The Holy Roman Empire
The Imperial Regalia are the insignia of the Holy Roman Empire. After 1438, the Holy Roman Empire was ruled by the House of Habsburg, with only one brief exception. From 1508, after his election, the German King no longer called for the coronation by the Pope either, but considered himself Roman emperor directly. The crown was probably used for the first time for the coronation of Konrad II; the last time was for Franz II in 1792.
The regalia were normally kept in Nuremberg, and a smaller part in Aachen. However, with the advance of the French in the French Revolutionary Wars, they were taken away in 1796 and brought to Vienna for safety. They have remained in the Schatzkammer ever since, even after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. The cities of Aachen and Nuremberg tried many times, unsuccessfully, to reclaim the regalia. The regalia briefly left Vienna after the so-called "Anschluss", when Hitler had them sent to Nuremberg in 1938. After the war, in an adventurous story, they were found by American troops in a bunker and eventually returned in 1946.
The regalia are made up of many pieces, some of which are more than a thousand years old. It is one of the most important and complete collections of medieval royal regalia. Some of the most important items are listed below:
- Imperial Holy Bible
- St. Stephen´s Purse
- Sword of Charlemagne
- Imperial Crown
- Imperial Cross
- Holy Lance
- Imperial Sword
- Imperial Orb
- Coronation Mantle
- Ceremonial Sword
- Imperial Sceptre
- Vestments
- Reliquaries
Please see Imperial Regalia for more information.
Read more about this topic: Austrian Crown Jewels
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—Ishmael Reed (b. 1938)
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