The Sceptre of the Dragon (properly a wyvern, in Portuguese serpe alada), also known as the Sceptre of the Crown and Constitution ( Portuguese: Ceptro do Dragão; Ceptro da Coroa e da Carta Constitucional), is a piece of the Portuguese Crown Jewels, originally created for the acclamation of Queen Maria II.

History

The Sceptre of the Dragon was commissioned in 1828 and was made of pure gold, in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. The Sceptre of the Dragon, along with all the other Portuguese Crown Jewels, are kept in the

Ajuda National Palace The Palace of Ajuda ( pt, Palácio da Ajuda, ) is a neoclassical monument in the civil parish of Ajuda in the city of Lisbon, central Portugal. Built on the site of a temporary wooden building constructed to house the Royal family after the 175 ...

, though they are not on display to the public.

Details

The sceptre bears several symbols of the

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also kn ...

: * Crown of João VI - The crown of the

monarchs of Portugal This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Through the n ...

and a symbol of the monarchy's power and authority * Portuguese Constitution of 1826 - The then constitution of Portugal, which returned Portugal to a

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

and symbolizes the power that people hold under the new regime *

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted a ...

- The wyvern, emblem of the

House of Braganza The Most Serene House of Braganza ( pt, Sereníssima Casa de Bragança), also known as the Brigantine Dynasty (''Dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Am ...

, then the royal house of Portugal

Sources

Jóias da Coroa Portuguesa
{{Portuguese Crown Jewels Portuguese Crown Jewels Portuguese monarchy

History

Details

See also

Sources