thumb|280x280px|Replicas of the [[Crown of Bolesław I the Brave, the royal orb and sceptre used for the coronation of Stanisław II August in 1764]]

thumb|280x280px|right|Regalia of King [[Augustus III of Poland|Augustus III]]

The only surviving original piece of the Polish crown jewels () from the time of the Piast dynasty is the ceremonial sword Szczerbiec. It is currently on display along with other preserved royal items at the Wawel Royal Castle Museum in Kraków.

Several royal crowns were made, including several during the 16th century, a "Hungarian Crown", a "Swedish Crown" used by the Vasa kings, and others that were subsequently lost or destroyed. The crown regalia used by the Saxon kings, and some remainders of older Polish monarchs which were appropriated by king Augustus II, also the Elector of Saxony — like a cup of Queen Jadwiga so-called roztruchan, and the magnificent scale armour, so-called karacena, of King John III Sobieski — are today on display in the Grünes Gewölbe and the Rüstkammer in Dresden, Germany.

History

thumb|upright|left|90px|Polish replica of the [[Holy Lance, Wawel Cathedral Treasury]]

In AD 1000, during his pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Adalbert in Gniezno, the capital of Poland until about 1040, Emperor Otto III officially recognized Duke Bolesław I the Brave as King of Poland (see Congress of Gniezno), crowning him and presenting him with a replica of the Holy Lance, also known as Saint Maurice's Spear. This relic, together with the vexillum attached to it, was probably the first insignia of the nascent Kingdom of Poland, a symbol of King Bolesław's rule, and of his allegiance to the Emperor. In 1370 Louis I of Hungary decided to transfer the Polish regalia to Hungary and they were returned in 1412 to Andrzej of Rożnów embassy by Emperor Sigismund of Luxemburg. During the Deluge in 1655, the royal insignia were evacuated from the castle by Jerzy Sebastian Lubomirski, Grand Marshal of the Crown and hidden in the old castle in Stará Ľubovňa. They were stored there until 1661. In 1703 during the Great Northern War they were hidden again, first in Silesia, then in Moravia. During the double election of 1733, the regalia were stolen by the follower of Stanisław I Leszczyński, Franciszek Maksymilian Ossoliński, Grand Treasurer of the Crown, who concealed them in the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw. In 1734, however, they were recovered from the hideout and deposited in the Jasna Góra Monastery, where they remained till 1736. Later returned to the Wawel Castle, where they were kept till the Third Partition of Poland in 1795.

On 15 June 1794 the Prussian Army entered Kraków and captured Wawel Castle, subsequently turning it into a fortress. Shortly thereafter, the city commandant, general Leopold von Reuts began a correspondence with Berlin on the fate of furnishings of the Polish kings' residence. In the greatest secrecy, by order of King Frederick William II of Prussia, he was commanded to transfer the content of the Crown Treasury to the Secret Councillor Anton Ludwig von Hoym, who was to secure its transport via Silesia to Berlin. In 1809 the Polish regalia were valued at 525,259 thalers and shortly after, on 17 March 1809, in accordance with the decision of Frederick William III of Prussia, all of them were melted down. The obtained gold was reused to make coins, while precious stones and pearls were handed to the Directorate of Maritime Trade in Berlin.

Also a private treasury of the Vasas (kept at the Royal Castle in Warsaw) consisted of:

  • the "Swedish Crown" made for King Sigismund II Augustus
  • the "Muscovy Crown" made in about 1610 for Prince Władysław Vasa's coronation as a Tsar of Russia
  • a silver White Eagle heraldic base for the royal crown (pure silver, partly gilded, 89 cm high); the eagle was created for King John II Casimir in Augsburg by Abraham Drentwett and Heinrich Mannlich in about 1666; presented in the times of a military weakness of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth after the Deluge and lost war against the Ottoman Empire to Tsar of Russia by King Michael Korybut.

In 1697 a Freiburg goldsmith Johann Friedrich Klemm executed a replacement for the regalia, known as the Crown of Augustus II the Strong and intended for his coronation as a King of Poland. It was never used however, because two monks broke into the State Treasury in the Wawel Castle and stole the original regalia.

In 1925 Polish government purchased the silver regalia of King Augustus III and Queen Maria Josepha in Vienna for $35,000 (175,000 zł). It consisted of two crowns, two sceptres and two orbs made in about 1733. The original Crown Regalia were hidden by Franciszek Maksymilian Ossoliński during the War of the Polish Succession. The jewels were exhibited in Warsaw until 1939 and in 1940 they were stolen by German forces.

thumb|right|100px|Polish crowns

<gallery>

Image:Szczerbiec Wawel.jpg|The Szczerbiec (Polish coronation sword; obverse)

Image:Anonymous_Pelmet_of_a_canopy_of_Ladislaus_Vasa_(detail)_01.jpg|Coronation robe of Władysław IV (detail) with Polish and Swedish Coats of arms

Image:Ceremonial sword Poniatowski.jpg|Ceremonial sword of King Stanisław II August

Image:Kremlin Armoury 2.jpg|Silver White Eagle heraldic base for the royal crown

Image:Köler Regalia of Augustus III and Maria Josepha.jpg|Silver regalia of King Augustus III of Poland and Queen Maria Josepha

Image:Burial insignia of Casimir III the Great (143396759) (cropped).jpg|Funeral regalia of King Casimir III the Great

Image:Crown of Władysław IV Vasa.jpg|Crown of King Władysław IV

Image:Coronation mantle of Augustus III 05.jpg|Coronation mantle of Augustus III held at the National Museum in Warsaw

</gallery>

See also

  • Crown jewels
  • Royal coronations in Poland
  • Gniezno Cathedral
  • Wawel Cathedral
  • St. John's Cathedral
  • Royal Casket
  • Płock Diadem
  • Gediminas' Cap, a cap used during the inaugurations of Lithuanian monarchs until 1569 when a Polish crown was started to be used for crowning the joint Polish–Lithuanian monarchs.

References

Notes

Bibliography

  1. .
  2. .

Bibliography

  • Marek Żukow-Karczewski, Klejnoty i insygnia koronacyjne w dawnej Polsce. Prawdy i legendy (Crown jewels and insignia in the former Poland. Truth and legend), "Życie Literackie", No. 32, 1987, p. 5
  • Crown Treasury and Armoury
  • Polish Crown Replicas
  • The National Museum in Warsaw Silver regalia of King Augustus III and Queen Maria Josepha.