The Holy Crown of Hungary, also known as the Crown of Saint Stephen, named in honour of Saint Stephen I of Hungary, was the coronation crown used by the Kingdom of Hungary for most of its existence; kings were crowned with it since the twelfth century. The Crown symbolized the King's authority over the Lands of the Hungarian Crown, and it was a key mark of legitimacy. Through the history of Hungary, more than fifty kings were crowned with it, with the last being Charles IV in 1916. The only kings not so crowned were Wladyslaw I, John Sigismund Zápolya, and Joseph II.
Front of the Holy Crown
Back of the Holy Crown
The oldest authentic representation of the Holy Crown from 1555. The crown depicted in the Fugger Chronicle. All images of the crown before the mid-17th century show the cross in its original upright position.
The Holy Crown of Hungary, 1857
A coronation crown is a crown used by a monarch when being crowned. In some monarchies, monarchs have or had a number of crowns for different occasions, such as a coronation crown for the moment of coronation and a state crown for general usage in state ceremonial.
Image: Holy Roman Empire Crown (Imperial Treasury)2
Image: Corona di sant'Edoardo
Image: The Queen at the Scottish Parliament crop
Image: Christian v crown