The significance of the royal coronation in the late Medieval France Cover Image

Znaczenie koronacji królewskiej w późnośredniowiecznej Francji
The significance of the royal coronation in the late Medieval France

Author(s): Anna Michałek-Simińska
Subject(s): History, Political history, Social history, Middle Ages, 15th Century
Published by: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Szczecińskiego
Keywords: coronation; France; the late Middle Ages

Summary/Abstract: In the late-Medieval French Monarchy the royal coronation played a significant role in the process of appointing a new king. In its visual sphere a certain reinforcement of the ceremonial character may be noted, which was result of a need for a strong manifestation of the continuity of the royal power, indispensable in the times of the dynastic crisis caused by the death of the king. The symbols of the dynastic power became stronger.In the ideology of the royal power it was important where the coronation took place. In the case of France it was Reims. The coronation was organised according to a strict pattern. The coronation ceremony was a manifestation of the fact that the dynasty had been put on a pedestal and had acquired some new rights. In the period in question the role of the blood right became more important, and the royal son was the rightful heir to the throne. But to legitimise the power to the fullest he needed the royal anointment, which in the symbolic sphere created a sense of continuity.

  • Issue Year: 31/2016
  • Issue No: 01
  • Page Range: 169-198
  • Page Count: 30
  • Language: Polish