Grand Ducal Crown of Tuscany
The Grand Ducal Crown of Tuscany (
The old crown
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In January 1570 Cosimo I was crowned by Pius himself at Rome, though by rights such an act was the prerogative of the Emperor. For this reason, Spain and Austria refused to acknowledge the new title, though France and England immediately acknowledged its validity. With time all Europe came around.
The crown of the Grand Duke of Tuscany was clearly distinct from both princely and ducal crowns. It was a gold circlet decorated with emeralds, rubies and pearls with rays projecting from the top.
Uniquely the crown had a large giglio bottonato, or Florentine lily – the florentine version of a
The new crown
When Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1670–1723) received the "right to royal rank" from Vienna, he added arches and a globe to the top of the grand ducal crown, as these were the typical elements of a royal crown. The new status of the Grand Duchy included among other things a change of style from Altezza Serenissima to Altezza Reale.
The Grand Ducal Crown is only known from drawings and paintings, since it was lost during the Napoleonic Occupation. A copy of the crown was placed in the coffin of each of the Grand Dukes at their funerals. One of these, which belonged to Gian Gastone de' Medici (r. 1723–1737) was recovered during a survey of the corpse and is now conserved in Florence.
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