medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I have no idea of the ritualistic aspects of the English [sic = British]
monarch's coronation. I'm certain the ceremony has changed a bit through the
years and it's been a while since the Brits put on such a magnificent
spectacle.
@ 1953. It was televised (I saw it at my grandparents' house in London) and
IIRC the film is available on video - B&W naturally - for the interested. Or
possibly a coloured film made at the time.
I'd bet it's done in Westminster Abbey with the Archbishop of Canterbury
presiding,
@Correct. But the A of York takes a major part. The leaders of the other
religious denominations - Christian and other were also present.
but I know I'll be corrected if I'm mistaken. All I know is that the French
kings were "sacred" (p.p. of the verb "to sacre", which verb is obsolete) by
the archbishop of Reims (by no means all, but most) and were henceforth
"l'oint du Seigneur," (anointed of the Lord). Renan (I believe) called "le
sacre du roi" the 8th sacrament and indeed the anointings, laying on of
hands, etc. came extremely close to an ordination. Add in "le toucher du
roi" and you get ever more in the realm of the religious/sacramental.
@ Yes, the Queen was annointed as well as crowned. The Holy Oils are kept in
a special gold flask called the ampulla (It is shaped like an eagle - there
are books about the Coronation Regalia and its symbols which are absolutely
fascinating and very beautiful. The stuff is also on show at the Tower of
London if you are passing that way) which is used only for the annointing of
monarchs. Interesting point is that her robes were covered with a linen
smock for this part of the service to keep the oil off the cloth of gold and
silk. Even more interesting is that we TV viewers did not get a chance to
see the actual annointing. It was deemed too intimate and holy for prying
eyes and the camera was focussed firmly on the High Altar while we listened
to the commentator (Richard Dimbleby of course.) The Establishment did not
want the cameras there at all for any of it, it was the Queen herself who
insisted that her people had the right to see her - very revolutionary for
the date!
So my questions are: how closely did the installation of the English [and
Scottish] kings mirror that of their French colleagues at the time of
Brenda's king; and how "into Orders" was an anointed king deemed to be?
@The coronation service HAS changed over the years - it is modified for
every monarch. Additionally, there would have been local varients in all the
European monarchies. But I think the basic elements which are Election [=
Affirmation of Choice], Oath Taking, Anointing, Crowning, Homage, were
common to all. It is now a "Protestant" service not a "Roman Catholic" one
but the Queen is the "Supreme Governor of the Church of England" and the A
of Canterbury does homage to her for his secular possessions - a nice
compromise. Very C of E. which is still the established church. [The present
Queen is actually the King in as much as she is the monarch and not the
monarch's spouse.]
Would Brenda's king have felt compelled to do extra penance precisely
because of the religious/quasi-sacramental nature of his office?
@I would have thought that there was a very strong element of that in it. It
was not just patricide, which is bad enough, but High Treason as well. The
King is seeen as the super-father of the nation, and because annointed, a
holy person if not in Orders.
I am not expert - just a monarchist, but I think the above is roughtly
correct.
BMC
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