Coronation of the Emerstarian monarch

The coronation of Erik VIII Olaf in 1719.

The coronation of the Emerstarian monarch is a ceremony (specifically, initiation rite) in which the monarch of Emerstari is formally invested so and is crowned as so in Rensulier Cathedral in witness of God, the clerics and peers and the officers of military and government of the realm, and foreign leaders and diplomats. Often, many Emerstarians form a crowd outside of the cathedral to catch whatever glimpse of the monarch they may see before or after the ceremony; though, since the first live broadcasting of the event in 1972, many Emerstarians also watch it at home.

The coronation usually occurs on a Christmas Day several months after the death of the previous monarch, as the event is supposed to be a joyous occasion as opposed to a mournful one. This interval allows the planners of the event enough time to complete any arrangements and historically allowed the invitees of the event to arrive from all across Emerstari. For example, the incumbent Emerstarian King, Erik XII Georg ascended to the throne on 7 July 1994 upon his father's abdication, and he was crowned on 25 December 1994.

The ceremony is presided over primarily by the Bishop of the Synod, the most senior cleric within the Church of Emerstari; however, many other clerics and peers have roles. Most participants in the ceremony are in ceremonial uniforms or robes and coronets. At the coronation of Erik XII Georg in 1994, there were 8,201 attendees in the cathedral and 12,049 people outside. It was viewed on television by around 32.1 million people in Emerstari, about ⅗ of the population at the time.

Procession and Procedures

The coronation process was layed out by Georg I Erik in a manuscript he had commissioned in 1501, describing more or less his own coronation ceremony, which occured in 1444. With the creation or extinction of various offices as well as the personal preferences of various monarchs, though, the modern coronation process may vary slightly. The most recent update to this manuscript was made in 1834 for the coronation of Gustaf III Folke; translated into English, it reads:

The King shall sleep the night before his coronation on the floor of the Hørnkapell of Rensulier Palace, given only his maud so as to keep warm and a pillow so as to not injure his head on the stone; here, he is in the sight of the Emerstarian saints and of the Lord Jesus above him in stained glass to be judged and blessed. At six of the clock in the morning the following day, the King shall be woken by his Groom of the Robes, who shall bring him and help him into a white tunic and drawers; he shall eat no breakfast. The King shall spend his time between six thirty and seven of the clock with the Bishop of the Synod to receive advice and to pray. After this, the King shall be left in solitude, still in the Hørnkapell, until ten of the clock in the morning.

At ten of the clock in the morning, in the file, the Coronation Parade shall begin its way from the Great Hall of Rensulier Palace to Rensulier Cathedral, in which the Clergymen of the Realm, Peers and Peeresses of the Realm, the Officers of the Government and of the Military, and the leaders and diplomatists of foreign nations have all ready been seated since nine of the clock: the Clergymen shall be seated in the upper left block, the Peers in the bottom left block, the Officers in the upper right block, the Peeresses in the bottom right block, the foreigners in the bottom central block, and the members of the Royal Family in the bottom central block of the second level; newsmen may be granted access to the apse of the second level to observe and record through permission from an officer of the Kuingskehus fur Riketts Heraldikt åg Hvede. By ten thirty of the clock, the Coronation Parade shall have reached the Cathedral; each entering member of the Parade shall be announced by the Herald of the Cathedral. The Bishop of the Synod, carrying the Cross of Rensulier, shall head the Parade, followed by the other Bishops of the Realm in rows of two from the easternmost Bishopric to the westernmost, each bearing the Crosses of the their Seat; next, the Dean of Rensulier Cathedral shall enter, walking to the left of the Chaplain of the Crown; the High Almoner shall follow, followed by the lesser Almoners in rows of two; giving the aforesaid clerics distance, the High Officers of the Royal Court shall enter in rows of two, first the Lord Chamberlain, the Lord Steward, the Lord Marshal, the Lord Admiral, the Lord Treasurer, the Lord Comptroller, and the Lord Sheriff; behind them shall be the Keeper of the Purse and the Calculator of the Purse next to each other; several members of the Royal Lifeguard shall then enter, in front of the Armsbearer with the Standard of His Majesty, the Cupbearer with the Silver Cup of His Majesty, the Crownbearer with the Coronation Crown, Sceptre, and Globus Cruciger of His Majesty and of Her Majesty, the Swordbearer with the Seven Swords of Virtue, and the several Heralds of His Majesty, carrying the outer robes of His Majesty, followed by the several Pages and Squires of His Majesty; and next, the equerry will enter, followed by the King's Champion, then in rows of two, the Master of the Horse, carrying the Silver Spurs, the Master of the Hunt, carrying in one hand the Royal Falconry Gloves and in the other the Royal Collar, and the Master of the Arms, carrying the Royal Family Tree. It is by this time, eleven of the clock in the morning, and the Men of His Majesty have entered and have taken their designated spots in the apse of the Cathedral. Now, the Kuingskeorkester on the left side of the second level and the Kuingskekur on the right side of the second level shall begin to preform Har en Skål fur Hans Majestet, with "Hans Majestet" replaced for "Hens Majestet" as the gentlemen-at-arms of the Queen-consort enter in rows of two. They are followed by, in rows of two, the Mistress of the Robes, the Women of the Bedchamber, and the Ladies-of-Honor, who shall be carrying the infant Princes and Princesses of Blood if there are any or shall walk in front of the elder Princes and Princesses of Blood if there are any; then, the Queen-consort shall enter, followed by her Maids-of-Honor who shall lift the tail of her dress; the Lord Chamberlain, the Lord Treasurer, the Lord Comptroller, and the Lord Steward of the Consort shall follow in rows of two; finally, the equerry of Her Majesty shall enter, and the music shall cease as they take their designated spots in the apse.

At eleven thirty of the clock in the morning, the King shall for the first time in the day leave the Hørnkapell as well as Rensulier Palace, in only his tunic with his Storskepled around his shoulders, and he shall walk with two Horsemen of the Guard on either side of him through the streets of Platsholm as the people of Emerstari look on. At eleven forty-five, the Horsemen of the Guard shall stop outside of the Cathedral as the King enters, and the orchestra and choir shall preform Der Kuingssång. The Herald shall merely say, "I present unto you, our beloved (name)," and the King shall walk in silence from the entrance of the Cathedral to in front of the Crucifix as all look on, and he shall lye his Storskepled down and prostrate himself upon it. The music shall stop and none shall speak while the Bible of Georg I Erik is passed from the Dean of Rensulier Cathedral to the Bishop of the Synod, and the Bishop of the Synod shall say:

God eternal, All powerful, Creator and Governor of the Heavens and the Earth, Maker and Disposer of angels and of men, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Thou who madest Abraham Thy faithful servant to triumph over his enemies, who hast raised to the highest in the Kingdom David, Thy humble servant, and hast delivered him out of the mouth of the lion, and out of the paw of the beast, and likewise from Goliath, and from the malicious sword of Saul, and from all his enemies, and has enriched Solomon with the wondrous gift of wisdom and of peace, forgive and accept our humble prayers, and multiply the gifts of Thy blessings on this Thy servant, who with all right is King, and we beseech Thee encompass him evermore, and in all places with the right hand of Thy power, so that strengthened by the fidelity of Abraham, possessed of the patience of Joshua, inspired with the humility of David, adorned with the wisdom of Solomon, he may be to Thee ever pleasing, and walk evermore without offence in the way of justice, and henceforth in such wise succour, direct, guard and uplift the church of the whole kingdom, and the people belonging thereto, may he administer with puissance and right royally the rule of Thy power against all enemies visible and invisible, may he aided by Thee inspire them with their sometime loyalty so that made glad by the fidelity of all his people, and provided with the helmet of Thy protection, and ever guarded with the invincible buckler, and compassed about with the celestial armies, he may happily triumph over his enemies, cause the infidel to fear his power, and with joy bring peace to those who fight under Thy banner. Adorn him by many a gracious blessing, with the virtues with the which Thou hast enriched Thy faithful ones aforesaid, counsel him richly in the government of the kingdom, and anoint him plenteously with the grace of the Holy Spirit.

The Bishop of the Synod shall hand the Bible of Georg I Erik to the Dean of Rensulier Cathedral, then be handed by the Chaplain of the Crown the anointment oil as the King kneels up on his knees and unbuttons his shirt. The Bishop of the Synod shall put three fingers into the oil, and he shall spread it across the forehead, the chest, on both shoulders of the King, and say, "I anoint thee King with Holy Oil in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." He shall further say:

May Jesus Christ our Lord and God, and Son of God, who by the Father was anointed with the oil of gladness above all others who are one with Him, by this present infusion of the sacred unction pour upon thy head the blessing of the Holy Spirit, and make it go even unto the innermost recesses of thy heart, so that thou canst by this visible and material gift, perceive the things invisible, and after having with right moderation accomplished the temporal kingdom, mayest thou reign with Him eternally for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour.

The Bishop of the Synod will then button up the King's shirt, and he will say, once the Bible of Georg I Erik has been given to the King by the Dean of Rensulier Cathedral, "(name), will you with divine right given unto you by God, accept the Kingship of Emerstari?" The King shall answer, "I swear I will preform my duty to lead and guide the Emerstarian nation, expected of me to do by God, from now onwards with respect to chastity with the practice of temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility. So help me God." The King shall then kiss the Bible of Georg I Erik, and he shall pass it to the Queen-consort who shall kneel beside him at that moment. The Bishop of the Synod shall say to her, "(name), will you respect your union to (name of the King), and accept the Queenship of Emerstari?" The Queen-consort shall say, "I swear I will preform my duty to my husband and to the Emerstarian nation, expected of me to do by God, from now onwards with respect to chastity with the practice of temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility. So help me God." The Queen-consort shall hand the Bible of Georg I Erik to the Dean of Rensulier Cathedral, and the Crownbearer shall pass the Crown, the Sceptre, and the Globus Cruciger of Her Majesty to the Mistress of the Robes who shall place each upon Her Majesty, and the Bishop of the Synod shall tell Her Majesty to rise, and the Herald of Rensulier Cathedral shall say, "I present you, (name), Queen-consort of Emerstari and the Emerstarian Empire." The Queen-consort shall then rise as all call out, "Long live the Queen!" and return to her spot in the apse. The Groom of the Robes shall take the robes of His Majesty from the Heralds of His Majesty and put them onto His Majesty, who is still kneeling: he shall have the King rise, and he shall first put on the pants of the King, then the breeches of the King; he shall put onto the King his vest over his tunic, and he shall put onto the King his overcoat; he shall put the belt of the King, and he shall put the King's shoes on him; then he shall put the coronation robes onto the King, and finally he shall put around the King's shoulders his Storskepled. The Crownbearer thereafter will put on the Crown, the Sceptre, and the Globus Cruciger of His Majesty, and the Swordbearer will attach to the King's belt, the Sword of Humility. Finally, the Herald of Rensulier Palace will call out, before the King turns around to face all attendees, "I present to you, (Name), King of Emerstari and the Emerstarian Empire." All will respond, "Long live the King!" and the orchestra and choir shall preform Regel Emerige. When the music stops, the King shall sit in the Golden Throne and the Queen-consort beside him in the Silver Throne, and the Bishop of the Synod shall be handed the Bible of Georg I Erik by the Dean of Rensulier Palace, and he shall read the several selected pieces of the Gospel to all the attendees. It is now one thirty of the clock in the afternoon, and the Peers and Peeresses of the Realm shall, once the Bishop of the Synod has finished reading the several selected pieces and returned the Bible of Georg I Erik to the Dean of Rensulier Cathedral, come up one by one and swear loyalty to the King, saying "I, (name and title), in witness of the Lord God Almighty, swear my alliegiance to you, my Liege, (name of the King)." They shall do this by rank and then by easternmost location to westernmost, and then the Officers of Government and Military shall do this by rank and then by their placement within the alphabet. When this has been completed, the orchestra and band shall play Ervigner Rike, and when the song has been completed, the attendees shall be alloted until four to be among each other.

When it is four of the clock in the afternoon, the Coronation Parade shall reform in the same way in which it entered and exit thusly, except that the Royal Family shall, in carriage, leave last, escorted to Rensulier Palace by numerous Horsemen of the Royal Lifeguard. The King shall finally eat dinner at six of the clock in the afternoon, and he shall at ten of the clock at night, retire to the Royal Bedchamber with the Queen-consort.

History

The earliest events comparable to a coronation, in which a successor to some title took an oath and was crowned, originated with the clergy and the various bishops of Emerstari prior to its unification, so it is figured that when Emerstari was unified by Erik I of Emerstari, he had himself crowned to bring forth an idea of divine right and legitimacy. He was crowned at Rensulier Cathedral, but after the death of Karl I, coronations took place at various cities under various royal houses. Many took place at Uppsalle due to the de facto dominance of the Bishop of Whentii over all of the other bishops up until the Reformation in Emerstari.

The Bible of Georg I Erik on display in Rensulier Cathedral.

These earliest coronations likely involved many of the core aspects of the modern Emerstarian coronations, including prostration, annointing, crowning, and investing. Though, they differed in the fact that they were mostly private events that only the royal family, clergy, and most powerful peers were invited to. The first somewhat public coronation was the coronation of Sigismund II Kristoffer in 1390, who, it is believed, wanted the Emerstarian nation to rejoice after its liberation from a decade Marseilian rule. Many of the traditions of the coronation of the Emerstarian monarch were recorded, so as to be practiced by later monarchs, several decades later by Georg I Erik.

In the eighteenth century, paintings of Emerstarian coronations began to appear, and reenactments of coronations sometimes appeared in theatres. A reenactment of the coronation of Erik IX Johann in 1744, ran for three months after the event in the Kungsketietre in Rensulier. Later, in the early twentieth century, with the coronation of Erik X Gustaf in 1916, coronations were broadcasted on radio and photographed for the first time. The coronation of Erik XI Deitrik in 1972 was the first Emerstarian coronation to have been televised.

After celebrations

The Coronation Banquet of Gustaf III Folke.

The Anointing of the Queen-consort of Erik X Gustaf, Nathalie Jakoba Leijonhuvud.

After the end of the ceremony at Rensulier Cathedral, there are no further celebrations throughout the day as it is viewed to be too solemn of an occasion to be so festive on. The following day, however, the monarch and the consort shall sit in the Throne Room of Rensulier Palace to have their official state portraits painted, as well as in the modern-day, have their official state pictures taken. Some time after this has occurred, usually around five o'clock in the afternoon, most of the same guests invited to the Coronation Ceremony itself shall be invited to attend a Coronation Banquet in the Palace. There are two important traditions associated with this banquet: firstly, the Champion of His Majesty will ensure, before anyone has sat down, that no one present is opposed to his enthronement, and secondly, no one shall eat until after the Bishop of the Synod has given thanks and the King has began to eat. The Champion of His Majesty says the following in his ensurance:

If any person, of any degree soever, whether they be high or low in title, shall deny or gainsay that our beloved (name of the King), King of Emerstari and etc., rightful son and next heir of our beloved (name of the previous King) now deceased, to be the true Sovereign Emerstarian by the Grace of the Lord God Almighty, make yourself known and approach me now. If any person shall say that he lies and is a traitor himself, make yourself known and approach me now. I, the Champion of His Majesty, am certainly ready to defend his Honor and place upon the Throne in combat against you. So, be you as the person who was described above, make yourself known and approach me now, and we shall cross swords until the other lies dead; be you as the person who was described above, but you are too afeared to approach me and to cross swords, make yourself known now and banish yourself in shame from this nation, that does together, in earnest, love our King, (name of the King).