The coronation order of Charles IV. – Prague Castle
Fact of the Czech figure „Three Lives of Czech Myths – Prague”
Part of the „The story of the beginning” topic
At the beginning of the 13th century, the Czech lands became a hereditary kingdom. Each king’s ascension to the throne was affirmed by coronation. It was a ceremony, in which everything was determined by the coronation order. The oldest preserved coronation order of Czech kings and queens was first written by Charles IV. This order was to be an ideal model of how the coronation should proceed, going through various rituals, where each of them had a symbolic meaning. Similar French orders partly served as an inspiration for the Czech coronation order, although older Czech traditions were still taken into consideration.
An example is the public presentation of the mythical Přemysl the Plougman’s bast shoes and the placing of the pouch on the future king’s shoulder on the eve of his coronation. This act took place at Vyšehrad. The main part of the ceremony took place at the St. Vitus Cathedral.
The Coronation Order went through many major changes throughout the centuries. Slowly, the language changed, some rituals were cancelled and the oath to the Restored Provincial Establishment was added. Nevertheless, the coronation order of Charles IV remained in use until the end of the monarchy, with Ferdinand V becoming the last crowned King of Bohemia in 1836.
