crypt unearthed during post-flooding clear-up on the Margit Sziget (Margaret ... daughter Saint Margaret, after whom the island is named, there has been a ...
Editor’s Note The subject of this article is the medieval coronet discovered in a grave in Hungary in 1838. The format is much abbreviated and makes reference to more detailed explanatory paragraphs in the full version, to which a reader needing more information should refer. The full article contains appropriate bibliography and references (qv).
{ XE }Introduction Since the day when a coronet was discovered in a convent grave on a Hungarian island on the Danube in the 19th century, no clearly convincing, consistent explanation has been found, despite extensive study, as to its history and origin1. The author has attacked the task from a different starting point from that hitherto adopted by others: that is, using the internal symbolism of the coronet itself, links between Arpad and related family members, and events that were considered relevant around the date range widely accepted. This abbreviated paper confines itself to the coronet alone, only briefly summarising the other topics. The “halotti”2 Margit Coronet was discovered amongst debris around a sand-stone coffin or small crypt unearthed during post-flooding clear-up on the Margit Sziget (Margaret Island), lying halfway across the Danube between Buda and Pest. “Margit Coronet” is thus a soubriquet based not on the assumed owner’s name, but rather on the geographic location where the discovery was made. This was in 1838 as part of the great reconstruction task of the city following catastrophic spring flooding. The graves, and various items within them, were found by labourers employed by the island’s owner, Archduke Joseph Hapsburg. The flooding was so severe it destroyed most of Pest. Consequently, very little first-hand evidence is now available to help trace the origin of the coronet, except, of course, the intrinsic evidence of the item itself. PREVIOUS RESEARCH
Apart from physical examination and description of the item, little of reliable substance has been documented by the Hungarian authorities about the coronet’s provenance. They have proposed various explanations over the years since its discovery : that it belonged to a grandson of King Béla IV3, Prince Béla (murdered on the island in 1272); or to the son of Béla IV, Istvan V, who died in 1272; 1
References are in Appendix B
2
“halotti” meaning “burial” in Hungarian
3
For a brief summary genealogy of Hungarian Arpad royal dynasty, see Appendix A
or the wife of Béla IV, Erzsebet “The Cuman”, who died in 1213 or Szabina, a daughter of Bela IV or to Elizabeth of Hungary (canonized after her death), daughter of Andrew II, wife of Ludwig IV of Thuringia, patroness of the Order of Teutonic Knights, who died in 1231, and is buried at Marburg.
These tentative opinions seem to have been based on evidence of the location in which the coronet was found, a Dominican Convent, rather than any documentation or intrinsic study of the object itself. Since King Béla IV financed the construction of the convent around 1255, for housing his daughter Saint Margaret, after whom the island is named, there has been a strong temptation to associate the coronet with members of his close family who were alive from the time of its occupation in 1255 until the arrival of the conquering Turks in 1526. However, they suggest no firm evidence in support of their suggested dating of around 1280. None of them discuss the symbolism of the elements. The most significant of these elements is surely the sycamore leaf motif: strongly associated with the Teutonic Knights, it would have been unthinkable for a member of the royal family to wear such a symbol when the movement had been banished from the kingdom in 1226. In a field such as medieval Christian burial traditions, complicated by invasion and war, the assumption that the simple explanation is likely to be the truth can be far from reliable. All possible candidates for ownership cannot be eliminated simply because they died before the convent was built. As Paul Binski makes clear in his book on the medieval attitude to death (Appendix B, reference B2), reburial of revered people’s bones bestowed increased status on their remains and enhanced both their prestige and that of the burial places. It seems the coronet was found in a family grave, and that the skeletal remains were incomplete. Other accounts refer to there being a number of arm and thigh-bones, too numerous for a single individual, and therefore strongly suggesting the tomb was a family crypt. The grave was lined with a primitive form of concrete, although at first this was thought to be sandstone. The original coronet is housed in the National Museum, and an accurate copy is kept in the Castle Museum in Buda. (See photograph 1). STUDY SCOPE
This study intends to answer, or at least propose answers more credible than hitherto, to some fundamental questions about it, within a reasonable margin of doubt. A cohesive theory has to answer the following questions convincingly, that is, based largely on documented and internal symbolic evidence or believable extrapolation
For whom was the coronet originally made? When was it made? Where was it made? For what purpose was it made? How did it come to be in Hungary? Who subsequently owned it? In whose grave was it found? Why was it buried and not passed on to a surviving relative? How can the 3 main elements of the design be interpreted symbolically? Why do all other candidates fail to qualify?
From the intrinsic design, it must connect France, Hungary, and England or Castile in one person, probably a woman.
Photograph 1 The Margit Coronet
{ XE }Description of the Coronet It can be seen from Photograph 1 that the subject coronet gives a visual impression that it is Western European in form. The coronet is constructed as a hinged octagon of 8 silver gilt rectangular plates (about 6.3cm long x 3cm wide x 2mm thick) at the top centre of each of which is a fleur-de-lis, which stands about 3.2cm above the plate. The whole assembly forms an octagonal ring about 170mm in “diameter” and 62mm high. The gilding technique used is known by the French term Verneuil, and was achieved using a mercury-gold amalgam, and was widely found in medieval and renaissance items. The hinge pins at the ends of the plates each carry 3 plane tree leaves (acer, maple, or sycamore?) at the upper end. The centre of each horizontal plate features a 6 petal rosette, with circular petals having serrulate edges, in the centre of which is a stone. These 8 centre stones have settings that alternate between round, rectangular, and elliptical. All stones are roll-set, rather than claw-set, as seen on the majority of pieces of jewellery from the high medieval period, for example Thomas-aBecket’s reliquary of 1190 and a sword scabbard in the Louvre attributed to the same date, and some stones are raised on pedestals about 6mm high.
Photograph 2 “Rose” and Lily
Photograph 3 The hinge pin and leaves
The petals are scalloped circular gilded silver convex discoids. The rosettes are flanked by stones, one on either side, which again alternate between circular, elliptical, diamond-shaped, triangular, rectangular, and even pentagonal (see photograph #1). Each fleur-de-lis is decorated with one centre stone and 3 others, one above and one each side, mounted on pedestal pillars about 6mm high, and so standing outwards at right-angles to the fleur-de-lis plate The florettes or rosettes may not be purely floral (and the main paper deals with many possible alternatives). Nonetheless, the strong impression given both by the shape and the reddish colour, is that the floral design is meant to depict a rose, whatever other meaning it might convey. The plates of the coronet are tied together by hinge-pins at the ends. Each pin carries what appear to be 3 plane tree leaves at the top, for the application of a turning torque to unscrew the pins, allowing the coronet to be dis-assembled. Instead of the supposed plane tree or sycamore leaves, the capitals on the top of the hinge pins may be vine leaves, but this is not conclusively convincing. They much more closely correspond to sycamore leaves. Unlike the major part of the coronet, whose construction is very simple, the sycamore leaves are more elaborate in conception and execution, which might indicate the hinge pins were a later addition by a different silversmith. Hungarian researchers have themselves proposed that these pins are a later addition. Such a thesis, if correct, would suggest the owner(s) possessed it for a long time span, and valued it more for its connection with events in his or her life than for any artistic or official value. But such speculation goes considerably beyond limits of description of the material per se, but will be deferred until later in this essay. The small size and extreme lightness of the design (see photograph1) suggest a coronet for a lady rather than a man4, although it could conceivably have been made for a young prince. Most recent Hungarian study has also concluded that it was made for a woman, on account of the lightness of the design and also the diameter, which is about 20 mm smaller than a coronet for an adult male of the medieval period. They also believe the sycamore leaves to be a later addition, though they give no explanation, nor any comment of the possible symbolism. This leaf design feature becomes quite significant as shown later in this study. Throughout the rest of this article, feminine provenance will be assumed in the text. From the simplicity, and the find location, as well as other features of the design, in particular the shape of the Fleurs-de-lis, it is believed by Hungarian historians to date from the late 13th or early 14th century, and is of western craftsmanship, i.e. not Byzantine (which is obvious enough). The author of this present study is critical of their conclusion, and explains (in the main paper) how very slowly the design evolved and how different designs contemporaneously co-existed (qv) How Would the Coronet be Worn, and by Whom?
A statuette in the Louvre (part of the Trésor de Conques) gives an excellent impression of how the coronet wearer would have appeared in public, often adding a veil:
4
See ref E. Vattai “A Marget Szigeti Korona”
Photograph 5a and b From the Trésor de Conques, Louvre, Paris
This important statue will be returned to later, apropos the sycamore leaf motif on the lady’s dress. Many instances of contemporary paintings and statuettes indicate that such a circlet or coronet was worn over a veil. From around, or before, the early 12th century many of the top echelon of the aristocracy began to emulate the king or queen, on the basis that it would demonstrate to the court that the wearer represented the monarch. The practice spread, and by the mid 13th century in Western Europe, statutes were passed to end the practice. Thus for a period of around 150 years, princesses (that is, daughters of the monarch) and significant duchesses would have worn such an item.
{ XE }Comparison With Other Coronet Designs Due to anti-monarchist revolutions in France and England, and devastating invasions effecting central Europe and Hungary, there are very few original coronets to study from the 12th and 13th centuries, which would enable more precise and reliable dating to be done. However, one Hungarian research paper does make a comparison of several5. This section therefore includes regalia of the church, such as crowned figures of the Virgin Mary, produced prolifically by the Limoges workshops between 1220 and 1350, and gilt crucifixes that contain a Fleur-de-lis in the design.
Hungarian Examples
5
The seal of King Béla III’s son King Imre, of 1202, shows a crown similar to the Margit Coronet, though slightly more elaborate in being less square-cut. No decoration is shown on the side plates. The seal of Béla III also shows the fleur-de-lis emblem, which is difficult to explain convincingly, unless it was made after his marriage to Margaret Capet. (See Appendix B: Balázs and Szelény page 44). It might just pre-date his marriage, to say 1170, as by then his friend Louis VII of France had made the Fleur-de-lis popular in Western Europe. Béla III wished to emulate western thinking, and presumably fashion, which could well have dictated his choice of motif. However, this is pure speculation.
Vattai, see Appendix.
Part of a crown from the 13th century has been found in former pre-Trianon Hungarian territory, and is in the National Museum, Budapest. If the full version had 8 plates, the diameter would be about 14 cm, and it is therefore made for a very young princess, probably for her wedding, when she would be typically 12 to 14 years old. It is depicted in the paper by Laszlo Gerevitch (see Appendix B). The Margit Coronet is rather larger in diameter (17cm). However, what is significant about the subject coronet is that the material from which it is made, that is a silver-gold amalgam, was never used in Hungary at the period in question: the material was either pure gold or pure silver6. The subject coronet was therefore not originally of Hungarian origin.
Anglo-Norman or French Designs Prior to Béla III having re-oriented Hungarian cultural and political ties away from Byzantium and Greece, and more towards France and Naples, earlier period coronets or circlets used in Hungary would have been Byzantine in form and design. Though the evidence is very scarce, it appears that prior to the end of the 12th century coronets were not widely used anyway. As he embraced western culture after his coronation (his first wife came from a French family de Chatillon, although she was raised in Outremer) King Béla’s taste for regalia would be modelled more on the French style, and that tradition continued in later centuries. What do we learn from that style?
6
There is a depiction in an illustrated biography of St.Thomas-a-Becket (dated 1220 or thereabouts) attributed to Mathew of Paris, of a Norman French crown used by Henry Plantagenet (Henry The Young King) at his coronation banquet in 1170 (See photo #4). It strongly resembles the Margit Coronet. The original is in the J.Paul Getty archive at Wormsley House, Buckinghamshire, England. In the left hand panel (showing the coronation) Young Henry is shown wearing the same crown as that worn by his father in the right hand side banquet scene, so that one must have been from the official regalia. In the banquet scene itself, on the right hand panel, Young Henry is shown wearing a coronet, which alternates the upper ornamentation of his father’s crown (possibly depicting an acanthus leaf) with that of the fleur-de-lis. Below the fleur-de-lis is a large “blob”, which might correspond to the 6-petal rosette. Significantly, the colour is bright red.
Gyongyi Hajnal, private letter
Photograph 6 Crown of Henry “The Young King” at his coronation feast (1170). Executed no later than 12307.
The crown designs used for Plantagenet tomb sculptures are described in the full paper (qv).
7
From the book “La Glaive et la Croix” sub-titled “Templiers, Hospitaliers, et Chevaliers Teutoniques” there is a reproduction of a design on the tomb of a Teutonic Knight
Kindly provided by the Getty Estate Library, Wormsley, Buckinghamshire, UK
Photograph 7 Tomb of a Teutonic Knight8 showing sycamore motif
The 2 leaves held as sacred symbols by the Order are depicted here: the sycamore and the oak. The Medieval Museum at Cluny La Sorbonne (St. Germain des Près, Paris) has examples of crowns and coronets and several are discussed in the full paper (qv). Also in the Louvre Tresor de Conques, item OA 58 is entitled “Coronation of the Virgin”, seemingly just a devotional religious subject, although this may depict real people. It is very specifically portrait-like in character, and is secular in tone (See Photograph 5). Executed in polychrome on ivory, it depicts a young queen or princess, seated facing a kingly figure, possibly her father. The girl’s coronet has no decoration other than a wavy edge, and is cylindrical. The striking feature is, however, her dress. It is cream coloured, has Fleurs-deLys of the separated type, and features a few plane tree or sycamore leaves around the breast.
Photo 8 Detail from photograph 5, showing sycamore leaves
As already mentioned, this sycamore motif indicates a strong association with supporters of, or even members of, the Order of Teutonic Knights. The item is dated around the middle of the 13th c.
Figure 2 The Young King Henry Plantagenet’s Crown as depicted in a drawing in “Life St.Thomas of Canterbury”. See Photograph 6 above.
See Appendix B reference B11: F.N.Portela & C. de Ayala Martinez “La Glaive et la Croix” sub-titled “Templiers, Hospitaliers, et Chevaliers Teutoniques” 8
An Early Medieval Example
Whilst in no way drawing a close comparison between the subject and the early medieval example, the famous Crown of Lombardy should be noted (kept in Monza, Italy, and probably made for Queen Theodolinda around 700), because it carries the same 6 petal rosette motif, as shown below in Figure 3:
Figure 3 The Crown of Lombardy. Note the 6-petal rosettes
Clearly, the six petal floral motif meant far more to medieval people and to crown designers during the Middle Ages than it does to modern observers, even though artistically it is still widely used. The Encyclopedia Brittanica (1961 edition under “Crowns”) states that: “However, simple circlets were worn in the 9th century, as is shown by the “iron crown” in Monza, which probably comes from the legacy of a Carolingian princess. At this time it became usual, following Old Testament tradition, to give the ornaments that surmounted the circlet the form of lilies........ From the 13th century (or possibly late 12th century??), artistically worked wreaths included the golden coronet decorated with precious stones (circulum or garlanda), which was set on the head of a bride, and with which princesses adorned themselves”. It is very likely, therefore, that the 6-petal flower motif is also an Old Testament tradition. The only extant examples of this design used for religious symbolism now seem to be the Judaic Seder plate used for Passover meals. This would, naturally, also have been used by Jesus and his disciples at the Last Supper, and thus at some stage was adopted in Christian iconography. And the 6 roundel shaped circular windows widely seen in Gothic churches. The shape is very old, maybe 2 to 3 thousand years old, and appears in Buddhist and Shinto Japanese art, in the Jewish Seder plate, and in Christian architecture spanning the High Medieval to the present. Today, the significance of this ubiquitous symbol remains obscure.
Photograph 9 Bulguk-sa Temple, S. Korea
Photograph 10 Jewish Seder Plate
Photograph 11 From a book of Oriental Symbols9
Photo 12 Saint Germain, Yvelines, France
{ XE }Location and Circumstances of the Find The site of the convent where the coronet was discovered is on an island in the Danube River, located in north central Budapest, which today is called Margit Sziget, (See photo 13). A Premonstratensian Monastery church (St. Michael’s), and seemingly a convent or nunnery, were built there some time in the late 12th or early 13th century (possibly around 1190-1220), presumably, though not necessarily, as sister houses to one at Zsámbék and another at Esztergom, as discussed below.
9
See Appendix B for references
Dominican Convent Site Premonstratensian Church Site (and replica today)
Photograph 13: Margaret Island, Budapest today. View Looking Southwards, in the direction of flow of the Danube
During an invasion by the Mongol armies in 1241, this convent church was destroyed. Next to the ruins, about 100 metres south, King Béla IV built a Dominican Convent, which was finished in 1255, to accommodate his daughter, the saintly Margaret, in memory of whom the island is named. This northern part of the island belonged in the Middle Ages to the clergy of the Archbishop of Esztergom (see main article Appendix B, “Budapest” by F.Somorjai). In Hungary, in the winter and early spring of 1837-1838, there occurred the worst flooding on record, and most of the houses in low-lying Pest were destroyed. Whilst clearing the flood damage on the Margaret Island, workmen dealt with the rubble of 6 graves or crypts among the ruins of the Dominican Convent Church, and amongst randomly scattered bones a coronet was found, together with a jasper (chalcedony) stone in a gold ring, and remains of a silk shroud or garment interwoven with gold thread (“filigree”). Sadly, the chalcedony/jasper ring and the silk remnants were lost, although the description and drawings have survived.
Photograph 14 : Grave #3; the site in which the coronet was found, at the Dominican Convent, Margit Sziget, south side of the altar, which stood to the right of the frame
Of these 6 crypts, 3 have been identified and associated with an individual Saint Margaret, daughter of Béla IV (crypt number #1 op cit) Istvan V, chronicled as buried here, possibly in crypt #6 (because of its proximity to the altar) Erzsebet, wife of Istvan V, possibly (by symmetry with #6) crypt #2 Plus the grave of the Greek knight, lying between crypts #5 and #6. Thus, there are three crypts remaining unidentified, including grave #3 where the coronet was found. Additionally, it is not clear which of the 6 contained the remains of Prince Béla, who is known to have been murdered not far away in 1272 and his body carried to the convent. If amongst the crypt #3 bones, in which there were those of a man, it is possible the remains are some of Prince Béla’s (grandson of Béla IV), as believed by the Hungarian archaeologists. But since he was killed only a short distance away, why would his grave contain only a forearm? Burial of only a part of a body was usually only done a) if the person died a long distance away from the site b) if several places had claim to the body c) if the deceased willed it so No matter in whose grave the item was found, there appears to be strong evidence to suggest the coronet is of much earlier origin than Prince Béla, and anyway belonged to a princess not a prince. It is understood that the bones found were randomly scattered, the skeletons being incomplete. If the “sandstone” walls completely protected the bones, then the remains of Prince Béla would be expected to be complete, since he was murdered on the same island, less than 1 km away from the site. If the skeletons were non-articulated, ie incomplete, or the bones were arranged neatly and without human decomposition mud, it would indicate the person, or people, died a long way from
Budapest (at least 2 to 3 weeks wagon journey away). The body would then have been rendered down, and the bones (most but not necessarily all of them) would be returned to the location dictated in the will. The crypt either contained the remains of two people, a man and a woman, or three people: a man and two women (accounts differ). It was therefore a special crypt, associated with the Arpád ruling dynasty, and probably a case where remains from a previous interment had been moved and reburied.
{ XE }Possible Candidates for Its Original Owner Because the most prominent features of the design of the Margit Coronet comprise the fleur-de-lis and the rosettes, in close proximity, this strongly suggests to most interested people today (but does not alone confirm its truth) a Franco-Norman English, a Franco-Provencal or a Franco-Castilian connection. Associating symbols with the wearer’s origins and social status implies it would therefore have been worn at either the wedding of the couple or the coronation of the husband, or his bride, or on both occasions. Burial crowns were usually made of base metal such as bronze or iron, were very simple in design, and contained little of intrinsic value. The coronet in question is too elaborate for such a purpose, and was clearly intended to establish the wearer’s status in this world, not in the next. Furthermore, it is not of pure gold, and is thus was of lower intrinsic value and would thus not have merited being sold for the benefit of the poor, or to benefit an ecclesiastical foundation. The Fleur-de-lis (abbreviated FdL here) was adopted as the French emblem for the monarchy around 1160. The rose was not widely used as an English heraldic device until about 1236, when Eleonore of Provence introduced it from Provence to England on her marriage to Henry III Plantagenet. The rose does however, have strong associations with certain regions or cities. One could quote, for example, Normandy, Picardy, and Provence in France, Castile in Spain, and Esztergom in Hungary, where in the latter case the rose is usually depicted as having 6 petals, which is botanically incorrect. The plane tree/sycamore leaf has only rarely featured as a heraldic or symbolic device, and is therefore probably a later, personal, or local symbol. There is evidence (see for example the medieval depiction of a Teutonic Knight in the library of the University of Heidelberg, Germany) that the Teutonic Knights used the sycamore and the oak leaves as emblems (see photograph 8). There may be clues in the three main elements of the design. Whilst the FdL, the rose, and the plane tree leaf are used, in Hungary and in France, as medieval symbolic design motifs, it is only on this unique item that all 3 occur together. The conjunction of a rose and a fleur-de-lis is a very strong clue that the coronet design motifs were symbolic of a Norman-English-French or ProvencalAngevin or French-Castilian concordat, such as a marriage alliance. The plane tree leaf is a rather more obscure clue than these other two elements, and Hungarian researchers tend to lean towards this being a later addition, possibly indicating the use of the coronet by a later member of the family e.g. for a wedding. However, none of them comments further as to its symbolism. This author strongly advocates it was added when Elisabeth Arpád of Hungary married Ludwig of Thuringia in 1221. So, the clues are:
A rosette motif, which together with the FdL possibly signifies Norman English (>1240) and Provence combination, or Angevin and English/Provence or French/Castilian connections.
Strong Hungarian connection, certainly someone resident in or near Buda wealthy enough, and residing for long enough, to endow an Augustinian or Dominican order. Date between say 1160 (first use of the FdL) and 1360 (from unreliable stylistic evidence in the shape of the FdL), or between 1160 and 1227, the last date when the sycamore motif would have been acceptable in Hungary. The coronet was not gifted to the convent to where the owner retired, assuming she retired there, neither was it given to a relative, because it was buried in a tomb. It was thus of low intrinsic value, but was probably considered by those close to her in life to be precious to her in death, a token from a wedding for example. The sycamore leaves may denote a connection with the Order of Teutonic Knights, who were prominent in Hungary from 1211 until 1227, when they were expelled.
If the coronet was associated with the remains of a woman, either a) she was Hungarian, assigned to the convent, and never married (so why the dual English/Provence/Catilian and French motif? And why would she own any possession such as a coronet?) e.g. Saint Margaret, daughter of Béla IV, was a nun all her life and had no personal possessions. b) she retired there after the death of her husband, who must therefore have had strong Hungarian associations, e.g. Marie, daughter of Istvan V and widow of Charles of Anjou, or Erzsebet of Thuringia. c) she might have been divorced, or more likely widowed, from someone with NormanEnglish, Provencal or French-Angevin origin, and subsequently went to live in Buda, e.g. Marie Arpád d) she was a French, Provencal, Castilian or English princess for whom the coronet was originally made, and this was a personal item gifted to a surviving relative in the will, e.g. made for Margaret Capet who gave it to her step-daughter Margaret, or it was used by the family for a wedding, e.g. of Elizabeth, Margaret’s husband’s grand-daughter. e) Or the bones were originally buried elsewhere, and re-interred on the Margit Sziget in an Arpàd crypt, e.g. Margaret Capet who was a queen (twice), wife of an Arpàd, lived in Esztergom for 10 years, was very wealthy, funded the Premonstratensian movement, and died on pilgrimage in Acre in the Holy Land. f) The only woman of royal birth with strong links to the Teutonic Knights was Erzsebeth Arpád, posthumously Saint Elizabeth, grand-daughter of Bela III, and having no Norman-French-Castilian connections, but married into a family supporting the Teutonic Order (Thuringia). Assuming that the coronet was made for a woman, then who might the candidates be?
# 1
Name Cristiana de Hauteville
2
Anna Agnes de Chatillon, who was born and raised in the Holy Land (at Antioch)
3
Margaret Capet, daughter of Louis VII of France and Constanza of Castile. Born 1158, died 1197
4
Yolanda de Coutenay, 2nd wife of Andrew II.
5
Gertrude of Meran, 1st wife of Béla III’s son Andrew II. Beatrice d’Este, 3rd wife of Andrew II Erzsebeth, daughter of Andrew II, later Saint Elizabeth of Hungary
6 7
8
9
Constanza de Aragon, She was the wife of King Imre (Emeric who died in 1204) having no Angevin connection. Isabelle d’Anjou, [d.1304] wife and widow of Laszlo IV [died 1290], who had Angevin, but no English connections
10 Maria, daughter of Istvan V, who married Charles Robert d’Anjou , King of Naples and Sicily. She died in 1323.
Notes and Comments Probable wife of Istvan II, who died in 1131, niece of Robert Guiscard of Sicily. But the FdL was not used during her lifetime. No Hungarian, Castilian or Provencal connection. She was the first wife of Béla III (m 1173). She died in 1184, and was buried at Székesfehérvár in the dynastic tomb there. She had no close English/Provence/Castile connection. A funeral crown was buried with her, and carried no French symbols. A coronet she would have worn whilst living, has disappeared. If it had any special design, this is more likely to have been Byzantine rather than Western. Her first husband was Henry Plantagenet, The Young King, son of Henry II Plantagenet (who died in 1183). Her second husband was King Béla III. The second marriage took place in November 1186. Béla’s children were all born to Anna-Agnes, his first wife. Margaret survived Béla III, dying in St Jean d’Acre in October 1197, leaving no children to survive her. She had been Duchess of Anjou and Normandy, for whom traditionally the coronet was described in 1204 as forming “a ring of roses.” She spent most of her youth in Constantinople, the daughter of Peter, King of the Latins. Her probable date of birth is 1198. She married King Andrew II in about 1215, and predeceased him in 1233. Yolanda has no obvious English or Anjou connections, and only a remote French association. Any personal coronet would probably have been Byzantine in form. A close relative of Gertrude, Agnes of Meran, had married the stepbrother of Margaret Capet (Philippe II Auguste) She may have been Angevin, but with no known Norman-English, Castilian or Provencal connection. Married in 1221 to Ludwig IV of Thuringia, a prominent supporter of the Teutonic Knights. She died 1231 and was buried in Marburg. One researcher into the coronet states that Erzsebeth had a copy made of an Arpad Coronet and wore it herself, suggesting the subject coronet may only have been loaned to her for her wedding. She married at the same age as Margaret Capet, 14 Her parents were Alfonso II of Aragon and Sancha of Castile. The only French association is her grandfather, Alphonse VII de Bourgogne, who was alive too early to use the fleur-de-lis.
If the present thesis is wrong in ascribing the rose to England, but it is Provencal, or if the flowers are not roses, then she is a strong candidate. Her father was Angevin, and her mother was Provencale. If only the Hungarian professional historians are to be believed about dating (they suggest no firm owner) then Isabelle is the most likely owner, but the use of the sycamore leaves effectively rules this out, since the order of Teutonic Knights to which these pertain, were banished in 1225 or 7 No English connection. They married in 1270, and he died in 1307 in Casanova. Her father is known to have been buried in the convent church, but she is chronicled in having been buried in Naples. Her father-in-law was Angevin, and her mother-in-law was Provencale. Her mother-in-law’s sister Eleanore introduced the
11 Marie de Blois married Lajos
rose to England in 1236. However, as in the case 10 stated above, the last use of a sycamore leaf pre-dates her era. The style of the coronet is earlier than this date.
I in 1342. TABLE 1 POSSIBLE CANDIDATES FOR OWNERSHIP OF THE CORONET
The table below shows the genealogy of the royal family of Hungary from Béla III. Possible female descendants who might have used the coronet are shown in colour.
Sancha ofAragon Born ?? Died ?? Buried??
Imre I K of Hungary Born ??? Died 1204
Yolanda de Courtenay Q of Hungary Born ?? Died 1233 Buried??
Béla IV K of Hungary Born Died 1270 Buried ??
8 daughters Kinga;Margit;Anna; Katalin;Erzsebet; Constance;Ilona-Szabina St Margaret
Isabelle d’Anjou Sister of Charles II Born 1261 Died 1304 Buried??
Maria Laszkarisz
Istvan V Born ?? Died 1272 Buried Budapest
Laszlo IV Born ?? Died 1290 Buried ??
Erzsebeth B 1207 M 1221 d. 1235
Gertrude of Istria Andras II K of Hungary Born 1176 Died 1235 Buried ??
Ludwig Of Thuringia
Marie-Margit Born 1187 Died ??
Beatrice d’Este Born ??? Died ??? Buried ???
Istvan (younger son) Born ?? Died ?? Buried ??
Erzsebet“The Kuman” died ?? buried Budapest?
Erzsebet Born ?? Died 1323 Buried ??
Henry Plantagenet Son of Henry II King of England Born 1155 Died 1183 Buried Rouen
Margaret Capet Dau of Louis VII Q of England Q of Hungary Born 1157
Béla III K. of Hungary Born 1148 Died 23 Apr 1196 Buried Szekesfehervar
Anna-Agnes de Chatillon Q of Hungary Born ? Married 1173 Died 1184 Buried Szekesfehervar
Prince Béla? Died 1272 Buried Budapest
Tomasina Morozzoni (Venetian)
Andrew III d. 1301
Marie Born ?? Died 1323 Buried Naples
Blanche of Anjou
Boniface de Montferrat Died 1207
Yolanda Arpad Q of Aragon Born 1219 Died 1251 Buried Huesca
Alexius Comnenus
Constance Died 1240
Jaime I K of Aragon Born 1207 Died 1276
Jaime K of Majorque Born 1243 Died 1311 Buried Palma
Charles II d’Anjou King of Sicily & Naples b. 1254 d. 1309 buried Aix-en-Provemce
Charles I Martel
Marie de Montpellier Born ?? Died 1213 Buried ??
Pedro II K of Aragon Born ?? Died 1213
Pedro III K of Aragon Born 1239 Died 1285
Klementia Hapsburg
Premsl I K. of Bohemia
{ XE }Proposed Theory { XE }For Whom was it Made? Candidates 8 and 9 in the foregoing list of Table 1 above come close to fitting the crucial criteria, but not as close as one of the others. For we are seeking someone with French/Angevin/ English/Castilian and Hungarian associations, for whom the style dating and the symbolism has a match. If
the coronet was made for a woman, rather than a man, and if the flowers are indeed “roses”, if there must be both Norman (Anjou) and Hungarian associations and if the leaves on the hinge pins are indeed sycamore leaves, so would not have been used after 1226 and if pedestal-mounted stones do indeed pre-date 1240
then the candidate who fits all the clues appears to be Margaret Capet (1158-1197). Documented in the chronicles of William of Tyre (continued after his death by the monk Ernoul) that her body was interred at Tyre Cathedral, she nonetheless had the financial resources to have bequeathed in her will that some of her remains were to be interred near those who would be sure to pray for her eternal soul. At the time of her death she was one of the wealthiest ladies in Europe. A French princess, crowned both Queen of England and Queen Consort of Hungary, she is widely stated to have been born some time in 1157 or 1158, eldest child of Louis VII of France and Constanza of Castile. The date for the formal wedding and Young Henry Plantagenet, had been frequently delayed until 1172, and took place in Winchester. The joint coronation took place a few days later in Westminster Abbey. Ralph of Diceto described the ceremony, but merely says “The Archbishop (of Rouen) together with the bishop of Evreux crowned Margaret Queen of England and placed the royal diadem on the Young King’s head ….”. Ralph is doubtless here referring to the official crown of England at the time (see Photograph 15, left hand side) Whilst the subject coronet is made of silver gilt, the Pipe Rolls for the relevant date state how much gold was purchased for the prince’s coronation ceremony of 1170. The later depiction of the 1170 coronation banquet shows him wearing “the ring of roses” of Anjou. For the formal wedding at Winchester, perhaps Margaret had a similar Anjou coronet to that of her husband, but in silver rather than gold. Then both King and Queen would have been crowned using gold crowns of the NormanEnglish state traditional design. In an illustrated Life of St. Thomas Becket, a depiction is shown of the coronation of The Young King in 1170 and a banquet scene, possibly at the Palace of Westminster, at which The Young King is wearing a coronet similar in 3 main respects to the Margit Coronet (see photograph below). The coloured drawing is from an early 13th century chronicle purchased by John Paul Getty Jr. It is kept in the library of his former home “Wormsley” in Buckinghamshire, England. Only the drawings have survived from this anonymous chronicle.
The official English state crown
The “Ring of Roses” Crown of Anjou-Normandy
Photograph 16 Coronation and Banquet of Henry The Young King 1170. 1) the coronet comprises 8 separate plates, 2) there is a fleur-de-lis at the top centre of each plate 3) there is a rose or a large stone in the centre of each plate (if these are stones they are uncharacteristically, and improbably large ones) Interestingly, no capitals are depicted for the hinge pins for the crown on this drawing. The author believes those on the Margit Coronet were probably added either after Margaret’s death in 1197. If added after Margaret’s death, this would probably have been to use it for the wedding of Elizabeth Arpad, her step-grand-daughter (born 1207, married 1221, died 1235), who married into a family strongly supporting Teutonic Knighthood movement. The only significant difference in the coronet of Young Henry’s and that found in the grave on Margaret Island, is that the top edges of the plates slope upwards at a small angle, from the hinge edge to the fleur-de-lis base, and the absence of sycamore leaves. After her first husband Henry’s death in 1183, Margaret would have been entitled to keep the coronet, one supposes. The author proposes the hypothesis that the coronet was later used for the wedding of Elizabeth, grand-daughter of Bela III, to Ludwig of Thuringia in 1221, since the sycamore leaves were used as a revered emblem of the Teutonic Knights. The tomb sculpture effigy of Young Henry depicts him wearing a hinged coronet, which is drawn below.
Figure 4: Stone effigy coronet for tomb of Young Prince Henry in Rouen Cathedral Further circumstantial evidence that the coronet dates from the 12th century, and may be French, is that a similar coronet exists and is kept in Stockholm. Philippe Augustus was the step-brother of Margaret Capet. In 1193 he married Ingebourg of Denmark (more understandably today, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark and part of Sweden). If one accepts the plausibility of the foregoing evidence, then the following consequences unfold.
{ XE }Where and When was it Made? Consistent with this theory, if made for the Plantagenet wedding in 1172, it may have been made in France or Normandy, but if made for the joint coronation, then in London of Welsh silver and gold around the middle of 1172. Margaret prior to the wedding was mostly resident with Eleanore of Aquitaine at Limoges and Caen. The symbolic elements suggest it was made for the Winchester wedding. The author’s theory is that it was later modified by replacing the original hinge pins with pins having sycamore leaves at the top ends, in honour of the Teutonic Knights.
{ XE }How Did it Come to Be in Hungary? Suggestions for how a coronet could be in any grave at all are: It was a personal present, or as part of booty of war, and the person became attached to it It had been made for and worn by a relative, who passed it on to the person subsequently buried It was a dowry item, and there were no children who survived to inherit it It was in a family crypt, where two or more people were buried associated with the crown It had little intrinsic value because the gold content was low, so it could not be gifted to the church where it was found It was of low value, a personal item, and was gifted to the church, but later a relative died there and it was buried with him/her The owner had no relatives to whom it could be passed in a will, so it was buried in the grave with the body or bones A combination of some of these, for example a very personal item, of low intrinsic financial value, there being no surviving relative to bequeath it to on death, perhaps used by a near relative after the original owner had died, and who was subsequently buried in the same family crypt The offered thesis is consistent with the last of these suggestions.
{ XE }Who had owned the coronet during its pre-burial period? Research by the author leads to the following proposed sequence of events. During the period 1172-1180 the coronet was probably kept in the Angevin Treasury at the castle of Chinon or at Caen, where Margaret spent most of the years 1165 to 1173. When she parted from her husband Prince Henry at Limoges in 1182 or early 1183, she would have taken it with her to Paris, the court of her step-brother Philippe Auguste. Margaret subsequently took it to her new home in Esztergom on her marriage to King Bela III in 1186. On Margaret’s death in 1197, the coronet having remained in Hungary during her pilgrimage (it would have been bad form for a “poor” pilgrim to be seen wearing a coronet), it would have been kept in the palace treasury there. It remained in Esztergom until the wedding of King Bela’s grand-daughter Elizabeth in 1221, when she or her father ordered the sycamore leaf hinge pins to be made in honour of her husband’s family associations with the Teutonic Knights. It is chronicled that she had a copy of an Arpad dynasty coronet made for her every-day use. When the Tartar invasions threatened, all religious artefacts were removed to Buda, considered by King Bela IV to be a safe place of refuge. By 1255 it found its penultimate resting place in the Dominican Convent grave #3, until 1838 when it was discovered in the flood debris. It now resides in a glass case in the Hungarian National Museum in Pest, Hungary.
Interpretation of the Elements’ Symbolism Crowns, diadems, and coronets, are by their very nature and purpose, suffused with symbolism related to the person for whom they are made or the office to which the items belong. This would be particularly the case for medieval crowns and coronets, in an age of intense superstition. So little was understood at that time about the world and its environment, that the mysterious forces influencing everyday life were ascribed unquestioningly to the intervention of spirits or the Divine. Symbols were used then, as indeed today (though for different reasons) as a concise statement of something quasi mysterious. Without the symbolism, a crown is merely metal and stone on someone’s head. With the symbolism, the coronet conveyed legitimacy and supremacy to the wearer. The problem that this symbolism poses for analysts today is that the original meanings have been largely lost. Today, the symbolism of 6 circles around a centre circle is obscure yet paradoxically ubiquitous, and a sycamore leaf is simply that, an acer leaf, devoid of any other interpretation. The Fleur de Lys: The origin is obscure, although it was first used in Europe by Charles The Bald around 750AD. It has been used routinely since the days of Margaret’s father Louis VII to symbolize the French monarchy. This was adopted later by the cadet houses of Capet and Valois, in particular by the 2 nd and 3rd phase House of Anjou. It may have originally been spelled Fleur-de-Loos, a marshy river estuary in the Low Countries. Or, some have suggested it comes from Breton and Welsh meaning “King’s Flower”.
The Rosettes: When looking at the coronet from the side, one is irresistibly drawn to the conclusion these 6-petal rosettes are roses, perhaps conveying the idea of “sub rosa”, whereby everything said under a wreath or an emblem of roses since Roman times has been regarded as a closely kept secret preserved by honourable confidentiality. This could have later developed into symbolism denoting honour, integrity and trust. It is widely used in heraldry in England and France, but only after 1236, where it is usually depicted (anyway in designs since 1750) by an arrangement of 5 petals. However, the National Museum in Budapest houses a stone carving from the Esztergom Palace remains, dated around 1500, which clearly depicts a rose with 6 petals. There is also a tile design un-earthed at Zsámbék Abbey (closely associated with Margaret Capet and her knight commander Aynart) which indicates a 6 petal rose also. Alternatively, as a symbol rather than a mere decoration, this shape might be ascribed to a symbol for the sun, representing God. The same 6-petal motif was used for the Tillya Tepe crown, which dates from the first century CE. Despite its origins in pagan worship of the sun, such a symbol is widely found in European Christian churches, for example La Sainte Chapelle in Paris, and the chapel of the Saint Germain-en-Laye castle. This leads to one posing a far more significant question, not as to whether it is meant to be a rose (or any flower) but rather why the 6-petal rosette shape came to be such a powerful ubiquitous symbol in Western Europe. Because it has 6 petals and not the 5 required for a rose, it might represent the Judeo-Christian symbol of a Seder plate, as used by Jesus and the disciples at the Last Supper. The iconic Christian significance of the 6-petal shape seems now to be lost, even though we face the icon every time we enter a medieval or even renaissance church. Many round windows show this distinctive shape. So does the famous maze in Chartres Cathedral. Yet its origin is almost certainly older than Christianity, and has only been subsumed into that religion from elsewhere. The plane or sycamore tree leaf: It is very rarely used in heraldry. The only medieval use of the leaves that the author has found is a symbol used by the Order of Teutonic Knights. As mentioned above, and seen in Photograph 8, it seems to have been a sacred emblem of the Teutonic Knights.
Photograph 17: The Sycamore, or Plane tree
Summary The following Table summarises the known facts, the inferences/comments and the conclusion drawn.
Table 1 Summary Known Facts
1. Coronet design is western 2. Design is simple, and hinged 3. Silver gilt 4. Fleur de Lys 5 Six petal rosette emblem
5. Sycamore leaves
Inference/comments
Conclusion
Not Byzantine, and so rules out a number of possible owners A personal item or wedding coronet, made for portability for someone who travelled widely. Ditto ditto. Not part of a national regalia Symbolises a person with French or Norman/Angevin dynastic connections Significant emblem of Provence and Castile, and of England after 1250. Before then maybe Kabalistic or tradition of the Court of Anjou Not a heraldic device, but was used by the Teutonic Knights. Maybe personal reference eg. To Ludwig of Thuringia, son-in-law of Andrew II.
Later than 1150, probably earlier than 1400
6. Found on Margit Island Budapest
Not found by the Mongols in 1241. May thus have been buried or reburied after they left in 1242
7. Found in convent grave
Could have been a resident; an invalid; or a benefactor to the same Order Coronet was not necessarily made for her, but that seems most likely Coronet was not necessarily made for him Then this was a family crypt
8a. If a woman’s bones 8b. If man’s bones 8c If both male and female 9a. Skeleton disturbed 9b Skeletons incomplete
There may have been two of them, one for Henry and one for Margaret Not made for a king as part of ceremonial ritual Wedding or joint coronation. Connections with Counts of Anjou as chronicled by Ralf of Diceto. Later addition, following Margaret’s death, used for the wedding of Elizabeth to Louis/Ludwig of Thuringia in 1221. The Order of Teutonic Knights was banished from Hungary in 1226 so it would not date from any time after that. Probably re-buried after 1242 by transfer of bones from Esztergom to a safer place eg the Archbishop’s land on Margaret Island Was probably (but not definitely) a woman’s grave Received as bequest or was her own property
According to Hungarian research, Grave #3 was a family crypt Disturbance not by robbers but by natural cause, eg Probably earthquake (eg 1783) or flood (eg 1838) flooding of 1838 or earthquake People had died some distance from Hungary Margit Capet died in Acre where most of her
10. Other grave items? 11. Full coffin or ossuary?
12. Found in a Dominican Abbey, near a Premonstratensian Abbey 13. Similar coronet in Sweden, and formerly (??) Denmark
14 Pedestal mounted semi-precious stones
10
A chalcedony ring (jasper?) and remains of a silk dress or shroud. If full skeleton coffin, then probably not Margaret Capet. If ossuary, then possibly Margaret Possibly a benefactor. Margaret supported them, and so did her body-guard knight, Aynart10 Provenance needs research. The common factor might be Philippe Auguste’s wife (Danish Queen of France) and sister (French born, English Queen, husband made her Hungarian Queen) Design is pre-1240, as seen on a cloak clasp from Bavaria 1150-1240 in Hungarian National Museum.
Actually the outlawed viscount of Limoges, Adhemar V (A paper under compilation by the author)
remains were buried. Probably a woman’s ring and wedding veil Incomplete skeletons, so probably ossuary
Supports the claim it was Margaret, but the other candidates may have been benefactors. Remains reinterred after Mongol invasion in 1241? Possibly property of Ingebourg of Denmark, Margaret’s sister-in-law. One coronet made 1172, the other made by the same designer 1193? This conclusion for dating is no more dubious than some Hungarian arguments which use the shape of the Fleur de Lis
What Legitimate Alternatives Are There? One powerful argument against Margaret Capet being the original owner of the coronet is that one of the 3 symbols, the rose, did not become an emblem associated with English monarchy until about 1236, whereas she had died 39 years earlier than this. However, against that, what does one make of the 1210 Chronicler who described the “traditional” coronet of Anjou as “being a ring of roses” when John Lackland came into the title? Margaret Capet was the duchess of Anjou from 1172 until her death in 1197. Another is that she is chronicled (by William of Tyre) to have been buried in Tyre. However, it was common for wealthy people to have some remains buried in several places. In addition, some of the bones in Grave #3 do not have to be Margaret’s, even though the coronet might be. As to the other possible strong candidates, they are compared in the table given in the full paper (qv). The Main Reasons for Believing the Coronet was Made for Margaret
The mounting style of the smaller semi-precious stone mounts, dates it before 1230 or 1240
The striking similarity to the coronet worn by her husband Henry The Young King at his coronation in 1170 and thus probably his wedding in 1172.
It was found on land once belonging to Esztergom and to a religious house established by Margaret Capet in Hungary around 1190 from her very large pension
Shape of the Fleur-de-lis is not very strong evidence of date, but was the same as that used by other items and statues around 1190. There is adequate evidence of this sort to discount the Hungarian proposal that the coronet dates from no earlier than 1275.
Photograph 18 A: Pilgrim’s medal 1190 18 B: subject coronet fleur-de-lis
The significance of the unusual sycamore leaf is more likely a later addition for the wedding of her husband’s grand-daughter Elizabeth to Ludwig IV of Thuringia, since it was a symbol used by the Order of Teutonic Knights. See Photograph 15. See Concordance Table in the main article (qv), and one specifically for Margaret below.
Note that although there were bones found in the crypt #3, they were not necessarily some of the bones of Margaret. It is chronicled she was buried at Tyre Cathedral in the Holy Land, but her coronet was probably worn by Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia in 1221. Thus it would have been considered a very important relic of that saint. It is chronicled about her life that she greatly admired a coronet which had belonged to Margaret.
Concordance Tabulation for Margaret Capet EVIDENCE
CONCORDANCE
NOTES
Fleur-de-lis = French or Norman connection Ring of roses = Norman or Angevin, as used on coronets for that duchy Acer sycamore leaves, later addition?, = Order of Teutonic Knights (OTK) ROSETTES: If not roses, then Margarets Or a rising sun = rebirth
Margaret was French, the daughter of Louis VII Margaret became Duchess of Anjou & Normandy on marriage to Young Prince Henry Curthose (who became duke in 1169) The grand-daughter of Margaret’s 2nd husband, Elizabeth, married into family who were patrons of OTK, and her brother-in-law was the Grand Master before 1239 Symbolic “play” on her name
After 1169
Perhaps used for her wedding to King Bela III, “rebirth” being after 3 years of mourning
Found on land once owned by the Archbishops of Esztergom
Margaret lived in, and designed, Esztergom palace, where the rose became a significant motif
Or representing a Seder plate as would have been used at the Last Supper There is a famous “rose window” in the palace chapel dating from the time of Margaret, and a 6-petal rose in stone from the palace of Esztergom, re-designed by Margaret
Found next to a Premonstratensian church
Margaret strongly supported and financed the movement.
1172
Between 1211 and 1226. Elizabeth’s marriage 1221 She died 1231 and was canonized in 1235. She is buried in Marburg
Conclusions The author confesses openly to having formed an a priori thesis from the symbolic elements of the coronet, and from that point has attempted to show that the case is proven beyond reasonable doubt, simply because no proof has been found which destroys the thesis, because Margaret Capet “ticks more of the boxes” than any other possible candidate, and because the argument is historically consistent with the documented facts surrounding the period relevant to the late 12th and early 13th century. Previous studies in Hungary have focussed on the find’s location, a very dubious basis in a country with such a turbulent history, and on the shape of the Fleur-de-lis, an even more dubious basis since there were constant designs in use that remained unchanged over several hundred years (a separate study by the author). However, there is an understandable but nonetheless illogical impulse to associate the coronet, the site of the find, and the bones as being all integral to a reliable conclusion as to the original owner. If the coronet had been worn by such as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, even though made originally for someone earlier buried in Tyre Cathedral, that might be a good enough explanation why it was found in an Arpad crypt, but not a sound basis to identify the original owner. The conclusions reached in this study regarding the Margit Coronet, though some are conjecture only, are as follows 1. Either a) it was made for the wedding or the coronation of Margaret Capet and Henry Plantagenet, The Young King, son of Henry II. Therefore, it was made in England around 1172. The wedding banquet drawing, in a book on the life of St.Thomas of Canterbury (made before 1230), shows Henry at what was intended to be their joint coronation or wedding in 1170 wearing an almost identical coronet. (their formal wedding eventually took place in August 1172) It was confirmed, by the agreement reached at Gisors by 1186 between Philip Augustus and Richard I, that such items should become the personal property of Margaret following Henry’s death in 1183. Margaret had no surviving children, either in England or in Hungary, to whom she could wish to bequeath the coronet. Her son William died young. Or b) it was made in Paris for the wedding between Margaret Capet and Bela III in 1186, then modified for the wedding of Erzsabet of Thuringia to Ludwig IV of Thuringia in 1221 Or c) it may have been given to Margaret as a wedding gift by Eleonore of Aquitaine with whom Margaret grew up and remained close to throughout her life11. 2. The Margit Coronet could therefore be the only Plantagenet crown that survived the destruction of all English regalia by order of Cromwell, although there may be another in Rouen (Young Prince Henry’s). 3. It was taken by Margaret Capet to Hungary, when she travelled to Esztergom from Paris in the autumn of 1186 to become the second wife of Béla III, and so to become Queen Consort of Hungary.
Allison Weir: “Eleanore of Aquitaine”: According to that author, Eleanore loved jewellery, and had a large collection of jewelled circlets. 11
4. It was in safe-keeping, probably in Esztergom when Margaret accompanied the German crusader army of Emperor Henry VI to Outremer in 1196, arriving in 1197 at St. Jean d’Acre. It is chronicled that she died there in 1197shortly after her arrival. As a consequence of 3, and because the journey was perilous, a valuable personal treasure would have been left in safe-keeping with someone trusted 5. The coronet, by then the property of Margaret’s step-son King Andrew II, was modified in 1221 by having sycamore leaf hinge-pins added, to celebrate the wedding of King Bela’s grand-daughter Elizabeth, when she married into a prominent family supporting the Order of Teutonic Knights, for which order the leaf was highly symbolic. The other bones in Crypt #3 may well be those of Elizabeth, although she has Marburg as her principal place of rest. 6. When there was a fear that the Mongols would return to Hungary after 1242-3, Béla IV ordered all valuables and human remains to be taken from vulnerable Esztergom to a new strong-point, the Castle of Buda. The coronet was given into the safe-keeping of the Dominicans on Margit Island, the Premonstratensians having left when their church was destroyed in 1241. It is chronicled that the capital was moved to Buda at that time, being more easily defended than Esztergom. The completion of the Dominican Abbey dates from 1250 and was completely occupied by 1255. Margit’s ossuary and coronet could have been re-interred then, possibly with the remains of another of the Arpads, or even two of them. 7. The juxtaposition of the Fleur de Lys and the Rose indicate a union of Norman-England and France, or France and Castile, and the plane tree leaf motif is a later addition, being a symbol used by the Order of Teutonic Knights. Whilst the Fleur-de-lis possibly denotes Angevin associations, this was the symbol for the French monarchy, and thus would only be placed together with a rose whenever a strong union between both countries occurred. The plane tree leaf is virtually never found as a symbolic heraldic emblem in Western Europe, although it is one of the symbols used by the Order of Teutonic Knights, the other being the oak leaf. 8. The designer of the original coronet (with no sycamore leaves) was French or Norman. With a similar coronet, originally in Denmark, now in Sweden, presumably owned by Ingebourg of Denmark, between 1193 and 1218, there is a strong suggestion that the designer was French. Ingebourg married Margaret’s step-brother Phillipe Auguste in 1193 in France. Margaret married Henry Plantagenet in 1172 in Winchester, England. A coronet with almost identical fleurs-de-lis was ordered by Anna Gertrude of Austria for her coronet, from the French royal goldsmiths. The chronicles in 1210 describe the coronet of the dukes of Anjou and Normandy as forming “a ring of roses”, that corresponds exactly with the Margaret Coronet
