The crown of the Queens of Bavaria
A little bit of history
In 1806, as part of his wholescale re-ordering of the map of Europe, Napoleon I of France upgraded the independant German Duchy to a full kingdom status. The former Duke of Bavaria, now King of Bavarie Maximillian I, commemorated the fact by commissioning a set of crown jewels for use by Bavarian monarchs.
Royal regalia of Bavaria
Included in the regalia were:
- The Crown of Bavaria – the King’s crown, which was set with rubies, diamonds,
- emeralds, sapphires and pearls
- the Crown of the Queens of Bavaria, which was made for the then queen, Karoline of Baden and which contains huge pearls and large diamonds;
- The 96cms long State Sword;
- The Royal Orb – made of gols
- The 89cmslong Royal Sceptre set with brilliants, emeralds and sapphires and the top is surmounted by a small round crown.
As part of a republican Germany, Bavaria has not had a monarch since 1918 but the Bavarian Crown Jewels are still on show in the Treasury of the Residenz Palace in Munich
