The Regalia of Romania are a set of items which were used for the coronation of the kings and queens of

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. They are kept in the

National Museum of Romanian History The National History Museum of Romania () is a museum located at 12 Calea Victoriei in Bucharest, Romania, which contains Romanian historical artifacts from prehistoric times up to modern times. Overview The museum is located inside the former P ...

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

and consist of the Royal Crown (the Steel Crown of Romania), the Crown of Queen Elizabeth, the Crown of Queen Maria, orbs, the Scepter of King Ferdinand I, the Scepter of King Carol II, the Sword of King Carol I and the Royal Mantle.

Steel Crown

The Romanian Steel Crown, used for the coronation of Romanian kings, was cast from steel from a Turkish cannon captured by the

Romanian Army The Romanian Land Forces () is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. Since 2007, full professionalization and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Land Forces. The Romanian Land Forc ...

in the Romanian War of Independence (1877–1878) during the

Siege of Plevna The siege of Plevna or Pleven, was a major battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, fought by the joint army of the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Romania against the Ottoman Empire. After the Russian army crossed the Danube at ...

. It was used on May 10, 1881, during the king's coronation and the proclamation of Romania as a kingdom; on October 15, 1922, in the coronation of King Carol I's nephew and successor, King Ferdinand I; and in the coronation of Romania's last king,

Michael I Michael I may refer to: * Pope Michael I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark in 743–767 * Michael I Rangabe, Byzantine Emperor (died in 844) * Michael I Cerularius, Patriarch Michael I of Constantinop ...

, on September 6, 1940.

The Crown of Queen Elizabeth

The Crown of Queen Elizabeth was made of gold at the Arsenalul Armatei for the occasion of the proclamation of the Kingdom and the coronation of King

Carol I Carol I or Charles I of Romania (born Karl Eitel Friedrich Zephyrinus Ludwig von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen; 20 April 1839 – ), was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as ...

and

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

in 1881. The crown follows a medieval design similar to that of the Royal Steel Crown, and it, too, does not contain precious stones.

The Crown of Queen Maria

The Crown of Queen Maria was made of gold mined from the

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

region of

. It was constructed specifically for the occasion of the coronation of King Ferdinand I and Queen Maria in 1922 at Alba-Iulia. The Crown has a very original design. Rather than wearing the crown of Queen Elizabeth, Queen Maria had reportedly told her husband "I want nothing modern that another queen might have. Let mine be all medieval." The new crown was modeled on one having belonged to

Milica Despina of Wallachia Milica Despina ( sr-cyrl, Милица Деспина; ; – 30 January 1554) was the Princess consort of Wallachia by marriage to Neagoe Basarab (). She was regent of Wallachia from 1521 to 1522, on the behalf of her son Teodosie of Wallachia. ...

, the consort of a 16th-century

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

n prince. It contains rubies, emeralds, amethyst, turquoise and opals and weighs 4 pounds (1.8 kg). Grains of wheat decorate the base of the crown topped by eight large and eight small flower ornaments connected by interlacing branches. A globe and cross sit atop the eight arches above the flower ornaments and a pendulum, supposedly copied from ancient Byzantine head ornaments, hangs from either side of the headband just above the ear, each bearing the

coat of arms of Romania The coat of arms of Romania was adopted in the Romanian Parliament on 10 September 1992 as a representative coat of arms for Romania. The current coat of arms is based on the lesser coat of arms of interwar Kingdom of Romania (used between 1922 ...

. From each of these pendula hang three chains, each with a cross within a gold circle at the end.

The Scepter of King Ferdinand I

The Scepter of Ferdinand I, was constructed in Alba-Iulia for the coronation of King Ferdinand I in 1922. It was presented to the king on May 10, 1920 by six girls from the orphanage Radu Voda, and is inscribed "King Ferdinand I, King of the Romanians is presented this gift by his people as a reward for his worthiness and good governance of the country during the years 1916-1919". At the top are four images of peasants in national costumes representing

Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...

and the ancient kingdom Romania. The head of an eagle sits atop the scepter and symbolizes the Latin origin of the Romanians.

The Scepter of King Carol II

The Scepter of Carol II was presented by

officials to King Carol II in 1940 for the 10th anniversary of his ascension to the throne. This scepter is similar to the Scepter of Ferdinand I.

The Sword of King Carol I

The Sword of King Carol I of Romania was a present to

King Carol I Carol I or Charles I of Romania (born Karl Eitel Friedrich Zephyrinus Ludwig von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen; 20 April 1839 – ), was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as ...

by Ottoman Sultan Abdul-Aziz. Its blade is crafted from Damascus steel and it has a gold plated handgrip. The sheath contains 1140 jewels, including 46 diamonds. Scepter of Carol II

Gallery

File:Carol-I-Coronation.jpg, The coronation of

File:Coronation of Ferdinand and Marie.jpg, The coronation of King Ferdinand I File:Ferdinand I of romania - coronation photo.jpg, Coronation photo of King Ferdinand I File:RegeleFerdinand.jpg, King Ferdinand I in full regalia File:Corona della regina Maria di Romania.jpg, The crown of Queen Maria

References

{{crowns National symbols of Romania Romanian monarchy