To know the kinds of crowns and their meaning, we must go back to ancient times when they began to be worn as a symbol of sovereignty and power, being Apollonius, the Latin king who was said to be the grandson of Apollo, the first to hold a piece like this as a hallmark of power and that he wore in the battle between Aeneas and Turno, which is recounted in The Aeneid, written by Virgil. This crown had twelve rays, and was made of gold.
On the other hand, there are other examples of the kinds of crowns of antiquity, such as the pavilion of Alexander and his helmet, which had been adorned with a golden crown, while David, it is said, that King Melcom gave him a crown adorned with precious stones, and his son Solomon, his son and successor, also wore a crown made of gold inlaid with precious stones.
As for the Romans, it must be remembered that the first emperors wore bay leaves instead of crowns, which were considered as a symbol of triumph; that is why they were taken to battles, but it was also believed that these leaves were not touched by the ray of Jupiter. And we can mention many examples of ancient times, when these symbols of power arise which today continue to basically keep that meaning. Therefore, we will describe some of the best known kinds of crowns:
The Imperial Crown: This crown is made with a circle adjustable to the head, from which two arcs come out that have the shape of a semi circle: one goes from one side to the other while the other starts at the front back, until crossing the first one, perpendicularly in the middle part.
This kind of crowns usually has a cross or a fleur de lis which is formed at the intersection of the arches, as it is the case of the French Royal Crown, which has a fleur de lis and inside it is lined with velvet, like most of these imperial crowns which are worn as a rule in solemn acts of protocol and which are of paramount importance to royalty.
Imperial crowns are among the kinds of crowns most worn by the consort queens of England, as well as the consorts Czarinas of Russia, who wore the Imperial minor crown and the crowns of countries such as Romania, Sweden, Iran, France, Hungary, Norway, and Romania.
Noble Crowns: These crowns have been granted to counts, marquises and dukes, among other personalities of European royalty over time after giving them the jurisdiction of the states and the lands they obtained; and they could vary in style according to the reigning empire.
Grand Duchy: These duchies wore a crown of gold with lots of inlays of pearls and precious stones, which were presented with 8 big flowers to form what was called “Ducal Crown”, which could be worn by some of the generals and admirals of the army.
Marquisate Crown: This crown was made with gold, mounted on four big flowers which 12 pearls were put on that formed groups of flowers three by three.
The Count’s Crown: This is a crown that was made to be worn by counts and was made of gold with gemstones and between eight to ten thick pearls.
The Crown for Viscounts: This crown is simpler than the one worn by a count, and consists of a circle of pure gold that has only four thick pearls and that symbolizes a lower level of hierarchy.
The Crown of Barons: Because the hierarchy of barons is lower, the crowns that are made for them consist of a circle of gold enamel which a band of common pearls is put on.
Crowns of Beauty Contests: These crowns have also been used to reward women who have won these competitions, and are a symbol of the power of beauty and its reach in the modern world. There are several models that have been designed over time for different competitions or contests worldwide.
Notably the first beauty pageant was Miss America held in 1921, and in which Margaret Gorman was the winner, but she was only awarded a trophy, but in 1926 the winner started to be awarded a crown.
The most famous contests such as Miss World and Miss Universe emerged in the fifties. Miss World was founded 1951, in the United Kingdom, being the representative of Sweden the winner, while Miss Universe was founded in 1952, premiering a crown owned by Empress Alexandra, married to Nicholas II of Russia in the first Miss Universe, and which the representative of Finland had the honour to win.
We must also emphasize that tiaras or headbands are also considered as kinds of crowns, and are defined by the SAR as half-crowns or rings open at the back, being its use common in the protocol acts of the nobility. Also, the term tiara is widely used to refer to the ornaments worn by brides on the head at weddings.
ALFA