Regalia of the Russian tsars

Regalia of the Russian tsars are the insignia of tsars and emperors of Russia, who ruled from the 13th to the 19th century. Over the centuries, the specific items used by Tsars changed greatly; the largest such shift occurred in the 18th century, when Peter the Great reformed the state to align it more closely with Western European monarchies.
After the Russian Revolution, the Bolsheviks sold the majority of the Romanovs' regalia, but the most important items, including the key coronation regalia, were placed in the Kremlin Armoury. Since 1967, they have been available for public viewing through the Diamond Fund permanent exposition.
From the 13th to the end of the 14th century, the main insignia of knyaz power were the decorated barmas and the knyaz belts. A barma is a neckpiece or mantle made of gold encrusted with gems and diamonds. Such treasured items were hereditary and closely connected to the knyazs' names; as such, they were always mentioned in the wills.
Barmas of Old Ryazan were produced by masters of Old Ryazan in late 12th - early 13th century. They are one of the greatest masterpieces of ancient jewellery. The barmas belonged to the local knyaz family, but in 1237 the city was completely destroyed by Batu Khan, so the forsaken jewellery lay underground for nearly 600 years. In 1822, the royal barmas were found by archaeologists and brought to the Kremlin Armory. These precious barmas are high-craft masterpieces, enamelled and encrusted with gems. Some of the barmas have gold medallions with Greek engravings, presumably of Byzantine origin.
The oldest crown is the "Cap of Monomakh" or Crown of Monomakh, used in the ceremony of crowning a monarch in Russia. Its name is connected with a Russian legend of the 15th century, according to which it was brought to Russia in ancient times as a gift from the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Monomachos. The cap is of oriental workmanship of the late 13th or early 14th century. The question of its origin is still unspecified. The oldest section of the crown consists of eight gold plates adorned with very fine gold lace in a pattern of six-pointed rosette stars and lotus blossoms. The semi-spherical top with a cross, the sable trimming and the pearls and gemstones belong to a later period. It weighs 698 grams and is the lightest Russian crown. From the late 14th to the late 17th century, the Cap of Monomakh a symbol of power, was used in the ceremony of setting the ruler of the Russian State for reigning. In the first quarter of the 18th century, after Peter the Great's reforms, the ceremonial setting for reigning was replaced by coronation, the main attribute of which became the imperial crown. Since the 18th century the Cap of Monomakh served as the heraldic crown of the "Tsardom of Great, Little and White Russia".
Kazan crown is the second oldest in Russia. The gold crown is studded with pearls, garnets, and turquoises. The sable-fur trimming was for comfort. The Kazan Crown is dated 1553. It was first mentioned in the treasury of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, whose reign was marked by a series of important events in Russian history. Among them is the capture of Kazan in October 1552 and the annexation of the Kazan khanate to the Russian state. The precious crown might have been executed by Moscow Kremlin jewellers on the successful solution of "The Eastern problem", so important for Muscovy. Its name might have immortalized the memory of the glorious victory of Russian warriors. The crown's look combines national and Eastern artistic traditions. Some elements are reminiscent of the decor traditions of Russian churches of the epoch. At the same time, the combination of stones, e.g. red tourmalines and rubies with blue turquoise and the carved ornament of knitting herbs on a niello background represent oriental artistic influence. It may have belonged to Ediger Mahmet, the last ruler of the Tatar (Tartar) state of Kazan. Since the 18th century, this crown served as the heraldic crown of the "Tsardom of Kazan".
The Ivory throne is the earliest preserved tsar throne of the mid-16th century. The throne was made of wood faced with plates of ivory and walrus tusk, therefore it was called the "carved bone armchair". The carved ornament unites the various subjects and representations into a single composition. Decorative scenes include images from Greek mythology and the Old Testament. The depicted themes, the style of the carving and the motifs, which include grotesques and Cupids, enable researchers to date most of the pieces to the 16th century and attribute them to Western European Renaissance craftsmen. This bone throne has been renovated several times in Russia: worn pieces of bone were remade by local craftsmen; in 1856, on the occasion of the coronation of Emperor Alexander II, the throne was decorated with a gilded silver two-headed eagle.
The Sceptre and orb are creations of West-European jewellers of the late Renaissance period, the enamels used on the relief technique not being known to Russian goldsmiths of that time. There are reasons to consider the sceptre and orb to belong to the set of gifts, brought to Tsar Boris Godunov in 1604, by the Great Embassy of Rudolf II, Emperor of the Great Roman Empire. The sceptre and orb miraculously survived through the Time of Troubles and must have been used in 1613 in the crowning of Michael Fyodorovich, first Tsar of the Romanov Dynasty. Later on during the whole reign of Michael Fyodorovich, they were unique regalia of the kind and belonged to the so-called "Grand set" (precious tsar's attire) complex of especially valuable regalia. Later "Grand set", which, except for the state regalia, included an armour set, that accompanied the Tsar in processions, e.g. military companies and hunting.
During the Time of Troubles in 1610-1612, the tsars' treasury was plundered by the Polish troops. They took almost all armour and weapons from the Great Treasury. Still, some items of the utmost value were kept in the occupied Kremlin under the protection of the boyars. When the Seven Boyars agreed to acknowledge Władysław, the king of Poland, as the king of Russia, he spared the historical monarchical insignia. Later the new king of Russia Michael Fyodorovich replenished the treasury with new artefacts. In 1627-1628 the "Grand Set" of regalia was created for him.
Also "Grand set" consists of various precious armament and equipment, that survived in the Kremlin Armoury. Most important of these things are:
After Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich's death, the Kremlin Armoury was given his personal jewels and equipment, not applied to the "Grand set". The most important of them are:
New Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich ordered his regalia mostly in Turkey and Persia in 1650s-1660s. His "Grand Set" consists of:
Also a private treasury of Alexis Mikhailovich consisted of:
Also, Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich had various personal military equipment of his own "Grand set". Now these artefacts are on display in the Kremlin Armoury, the most famous of them are:
In 1682 Russia received two co-rulers - Ivan V Alekseevich and Peter I Alekseevich. Both of them had own jewels (but one throne).
The coronation in the Russian Empire was a sophisticated ceremony, scrutinized in tiny details and requiring thorough preparation. The final set of Imperial regalia was formed in 1723-1724, since that time it included the Great Imperial Crown, the Small Crown, the Imperial Sceptre, the Imperial Orb, the Mantle, the Big Chain and Star of the Order of St. Andrew, the state shield, the state sword, and the state seal.
Until 1917 several ancient regalia served as heraldic crowns of various lands of the Russian Empire.
Disposition of crowns on Great State Coat of Arms:
Also, Maltese crown served as heraldic until 1803. It can be still found in coat of arms of the Russian town of Gatchina.