The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-14
HUNGARY'S CROWN.
Artistic and Historic Value of the
Jewels 1t Contains.

Jewels 1t Contains.
From the London News.
The Hungarian crown Jewels have a
great interest in themselves, and the
literature of all times has romanced about
them, writes a correspondent from Buda-
pest In 1880 the Academy of Science in
Hungary set on foot an inquiry into their
artistic and historical value, and Bishop
Arnold Ipolyi wrote a work about them,
the Illustrations of which were published.
The boxes containing them were opened
with the same ceremony as at the corona
ton, and the emperor afterward went
to see the crown while the men of science
were busy examining it. Crown Prince
Rudolph also went to see it, and handle
it, little thinking at the time that it would
never grace his brow. When the crown
was minutely reproduced In a drawing,
many facts were discovered about II
which had not been known until then. The
assertion was confirmed that 1t consisted
of two distinct parts, one Roman, the
other Byzantine, the upper crown being
that presented to st. Stephen by Pope
Sylvester II, while the lower crown belong
ed to the Emperor Of Byzantium, Michael
Dukas VII.
Hungary was such that the crown sent
by the Pope was alone remembered and
held worth having, whereas the Byzan-
tine portion was considered an unimport-
ant accessory. This fact is important.
The crown, received from the pope at
a time when Christianity, according to
Eusebius, was shed like ray of the
sun over Europe, signified that the king
dom had been received into the'communi-
tv of Christians. Crowns received from
German or Byzantine emperors were but
SYMBOLS of dependence on these soVer-
eigns Hungary was Independent of all
al 'ha hrr11 frr Oh,
the crown was conferred bears date 9th
March in the year 1000. In the 900 years
of its existence St. Stephens crown has
| seen stormy times. 1t has been lost and
found again, pawned and redeemed,
buried and dug out of the earth; it has
wandered from place to place through half
Europe until 1t came into safe custody at
Ru6a Wenzel, the Bohemian kings son
was crowned with it in 1901 at Stuhlweis-
senburg Pope Boniface asked for the
crown. but the unrightful owner carried
It with him to Prague. Unable to main
tain himself on the throne of Hungary,
he yielded in favor of Otto, King of Ba-
varia to whom he gave the crown. Otto
tied il to his saddle button, concealed in
a wooden flask, and lost both while rid
ing in the night. At dawn he discovered
/ his loss. turned back, crossed the Danube
and found his wooden flask and his
crown He put it on his head and ST.
Stephens mantle on his shoulders to ride
Abo,;t the middle Of the fifteenth century
when the Polish kings came to the end
| of their power, the sacred crown was
| ma wned a bill, dated Vienna, May 8, 144O
shows that one Michael Nader Of Buda
pawned for Queen Elizabeth, for the
sum of $500 golden forms, shillings and
n pennies a golden crown and a num-
! her of necklaces and bracelets with the
Vienna firm of Stephen Eizinger. Twenty
! four years later the Hungarians redeem
! ed II for $4,000 gold forms, and it was
/ taken home with much ceremony and
/ exhibited during three days at Oldenburs
| and afterward returned to Buda by Mat
/ tbias Corvinus. The Emperor Joseph II
was never crowed King of Hungary. He
/ maintained that the unity between Aus
! fria and Hungary, could not be marked
enough He sent for the crown and laid
| If to rest in the treasury Of Vienna with