"The Coronets of Members of the Royal Family and of the Peerage."
''The Double Tressure, the Journal of The Heraldry Society of Scotland''. No. 22, pp. 8–13. Retrieved on 2007-10-19. Since a person entitled to wear a coronet customarily displays it in their

above the shield and below the helmet and crest, this can provide a useful clue as to the owner of a given coat of arms. In

Canadian heraldry Canadian heraldry is the cultural tradition and style of coats of arms and other heraldic achievements in both modern and historic Canada. It includes National coat of arms, national, provincial, and civic arms, nobility, noble and personal arms, ...

, descendants of the United Empire Loyalists are entitled to use a Loyalist military coronet (for descendants of members of Loyalist regiments) or Loyalist civil coronet (for others) in their arms.

Royal usage

Members of the British royal family often have coronets on their coats of arms, and may wear actual coronets at coronations (e.g., Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret at the 1937 coronation of their father as

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

). They were made, according to regulations made by King Charles II in 1661, shortly after his return from exile in France (getting a taste for its lavish court style;

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ve ...

started monumental work at

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

that year) during the Restoration. They vary depending on the prince's relationship to the monarch. Occasionally, additional royal warrants vary the designs for individuals. The most recent (and most comprehensive) royal warrant concerning coronets was the 19 November 1917 warrant of

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Q ...

.1917 royal warrant
/ref> The coronet of the

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

is distinctive in itself as it has a single arch with a globe and cross. There is evidence to support the wearing of coronets amongst Welsh royalty and nobility, particularly in the

Kingdom of Gwynedd The Kingdom of Gwynedd (Medieval Latin: ; Middle Welsh: ) was a Welsh kingdom and a Roman Empire successor state that emerged in sub-Roman Britain in the 5th century during the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. Based in northwest Wales, ...

Llywelyn's coronet Llywelyn's coronet ( cy, Talaith Llywelyn) is a lost treasure of Welsh history. It is recorded that Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales and Lord of Aberffraw had deposited this crown ( cy, Talaith) and other items (such as the Cross of Neith ...

was for a while kept with the English crown jewels. File:Crown of a British King of Arms.svg, English King of Arms Image:Military Coronet of a Loyalist.svg, Loyalists military coronet (Canadian) Image:Civil Coronet of a Loyalist.svg, Loyalists civil coronet (Canadian)

Municipal usage

Certain types of local government have special coronet types assigned to them.

Danish coronet rankings

File:Crown of a Prince of Denmark.svg, Non-hereditary

or princess File:T02 Danish Duke.svg,

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, t ...

File:T03 Danish Marquis.svg,

Marquis A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman ...

File:T04 Danish Count.svg,

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New Yor ...

File:T05 Danish Baron.svg, Baron File:T06 Danish Nobility.svg, Crown of Nobility

Spanish coronet rankings

All over the world, Spanish heraldry has used these crowns and coronets: File:Heraldic Crown of Spanish Infantes.svg, Infante or Infanta
(

Prince A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...

or Princess) File:Crown of Spanish Infantes for the Aragonese Terriories.svg, Infante or Infanta
(Variant for the Spanish territories of the former

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of ...

) File:Heraldic Crown of Spanish Grandee.svg, Spanish Grandee File:Heraldic Crown of Spanish Dukes (Variant 1).svg,

File:Heraldic Crown of Spanish Marqueses (Variant 1).svg, Marquess File:Heraldic Crown of Spanish Count.svg, Count File:Heraldic Crown of the Spanish Viscounts.svg,

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...

File:Heraldic Crown of Spanish Barons.svg, Baron File:Heraldic Crown of Spanish Lords.svg, Lord (señor) File:Heraldic Crown of Hispanic Hidalgos.svg, Hidalgo (Spanish nobleman) File:Heraldic Crown of a Spanish King of Arms.svg, Spanish Officer of Arms (Herald and Pursuivant / Persevante)

Swedish coronet rankings

Coronet of Carl of Sweden (1748) & subsequent Princes 2014

File:Coronet of the Crown Prince of Sweden.svg, Heir Apparent File:Coronet of a Swedish Duke.svg,

/ Duchess File:Grevlig rangkrona.svg,

/ Countess File:Friherrlig rangkrona.svg, Baron /

Baroness Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...

File:Obetitlad adel.svg, Crown of Nobility

Former monarchies

Kingdom of France

The hierarchy among the French nobility, which was identical for non-royal titles to the British hierarchy of peers, should not be understood to be as rigid in the ranking of titleholders as the latter. In particular, a title was not a good indication of actual preeminence or precedence: ancestry, marriages, high office, military rank and the family's historical renown counted far more than the precise title. Some distinguished families held a title no higher than count or even baron, but were proud of their ancient origin. Moreover, most of the nobility was legally untitled. Some hereditary titles could be acquired by a nobleman who purchased a "titled" fief, while '' titres de courtoisie'' ('courtesy titles') were freely assumed in the absence of strict regulation by the French crown and became more numerous than titles legally borne. In the 17th and 18th centuries, people assumed and used freely coronets of ranks that they did not have; and, in the 19th and 20th centuries abuse was still made of 'courtesy titles'. Titles continued to be granted until the Second Empire fell in 1870, and legally survive among their descendants. The only title that was never usurped under the''

ancien régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

'', and rarely without some excuse afterwards, was the title of ''duc'', because it was so often attached to the rank peer of France, which carried specific legal prerogatives such as the right to a seat in the Parliament of Paris. As a result, the title of ''duc'' was actually, as well as nominally, at the top of the scale after the royal family and foreign princes, and a cut above all of the other nobility. During the ''ancien régime'', 'prince' was a rank, not a title, hence there was no coronet. * Roi (sovereign): closed crown of fleurs-de-lis (the crown was open until the early 16th century) * Dauphin (heir apparent): initially an open crown of fleurs-de-lis; starting with Henri IV's son (1601–10), the crown is closed with dolphins instead of arches * Fils de France and Petit-fils de France (sons and grandsons of a sovereign): open coronet of fleurs-de-lis * Prince du Sang (male-line descendants of a sovereign): originally an open coronet alternating fleurs-de-lis and acanthus leaves (called strawberry leaves in English blazon), but the open coronet of fleurs-de-lis was used in the 17th and 18th centuries * Pair de France (peer of the realm): coronet of the title (usually duke) with a crimson velvet cap, a mantle ''armoyé'' (reproducing the arms) fringed with gold and lined with ermine * Duc (duke): coronet of acanthus leaves *

(marquess): coronet of alternating acanthus leaves and groups of three pearls in trefoil (or two pearls side by side in some versions) * Comte (count): coronet of pearls * Vicomte (viscount): coronet of four large pearls (three visible) alternating with smaller pearls * Vidame (peculiar French title, for protectors of the temporal estates of a bishopric): coronet of four crosses (three visible) * Baron: helm of gold wreathed with a string of small pearls * Chevalier (knight): helm of gold * Ecuyer (squire): helm File:Royal Crown of France.svg, Roi File:Crown of the Dauphin of France.svg, Dauphin of France File:Crown of a Royal Prince of the Blood of France.svg, Fils de France et Petit-Fils de France File:Crown of a Prince of the Blood of France.svg, Prince du Sang File:Crown of a Duke of France.svg, Duc (Peer) File:Crown of a Duke of France (variant).svg, Duc File:Crown of a Marquis of France.svg,

(Peer) File:Crown of a Marquis of France (variant).svg,

File:Crown of a Count of France.svg, Comte (Peer) File:Crown of a Count of France (variant).svg, Comte File:Old Crown of a Count (France & Belgium).svg, Comte (older variant) File:Crown of a Viscount of France (variant).svg,

File:Crown of a Vidame of France.svg, Vidame File:Crown of a Baron of France.svg, Baron File:Crown of a Chevalier of France.svg, Chevalier

Holy Roman Empire

The

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

, and consequently its successor states (Austria, Germany and others), had a system very similar to that of the British, although the design varied. *''Herzogskrone'': the coronet of a '' Herzog'' (duke) displays five visible leaves, with a crimson bonnet on top, surmounted by five visible arches and a '' globus cruciger''. *''Fürstenkrone'': the coronet of a '' Fürst'' (prince) shows five visible leaves, with a crimson bonnet on top, surmounted by three visible arches and a ''globus cruciger''. *''Landgrafenkrone'': the coronet of a '' Landgraf'' (landgrave) shows five visible leaves, surmounted by three visible arches and a ''globus cruciger''. *''Grafenkrone'': the coronet of a ''

Graf (feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...

'' (count) displays nine visible tines with pearls. Some of the senior comital houses used coronets showing five leaves and four pearls (some mediatized counties and minor principalities had other types of coronets that distinguished them from regular counts). *''Freiherrnkrone'': the coronet of a ''

Freiherr (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...

'' (baron) shows seven visible tines with pearls. *''Adelskrone'': the coronet of '' Adel'' members (untitled nobility) displays five visible tines with pearls. Sometimes, the central and outer tines are leaves and the other tines are headed by pearls. In the southern states of

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

and Württemberg, usually all tines are headed by pearls. File:T09 Herzog.svg, ''Herzogskrone'' File:T12 Fürst.svg, ''Fürstenkrone'' File:T10 Landgraf.svg, ''Landgrafenkrone'' File:Rangkronen-Fig. 18.svg, ''Grafenkrone'' File:Rangkronen-Fig. 27.svg, ''Freiherrnkrone'' File:Rangkronen-Fig. 37.svg, ''Adelskrone'' Considering the religious nature of the

, one can say that, except for the short-lived Napoleonic states, no continental secular system of heraldry historically was so neatly regulated as under the British crown. Still, there are often traditions (often connected to the Holy Roman Empire, ''e.g.'', those in Sweden, Denmark or Russia) that include the use of crown and coronets. While most languages do not have a specific term for coronets, but simply use the word meaning ''crown'', it is possible to determine which of those crowns are for peerage or lower-level use, and thus can by analogy be called coronets. Precisely because there are many traditions and more variation within some of these, there is a plethora of continental coronet types. Indeed, there are also some coronets for positions that do not exist or entitle one to a coronet in the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with " republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from th ...

tradition. Such a case in French (''ancien'', ''i.e.'', royal era) heraldry, where coronets of rank did not come into use before the 16th century, is the vidame, whos
coronet (illustrated)
is a metal circle mounted with three visible crosses (there is no documentary or archeological evidence that such a coronet was ever made). Often, coronets are substituted by helmets, or only worn on a helmet.

Kingdom of Portugal coronet rankings

These coronets and crowns were used in Portuguese heraldry: File:Heraldic Royal Crown of Portugal - Eight Arches.svg, Royal Crown of Portugal File:Crown of the Heir Apparent of the Kingdom of Portugal.svg,

(Heir Apparent) File:Crown of the Prince of Beira.svg, Prince of Beira
(Heir Apparent's eldest son) File:Coronet of an Infante - Kingdom of Portugal.svg, Infante (Prince) File:Coronet of a Duke - Kingdom of Portugal.svg,

File:Coronet of a Marquess - Kingdom of Portugal.svg,

File:Coronet of Count - Portugal.svg,

File:Coronet of a Viscount - Kingdom of Portugal.svg,

File:Coronet of Baron - Portugal.svg, Baron File:Coronet of Knight - Portugal.svg,

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...

/ ''

Fidalgo ''Fidalgo'' (, ), from Galician and Portuguese —equivalent to nobleman, but sometimes literally translated into English as "son of somebody" or "son of some (important family)"—is a traditional title of Portuguese nobility that refers to a ...

References

Sources and external links

The Coronets of Members of the Royal Family and of the PeerageHeraldica.org French heraldry
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110809182337/http://www.clanjohnstone.org/AnnandalePeerageCase.html Illustration of the coat of arms of the Earl of Annandale and Hartfell, showing the design of coronetbr>The Crowns, Coronets and Crests of the Ladies and Knights of the Garter
{{Authority control Crowns (headgear) Formal insignia Monarchy Regalia State ritual and ceremonies Types of jewellery Crowns in heraldry