FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Fun Trivia
Home: Questions and Answers Forum
Answers to 100,000 Fascinating Questions
Welcome to FunTrivia's Question & Answer forum!

Search All Questions


Please cite any factual claims with citation links or references from authoritative sources. Editors continuously recheck submissions and claims.

Archived Questions

Goto Qn #


Why do kings and queens wear crowns? Where does this tradition stem from, and why is this head-dress the symbol of who they are, ie the crown meaning monarchy?

Question #93441. Asked by billythebrit.
Last updated Aug 27 2016.

Related Trivia Topics: Royalty & Monarchs  
avatar
whee star
Answer has 14 votes
whee star
20 year member
109 replies avatar

Answer has 14 votes.
Special headgear to designate rulers dates back to pre-history, and is found in many separate civilizations around the globe, therefore the original reasoning is unknowable.
The pre-cursor to the crown itself was was the browband called the diadem.

The crown for a King or Queen shows power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death.

link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_%28headgear%29

Mar 12 2008, 4:06 PM
avatar
zbeckabee star
Answer has 16 votes
Currently Best Answer
zbeckabee star
Moderator
19 year member
11752 replies avatar

Answer has 16 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
In their initial conception, crowns were used to indicate beings who were believed to be ordained by the gods. While the crown style changed from feathered headdresses, to gold circlets, the importance did not. The actual word “tiara” originated from Ancient Persia, where a tall and richly ornamented tiara was made for the king's wear. It stayed securely on the king's head as it was tied together in the back, and was typically covered in jewels and gold embellishments.

The royal tradition of wearing a tiara later spread to Ancient Greece after Alexander the Great assumed complete authority. Despite the fact that most of Greece accepted the wearing of diadems in their hair, the Romans still rejected the idea and continued to wear laurel wreaths instead. Even Julius Caesar refused the offer of a heavily laden crown after his triumph over Pompey. It wasn't until the entire annihilation of the Roman Empire that the tiara was viewed uniformly as a symbol of royal authority.

The next type of crown was later found in Medieval Europe. Rather than a diadem in which you tied together, the European kings wore circlets, or coronets, upon their heads. The first known of this type was believed to have been made from one of the nails from the Cross, and was loaded with precious stones and gold.

[1weddingsource.com/dresses/bridal-accessories-bridal-tiara.php]
link http://www.johnnydepp-zone.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=47481




Response last updated by gtho4 on Aug 27 2016.
Mar 12 2008, 6:51 PM
free email trivia FREE! Get a new mixed Fun Trivia quiz each day in your email. It's a fun way to start your day!


arrow Your Email Address:

Sign in or Create Free User ID to participate in the discussion

Related FunTrivia Quizzes

play quiz Three Crowns or a Triple Crown
(Thematic Other)
play quiz Kings without Crowns
( Same Surname)
play quiz Uneasy Lies the Head that Wore a Crown
(Burial Sites)

Return to FunTrivia
"Ask FunTrivia" strives to offer the best answers possible to trivia questions. We ask our submitters to thoroughly research questions and provide sources where possible. Feel free to post corrections or additions. This is server B184.