Spanish Coronations

This is something that I've been wondering about for some time now. The Spanish kings don't have a coronation, but a swearing in before the Cortes. I would've thought that of all the crowns in Europe, Spain that is as doggedly Catholic as it is, would have a pageant of the marriage of monarch and state in the form of a coronation.

Castile hasn't had one since 1379, Aragon since 1414, and Navarre since 1479/1555 (depending on whether you count Jeanne d'Albret's coronation as queen of Navarre as a Spanish affair).

Also, with the Bourbons' concern with the Divine Right of Kings etc, or the Habsburgs' imperial connections, one would think that either the high coronation mass of the emperor or the sacré of St. Remy would've made it into Spain. I could see Felipe II or IV being in his element at such a ceremony.

When would be the best time/who would be the best sovereign to restore the coronation ceremony to Spain?
 
This is something that I've been wondering about for some time now. The Spanish kings don't have a coronation, but a swearing in before the Cortes. I would've thought that of all the crowns in Europe, Spain that is as doggedly Catholic as it is, would have a pageant of the marriage of monarch and state in the form of a coronation.

Castile hasn't had one since 1379, Aragon since 1414, and Navarre since 1479/1555 (depending on whether you count Jeanne d'Albret's coronation as queen of Navarre as a Spanish affair).

Also, with the Bourbons' concern with the Divine Right of Kings etc, or the Habsburgs' imperial connections, one would think that either the high coronation mass of the emperor or the sacré of St. Remy would've made it into Spain. I could see Felipe II or IV being in his element at such a ceremony.

When would be the best time/who would be the best sovereign to restore the coronation ceremony to Spain?


I totally agree! To me it was fairly strange that Spain de-facto abolished its coronations.

As for a good time, I'd say 1516 (when Charles of Burgundy became King of Castile and Aragon) or in 1701, with the accession of Philippe d'Anjou. It makes the most sense to have the coronation brought back when a new dynasty comes to power, to try and create a visible link to the past. Kinda like what Napoleon did in France and Italy to be honest.
 
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If I have to guess, I think it's because crowning one king would involve MULTIPLE coronations. In Castile alone, there's Castile, Leon, Toledo, Galicia, and probably a few others. Aragon has Aragon, Barcelona, Valencia, Naples, Sicily, etc.

At some point in time, the Spanish Kings (with the exception of Portugal until its union with the rest of Spain) decided to do things pragmatically and just does his swearing-in before the Cortes, which is a much less expensive affair.
 
If I have to guess, I think it's because crowning one king would involve MULTIPLE coronations. In Castile alone, there's Castile, Leon, Toledo, Galicia, and probably a few others. Aragon has Aragon, Barcelona, Valencia, Naples, Sicily, etc.

At some point in time, the Spanish Kings (with the exception of Portugal until its union with the rest of Spain) decided to do things pragmatically and just does his swearing-in before the Cortes, which is a much less expensive affair.

Maybe do a crowning for each "Crown" instead? Like the Crown of Castile gets a coronation and the Crown of Aragon gets a coronation.
 
Maybe do a crowning for each "Crown" instead? Like the Crown of Castile gets a coronation and the Crown of Aragon gets a coronation.

That is still two coronations, which is one too many. And many of the other kingdoms (other than Castile and Aragon) would complain about this, all the various kingdoms was technically supposed to be equal to each other.

You also have to keep in mind that Spain as a single entity technically did not exist until the Bourbons took over in 1700. Essentially, Spain between the 1480s and 1700 can be considered as a mega personal union, similar to today's monarchies (not republics) in the Commonwealth of Nations under the Queen.
 
That is still two coronations, which is one too many. And many of the other kingdoms (other than Castile and Aragon) would complain about this, all the various kingdoms was technically supposed to be equal to each other.

You also have to keep in mind that Spain as a single entity technically did not exist until the Bourbons took over in 1700. Essentially, Spain between the 1480s and 1700 can be considered as a mega personal union, similar to today's monarchies (not republics) in the Commonwealth of Nations under the Queen.

I wouldn't go that far. It was essentially a real union, with the remnants of the independent states retaining their own customs and to a lesser extent laws, but outside of the two major Crowns none of these "states" had any independence.

As for two being too many, look at the Union of the Crowns between England and Scotland. Three Stuart monarchs had independent coronations, as did the Austrian Habsbsurgs, in their capacities as German Monarch and Monarch of Bohemia and of Hungary. Not to mention the Holy Roman Empire itself originally had 4 coronations (German, Burgndian, Italian and Imperial). So, while rare, multiple crownings weren't unheard off.

Finally, that still leaves a return of the coronation open to Felipe V. With the Nueva planta decrees Spain became a country in fact as well as name. He could be crowned in the Castilian style in Toledo or Madrid after the end of the Succession war, as a way to symbolically declare victory over the supporters of the Habsburg candidate Carlos III/ Emperor Karl VI.
 
The archbishop of Toledo was Primate of Spain (or even the Visigothic kingdom) and the Toledo had been the centre of the Visigothic kingdom.

So perhaps Toledo could become the Spanish equivalent to Reims, Aachen (later Frankfurt am Main) and Westminster.
 
I think one possible reason they don't have Coronations is that the monarch doesn't want to be beholden to anyone else for their own crown.
 
it would be verry hard for the kings of spain to have a coronation
durring habsburg spain they had to be crowned king of:
-Spain
-Castile
-Leon
-Galicia
-Aragon
-Barcelona
-Granada
-Mallorca
-Toledo
-Seville
-Valencia
-Cordobo
-Menorca
you get the ideia and every single one of them was equal to the other
image the cost of the coronation and this is without the titles outside the iberian peninsula it you be imposible to have an corronation
 
On top of this, do keep in mind that the Castillian Crown, which was the one from which most modern Spanish regal traditions come from was very notorious for its simplicity and austerity, which mind you is rather in line with the understanding of Catholicism in northern Spain. In any case, iirc if I remember correctly is rooted in the Castillian traditions regarding the role of the monarch within the feudal political order and inherited from the traditions of the Visgothic monarchs of having simple, more Barbarian-style ceremonies as opposed to the Roman pomposity. In Castilla, not many kings had proper crowning ceremonies, although they did happen when it was necessary to enhance their (potentially shaky) legitimacy as monarchs. The first two monarchs of the Trastamaras did have them, but precisely because they had come to reign after a civil war and with the heirs of Pedro I, el Cruel still alive as a potential challenge to their regal legitimacy.

rey jura unas obligaciones en tanto que rey y los súbditos-vasallos otras obligaciones, en tanto que sometidos a la obediencia regia

The king vows some duties as king and the subject-vassals other duties as they are forced by royal obedience.

http://e-spania.revues.org/20461

http://www.tiempodehoy.com/espana/reyes-sin-corona
 
I like the idea of the coronation being restored in 1701 with the accession of Philippe of France as King Felipe V. A new coronation crown is made.
In what church/cathedral would the coronation occur?
 
I like the idea of the coronation being restored in 1701 with the accession of Philippe of France as King Felipe V. A new coronation crown is made.
In what church/cathedral would the coronation occur?

It would be done by the most prestigious archbishop (in this case also a Cardinal), like in France (Reims) and in England (Canterbury).

Since the archbishop of Toledo is the Primate of Spain, he would lead the coronation mass.
This might be done in Toledo, but since Madrid also belonged to his archdiocese that can be a possibility too.
 
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