Coronation: From the 8th to the 21st Century

by Roy Strong

‘What is the finest sight in the world? A Coronation. What do people talk most about? A Coronation. What is delightful to have passed? A Coronation.’ Horace Warpole, 1761

As a boy of sixteen, Roy Strong watched the grand procession carrying Queen Elizabeth II to her coronation. The spectacle was considered the greatest public event of the century. But now, so many years later, many people have little notion of what a coronation is and are unaware of the rich resonances of the ritual, or its deep significance in terms of the committal of monarch to people.

This book is the first of its kind – a comprehensive history to set each coronation into its political, social, religious and cultural context. The story is one of constant re-invention as the service has had to respond to all the changes in fortune of the monarchy or the country, everything from legitimising usurpers to reconciling a Catholic rite to the tenets of Protestantism. It even had to be recreated from scratch after the Restoration of Charles II in 1660. In this way, Strong tells the story of British monarchy since the 10th century, and looks forward to the coronation of Prince Charles. The musical history alone is one of extraordinary richness – involving Henry Purcell, Handel, Edward Elgar, William Walton; the celebratory poetry; the art and the spectacular engravings published at coronations are all explored, as will be the more recent role of photographers. The book particularly concentrates on post-1603 developments, including the incredible story of the Stuarts, when the crown jewels used for hundreds of years at coronations were melted down as symbols of the hated Divine Right of Kings.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Royalty

592 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

Sir Roy Colin Strong FRSL (23 August 1935 - ) is an English art historian, museum curator, writer, broadcaster and landscape designer.

He has been director of both the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He was knighted in 1983.

Reviews

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The essential history of the coronation, impeccably researched and beautifully illustrated. Strong discusses the evolution of coronation ceremonies from Anglo-Saxon England to the 1953 crowning of Queen Elizabeth II (with a 2005 epilogue that includes some prescient thoughts pertaining to the 2023 coronation of King Charles III). There is a strong emphasis on change and continuity over time and the impact of the English Reformation, the development of constitutional monarchy and the British Empire and Commonwealth on the coronation ceremony.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very glad I’ve read this, it’s both detailed and informative; but it is such in in depth book about a subject I knew nothing about I found it quite a challenging read. However, I was delighted to find it has been brought completely up to date with an Epilogue written after the death of Elizabeth II. Well worth the effort.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is quite a book. Roy Strong takes on the entire history of English, then British, then United Kingdom coronations in what can only be described as in a magisterial form. While there is likely more here than any particular reader may need, the comprehensive nature of the book allows the reader to focus on what is of greatest interest and skim those sections that may be of less interest. The header structure makes this particularly easy to do.
Taking coronations in groups (roughly by the various Royal dynasties) Strong draws parallels and contrasts - both among the various generations within a House or from House to House.
Excellent.

[Lucia Graziano · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not just a chronicle of the various coronations (I mean: yes, it is - but the book is much more). It is a thorough investigation into the underlying historical, theological, and sociological foundations behind the ritual, starting with the Anglo-Saxon kings and continuing through the great change of perspective following the Anglican Reformation (and so on up to the present day).

There are other great books about the history of coronations, but this one goes much, much deeper in explaining *the reasons*.

[Matthew Eyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly detailed, well researched and very topical book by an accomplished author. From its Anglo Saxon origins to the post war spectacle of The Queen, he explains the various elements that will be seen next month at our first such spectacle for 70 years...

[Andrea Engle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This edition of the book has the subtitle: A History of Kingship and the British Monarchy … complete with lavish illustrations, this history explores the British Coronation ceremony from 973 to 1953 … remarkable …