View source for Coronet

{{Short description|Crown}}
{{Hatnote group|
{{Other uses}}
{{Distinguish|Cornet}}
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
[[File:Coronet EarlOfDevon PowderhamCastle.jpg|thumb|Coronet of an [[earl]] (as worn by the 17th [[Earl of Devon]] at the [[coronation of Elizabeth II]] and now on display at [[Powderham Castle]])]]

In British heraldry, a '''coronet''' is a type of crown that is a mark of rank of non-reigning members of the royal family and peers. In other languages, this distinction is not made, and usually the same word for ''crown'' is used irrespective of rank ({{langx|de|Krone}}, {{langx|nl|kroon}}, {{langx|sv|krona}}, {{langx|fr|couronne}}, {{langx|it|corona}}, {{langx|pl|korona}} etc.) In this use, the English ''coronet'' is a purely technical term for all heraldic images of crowns not used by a sovereign. A coronet is another type of crown, but is reserved for the nobility: dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts and barons. The specific design and attributes of the crown or coronet signifies the hierarchy and ranking of its owner.

Certain physical coronets are worn by the British peerage on rare ceremonial occasions, such as the coronation of the monarch. These are also sometimes depicted in heraldry, and called '''coronets of rank''' in heraldic usage. Their shape varies depending on the wearer's rank in the peerage, according to models laid down in the 16th century. Similar depictions of crowns of rank ({{langx|de|Rangkronen}}) are used in continental heraldry, but physical headgear has never been made to imitate them.

Due to the extreme rarity of occasions in which peers' coronets are worn (sometimes more than fifty years pass before a new coronation and occasion to wear physical coronets), practical use of the term ''coronet'' today is almost exclusively confined to pictorial crowns and [[Imperial, royal and noble ranks|rank symbols]] in [[heraldry]], adorning someone's [[coat of arms]] (indeed, many people entitled to a coronet never have a physical one made). Depiction of ordinary crowns or coronets in heraldry, rather than coronets of rank, including a variety of '''crest coronets''' sometimes placed under the [[crest (heraldry)|crest]], are not confined to peers, and are often shown in British heraldry outside the peerage. {{Heraldic achievement}}

==Etymology==
The word stems from the [[Old French]] ''coronete'', a diminutive of ''co(u)ronne'' ('crown'), itself from the {{Langx|la|corona|lit=crown, wreath}} and from the {{Langx|grc|κορώνη|lit=garland, wreath|translit=korōnē}}.

Traditionally, such headgear is used by [[Nobility|noble]]s and by [[prince]]s and [[princess]]es in their [[Coat of arms|coats of arms]], rather than by [[monarch]]s, for whom the word 'crown' is customarily reserved in [[English language|English]], while many languages have no such terminological distinction. As a coronet shows the rank of the respective noble, in the [[German language|German]] and [[Scandinavia]]n languages there is also the term ''rangkrone'' (literally 'rank crown').

{{anchor|British coronet rankings}}
==Usage in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth<span class="anchor" id="Commonwealth usage"></span><span class="anchor" id="British coronet rankings"></span>==
[[File:St Mary Magdalene, Croome, Worcs - Memorial to 4th Baron Coventry (1654–1687) coronet.JPG|thumb|Depiction of a [[baron]]'s coronet on a 17th-century funerary monument]]
===Royal usage===
Members of the [[British royal family]] often display coronets in their coats of arms and may wear actual coronets at coronations (e.g., Princesses [[Elizabeth II|Elizabeth]] and [[Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon|Margaret]] at the [[Coronation of George VI and Elizabeth|1937 coronation of their father]] as [[George VI]]). Such coronets were made according to regulations instituted by [[Charles II of England|King Charles II]] in 1661, shortly after his return from exile in France (getting a taste for its lavish court style; [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]] started monumental work at [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]] that year). They vary depending on the individual's relationship to the monarch. Occasionally, additional royal warrants vary the designs for individuals.

The most recent (and most comprehensive) royal warrant concerning coronets was the 19 November 1917 warrant of [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]].<ref name=heraldica>[http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/prince_highness_docs.htm#Warrant_of_Nov_19_1917 1917 royal warrant]</ref> The coronet of the British [[heir apparent]] is distinctive in itself, as it has a single arch with a globe and cross. [[Charles III]] opted against the use of coronets at his [[Coronation of Charles III and Camilla|coronation in 2023]], for both members of the royal family and peers, but he did not abolish the tradition.

===Usage by peers===
In the [[United Kingdom]], a [[Peerage|peer]] traditionally wears a coronet on one occasion only – for a [[Coronation of the British monarch|royal coronation]], when it is worn along with [[Robes of the British peerage|coronation robes]], equally standardised as a luxurious uniform. However, for the 2023 coronation of [[King Charles III]], on the government's advice, the King forbade the wearing of coronets by those peers who had been invited, except those performing specific ceremonial roles.<ref>{{cite web|first=Gordon|last=Rayner|first2=Ian|last2=McTaggart|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2023/04/14/coronets-robes-peers-aristocracy-banned-king-coronation/|title=Coronation row over hundreds of peers forbidden from wearing robes|work=The Telegraph|date=14 April 2023|access-date=16 April 2023}}</ref>

In the [[Peerages in the United Kingdom|peerages of the United Kingdom]]<!-- please do not link to "Peerage of the United Kingdom"; that only refers to the titles created in the last 200 years -->, the design of a coronet shows the rank of its owner, as in German, French and various other heraldic traditions. Dukes were the first individuals authorised to wear coronets. Marquesses acquired coronets in the 15th century, earls in the 16th, then viscounts and barons in the 17th. Until the barons received coronets in 1661, the coronets of earls, marquesses and dukes were [[engraving|engraved]], while those of viscounts were plain. After 1661, however, viscomital coronets became engraved, while baronial coronets were plain. Coronets may not bear any precious or semi-precious stones.<ref name="cox">{{cite magazine |last = Cox |first = Noel |year = 1999 |url = http://www.geocities.com/noelcox/coronets.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060415084228/http://www.geocities.com/noelcox/coronets.htm |archive-date = 15 April 2006 |title = The Coronets of Members of the Royal Family and of the Peerage |magazine = The Double Tressure, the Journal of The Heraldry Society of Scotland |issue = 22 |pages = 8–13 |access-date = 19 October 2007 }}</ref> Since people entitled to wear a coronet customarily display it in their [[coat of arms]] above the [[Escutcheon (heraldry)|shield]] and below the [[Helmet (heraldry)|helmet]] and [[Crest (heraldry)|crest]], this can provide a useful clue as to the owner of a given coat of arms.

===Table of coronet rankings===
{| class=wikitable style=font-size:95%
|- style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center;"
! style="width:206px;"| Image
! Details
|-
! colspan=2 bgcolor = "#F4F0EC" | Princes and Princesses

|- valign=top style="background:#ccbbee"
|align=center | [[File:Crown of the British Heir Apparent.svg|100px]]
| '''Heir apparent'''
Used by a [[Prince of Wales|British heir apparent]].<ref>{{Cite web |last = Ciara.Berry |date = 15 January 2016 |title = Honours of the Principality of Wales |url = https://www.royal.uk/honours-principality-wales |access-date = 18 November 2022 |website = The Royal Family |language = en }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title = Titles and Heraldry: Prince of Wales |url = https://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/titles-and-heraldry |access-date = 18 November 2022 |website = www.princeofwales.gov.uk |language = en }}</ref>

|- valign=top style="background:#ccbbee"
|align=center | [[File:Coronet of a Child of the Sovereign.svg|100px]]
| '''Child of a sovereign'''
A coronet of crosses and fleurs-de-lis.<ref name=heraldica/>

|- valign=top style="background:#ccbbee"
|align=center | [[File:Coronet of a Child of the Heir Apparent.svg|100px]]
| '''Child of an heir apparent'''
A coronet of crosses, [[strawberry]] leaves and fleurs-de-lis.

|- valign=top style="background:#ccbbee"
|align=center | [[File:Coronet of a Grandchild of the Sovereign.svg|100px]]
| '''Child of a son of a sovereign'''
A coronet of crosses and strawberry leaves.

|- valign=top style="background:#ccbbee"
|align=center | [[File:Coronet of a Child of a Daughter of the Sovereign.svg|100px]]
| '''Child of a daughter of a sovereign'''
A coronet of strawberry leaves and fleurs-de-lis.<ref name="cox"/>

|-
! colspan=2 bgcolor = "#F4F0EC" | (Non-royal) Peers and Peeresses

|- valign=top
|align=center | [[File:Coronet of a British Duke.svg|100px]]
| '''[[Duke]]''' or '''Duchess'''
A silver-gilt circlet, [[Repoussé and chasing|chased]] as jewelled but not actually gemmed, with eight strawberry leaves of which five are seen in two-dimensional representations.

|- valign=top
|align=center | [[File:Coronet of a British Marquess.svg|100px]]
| '''[[Marquess]]''' or '''Marchioness'''
A coronet of four strawberry leaves and four silver balls (known as "pearls", but not actually pearls), slightly raised on points above the rim, of which three leaves and two balls are seen in two-dimensional representations.

|- valign=top
|align=center | [[File:Coronet of a British Earl.svg|100px]]
| '''[[Earl]]''' or '''Countess'''
A coronet of eight strawberry leaves (four visible) and eight "pearls" raised on stalks, of which five are visible in two-dimensional representations.

|- valign=top
|align=center | [[File:Coronet of a British Viscount.svg|100px]]
| '''[[Viscount]]''' or '''Viscountess'''
A coronet of sixteen "pearls" touching one another, nine being seen in representation.

|- valign=top
|align=center | [[File:Coronet of a British Baron.svg|100px]]
| '''[[Baron]]''' or '''Baroness''', '''Lord''' or '''[[Lady of Parliament]]'''
A plain silver-gilt circlet, with six "pearls" of which four are visible in two-dimensional representations.
|}

===Municipal usage===
Certain types of local government have special coronet types assigned to them.
{| class=wikitable style=font-size:95%
|- style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center;"
! style="width:206px;"| Image
! Details

|- valign=top
|align=center | [[File:No image.svg|100px]]
| Coronet of a [[Local government areas of Scotland (1973–1996)#Regions and islands areas|Scottish Regional Council]] (1973–1996)
A circlet richly chased from which are issuant four thistles leaved (one and two halves visible) Or.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://courtofthelordlyon.scot/IsolationHeraldryWeek5a.pdf |title = Practical Heraldry for the Self-Isolator (5A) |publisher = Court of the Lord Lyon |access-date = 14 October 2020 }}</ref>

|- valign=top
|align=center | [[File:Coronet of a Scottish Island Council (1973-1996).svg|200px]]
| Coronet of a [[Local government areas of Scotland (1973–1996)#Regions and islands areas|Scottish Island Council]] (1973–1996)
A circlet richly chased from which are issuant four dolphins two and two respectant naiant embowed (two visible) Or.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://courtofthelordlyon.scot/IsolationHeraldryWeek5b.pdf |title = Practical Heraldry for the Self-Isolator (5B) |publisher = Court of the Lord Lyon |access-date = 14 October 2020 }}</ref>

|- valign=top
|align=center | [[File:Coronet of a Scottish District Council (1973-1996).svg|200px]]
| Coronet of a [[Local government areas of Scotland (1973–1996)#Districts|Scottish District Council]] (1973–1996)
A circlet richly chased from which are issuant eight thistle heads (of which three and two halves are visible) Or.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://courtofthelordlyon.scot/IsolationHeraldryWeek5b.pdf |title = Practical Heraldry for the Self-Isolator (5B) |publisher = Court of the Lord Lyon |access-date = 14 October 2020 }}</ref>

|- valign=top
|align=center | [[File:No image.svg|100px]]
| Coronet of a [[Community council#Scotland|Scottish Community Council]] (1973–present)
A circlet richly chased from which are issuant four thistle leaves (one and two halves visible) and four pine cones (two visible).<ref>{{cite web |url = http://courtofthelordlyon.scot/IsolationHeraldryWeek9A.pdf |title = Practical Heraldry for the Self-Isolator (9A) |publisher = Court of the Lord Lyon |access-date = 14 October 2020 }}</ref>
|}

===Other uses===
In [[Canadian heraldry#United Empire Loyalists|Canadian heraldry]], descendants of the [[United Empire Loyalist]]s are entitled to use a Loyalist military coronet (for descendants of members of Loyalist regiments) or a Loyalist civil coronet (for others) in their coats of arms.<ref>{{Cite web
 | author = John E Ruch, UE, Hon.FHSC| date = 1990<!-- or |month= and --> | title = The Canadian Heraldic Authority and the Loyalists | url = http://www.uelac.org/UELAC-history/Cdn-Heraldic-Authority-Gazette-1990.pdf | publisher = The United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Crown of a British King of Arms.svg|English [[King of Arms]]
Image:Military Coronet of a Loyalist.svg|[[United Empire Loyalist|Loyalist]] military coronet (Canadian)
Image:Civil Coronet of a Loyalist.svg|Loyalist civil coronet (Canadian)
</gallery>

==Belgian coronet rankings==
These are the heraldic crowns and coronets as they are in use today in the [[Kingdom of Belgium]]. In the past, the systems of the German ([[Holy Roman Empire]]), [[Spanish Netherlands|Spanish]] and [[Austrian Netherlands|Austrian]] monarchies, as well as those of the [[First French Empire]] and the [[United Kingdom of the Netherlands]], have also be in use on the current Belgian territory. 
<gallery>
File:Royal Crown of Belgium (Heraldic).svg|[[King]]
File:Princely Crown of Belgium (Heraldic).svg|[[Crown prince]]
File:Rangkronen-Fig. 10.svg|[[Prince]]
File:Rangkronen-Fig. 04.svg|[[Duke]]
File:Rangkronen-Fig. 15.svg|[[Marquess]]
File:Rangkronen-Fig. 18.svg|[[Count]]
File:Rangkronen-Fig. 25.svg|[[Viscount]]
File:Rangkronen-Fig. 27.svg|[[Baron]]
File:Rangkronen-Fig. 34.svg|[[Knight]]
File:Rangkronen-Fig. 38.svg|[[Ecuyer]] and untitled Nobility
</gallery>

==Danish coronet rankings==
<gallery>
File:Crown of the Crown Prince of Denmark.svg|[[Crown prince]] or [[crown princess]]
File:Crown of a Prince of Denmark.svg|Non-hereditary  [[prince]] or [[princess]]
File:T02 Danish Duke.svg|[[Duke]]
File:T03 Danish Marquis.svg|[[Marquis]]
File:T04 Danish Count.svg|[[Count]]
File:T05 Danish Baron.svg|[[Baron]]
File:T06 Danish Nobility.svg|Crown of Nobility
</gallery>

==Spanish coronet rankings==
All over the world, Spanish heraldry has used these crowns and coronets:
<gallery>
File:Heraldic Crown of the Prince of Asturias.svg|[[Prince of Asturias|Heir Apparent]]
File:Heraldic Crown of the Spanish Heir Apparent as Prince of Girona.svg|[[Prince of Girona|Heir Apparent]]<br /><small>(Variant for the Spanish territories of the former Crown of Aragon)</small>
File:Heraldic Crown of Spanish Infantes.svg|[[Infante]] or [[Infante|Infanta]]<br />([[Prince]] or [[Princess]])
File:Crown of Spanish Infantes for the Aragonese Terriories.svg|Infante or Infanta<br /><small>(Variant for the Spanish territories of the former [[Crown of Aragon]])</small>
File:Heraldic Crown of Spanish Grandee.svg|[[Grandee of Spain|Spanish Grandee]]
File:Heraldic Crown of Spanish Dukes (Variant 1).svg|[[List of dukes in the peerage of Spain|Duke]]
File:Heraldic Crown of Spanish Marqueses (Variant 1).svg|Marquess
File:Heraldic Crown of Spanish Count.svg|Count
File:Heraldic Crown of the Spanish Viscounts.svg|[[List of viscounts in the peerage of Spain|Viscount]]
File:Heraldic Crown of Spanish Barons.svg|[[List of barons in the peerage of Spain|Baron]]
File:Heraldic Crown of Spanish Lords.svg|[[List of lords in the peerage of Spain|Lord]] (señor)
File:Heraldic Crown of Hispanic Hidalgos.svg|[[Hidalgo (nobility)|Hidalgo]] (Spanish nobleman)
File:Heraldic Crown of a Spanish King of Arms.svg|Spanish [[Cronista Rey de Armas|Officer of Arms]] (Herald and Pursuivant / Persevante)
</gallery>

==Swedish coronet rankings==
[[File:Coronet of Carl of Sweden (1748) & subsequent Princes 2014.jpg|thumb|The coronet of a Swedish duke (always a Swedish prince).]]

<gallery>
File:Coronet of the Crown Prince of Sweden.svg|Heir Apparent
File:Coronet of a Swedish Duke.svg|[[Duke]] / [[Duchess]]
File:Grevlig rangkrona.svg|[[Count]] / [[Countess]]
File:Friherrlig rangkrona.svg|[[Baron]] / [[Baroness]]
File:Obetitlad adel.svg|Crown of Nobility
</gallery>

==Thai coronet rankings==
[[File:The Royal Regalia of Siam.jpg|thumb|The five items of the Royal Regalia of Thailand. The [[Great Crown of Victory]] is displayed on top of this photograph.]]

<gallery>
File:The Great Crown of Victory (Thailand).svg|King
File:The Great Crown (Thailand).svg|Queen Regent
File:The Crown of the Great Lady (Thailand).svg|Queen Consort
File:The Crown of The Heir (Thailand).svg|Crown Prince
File:The Crown of The Princess Consort (Thailand).svg|Princess Consort
File:Mahakatin Crown (Thailand).svg|Child of a sovereign (special class)
File:The medium crown (Thailand).svg|Child of a sovereign (semi-special class)
File:The simplified crown (Thailand).svg|Child of a sovereign
</gallery>

== Former monarchies ==

=== Kingdom of France ===
The hierarchy among the [[French nobility]], which was identical for non-royal titles to the British hierarchy of peers, should not be understood to be as rigid in the ranking of titleholders as the latter. In particular, a title was not a good indication of actual preeminence or precedence: ancestry, marriages, high office, military rank and the family's historical renown counted far more than the precise title. Some distinguished families held a title no higher than count or even baron, but were proud of their ancient origin. Moreover, most of the nobility was legally untitled. Some hereditary titles could be acquired by a nobleman who purchased a "titled" [[fief]], while ''[[courtesy title|titres de courtoisie]]'' ('courtesy titles') were freely assumed in the absence of strict regulation by the French crown and became more numerous than titles legally borne. In the 17th and 18th centuries, people assumed and used freely coronets of ranks that they did not have; and, in the 19th and 20th centuries abuse was still made of 'courtesy titles'. Titles continued to be granted until the [[Second French Empire|Second Empire]] fell in 1870, and legally survive among their descendants.

The only title that was never usurped under the [[Ancien Régime|''ancien régime'']], and rarely without some excuse afterwards, was the title of ''duc'' – because it was so often attached to the rank of [[Peerage of France|peer of France]], which carried specific legal prerogatives, such as the right to a seat in the [[Parlement of Paris]]. As a result, the title of ''duc'' was actually, as well as nominally, at the top of the scale after the royal family and foreign princes, and a cut above all of the other nobility. During the ''ancien régime'', 'prince' was a rank, not a title, hence there was no coronet.

[[File:Meuble héraldique Couronnes françaises.svg|thumb|French coronets]]
* [[King of France|Roi]] (sovereign): closed crown of [[Fleur-de-lis|fleurs-de-lis]] (the crown was open until the early 16th century)
* [[Dauphin of France|Dauphin]] (heir apparent): initially an open crown of fleurs-de-lis; starting with [[Henry IV of France|Henri IV]]'s son (1601–10), the crown is closed with dolphins instead of arches
* {{lang|fr|[[Fils de France]]}} and [[Fils de France#Petit-fils de France|Petit-fils de France]] (sons and grandsons of a sovereign): open coronet of fleurs-de-lis
* [[Prince du sang]] (male-line descendants of a grandson of the sovereign): originally an open coronet alternating fleurs-de-lis and [[Acanthus (plant)|acanthus]] leaves (called strawberry leaves in English blazon), but the open coronet of fleurs-de-lis was used in the 17th and 18th centuries
* [[Peerage of France|Pair de France]] (peer of the realm): coronet of the title (usually duke) with a blue velvet [[Bonnet (headgear)#Men|bonnet]], along with a mantle ''armoyé'' (reproducing the arms) fringed with gold and lined with [[Ermine (heraldry)|ermine]]
* [[Duke|Duc]] (duke): coronet of acanthus leaves
* [[Marquess|Marquis]] (marquess): coronet of alternating acanthus leaves and groups of three pearls in trefoil (or two pearls side by side in some versions)
* [[Count|Comte]] (count): coronet of pearls
* [[Viscount|Vicomte]] (viscount): coronet of four large pearls (three visible) alternating with smaller pearls
* [[Vidame]] (peculiar French title, for protectors of the temporal estates of a [[Diocese|bishopric]]): coronet of four crosses (three visible)
* [[Baron]]: helm of gold wreathed with a string of small pearls
* [[Knight|Chevalier]] (knight): helm of gold
* [[Squire|Ecuyer]] (squire): helm

<gallery>
File:Royal Crown of France (red lozenge).svg|[[King of France|Roi]]
File:Crown of the Dauphin of France.svg|[[Dauphin of France|Dauphin]]
File:Crown of a Royal Prince of the Blood of France (variant).svg|{{lang|fr|[[Fils de France]]}}<br />[[Fils de France#Petit-fils de France|Petit-fils de France]]
File:Crown of a Prince of the Blood of France (variant).svg|[[Prince du sang]]
File:Crown of a Duke of France.svg|[[Duke|Duc]] (peer)
File:Crown of a Duke of France (variant).svg|[[Duke|Duc]]
File:Crown of a Marquis of France.svg|[[Marquess|Marquis]] (peer)
File:Crown of a Marquis of France (variant).svg|[[Marquess|Marquis]]
File:Crown of a Count of France.svg|[[Count|Comte]] (peer)
File:Crown of a Count of France (variant).svg|[[Count|Comte]]
File:Old Crown of a Count (France & Belgium).svg|[[Count|Comte]] (older variant)
File:Crown of a Viscount of France (variant).svg|[[Viscount|Vicomte]]
File:Crown of a Vidame of France.svg|[[Vidame]]
File:Crown of a Baron of France.svg|[[Baron]]
File:Crown of a Chevalier of France.svg|[[Knight|Chevalier]]
</gallery>

=== Holy Roman Empire ===
The [[Holy Roman Empire]], and consequently its successor states (Austria, Germany and others), had a system very similar to that of the British, although the design varied.
* ''Herzogskrone'': the coronet of a ''[[Herzog]]'' (duke) displays five visible leaves, with a crimson bonnet on top, surmounted by five visible arches and a ''[[globus cruciger]]''.
* ''Fürstenkrone'': the coronet of a ''[[Fürst]]'' (ruling prince) shows five visible leaves, with a crimson bonnet on top, surmounted by three visible arches and a ''globus cruciger''.
* ''Landgrafenkrone'': the coronet of a ''[[Landgrave|Landgraf]]'' (landgrave) shows five visible leaves, surmounted by three visible arches and a ''globus cruciger''.
* ''Grafenkrone'': the coronet of a ''[[Graf]]'' (count) displays nine visible tines with pearls. Some of the senior comital houses used coronets showing five leaves and four pearls (some mediatized counties and minor principalities had other types of coronets that distinguished them from regular counts).
* ''Freiherrnkrone'': the coronet of a {{Lang|de|[[Freiherr]]}} (baron) shows seven visible tines with pearls.
* ''Adelskrone'': the coronet of ''[[German nobility|Adel]]'' members (untitled nobility) displays five visible tines with pearls. Sometimes, the central and outer tines are leaves and the other tines are headed by pearls. In the southern states of [[Bavaria]] and [[Württemberg]], usually all tines are headed by pearls.
<gallery>
File:Ducal crown.svg|''Herzogskrone''
File:Princely crown.svg|''Fürstenkrone''
File:Landgraf crown.svg|''Landgrafenkrone''
File:Rangkronen-Fig. 18.svg|''Grafenkrone''
File:Rangkronen-Fig. 27.svg|''Freiherrnkrone''
File:Rangkronen-Fig. 37.svg|''Adelskrone''
</gallery>

Considering the religious nature of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], one can say that, except for the short-lived Napoleonic states, no continental secular system of heraldry historically was so neatly regulated as under the British crown. Still, there are often traditions (often connected to the Holy Roman Empire, ''e.g.'', those in Sweden, Denmark or Russia) that include the use of crown and coronets. While most languages do not have a specific term for coronets, but simply use the word meaning ''crown'', it is possible to determine which of those crowns are for peerage or lower-level use, and thus can by analogy be called coronets.

Precisely because there are many traditions and more variation within some of these, there is a plethora of continental coronet types. Indeed, there are also some coronets for positions that do not exist or entitle one to a coronet in the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] tradition. Such a case in French (''ancien'', ''i.e.'', royal era) heraldry, where coronets of rank did not come into use before the 16th century, is the [[vidame]], whose [http://www.heraldica.org/topics/france/vidame.htm coronet (illustrated)] is a metal circle mounted with three visible crosses (there is no documentary or archeological evidence that such a coronet was ever made).

Often, coronets are substituted by [[helmet]]s, or only worn on a helmet.

==== Austro-Hungarian Monarchy ====
In [[Austria-Hungary]], coronets were usually granted with arms, but sometimes a coronet was not granted.
<gallery>
File:T07 König.svg|Royal crown
File:Archducal Coronet.svg|[[Archduke]]
File:Ducal Hat.svg|[[Herzog|Duke]]
File:Princely Hat.svg|[[Fürst|Prince]]
File:Count Coronet Austria-Hungary (9 Pearls).svg|[[Graf|Count]]
File:Baron coronet Austria (pre-1862).svg|[[Freiherr|Baron]] (pre-1862)
File:Ströhl-Rangkronen-Fig. 27.png|Baron (post-1862)
File:Noble Coronet Austria-Hungary.svg|[[Austrian nobility|Noble]] 
</gallery>

=== Kingdom of Portugal ===
These coronets ({{langx|pt|coronéis}}, singular: ''coronel'') and crowns (Portuguese: ''coroas'', singular: ''coroa'') were used in [[Portuguese heraldry]]:
<gallery>
File:Heraldic Royal Crown of Portugal - Eight Arches.svg|Royal [[Crown of Portugal]]
File:Crown of the Heir Apparent of the Kingdom of Portugal.svg|[[Prince Royal of Portugal|Prince Royal]] (Heir Apparent)
File:Crown of the Prince of Beira.svg|[[Prince of Beira]]<br />(Heir Apparent's eldest son)
File:Coronet of an Infante - Kingdom of Portugal.svg|[[Infante]] (Prince)
File:Coronet of a Duke - Kingdom of Portugal.svg|[[Duke]]
File:Coronet of a Marquess - Kingdom of Portugal.svg|[[Marquis]]
File:Coronet of Count - Portugal.svg|[[Count]]
File:Coronet of a Viscount - Kingdom of Portugal.svg|[[Viscount]]
File:Coronet of Baron - Portugal.svg|[[Baron]]
File:Coronet of Knight - Portugal.svg|[[Knight]] / ''[[Fidalgo]]''
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Polos]]
* [[Corolla (headgear)]]
* [[Tiara]]
* [[Crown (heraldry)]]
* [[Phra kiao]]
* For higher clergy such as cardinals, bishops and abbots, the corresponding headdress would be, depending on the occasion and the point during the service, a [[miter]], [[zucchetto]] (skullcap), [[biretta]], and the [[galero]], which still appears on their coats of arms

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources and external links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180104030920/http://www.geocities.ws/noelcox/coronets.htm The Coronets of Members of the Royal Family and of the Peerage]
* [http://www.heraldica.org/topics/france/ Heraldica.org French heraldry]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040125063521/http://www.norfolkheraldry.co.uk/awebpages/our_patron.htm Illustration of the coat of arms of the Duke of Norfolk, showing the design of coronet]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110809182337/http://www.clanjohnstone.org/AnnandalePeerageCase.html Illustration of the coat of arms of the Earl of Annandale and Hartfell, showing the design of coronet]
* [http://www.heraldicsculptor.com/gartcres.html The Crowns, Coronets and Crests of the Ladies and Knights of the Garter]

{{Types of Crowns}}
{{heraldry}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Crowns (headgear)]]
[[Category:Formal insignia]]
[[Category:Monarchy]]
[[Category:Regalia]]
[[Category:State ritual and ceremonies]]
[[Category:Types of jewellery]]
[[Category:Crowns in heraldry]]