The scepter of Charles V, also known in the early modern period as scepter of Charlemagne, is one of the most prominent preserved

regalia Regalia is a Latin plurale tantum word that has different definitions. In one rare definition, it refers to the exclusive privileges of a sovereign. The word originally referred to the elaborate formal dress and dress accessories of a sovereign ...

of the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period. ...

. It was donated by

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infan ...

to the

abbey of Saint-Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (french: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, links=no, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building ...

on 7 May 1380, shortly before his death. It has been used since for the coronation (''sacre'') of nearly all monarchs of France until

Charles X Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and Loui ...

, only excepting Charles VII and

Henri IV Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...

. It has been kept at the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

since 5 December 1793.

Description

The scepter consists of four elements: a shaft, a bulb, a

fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

, and a seated figure of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

on top. The bulb is decorated with three scenes from the ''

Historia Caroli Magni ''Historia Caroli Magni'' (''History of the life of Charlemagne''), also known as ''Historia Karoli Magni et Rotholandi'' and sometimes as the ''Turpin Chronicle'' or the ''Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle'', is a 12th-century Latin forged chronicle of lege ...

''. Charlemagne is represented holding a scepter and ''

globus cruciger The ''globus cruciger'' ( for, , Latin, cross-bearing orb), also known as "the orb and cross", is an orb surmounted by a cross. It has been a Christian symbol of authority since the Middle Ages, used on coins, in iconography, and with a sceptre ...

''. An inscription at the base of Charlemagne's seat reads "SANTUS icKAROLUS MAGNUS ITALIA ROMA GALIA ET ALIA". A reading of "...ET GERMANIA" was proposed in the 16th century but is incompatible with the preserved object.

History

The scepter was probably created in the 1370s. It has been attributed to court goldsmith Hennequin du Vivier. It may be viewed as bolstering the legitimacy of Charles V and his family in the context of the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

, by emphasizing their

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

lineage. It was repaired on multiple occasions, including in 1722, 1775, 1804 and 1825. The crown is not original and was replaced at some date before 1624. The scepter held by Charlemagne and one of the eagles on his seat are also replacements. In 1804, the scepter's shaft was restored using what was until then a separate precious object, known as the staff of Guillaume de Roquémont, originally created in 1394. That modification was made ahead of the

coronation of Napoleon I Napoleon was crowned Emperor of the French on Sunday, December 2, 1804 (11 Frimaire, Year XIII according to the French Republican calendar), at Notre-Dame de Paris in Paris. It marked "the instantiation of hemodern empire" and was a "transpa ...

during which the scepter was used together with other French

. The fleur-de-lis was enameled in white in the past, as appears in depictions such as the ''Madonna of the Vic family'' by

Frans Pourbus the Younger Frans Pourbus the Younger (1569–1622) was a Flemish painter, son of Frans Pourbus the Elder and grandson of Pieter Pourbus. He was born in Antwerp and died in Paris. He is also referred to as "Frans II". Pourbus worked for many of the highly ...

Gallery

File:Sceptre de Charles V - Vue générale.jpg, Full-length view File:Sceptre de Charles V - Le noeud.jpg, Detail of the bulb: Charlemagne's vision of Saint James File:La Madone de Vic.jpg, The "Madonna of Vic" depicting

holding the scepter of Charles V, by

(1617),

Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs, Paris The Church of Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs (''Église Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs'') is a Catholic church in Paris' Third arrondissement. Early parts of the church, including the west front, built 1420–1480, are in the Flamboyant Gothic style, while la ...

File:Portrait, Louis XIII King of France, Champaigne.jpg,

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

in coronation robes, by

Philippe de Champaigne Philippe de Champaigne (; 26 May 1602 – 12 August 1674) was a Brabançon-born French Baroque era painter, a major exponent of the French school. He was a founding member of the Académie de peinture et de sculpture in Paris, the premier art ...

(1630s),

File:Dom Félibien 1706 trésor de St-Denis.jpg, Part of the Saint-Denis Treasury, engraving of by

Michel Félibien Michel Félibien (14 September 1665 – 25 September 1719)Notice d'autorité personne
a ...

(1706): the scepter is displayed diagonally, behind the (now lost) reliquary of Saint Benedict at the center File:LouisXV-Rigaud1.jpg,

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

in coronation robes, by

Hyacinthe Rigaud Jacint Rigau-Ros i Serra (; 18 July 1659 – 29 December 1743), known in French as Hyacinthe Rigaud (), was a Catalan-French baroque painter most famous for his portraits of Louis XIV and other members of the French nobility. Biography Rigaud ...

(1730),

Musée de l'Histoire de France (Versailles) The Musée de l'Histoire de France (Museum of French History) is a museum that was created by King Louis Philippe I in the Palace of Versailles and opened in 1837. At the time, it represented an ambitious project of national reconciliation betw ...

File:Ingres, Napoleon on his Imperial throne.jpg, '' Napoleon I on His Imperial Throne'' by

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres ( , ; 29 August 1780 – 14 January 1867) was a French Neoclassicism, Neoclassical Painting, painter. Ingres was profoundly influenced by past artistic traditions and aspired to become the guardian of academic ...

(1806),

Army Museum (Paris) The Musée de l'Armée (; "Army Museum") is a national military museum of France located at Les Invalides in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It is served by Paris Métro stations Invalides, Varenne and La Tour-Maubourg The Musée de l'Armée w ...

File:Louvre Conseil Etat Charlemagne.jpg, Charlemagne with the scepter among ancient legislators, by

Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse (1 November 1784, Corbeil - 15 November 1844, Paris) was a French painter and lithographer; specializing in battle scenes and portraits. Biography He came from a modest background. His father was the organist at Corb ...

, detail of the ceiling of the (1827),

Louvre Palace The Louvre Palace (french: link=no, Palais du Louvre, ), often referred to simply as the Louvre, is an iconic French palace located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, occupying a vast expanse of land between the Tuileries Ga ...

File:Charles X In 1829.jpg,

holding the scepter, by

(c.1829),

Musée Bonnat The Musée Bonnat-Helleu is an art museum in Bayonne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. The museum was created in 1901 when Bayonne-born painter Léon Bonnat gave his extensive personal collections of art – notably an exceptional drawing collection � ...

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

File:Charlemagne et ses Leudes (2).jpg, Charlemagne holding the scepter in the bronze group ''

Charlemagne et ses Leudes , generally translated as Charlemagne and His Guards or Charlemagne and His Paladins, is a monumental bronze statue situated on the plaza (''parvis'') in front of Notre-Dame, in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France. A joint work by the brothe ...

'' by the Rochet brothers, Paris , 1878

Notes

{{RefList French Crown Jewels Cultural depictions of Charlemagne

Description

History

Gallery

See also

Notes