The Regalia of Romania are a set of items which were used for the coronation of the kings and queens of

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. They are currently housed in the

National Museum of Romanian History The National History Museum of Romania ( ro, Muzeul Național de Istorie a României) is a museum located on the Calea Victoriei in Bucharest, Romania, which contains Romanian historical artifacts from prehistoric times up to modern times. The mus ...

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...

. The regalia consist of the Royal Crown (the so-called " Steel Crown"), the Crown of Queen Elizabeth, the Crown of Queen Maria, orbs, the Scepter of King Ferdinand I the Scepter of King Carol II, the Sword of King Carol I and the Royal Mantle.

Royal "Steel" Crown

The Romanian " Steel Crown" is the crown that was used for the coronation of Romanian kings. It was cast of steel from a Turkish cannon that was captured by the

Romanian Army The Romanian Land Forces ( ro, Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Lan ...

during the

Siege of Plevna The siege of Pleven, was a major battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, fought by the joint army of Russia and Romania against the Ottoman Empire. After the Russian army crossed the Danube at Svishtov, it began advancing towards ...

in the Romanian War of Independence (1877-1878). King

Carol I Carol I or Charles I of Romania (20 April 1839 – ), born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as King from 1881 to 1914. He w ...

chose that the crown be made of steel, not gold, to symbolize the bravery of the Romanian soldiers. In addition to the absence of gold, the crown contains no precious stones. The crown was presented to the king on May 10, 1881, during the ceremonies of his coronation and of the proclamation of Romania as a

kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

. On October 15, 1922, the crown was used for the coronation of King Carol I's nephew and successor, King Ferdinand I, as well as the coronation of Romania's last king,

Michael I Michael I may refer to: * Pope Michael I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark in 743–767 * Michael I Rhangabes, Byzantine Emperor (died in 844) * Michael I Cerularius, Patriarch Michael I of Constantin ...

, on September 6, 1940. The planned September 1930 coronation of Ferdinand's son, King

Carol II Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. The eldest son of Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I in 1914. He was the first of th ...

, who was the father of King Michael I, never occurred because of his relationship with

Magda Lupescu Magda Lupescu (born Elena Lupescu; 3/15 September 1899 – 29 June 1977), later officially known as Princess Elena of Romania, was the mistress and later wife of King Carol II of Romania. Early life and family Many of the facts relating to he ...

The Crown of Queen Elizabeth

Corona indossata dalla regina elisabetta alla cerimonia di proclamazione del regno di romania, 10-22 maggio 1881

The Crown of Queen Elizabeth was made of gold at the Arsenalul Armatei for the occasion of the proclamation of the Kingdom and the coronation of King

and

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen ...

in 1881. The crown follows a medieval design similar to that of the Royal Steel Crown, and it, too, does not contain precious stones.

The Crown of Queen Maria

The Crown of Queen Maria was made of gold mined from the

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...

region of

. It was constructed specifically for the occasion of the coronation of King Ferdinand I and Queen Maria in 1922 at Alba-Iulia. The Crown has a very original design. Rather than wearing the crown of Queen Elizabeth, Queen Maria had reportedly told her husband "I want nothing modern that another queen might have. Let mine be all medieval." The new crown was modeled on one having belonged to

Milica Despina of Wallachia Milica Despina ( sr-cyrl, Милица Деспина; ro, Milița Despina; – 30 January 1554) was the Princess consort of Wallachia by marriage to Neagoe Basarab (). She was regent of Wallachia from 1521 to 1522, on the behalf of her son Te ...

, the consort of a 16th-century

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...

n prince. It contains rubies, emeralds, amethyst, turquoise and opals and weighs 4 pounds (1.8 kg). Grains of wheat decorate the base of the crown topped by eight large and eight small flower ornaments connected by interlacing branches. A globe and cross sit atop the eight arches above the flower ornaments and a pendulum, supposedly copied from ancient Byzantine head ornaments, hangs from either side of the headband just above the ear, each bearing the

coat of arms of Romania The coat of arms of Romania was adopted in the Romanian Parliament on 10 September 1992 as a representative coat of arms for Romania. It is based on the Lesser Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Romania (used between 1922 and 1947), redesigned by Vi ...

. From each of these pendula hang three chains, each with a cross within a gold circle at the end.

The Scepter of King Ferdinand I

The Scepter of Ferdinand I, was constructed in Alba-Iulia for the coronation of King Ferdinand I in 1922. It was presented to the king on May 10, 1920 by six girls from the orphanage Radu Voda, and is inscribed "King Ferdinand I, King of the Romanians is presented this gift by his people as a reward for his worthiness and good governance of the country during the years 1916-1919". At the top are four images of peasants in national costumes representing

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds o ...

Bukovina Bukovinagerman: Bukowina or ; hu, Bukovina; pl, Bukowina; ro, Bucovina; uk, Буковина, ; see also other languages. is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both).Klaus Peter Berge ...

and the ancient kingdom Romania. The head of an eagle sits atop the scepter and symbolizes the Latin origin of the Romanians.

The Scepter of King Carol II

The Scepter of Carol II was presented by

officials to

King Carol II Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. The eldest son of Ferdinand I of Romania, Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I of Roman ...

in 1940 for the 10th anniversary of his ascension to the throne. This scepter is similar to the

Scepter of Ferdinand I The Regalia of Romania are a set of items which were used for the coronation of the kings and queens of Romania. They are currently housed in the National Museum of Romanian History in Bucharest. The regalia consist of the Royal Crown (the so-calle ...

The Sword of King Carol I

The Sword of King Carol I of Romania was a present to

King Carol I Carol I or Charles I of Romania (20 April 1839 – ), born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as King from 1881 to 1914. He w ...

by Ottoman Sultan Abdul-Aziz. Its blade is crafted from Damascus steel and it has a gold plated handgrip. The sheath contains 1140 jewels, including 46 diamonds.

Scepter of Carol II The Regalia of Romania are a set of items which were used for the coronation of the kings and queens of Romania. They are currently housed in the National Museum of Romanian History in Bucharest. The regalia consist of the Royal Crown (the so-calle ...

Gallery

File:Carol-I-Coronation.jpg, The coronation of

File:Coronation of Ferdinand and Marie.jpg, The coronation of King Ferdinand I File:Ferdinand I of romania - coronation photo.jpg, Coronation photo of King Ferdinand I File:RegeleFerdinand.jpg, King Ferdinand I in full regalia File:Corona della regina Maria di Romania.jpg, The crown of Queen Maria

References

{{crowns National symbols of Romania Romanian monarchy