page_title: Grand Ducal Crown of Tuscany
section_title: The old crown
hierarchical_section_title: Grand Ducal Crown of Tuscany / The old crown
caption_attribution_description: "Zu den kronen Italiens gehört auch die der Grossherzöge von Toscana (Fig. 36), wie sie bereits von den Mediceern, den Herzogen von Florenz, geführt wurde. Sie ist eine Zackenkrone, die vorne in der Mitte mit der florentinischen Wappenfigur, der Lilie, geschmückt ist. In alten Darstellungen sind die seitlichen Laubblätter nicht zu sehen."
context_page_description: The Grand Ducal Crown of Tuscany was a ducal crown created by the Medicean Grand Dukes of Tuscany.
context_section_description: Cosimo I de' Medici, duke of Florence, sought to achieve a title which removed him from his status as a feudatory of the Holy Roman Emperor and gave him more political independence. Getting nothing from the Emperor, he turned to the Papacy. Already he had attempted to get Paul IV to give him the title of king or archduke with no success. Finally in 1569, after many favours and dealings of differing levels of legitimacy, Pope Pius V released a Papal bull which conferred the style of Altezza Serenissima and the title of Grand Duke, a very rare title ranked him above a Duke, but below a Prince.
  In January 1570 Cosimo I was crowned by Pius himself at Rome, though by rights such a move was the prerogative of the Emperor. For this reason, Spain and Austria refused to recognise the new title, though France and England immediately recognised its validity. With time all Europe came around.
  The crown of the Grand Duke of Tuscany was clearly distinct from both princely and ducal crowns. It was a gold circlet decorated with emeralds, rubies and pearls with rays projecting from the top.
  Uniquely the crown had a large fleur de lis at the front in the centre.
caption: The old grand ducal crown in an engraving.
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