A hoop crown ( German: Bügelkrone or Spangenkrone, [2] Latin: faislum), [3] arched crown, or closed crown, is a crown consisting of a " band around the temples and one or two bands over the head". [4] First used by the Carolingian dynasty, [5] hoop crowns became increasingly popular among royal dynasties in the Late Middle Ages, [6] and the dominant type of crown in the Modern Era. [7]
Hoop crowns were introduced to Germanic Europe by the Carolingian dynasty, [5] who usurped the throne of the Frankish Empire from the Merovingian dynasty in 751. However their use dates back to the end of the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. [8] The Carolingian hoop crown was most probably [3] derived from the contemporary Germanic hoop helmet ( German: Spangenhelm). [5] The oldest such crown is the Crown of Saint Faith in Conques, worn either by Pepin I (797–838) or Pepin II (823–864) of Aquitaine. [3] Other Carolingians known to have worn hoop crowns are Louis II "the German" (806–876), Charles II "the Bald" (823–877) and Odo of Vermandois (910–946). [3] Charlemagne (742–814) possibly wore a hoop crown, although the obscurities of contemporary portraits, in particular on seals, mean that this cannot be stated with certainty. [9] Sometimes, the Carolingian hoop crowns were combined with a cap, worn beneath. [4]
Though hoop crowns were characteristic for Carolingian kings, there were several other types of crowns worn by the members of this dynasty. [4] For example, Charlemagne also wore a crown shaped like a collar with an attachment on the front side. [9] The features most Carolingian crowns had in common were "cap or bands over the head, edge-bands, and pendilia". [4] Some of the Carolingian crowns were imitations of contemporary Byzantine Imperial crowns, [4] which had the shape of a closed cap ( kamelaukion). [3] In turn, Byzantine Emperor Justinian I "the Great" (483–565) had hoops attached to his crown to carry a cross above it, creating the prototype of later hoop crowns. [2]
Hoop crowns became popular in late medieval Europe. [6] The Holy Roman Imperial crown was a hoop crown. [6] Norman king William the Conqueror wore a hoop crown, and in the 12th century, the kings of Hungary amended their collar with two hoops. [6] In both cases, the object of adopting a hoop crown was not to appear to occupy a position of inferiority to the Holy Roman Emperor. [6] William's crown was modelled after the crown of emperor Otto I and similarly decorated with twelve types of gems. [10] In addition, William had sceptre and virga created, resembling the imperial insignia. [10]
However, not all late medieval crowns had hoops. For example, the 15th-century kings of France wore crowns of the lilly type, a collar decorated with four lilies. [7] The hoop crown became the prevalent type of crown in the Early Modern Age. [7]