Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of the emperor's subsidiary titles, e.g., King of Hungary or King of Lombardy. So many
crowns and kingdoms in the Habsburgs' vast empire!
Room 5: Ponder the Cradle of the King of Rome, once occupied by Napoleon's son,
who was born in 1811 and made King of Rome. While pledging allegiance to democracy,
Napoleon in fact crowned himself Emperor of France and hobnobbed with Europe's royalty.
WhenhiswifeJosephinecouldnotbearhimamaleheir,Napoleondivorcedherandmarried
into the Habsburg family.
Room6: ForDivineRightkings,evenchild-rearingwasasacredritualthatneededelab-
orateregaliaforpublicceremonies.The23-pound goldbasinandpitcher wereusedtobap-
tize noble children, who were dressed in the hooded baptismal dresses displayed nearby.
Room 7: These jewels are the true “treasures,” a cabinet of wonders used by Habsburgs
to impress their relatives (or to hock when funds got low).
Room 8: The eight-foot-tall, 500-year-old “unicorn horn” (a narwhal tusk), was con-
sidered to have magical healing powers bestowed from on high. This one was owned by the
Holy Roman Emperor—clearly a divine monarch.
Religious Rooms: The next several rooms of religious objects —crucifixes, chalices,
mini-altarpieces, reliquaries, and bishops' vestments. Habsburg rulers mixed the institutions
of church and state, so these precious religious accoutrements were also part of their display
of secular power.
Room 10: The big red-silk and gold-thread mantle, nearly 900 years old, was worn by
Holy Roman Emperors at their coronations.
Room11: Thecollection'shighlightisthe10th-century crownoftheHolyRomanEm-
peror. It was probably made for Otto I (c. 960), the first king to call himself Holy Roman
Emperor. The Imperial Crown swirls with symbolism “proving” that the emperor was both
holy and Roman: The cross on top says the HRE ruled as Christ's representative on earth,
and the jeweled arch over the top is reminiscent of the parade helmet of ancient Romans.
The jewels themselves allude to the wearer's kinghood in the here and now. Imagine the im-
pressionthispriceless,glitteringcrownmusthavemadeontheemperor'smedievalsubjects.
Nearbyisthe11th-century ImperialCross thatprecededtheemperorinceremonies.En-
crusted with jewels, it had a hollow compartment (its core is wood) that carried substantial
chunks thought to be from the cross on which Jesus was crucified and the Holy Lance used
to pierce his side (both pieces are displayed in the same glass case). Holy Roman Emperors
actually carried the lance into battle in the 10th century. Look behind the cross to see how it
was a box that could be clipped open and shut, used for holding holy relics. You can see bits
of the “true cross” anywhere, but this is a prime piece—with the actual nail hole.
Room 12: Now picture all this regalia used together. The painting shows the coronation
ofMariaTheresa'ssonJosefIIasHolyRomanEmperorin1764.SetinachurchinFrankfurt
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