Coronations in Poland

File:Kraków Coronation of Casimir I the Restorer.jpg

Coronation of John II Casimir Vasa

File:Saint Stephen (Sigismund III of Poland depicted as rex sacerdos).PNG

Sigismund III of Poland as rex sacerdos in coronation robe, (depicted as Saint Stephen I of Hungary)

Coronations in Poland officially began in 1025 and continued until 1764, when the final king of an independent Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski, was crowned at St. John's Cathedral in Warsaw. Most Polish coronations took place at the Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, but crownings also occurred in Poznań and at Gniezno Cathedral. Whenever practical, Polish coronations were conducted as close as possible as to the date of the previous sovereign's funeral. This was explained by Joachim Bielski in the sixteenth century as osoba umiera, korona nie umiera, or "the person dies, the crown dies not".<ref>M. Bielski, Kronika polska, 1st ed. (1597, reprinted Sanok, 1856), 3:1207.</ref> With the emergence of an independent, republican Poland after World War I, coronations in the Polish state have been rendered obsolete.

Though many of the Polish Crown Jewels were stolen and destroyed by King Frederick William III of Prussia in March 1809 after the Third Partition of Poland, remaining pieces are exhibited at the Wawel Royal Castle National Art Collection and National Museum in Warsaw.<ref name="crowns_angelfire">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The ceremony

During the period when coronations were held in Kraków, the following order was observed: on the eve of his coronation, the new monarch fasted, gave alms, and partook of the Catholic sacrament of confession. He then walked on foot from the royal Wawel Castle to the Basilica of St. Stanisław, patron saint of Poland. Unlike the remainder of the service, the royal procession was opened to the Polish masses. On the morning of the ceremony, the king was met in his bedchamber by a procession consisting of the local Metropolitan Archbishop and other notables. Wearing Episcopal clothing, the monarch was blessed with holy water and incensed. Following this, king, metropolitan and the others made their way in procession to the cathedral.<ref name="bak2">Template:Cite book</ref>

Inside the church, the Polish regalia were laid on the high altar, while the king was seated on a low chair nearby. The royal oath was administered, and the new monarch then knelt before the altar. Two mitred abbots next entered from a side chapel, carrying a mixture of holy oils, with which the ruler was then anointed. Following this, the king was handed a sword, which he used to trace a cross in the air. Next he was crowned by the Archbishop, assisted by two other bishops, following which he received his orb and scepter. The high mass continued, with the newly crowned sovereign receiving Holy Communion, then kissing a crucifix and mounting his throne. Following this, the king created several new knights, then attended a coronation feast and rode into the public square on horseback, where he received the homage of his subjects while seated in a large chair.<ref name="bak2"/>

List of Polish coronations

*	King or queen Polish name	Date	Site	Presiding cleric	Crown used
K	Boleslaus I the Brave Bolesław I Chrobry	Template:Dts	Gniezno Cathedral	Emperor Otto III of the Holy Roman Empire	Emperor Otto III's personal diadem
K	Boleslaus I the Brave Bolesław I Chrobry	Template:Dts	Gniezno Cathedral	Hipolit, Archbishop of Gniezno	Original Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
K	Mieszko II Lambert	Template:Dts	Gniezno Cathedral	Hipolit, Archbishop of Gniezno	Original Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
Q	Richeza of Lotharingia Rycheza Lotaryńska	Template:Dts	Gniezno Cathedral	Hipolit, Archbishop of Gniezno	Richeza's Crown
K	Boleslaus II the Bold Bolesław II Śmiały	Template:Dts	Gniezno Cathedral	Bogumił, Archbishop of Gniezno	Boleslaus the Bold's Crown
K	Premislaus Przemysł	Template:Dts	Gniezno Cathedral	Jakub Świnka, Archbishop of Gniezno	Boleslaus the Bold's Crown
Q	Margaret of Brandenburg Małgorzata Brandenburska	Template:Dts	Gniezno Cathedral	Jakub Świnka, Archbishop of Gniezno	Margaret of Brandenburg's Crown
K	Wenceslaus Wacław Czeski	Template:Dts	Gniezno Cathedral	Jakub Świnka, Archbishop of Gniezno	Boleslaus the Bold's Crown
Q	Elisabeth Richeza of Poland Ryksa Elżbieta	Template:Dts	Prague Cathedral	Henryk of Wierzbno, Bishop of Wrocław	Margaret of Brandenburg's Crown
K	Władysław I Łokietek	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Janisław, Archbishop of Gniezno	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
Q	Hedwig of Kalisz Jadwiga Kaliska	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Janisław, Archbishop of Gniezno	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
K	Casimir III the Great Kazimierz III Wielki	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Janisław, Archbishop of Gniezno	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
Q	Aldona of Lithuania	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Janisław, Archbishop of Gniezno	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
Q	Adelaide of Hesse Adelajda Heska	Template:Dts	Poznań Cathedral	Janisław, Archbishop of Gniezno	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
Q	Hedwig of Sagan Jadwiga Żagańska	25 February 1365 (presumed)	Wschowa	Jan Doliwa, bishop of Poznań (presumed)	Unknown
K	Louis the Great Ludwik Węgierski	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Jarosław of Bogoria, Archbishop of Gniezno	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
K	Jadwiga Jadwiga Andegaweńska	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Bodzanta, Archbishop of Gniezno	Unknown (possibly Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown)
K	Ladislaus II Władysław II Jagiełło	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Bodzanta, Archbishop of Gniezno	Ladislaus II's Crown
Q	Anna of Celje Anna Cylejska	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Mikołaj Kurowski, Archbishop of Gniezno	Anna of Celje's Crown
Q	Elizabeth Granowska Elżbieta Granowska	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Jan Rzeszowski, Archbishop of Lviv	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
Q	Sophia of Halshany Zofia Holszańska	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Wojciech Jastrzębiec, Archbishop of Gniezno	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
K	Władysław III Władysław III	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Wojciech Jastrzębiec, Archbishop of Gniezno	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
K	Casimir IV Kazimierz IV	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Wincenty Kot, Archbishop of Gniezno	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
Q	Elizabeth of Austria Elżbieta Rakuszanka	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Jan Sprowski, Archbishop of Gniezno	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
K	John I Albert Jan I Olbracht	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Zbigniew Oleśnicki, Archbishop of Gniezno	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
K	Alexander Aleksander	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Fryderyk Jagiellończyk, Archbishop of Gniezno	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
K	Sigismund I Zygmunt I	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Andrzej Boryszewski, Archbishop of Gniezno	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
Q	Barbara Zápolya	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Jan Łaski, Archbishop of Gniezno	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
Q	Bona Sforza	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Jan Łaski, Archbishop of Gniezno	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
K	Sigismund II Augustus Zygmunt II August	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Jan Łaski, Archbishop of Gniezno	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
Q	Elizabeth of Austria Elżbieta Habsubrżanka	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Piotr Gamrat, Archbishop of Gniezno	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
Q	Barbara Radziwiłłówna	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Mikołaj Dzierzgowski, Archbishop of Gniezno	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
Q	Catherine of Austria Katarzyna Habsburżanka	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Mikołaj Dzierzgowski, Archbishop of Gniezno	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
K	Henry Henryk Walezy	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Jakub Uchański, Archbishop of Gniezno	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
K	Anna Anna Jagiellonka	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Stanisław Karnkowski, Bishop of Kuyavia	Anna Jagiellonka's Crown
K	Stephen Stefan Batory	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Stanisław Karnkowski, Bishop of Kuyavia	So-called Hungarian Crown
K	Sigismund III Zygmunt III Waza	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Stanisław Karnkowski, Archbishop of Gniezno	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
Q	Anna of Austria Anna Austriaczka	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Stanisław Karnkowski, Archbishop of Gniezno	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
Q	Constance of Austria Konstancja Austriaczka	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Piotr Tylicki, Bishop of Kuyavia	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
K	Władysław IV Władysław IV	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Jan Wężyk, Archbishop of Gniezno	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
Q	Cecilia Renata Cecylia Renata	Template:Dts	St. John's Church in Warsaw	Jan Wężyk, Archbishop of Gniezno	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
Q	Marie Louise Gonzaga Ludwika Maria Gonzaga	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Maciej Łubieński, Archbishop of Gniezno	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
K	John II Casimir Jan II Kazimierz	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Maciej Łubieński, Archbishop of Gniezno	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
K	Michael Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Mikołaj Prażmowski, Archbishop of Gniezno	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
Q	Eleonora Maria Josefa Eleonora Habsburżanka	Template:Dts	St. John's Church in Warsaw	Mikołaj Prażmowski, Archbishop of Gniezno	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
K	John III Jan III Sobieski	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Andrzej Olszowski, Archbishop of Gniezno	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
Q	Marie Casimire d'Arquien Maria Kazimiera	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Andrzej Olszowski, Archbishop of Gniezno	Hedwig of Kalisz's Crown
K	Augustus II the Strong August II Mocny	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Stanisław Dąbski, Bishop of Kuyavia	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
K	Stanislaus I Stanisław Leszczyński	Template:Dts	St. John's Church in Warsaw	Konstanty Zieliński, Archbishop of Lviv	Stanislaus I's Crown
Q	Katarzyna Opalińska	Template:Dts	St. John's Church in Warsaw	Konstanty Zieliński, Archbishop of Lviv	Katarzyna Opalińska's Crown
K	Augustus III August III Sas	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Jan Aleksander Lipski, Bishop of Kraków	Augustus III's Crown
Q	Maria Josepha of Austria Maria Józefa Austriaczka	Template:Dts	Kraków Cathedral	Jan Aleksander Lipski, Bishop of Kraków	Maria Josepha's Crown
K	Stanislaus II Augustus Stanisław August Poniatowski	Template:Dts	St. John's Church in Warsaw	Władysław Łubieński, Archbishop of Gniezno	So-called Crown of Bolesław I the Brave
K	Nicholas I Mikołaj I Romanow	Template:Dts	Royal Castle in Warsaw	The king crowned himself, assisted by Jan Paweł Woronicz, Archbishop of Warsaw	Empress Anna Ivanovna's Crown

* "K" indicates a king or queen regnant; "Q" indicates a queen consort.

Pretenders and royal consorts not crowned

• Wenceslaus III of Bohemia, assassinated before crowning
• Wiola of Cieszyn, wife of Wenceslaus III of Bohemia, daughter of Mieszko of Cieszyn, Duke of Cieszyn
• Krystyna, daughter of Weneclaus of Praga, third wife of Casimir III of Poland, taken by him as morganatic wife.
• Elizabeth of Bosnia, wife of Louis the Great, daughter of Stephen II, Ban of Bosnia
• William of Austria, married in childhood to Jadwiga of Poland, later claimed to consummated marriage during his visit in Poland; marriage was not recognized as valid by Polish nobles and Pope, and renounced by Jadwiga
• Helena of Moscow, wife of Alexander Jagiellon, daughter of Ivan III, Grand Duke of Moscow, not crowned because of her Orthodox faith
• Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, wife of August II the Strong, daughter of Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, not crowned because of her Protestant faith

Further reading

• Template:In lang Michał Rożek, Polskie koronacje i korony, Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, Kraków 1987
• (in Polish) Besala, Jerzy (2006). Małżeństwa królewskie. Piastowie, Przemyślidzi, Andegawenowie. Bellona Muza. Template:ISBN
• (in Polish) Besala, Jerzy (2006). Małżeństwa królewskie. Jagiellonowie. Bellona Muza. Template:ISBN.
• (in Polish) Borkowska, Urszula (2012). Dynastia Jagiellonów w Polsce. PWN. Template:ISBN.

External links

• Template:In lang Koronacje królów i królowych polskich Template:Webarchive
• Template:In lang Zarys historii regaliów Królestwa Polskiego

See also

• List of Polish monarchs
• Henrician Articles
• Polish Crown Jewels
• Royal Road, Kraków
• St. Florian's Church
• Vivente Rege