Corornation of an emperor

[Owen]

I have been wondering--ever since my first encounters with Orthodoxy and my unavailing attempts to find out the information--of what the rites for crowning a Byzantine Emperor or other Orthodox secular head of state consisted. Perhaps someone better versed in historical liturgics than I can give me an answer, or point me to one.

[Ryan]

I don't know. Here's a pretty great clip from Ivan the Terrible though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGBtMcSOVQY

[Michael Stickles]

Wikipedia has an article on coronations which has a section specifically for coronations in Imperial Rome and Byzantium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation#Imperial_Rome_and_Byzantium). Wikipedia sources should, of course, be taken with a grain (shaker?) of salt. However, the article does have a couple of references to texts of the Byzantine coronation ceremony:


(Note 4) Kapparis, Konstantinos. "The Byzantine Coronation Ceremony, according to Emperor Constantine VII, Porphyrogennetos (http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/kapparis/byzantium/Coronation_Ceremony.doc)" (PDFdoc). University of Florida. http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/kapparis/byzantium/Coronation_Ceremony.doc. Retrieved 2008-09-13

(Reference 27) "De Cerimoniis, Book 2, cc.1-2 (http://homepage.mac.com/paulstephenson/trans/decer0.html)". Homepage.mac.com. http://homepage.mac.com/paulstephenson/trans/decer0.html. Retrieved 2009-09-13
In Christ,
Michael

[Owen]

Thanks for the links.

[Andreas Moran]

The coronation service for English monarchs was devised by St Dunstan and copied from that for Byzantine emperors. It could serve as a model if a need arose.