The archducal hat of Joseph II is an imperial insignia of

Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I, ...

History

The Habsburg dynasty used the

archducal hat The archducal hat () is the insignia of the Archduchy of Austria and is kept in the treasury of Klosterneuburg Monastery. It appears in heraldry such as the state coat of arms of Upper Austria. History The first archducal coronet (''Erzherzogs ...

on several occasions, such as the homage paid by the estates. Since the 16th century, it was worn as a sign of their rank as

archdukes of Austria From 976 until 1246, the Margraviate of Austria and its successor, the Duchy of Austria, was ruled by the House of Babenberg. At that time, those states were part of the Holy Roman Empire. From 1246 until 1918, the duchy and its successor, the Ar ...

in the procession prior to the Imperial coronation at

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. Since the custodians of the archducal hat at

Klosterneuburg Monastery Klosterneuburg Abbey () is a twelfth-century Augustinian monastery of the Catholic Church located in the town of Klosterneuburg in Lower Austria. Overlooking the Danube, just north of the present Vienna city limits at the Leopoldsberg, the monas ...

refused to allow the archducal hat to be used by Joseph II for the procession preceding his coronation at Frankfurt am Main in 1764, a new archducal coronet had to be created. This new coronet did not follow the pattern of the hat in Klosterneuburg. It consisted of a golden eastern coronet with pearls and precious stones. A flat velvet cap encircled by ermine was included. Having only one

arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...

, it resembled the original archducal coronet introduced by

Rudolph IV of Austria Rudolf IV (1 November 1339 – 27 July 1365), also called Rudolf the Founder (), was a scion of the House of Habsburg who ruled as duke of Austria (self-proclaimed archduke), Styria and Carinthia from 1358, as well as count of Tyrol from 1363 a ...

. At the center of the arch, it is surmounted by a

globe A globe is a spherical Earth, spherical Model#Physical model, model of Earth, of some other astronomical object, celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but, unlike maps, they do not distort the surface ...

and

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

. After the coronation, the coronet became obsolete. The jewels and pearls were removed and were used for other purposes. Its frame, however, survived and can be seen in the

Imperial Treasury, Vienna The Imperial Treasury () at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria contains a valuable collection of secular and ecclesiastical treasures covering over a thousand years of European history.Leithe-Jasper 2004, p. 9. The entrance to the treasury is ...

. Its original state can be seen in a contemporary painting of Joseph II.Lord Twining, Edward Francis: European Regalia, B.T. Batsford Ltd. London, 1967. p 141.

References

* Klosterneuburg Archduchy of Austria Crown jewels

Joseph II Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...

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