The
crown jewels of the
Kingdom of Greece
The Kingdom of Greece ( grc, label= Greek, Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ) was established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, wh ...
are a set of symbolic
regalia
Regalia is a Latin plurale tantum word that has different definitions. In one rare definition, it refers to the exclusive privileges of a sovereign. The word originally referred to the elaborate formal dress and dress accessories of a sovereig ...
(crown, sceptre, and orb) that were created for King
Otto I
Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...
shortly after his election to the throne in 1832.
History
After his election to the throne of Greece in 1832, Otto ordered a crown, orb, sceptre and sword from Fossin et Fils Goldsmiths in Paris; the sword, however, was made by Jules Manceaux. The regalia arrived in Greece in 1835 and was modelled on the regalia of
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
but they did not have any precious stones (especially the crown) and thus they resemble funerary European regalia. They were made of precious metals, mainly gold and perhaps partly silver. He established them as the royal regalia of the Crown of Greece but they were not used for a coronation as Otto was never crowned. In 1862, a
coup overthrew Otto and the king was forced into exile; as he left returning to Bavaria he took with him the regalia. With his death, they were bequeathed to Prince Leopold, Otto's successor and pretender to the Greek throne.
[Ricardo Mateos Sainz de Medrano, ''La Familia de la Reina Sofía, La Dinastía griega, la Casa de Hannover y los reales primos de Europa'', Madrid, La Esfera de los Libros, 2004, p. 130.]
Almost a century later, in December 1959,
Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria
Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria (Albrecht Luitpold Ferdinand Michael; 3 May 1905 – 8 July 1996) was the son of the last crown prince of Bavaria, Rupprecht, and his first wife, Duchess Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria. He was the only child from that ...
, head of the House of Wittelsbach and descendant of Prince Leopold, sent his son Maximilian-Emmanuel to Athens in order to formally recognize the rights to the throne of the
House of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a German dynasty with links to Denmark since the 15th century. It has branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Iceland, Greece, Norway, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Schleswig, Holstein, and Oldenburg. The cu ...
. The Prince then handed over all the regalia that Otto had taken with him in exile, to King
Paul I of Greece.
In 2023, they were located in
Tatoi Palace
Tatoi ( el, Τατόι, ) was the summer palace and estate of the former Greek royal family. The area is a densely wooded southeast-facing slope of Mount Parnitha, and its ancient and current official name is Dekeleia. It is located from t ...
by employees of the
Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to:
*Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania)
* Ministry of Culture (Algeria)
*Ministry of Culture (Argentina)
*Minister for the Arts (Australia)
*Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)
* Ministry of ...
employees and are to be exhibited in the
Old Royal Palace
The Old Royal Palace ( el, Παλαιά Ανάκτορα ''Palaiá Anáktora'') is the first royal palace of modern Greece, completed in 1843. It has housed the Hellenic Parliament since 1934. The Old Palace is situated at the heart of modern A ...
's trophy hall.
References
The Greek Royal Regalia*
John Van der Kiste
John Van der Kiste (born 15 September 1954 in Wendover, Buckinghamshire) is a British author, son of Wing Commander Guy Van der Kiste (1912–99). He was educated at Blundell's School in Tiverton, where he briefly formed a rock band Cobweb with fe ...
, ''Kings of the Hellenes: The Greek Kings 1863-1974'' (Sutton Publishing, 1994).
{{Crown jewels by country
Crown jewels
Greek monarchy
National symbols of Greece