The French Crown and Coronation Jewels

[An Ard Ri]

In 1706 ,French historian and Benedictine Michel Félibien published a book on the History of the Royal Abbey of St Denis
As part of his research he was allowed access to the royal treasury where the French Coronation Regalia was housed and he made several engravings of the various Crowns and other precious objects.
The French Coronation Regalia were only ever moved if their was a Coronation and there were various crowns and sceptres housed at St Denis.
The French Crown Jewels were different and were stored in Paris
French Kings were almost always crowned at Note Dame de Reims and Queens at St Denis Abbey.
Sadly most of these objects were destroyed in 1793 and 1794 during the Terror as the Royal Abbey of St Denis was ransacked and pillaged.

The Crown of Saint Louis (Coronation of Kings)

The Crown of Charlemagne (Coronation of Kings)

The Personal Crown of Henri IV

 

[An Ard Ri]

The Scepter of Saint Louis and Hand of Justice

The Sceptre of Dagobert used by the Queens of France

The Gilded Coronation Chair of King Dagobert ( survived 1793 and is now housed at National Library of France)

The Personal Crown of Louis XV and the French Coronation Sword (both survived 1793)

 

[Blog Real]

Crown of Louis XV of France

https://c8.quickcachr.fotos.sapo.pt/i/B9218b3b7/22370205_la2Mb.jpeg

Crown of Napoleon

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Crown of Empress Eugénie

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[An Ard Ri]

The Coronation of Jeanne de Bourbon in 1364
The queen is seated on on the Chair of King Dagobert and is holding the The Sceptre of Dagobert and the Golden Rose.

The Hand of Justice which was used by the king at his Coronation and dates from the 12th century and was destroyed in 1793. In 1804 ,Napoleon had a new one recast which is now housed in the Louvre.

Charlemagne's Coronation Screen this was broken apart in 1794 and the precious stones removed and the gold melted.

 

[An Ard Ri]

The Holy Ampulla was housed at the abbey of Saint-Remi in Reims and contained the anointing oil used at the Coronation.
On October 7th, 1793 it was removed from the Reliquary at Saint Remi and the bottle containing the anointing oil was smashed in public outside as a symbol of the old regime.

 

[An Ard Ri]

The Crown Jewels of France were separate from the French Coronation Jewels
The collection was formed in 1530 under King François I er and included the jewels of Anne of Brittany ,her mother Marguerite de Foix and were added to those of Eleanor of Austria.
Many of these jewels were pawned by Henri III during the last years of his reign and when Marie de Medici became queen in 1600 the jewel chest was empty.
Later queens enriched and added to the jewels including the famous pearls of Anne of Austria.
In 1791 the Crown Jewels were moved from Versailles to the Hotel Garde-Meuble de la Couronne in Paris
The building was sacked in September 1792 during the September Massacres and the strong Rooms were broken open and the jewels were plundered.
Some were later recovered and are in the Louvre.

 

[An Ard Ri]

The Crown of Marie Lezczinska ,queen of Louis XV
(Marie was never crowned)

The Crown of King Charles X of France

 

[An Ard Ri]

The Coronation Procession of Louis XIV from the Abbey of St Remi ,the abbot (on horseback and under a canopy ) is carrying the Holy Ampulla to Notre Dame de Reims.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Philippe VI sitting on the Coronation Chair of King Dagobert ​

Louis IX Enthroned

The Coronation of Marie de Brabant at the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris (1275)

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Why the French Crown Jewels were sold in 1887

 

[An Ard Ri]

Why the French Crown Jewels were sold in 1887

A lot of those jewels sold of in 1887 belonged to the Empress Eugénie
When and Why the French Sold the Crown Jewels
Some were later bought back and are housed at the Louvre
Jewel History: Shady Crown Jewels (1897)

 

[An Ard Ri]

The Crown of the Dauphin (1824) was last used at the Coronation of Charles X in 1825

The Crown of Napoleon III (1855)​

Sadly the crown of Napoleon III was melted down in 1887 by the 3rd Republic.