#8. Crown of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia.

Tags

Crown of Frederick I of Prussia, Crown of Wilhelm II of Prussia, Frederick Barbarossa, Frederick I of Prussia, Frederick the Great, German Emperor Wilhelm II, German Empire, Hohenzollern Castle, Königsberg, Königsberg Castle, Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian Crown Jewels, Wilhelm I of Prussia

The Crown of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia is number 8 on my list of favorite Crowns.

The Prussian Crown Jewels is the royal regalia, consisting of two crowns, an orb and a sceptre, used during the coronation of the monarchs of Prussia from the House of Hohenzollern.

Prussian Crown Jewels

After the King of Prussia became German Emperor on the establishment of the German Empire on January 18, 1871, they were no longer used as the position of King of Prussia while still remaining, was a title of minor importance compared to the new role as German Emperor. This was one of the fears King Wilhelm I of Prussia had with becoming German Emperor. He held much pride in being King of Prussia and did not have much enthusiasm for being an emperor.

There was no crown for the German Empire, although a heraldic version existed in the form of a German State Crown.

Wooden model of the Imperial Crown

In 1871 a design and a model for a new state crown were created to reflect the new German Empire. The model was based upon the Crown of the Holy Roman Empire and was kept in the Hohenzollern museum at Schloss Monbijou in Berlin, until it disappeared during World War II. It has never re-surfaced. No final crown was ever made. However, the design was used as a heraldic device for the German Emperors from 1871 until Emperor Wilhelm II’s abdication in 1918. The crown was mostly used as an heraldic symbol in the German coat of arms and the Emperor’s personal standard.

Crown of Wilhelm II of Prussia

To many intellectuals, the coronation of Wilhelm I was associated with the restoration of the Holy Roman Empire. Felix Dahn wrote a poem, “Macte senex Imperator” (Hail thee, old emperor) in which he nicknamed Wilhelm Barbablanca (whitebeard), a play on the name of the medieval Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa (redbeard). According to the King asleep in mountain legend, Barbarossa slept under the Kyffhäuser mountain until Germany had need of him. William I was thus portrayed as a second coming of Barbarossa. The Kyffhäuser Monument portrays both emperors.

In contrast with the lavish, heavily bejewelled crowns of other monarchies (e.g. British, Russian), the Prussian crown jewels were sometimes described as “rather plain”.

The Prussian regalia includes:

* Crown of William II (1889), or the Hohenzollern Crown, is the only piece dating from the imperial period, but is very similar to older crowns.

In the absence of further state regalia for the German Empire (1871–1918), the older royal Prussian Crown Jewels were sometimes also regarded as the German Crown Jewels:

* Crown of Frederick I (1701)
* Crown of Sophie Charlotte (1701)
* Royal Sceptre of Frederick I (1701)
* Royal Orb of Frederick I (1701)

Prussia became a part of the German Empire in 1871 and its king also became German emperor. The German Empire became a republic in 1918 and, at the same time, Prussia became part of the federal republic. Most of the Prussian regalia are on public display in the Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin.

Crown of Wilhelm II of Prussia

The Crown of Wilhelm II, in his role as King of Prussia, is kept at Hohenzollern Castle near Hechingen in Baden-Württemberg. The Crown of Wilhelm II, also known as the Hohenzollern Crown, is the 1888 crown made for Wilhelm II, German Emperor, in his role as King of Prussia. It was only used for heraldic purposes.

The crown is surmounted by a diamond-studded cross which rests on a large sapphire. These rest on eight half-arches rising from the base that are adorned with 142 rose-cut diamonds and 18 diamonds. Eight large pearls are mounted between the arches.

When William abdicated in 1918 he was permitted to retain the crown and it’s jewels, which included the Hohenzollern crown. To protect it from theft and destruction during World War II, it was hidden in a wall in the crypt of a church. After the war it was returned to the Hohenzollern family and is now kept at the family residence of the Hohenzollern Castle.

Here is the Crown of King Friedrich I of Prussia. His crown was used in his coronation and the coronation of subsequent Kings of Prussia. It isn’t a favorite Crown at all, I find it father dull looking, but I do find it interesting.

Crown of Friedrich I of Prussia

King Friedrich I of Prussia first, was Friedrich III, Elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713) and Duke of Prussia in personal union (Brandenburg-Prussia). The latter function he upgraded to royalty, becoming the first King in Prussia (1701–1713). From 1707 he was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel (German: Fürstentum Neuenburg). He was also the paternal grandfather of Friedrich II the Great.

The Crown of Friedrich I, was made by the Court Jewellers for Friedrich I of Prussia in 1701, who crowned himself and his wife Sophie-Charlotte in a baroque ceremony at Königsberg Castle, Königsberg. The crown was also used for the coronation of Friedrich-Wilhelm I and his son, Friedrich II (better known as Friedrich the Great). He was a very frugal monarch, and although the crown was present at his coronation, he did not wear it.

The crown along with most of the Prussian royal regalia is kept at Charlottenburg Palace.