Coronation chair

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Coronation chair

The coronation chair or the throne of King Edward , also known under the name of St. Edward's chair , is the throne on which the respective British monarch sits during the coronation . It was commissioned by King Edward I in 1296 to give a place to the coronation stone ( Stone of Scone ) that had been stolen by the Scots and that had kept it in Scone Abbey . The chair was named after Edward the Confessor and stood in its shrine in St. Edward's Chapel in Westminster Abbey .

history

From 1308 all anointed heads of England (until 1603) and Great Britain (after the unification of the crown) were crowned on this throne. Exceptions were Mary I (who was crowned on a throne donated by the Pope) and Mary II (who was crowned on a copy of the chair). The last time the chair was used was at the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.

The chair with a high backrest in Gothic style and armrests was carved from oak by a carpenter, Master Walter, in 1297. He got the rather high sum of 100 shillings for his work . Four lions form the legs of the chair; they are a relatively recent restoration made in 1727. They replaced similar lions that came from the 16th century. Under the seat there is a cavity that contained the Stone of Scone until 1996; it was returned to Scotland on the premise that it would be placed there at the next coronation.

The throne was once richly illustrated and painted - it is assumed that it once had the image of Eduard the Confessor on its back. Today, however, it appears in old and common wood, in which many visitors, pilgrims and choirboys left their initials and other graffiti in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1914 the throne was damaged in a bomb attack allegedly carried out by the suffragettes.

In its 800 year history, he has been removed from Westminster Abbey only three times: the first time when Oliver Cromwell was introduced as Lord Protector of England; the second time during World War II when he was taken to Gloucester Cathedral for evacuation. When four Scottish students stole the Stone of Scone on Christmas Day 1950, it was removed from Westminster Abbey for the last time .

In 1996 the stone was officially returned to Scotland and is now in Edinburgh Castle.

Nowadays, the chair is highly secured and only leaves its place near the tomb of Henry V when there is a coronation in the nave of Westminster Abbey.