The coronation of King Charles III, which takes place on Saturday 6th May 2023, promises to be a momentous occasion. A statement published by Buckingham Palace in October 2022 stated that “The Coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry”, and yet in its reflection of the world today, the coronation also offers a window to a past of some 1,000 years. The ceremony we shall witness on Saturday, whether it be on the television screens or performed before our very eyes, will not just mark the beginning of a new era, but pay homage to a past dating back to ancient civilisation. However, in light of Dr Matthew Payne’s assertion that “All coronation services are based to a greater or lesser extent on their predecessors”, I wish to explore the evolution of the coronation ceremony and more importantly, how significant are coronation ceremonies in our 21st century society?
Although the Ancient Egyptians were the first to establish elaborate coronation ceremonies in which Pharaohs would be inaugurated through a series of rituals and festivals, the use of ritualistic ceremonies to signal the accession of a new ruler have existed since the beginning of civilisation. Despite their purpose of emphasising the divinity of a new ruler still playing a prominent role in our coronation services today, we can look to the Middle Ages to recognise the first instance of a coronation-like ceremony taking place in England. The consecration of Egrith, son of Offa who ruled Mercia from 757 to 796, as King of Mercia in 785 and the consecration of Eadwulf as King of Northumberland in 795 are the earliest references made to coronation-like ceremonies in England. The first English coronation to be recorded in detail is that of Edgar who was crowned King of England in 973 in Bath. By 1043, many of the key elements of the coronation regalia recognised today had appeared, including the crown, orb and sceptre. In the manuscript of St Cuthburt, King Athelstan (r.924-39) is depicted in the earliest surviving image of an English king wearing a crown. Nevertheless, Edward the Confessor- crowned in 1043 at Winchester- is the first English King to be depicted holding all the key elements of the coronation regalia including the crown, orb and sceptre, in the first surviving original seal for an English king. The coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066 does not only possess a significance for taking place on Christmas day, but it was the first coronation to be held in Westminster Abbey, the sacred house where we will see King Charles III be coronated on the 6th of May. It is these rich medieval roots that we will see reflected in the coronation service of King Charles III, more than 1,000 years later, in the 21st century. Since its medieval origins, the purpose of the coronation has been subject to a transformation whilst still maintaining a fundamentally religious focus. The coronation ceremonies of Western Europe between c. 410-1066 developed out of a necessity to bring stability to a nation ravaged by war, and to increase the Church’s involvement in the affairs of the state. As a result, religion was placed at the centre of Early Medieval coronation ceremonies. Such an emphasis on religion was achieved through the use of oil in anointing the new ruler instead of being crowned, turning monarchs into “Lord’s anointed”. In reflecting the anointings of David and Solomon in the Old Testament, the use of oil highlighted the sacred power the monarch possessed. Thomas Asbridge highlights the significance of the act of anointing Richard I in 1189 as being “the coronation’s central drama- the moment at which Richard was deemed to have been remade as a divinely ordained king: God’s chosen representative on Earth”. Some centuries later, the purpose of the coronation still retained an inherently religious importance although being of a more performative nature. This was effectively demonstrated 70 years ago, during the coronation of Elizabeth II. Not only was the coronation the first to be televised, but the late Queen demonstrated an assured understanding that her role was now that of a national symbol and the purpose of the coronation being the assertion of that. Elizabeth II was during her coronation, “a thing that only existed to be looked at”, as described by Hilary Mantel. In October 2022, Buckingham Palace released a statement which said that the coronation of King Charles III “will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry”, the purpose of his coronation inevitably to be illustrated on Saturday. Many of the features of the coronation of the past have been retained in the service we will bear witness to during King Charles III’s coronation. The most significant example of this lies in the Coronation Oath which remains a legal requirement, an oath taken by the monarch who swears to govern the peoples of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Realms “according to their respective laws and customs”. The Coronation Oath Act of 1688 provided the oath taken by King William II and Queen Mary II and all future monarchs including our present-day king. However, even though the fundamental message of the oath remains unchanged, the oath acts as a reflection of constitutional developments and so is indeed subject to some amendments. For instance, King Charles III’s oath will acknowledge external and not internal constitutional developments. Similarly, the use of the fundamental items of the coronation regalia including the crown, orb and sceptre dates back to some of the earliest ritualistic coronation-like services of Ancient History, albeit not the originals. It is evident that the coronation possesses a monumental historical significance, however what importance does it still maintain in our 21st century society? As we look to previous coronations to gain an understanding of the socio-political contexts they were performed in, coronations continue to offer, as suggested by Alice Hunt, an opportunity for “the British monarchy to reinvent itself, and keep itself visible, relevant and effective” and in doing so, suggest the kind of future we can look to live in. Although coronations are no longer necessary for the monarchy to assert their divine power and to encourage dynastic stability, they provide an important opportunity for the monarch to define the nature of the reign they endeavour to lead, whilst interweaving elements from the past and present essential in ensuring the success of our constitution today. They are the only instance where we can see the past, the present and the future enacted in a single day, and so in that respect the coronation remains significant. Bibliography Snow, D. (Host). Whitelock, A. (Guest). (2023, April 24). The History of Coronations [Audio podcast episode]. In Dan Snow’s History Hit. History Hit. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dan-snows-history-hit/id1042631089?i=1000610321233 Brindle, S. (n.d.). The History of the Coronation. English Heritage. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/coronation-history/ Torrance, D. (2023, April 19). Changes to the Coronation Oath. House of Commons Library. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/changes-to-the-coronation-oath/ Torrance, D. 'The coronation: History and ceremonial'. (Briefing Paper No CBP 9412, House of Commons Library 5 May 2023). CBP-9412.pdf (parliament.uk) [Westminster Abbey]. (2023, February 1). Spotlight on coronations: The Liber Regalis [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKv5T4iBeao&t=1s Hunt, A. (2023, May 3). The power of royal pomp and pageantry. History Extra. Retrieved May 5, 2023, from https://www.historyextra.com/period/general-history/royal-ceremonies-soft-power/ Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2022, June 27). Offa. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Offa-Anglo-Saxon-king (n.d.). An Introduction to Early Medieval England (c. 410-1066). English Heritage. Retrieved May 5, 2023, from https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/story-of-england/early-medieval/
4 Comments
Michelle Davidson
6/5/2023 07:20:44 pm
A really interesting read Lily. We do expect to see history and continuity on these occasions don't we? However, I think the changes initiated in this coronation are also fascinating; female clergy for the first time and homage of the people, for example. I also think it is interesting to consider the lack of parity between the time a new monarch waits until they are crowned. After the death of Edward the Confessor, we know why Harold only waited one day! Yet, the discrepancies over the centuries in the intermittent period is puzzling given that the succession is instantaneous (The Queen is Dead. Long Live the King!) I think the modern take on things is that it is just simply respectful to have a period of time between the two? Just a thought.
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Lily Whewell
6/5/2023 08:33:23 pm
I think the coronation today was respectful to both the past and present. You mentioned the female clergy, and on a similar note, I was particulary interested by Penny Mordaunt's role as the first woman in history to present the Sword of the State- especially as she donned her own outfit specifically commissioned for this coronation, instead of the traditional privy councillor court dress. It is an interesting point you make about the period of waiting which follows the death of the old monarch and coronation of the new. I agree that we maintain this period out of respect for the old monarch, and in part it offers time for the new monarch to get used to their new role and responsibilities, mourn after the loss of a family member and adjust to the complete change to their life which comes with succeeding the throne without being legally bound to their duties. I think historically there was often a need for speed between the immediate succession and the coronation, as there was more room for dispute over the validity of the claim of the successor to the throne. Other than your Harold example, Henry VII arranged his coronation before parliament met on 7 Nov 1485 to prove his claim was through birth right rather than parliamentary sanction. However, we now live in an era where the succession is largely undisputed, and so I suppose I view the period between the succession and the coronation as being there for comfort and out of respect for both the old and new monarch.
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Will Scholey
8/5/2023 09:53:33 am
Really interesting article! Fascinating to watch the coronation. As a royalist I was really interested in King Charles’ wish to be ‘Defender of Faith’ rather than Defender of THE Faith. A huge contrast to Richard I’s coronation in 1189 when Jews were barred from attending even though they brought gifts for the King. Seems King Charles was determined to include all faith leaders, even sensitively enabling the Chief Rabbi to observe Shabbat and walk to Westminster Abbey having stayed at St James’s palace the night before. Great military spectacle too!
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Lily Whewell
8/5/2023 08:08:08 pm
Yes, that’s a really interesting observation! I think it’s so important to be able to recognise how the coronation service has evolved in order to appreciate the fact that it’s a traditional service but with increasingly modern values.
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AuthorMy name is Lily, a student in Year 12 who's passionate about History. My interests mainly span across the Medieval and Early Modern periods, however I intend to populate this blog page with anything that interests me, with the hope that it may fascinate you too. Categories |