Ceremony of inauguration involving a throne
An
enthronement
is a ceremony of
inauguration
, involving a person—usually a monarch or religious leader—being formally seated for the first time upon their
throne
. Enthronements may also feature as part of a larger
coronation
rite.
In a general sense, an
enthronement
may also refer to a ceremony marking a monarch's accession, generally distinguished from a coronation as no crown or other
regalia
is physically bestowed upon the one being enthroned, although regalia may be present at the ceremony.
Enthronements occur in both church and state settings, since the throne is seen as a symbol of authority, both secular and spiritual.
Religious ceremonies
[
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]
Enthronements are most popular in religious settings, as a chair is seen as the symbol of the authority to
teach
.
[1]
Thus in Christianity,
bishops
of almost all denominations have a ceremony of enthronement after they assume office or by which they assume office. The
Eastern Orthodox Churches
and the
Oriental Orthodox Churches
, as well as the
Lutheran Churches
and the
Anglican Communion
often have elaborate ceremonies marking the inauguration of their episcopates.
However, in the
Catholic Church
the rite of enthronement is limited to
Eastern Catholic Churches
. In these, enthronement is the rite by which a new bishop assumes authority over his
eparchy
and before which he is forbidden to intervene in its governance in any way, whether personally or by proxy.
[2]
The overwhelmingly majority
Latin Church
of the Catholic Church has no ceremony of enthronement, although when a bishop is ordained in a church of the diocese he is to head, the principal consecrator invites him, after his investiture with mitre and crozier, to be seated on the
cathedra
of the church; if the ordination takes place elsewhere, the principal consecrator invites him merely to take first place among the concelebrating bishops.
[3]
Instead of by enthronement, a Latin bishop takes office through an officially recorded presentation of the
papal bull
of his appointment, a ceremony that does not necessarily involve his personal presence.
[4]
In the section in the
Caeremoniale Episcoporum
on "The Reception of a Bishop in His Cathedral Church" there is no mention of a ritual taking possession of the episcopal
cathedra
.
[5]
The same is true even of older editions of this work.
[6]
Papal
[
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]
Popes
were traditionally enthroned and
crowned
with the
papal tiara
in the
Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran
. However, during the
Avignon papacy
the papacy could not make use of its
cathedra
, as the Pope was in France while the
cathedral
was in Rome. Thus the coronations continued, while enthronements could not take place until the Pontiffs' return to Rome. Upon the return of
Pope Gregory XI
to Rome, the
Lateran Palace
was badly in need of repair, so the Pope made the Vatican his residence and transferred coronations to
Saint Peter's Basilica
. However, the Lateran Basilica is the cathedral of Rome, so enthronements continued there, with brief interruptions (see
prisoner in the Vatican
).
Today, "
a solemn ceremony of the inauguration of the pontificate
" is held after the election of a pope and only later, "within an appropriate time", the new pope "take(s) possession of the Patriarchal Archbasilica of the Lateran, according to the prescribed ritual", which includes taking his seat upon the episcopal
cathedra
and which can therefore be considered a form of enthronement.
[7]
State ceremonies
[
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]
Previously, most inaugural ceremonies marking the accession of a monarch took the form of a
coronation
rite, wherein the ruler was consecrated, physically
crowned
, and invested with other items of regalia.
Now that coronations are no longer being practiced in most monarchies (most nations require only that their monarchs take an oath upon accession), the term
enthronement
may be used by some to describe ceremonies surrounding the monarch's accession, including his or her oath-taking, since the "throne" (physical or symbolic) of the monarch remains.
While no
Norwegian
monarch has been crowned in nearly a century,
Olav V
instituted a "consecration" ceremony, wherein he received the
church
's blessing, to inaugurate his reign. This practice was also followed by his son
Harald V
. The formal inauguration ceremony of monarchs of
Japan
,
[8]
Sweden
,
Belgium
and the
Netherlands
take on many different forms and are also known as "enthronements" in a broader sense. However, the term "coronation" is still sometimes used to describe these ceremonies, even though they are not coronations in the truest sense of the word.
Belgium
[
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]
Belgium has no physical crown (except as a
heraldic emblem
); the formal installation of a Belgian monarch requires only a solemn oath be taken on the constitution in the
parliament
, symbolic of the limited power allowed to the king under the
1831 Constitution
. During the enthronement of
King Albert II
, a member of the
Chamber of Representatives
,
Jean-Pierre Van Rossem
, shouted out "Long live the Republic of Europe!", only to be shouted down by the others, who cried
"Vive le Roi!"
. A similar protest had occurred during the 1950 enthronement of
King Baudouin
.
[9]
Japan
[
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]
The
Emperor of Japan
attends an enthronement ceremony soon after his accession; the last such ritual was held in 2019 for Emperor
Naruhito
. The
Imperial Regalia
consist of a sword, known as
Kusanagi
, a jewel, known as
Yasakani no magatama
, and a mirror, called
Yata no Kagami
. From
Emperor Sh?mu
in the 8th century to
Emperor K?mei
, the
benkan
, influenced by the Chinese
mianguan
, was used in the enthronement ceremonies of Japanese emperors. From
Emperor Meiji
to the present, the more Japanese style
ry?ei no kan
(
立纓冠
,
lit.
'
crown with standing tail ornament
'
)
has been used in enthronement ceremonies.
This ancient rite was held in
Kyoto
, the former capital of Japan, until 1990 when the enthronement ceremony for Emperor
Akihito
took place at the Imperial Palace in
Tokyo
. The ceremony is not public, and the regalia are generally seen only by the emperor himself and a few
Shinto
priests. However, an account in
Time
from the enthronement of Akihito's father
Hirohito
in 1928 reveals a few details. First is a three-hour ceremony in which the emperor ritually informed his ancestors that he had assumed the throne. This was followed by the enthronement itself, which took place in an enclosure called the
Takamikura
, which contained a great square pedestal upholding three octagonal pedestals topped by a simple chair. This was surrounded by an octagonal pavilion with curtains, surmounted by a great golden
phoenix
.
[10]
The new emperor proceeded to the chair, where after being seated, the
Kusanagi
and
Yasakani no magatama
were placed on stands next to him. A simple
shaku
(a flat wooden baton or sceptre) was presented to the monarch, who faced his
Prime Minister
standing in an adjacent courtyard, representing the Japanese people. The emperor offered an address announcing his accession to the throne, calling upon his subjects to single-mindedly assist him in attaining all of his aspirations. The Prime Minister replied with an address promising fidelity and devotion, followed by three shouts of "
Banzai
" from all of those present. The timing of this last event was synchronized, so that Japanese around the world could join in the "Banzai" shout at precisely the moment that it was being offered in Kyoto.
[10]
In 1990 after the shouts of Banzai, a 21 gun salute fired out from the grounds of the palace a short distance away.
After this ceremony, the new Emperor gave offerings to
Amaterasu
, offering
rice
specially prepared for the occasion. This was followed by three banquets and a visit to the Shrines of his ancestors.
[10]
Luxembourg
[
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]
The
Grand Duke
of Luxembourg is enthroned at a ceremony held in the nation's parliament at the beginning of his or her reign. The monarch takes an oath of loyalty to the state constitution, then attends a solemn mass at the
Notre-Dame Cathedral
. No crown or other regalia exists for the rulers of Europe's last sovereign
Grand Duchy
.
Malaysia
[
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]
The new ruler of Malaysia is enthroned in a special ceremony after his election, which involves the use of several items of
regalia
including the
Tengkolok Diraja
, or Royal Headdress. According to legend, the first
Sultan of Perak
forswore the wearing of any diadems after the miraculous refloating of his ship, which had run aground during his journey to establish his reign in Perak. Hence, while Malaysian coronations are rather elaborate affairs, they do not involve the imposition of a crown.
The new king proceeds into the Istana Negara Throne Hall at the head of a large procession also consisting of his spouse, specially-picked soldiers carrying the royal regalia, and other notables including the
Grand Chamberlain
, or
Datuk Paduka Maharaja Lela
. The king and his wife are seated upon their thrones, and the regalia are brought forward. Following this, the
Datuk Paduka Maharaja Lela
brings forward a copy of the
Quran
, which the new monarch reverently receives, kisses, and places on a special table located between his throne and the queen's. A formal proclamation of the new king's reign is read, followed by the taking of a special coronation oath. The
Prime Minister
gives a special speech, which is followed by an address by the new king from the throne. A prayer is said, the Quran is returned to the Chamberlain, and the ceremony is completed.
[11]
Spain
[
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]
No monarch of Spain has been physically crowned since
John I of Castile
and
Ferdinand I of Aragon
. Instead, the new monarch appears at the
Cortes
, where he or she takes a formal oath to uphold the Constitution. Although the
crown
is visibly present at the ceremony, it is never actually placed on the monarch's head. Five days after his visit to the Cortes, Spanish King
Juan Carlos I
attended an "Enthronement Mass" at the Church of
San Jeronimo el Real
in
Madrid
. Accompanied by his wife
Sofia
, he was escorted beneath a canopy to a set of thrones set up near the high altar. Following the service, the King and queen returned to the
palace
, where they greeted the people from the balcony, reviewed troops, and attended a formal banquet.
Historically, Castilian coronations were performed at
Toledo
, or in the Church of St Jerome at Madrid, with the king being anointed by the archbishop of Toledo.
[12]
The monarch assumed the royal sword, sceptre, crown of gold and the apple of gold, after receiving his anointing.
[12]
Aragonese coronations were performed at
Zaragoza
by the
Archbishop of Tarragona
.
[13]
Sweden
[
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]
In
Sweden
, no
monarch
has been crowned since
Oscar II
in 1873. Kings
Carl XVI Gustaf
and
Gustaf VI Adolf
have instead just been enthroned in a simple ceremony in Rikssalen at the
Royal Palace
in
Stockholm
on 19 September 1973 and 30 October 1950 respectively. The
regalia
were displayed on cushions to the right and left of the royal
Silver Throne
, but were never worn by the King, who made an accession speech, which was the main purpose of the undertaking.
[14]
See also
[
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]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
A university professor is said to hold the "chair" of some field of instruction.
- ^
Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, canon 189
Archived
June 4, 2011, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Caeremoniale Episcoporum
, 589
- ^
Canons 382
Archived
January 18, 2012, at the
Wayback Machine
and
404
Archived
January 15, 2010, at the
Wayback Machine
of the Code of Canon Law
- ^
Caeremoniale Episcoporum
, 1141-1148
- ^
Caeremoniale Episcoporum 1752 updated to 1886, book I, chapter II, 5
- ^
Universi Dominici Gregis
, 92
Archived
May 6, 2007, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959). "Enthronement Ceremonies" in
The Imperial House of Japan
, pp. 341-365.
- ^
"NIS News Bulletin (28/188 ? International) - Belgium Swears in New King to Warm Welcome"
. Archived from
the original
on March 5, 2012
. Retrieved
July 8,
2012
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Emperor Enthroned"
.
Time
. November 19, 1928. Archived from
the original
on January 13, 2009
. Retrieved
October 12,
2008
.
- ^
"Yang di-Pertuan Agong"
. Malaysianmonarchy.org.my. Archived from
the original
on May 12, 2008
. Retrieved
October 12,
2008
.
- ^
a
b
Muir, Thomas (1911).
"Coronation"
. In
Chisholm, Hugh
(ed.).
Encyclopædia Britannica
. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 187.
- ^
O'Callaghan, Joseph F. (1983).
A History of Medieval Spain
. USA: Cornell University Press.
ISBN
0-8014-9264-5
.
JSTOR
2854948
.
- ^
Hoffman, Erich (1990).
"Coronation and Coronation Ordines in Medieval Scandinavia"
. In Bak, Janos M (ed.).
Coronations: Medieval and Early Modern Monarchic Ritual
. Berkeley: University of California Press
. Retrieved
October 12,
2008
.
References
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