Julian Throne and Crown Jewels of Urcea

The Julian Throne and Crowns Jewels of Urcea are the Throne and ceremonial objects kept in the Julian Palace, which include the regalia and vestments worn by Apostolic King of Urcea at their coronations. It also includes much of the regalia of the Holy Levantine Empire, which are in possession of the Apostolic King of Urcea in his person as Emperor of the Levantines.

Symbols of nearly a millennia of Urcean Monarchy, the crown jewels are an accrued collection of more than 140 objects from a thousand years, dating back to the elevation of Urcean Kings in the Golden Bull of 1098 as well as some items dating to the Archduchy era. As a consequence of the Second Great War, the end of the Holy Levantine Empire, and the Treaty of Corcra, the Apostolic King of Urcea was permanently fused with the title of Emperor of the Levantines, bringing most of the crown regalia into the Urcean collection.

While the early elective Duchy of Urceopolis did not use regalia and regarded itself as an elective republic in the vein of early Great Levantia, the establishment of the hereditary Archduchy of Urceopolis precipitated the use of crown regalia in Urcean culture, following after the Gaelic tradition of Conchobar I and the early Levantine Empire. Early crowns were simple symbols of bronze or grass crowns, but the union of the Archduchy and the Duchy of Harren began to see the use of more prestigious headgear. The so-called Crown of St. Julius, the state crown of Urcea through the present, was created sometime in the 12th century following the Golden Bull of 1098 to serve as royal crown. The crown, an enduring symbol and unique symbol of Urcea, is prominently used in most of the symbols of the Government of Urcea.

Julian Throne
Like the regalia, the early Duchy of Urceopolis did not feature a distinct throne but rather something similar to a 's chair, a practice that continued with the inauguration of hereditary rule in the era of the Archduchy of Urceopolis. In the 10th century, when the Archduchy combined with the Duchy of Harren under one ruler, a throne of wood and ivory (imported from Hištanšahr) was produced. This throne included a hollowed seat where the Consular Stone was placed; the stone is thought to be from a seat belonging to ancient Great Levantine Consuls in the Levantine Forum sat in a place of judgment. This throne survived into the early royal era following the Golden Bull of 1098, but was destroyed, with the exception of the Consular Stone, during the early phases of the Saint's War in a fire at the Julian Palace. The current throne is thought to have been produced in the middle of the 12th century or the beginning of the 13th century around the Consular Stone, and some sources indicate this throne was originally intended to be temporary but was never replaced as a consequence of the conflict. Historians are divided on when it became known as the "Julian" throne, but most place the name originating during the Great Interregnum. Following the end of the Saint's War, House de Weluta continued to use the throne and, in 1652, King Brian I ordered the bottom half of the throne gilded with lions added, additions which remain through the current day.

An impressive wooden throne typical of Medieval design, the gilded lions symbolize the inherited legacy of Great Levantia claimed by the Apostolic King of Urcea. The Consular Stone built within the throne does likewise; both symbols have taken on additional symbolic value with the permanent fusion of the title Emperor of the Levantines with that of Apostolic King.

Crown of St. Julius
The Crown of St. Julius, the royal crown of the Apostolic King of Urcea, is a unique crown in the history of Levantia insofar as it is made in a Istroyan-Caphirian style. As is the case with all Levantine crowns, it symbolizes a halo and thus signifies that the wearer rules by Divine Right. According to popular tradition, St. Julius I held up the crown before his death to offer it to the Virgin Mary to seal a divine contract between her and the Julian dynasty. After this, Mary was depicted not only as patrona (patron saint) for Urcea but also as regina (i.e. "queen"). The crown is of much later origin than the Julian era, though this association, along with the "Lands of the Crown of St. Julius", gave the crown its name.

Its historical origin is disputed. Some academics posit that it was made for the Apostolic King of Urcea in Venceia as a gift following the Golden Bull of 1098 from the Imperator of Caphiria. Others have provided some inconclusive proof that it was, in fact, a slightly modified crown of the Southern Kingdom of the Levantines, a plausible theory given the "southern" influences of the crown and the lack of evidence of the ultimate fate of that crown. Either theory has been accepted as plausible. In any event, it was first attested to in the 1150s in the first inventory of the Crown Jewels following the incorporation of the Electorate of Canaery.

Iron Coronet of Canaery
The Iron Coronet of Canaery is both a reliquary and one of the oldest royal insignias of Christendom. It was made in the Early Middle Ages, consisting of a circlet of gold and jewels fitted around a central silver band, which tradition holds to be made of iron beaten out of a nail of the. The relic, which came into the possession of the Caens following the sack of Urceopolis in 434, was probably created into an earlier version of the crown in the beginning of the 6th century. The crown's history is unclear during the period of early Hištanšahr domination, but reappeared once Canaery was conquered by Conchobar the Great and incorporated into the new Levantine Empire. Used as the regalia for the Duchy of Canaery, the Coronet was probably significantly modified in the 10th century once Canaery was elevated to an Electorate. Upon Canaery's acquisition by the Urcean Crown in 1144, the Coronet became an important part of the regalia.

The Iron Coronet is used during the coronation ceremony of the Apostolic King of Urcea not only for the purposes of signifying his rule over Canaery, but additionally to confer a special religious connotation given the nail from the true cross. Traditionally, the King would wear the Iron Coronet - not the Crown of St. Julius - during the meetings of the Collegial Electorate. This was done as a sign of humility in order to appear before the College as "merely" Duke-Elector of Canaery. Though the Collegial Electorate ceased to function in 1935, the Iron Coronet still holds an important role in the Apostolic King of Urcea's connection to the title of Emperor of the Levantines. In the modern coronation ceremony, the King accepts "election" as Emperor while wearing the Coronet just prior to his coronation in the Imperial regalia. The Coronet remains a powerful symbol of Canaery and appears in its flag.

Royal and Prince's Missal
Within the Imperial Armory are two hand missals for use within the Catholic Church that are passed from father to son as is the custom within Urcean society: the Royal Missal and the Prince's Missal. The Royal Missal is to be held by the Apostolic King of Urcea for the duration of his reign, while upon ascension he is to pass the Prince's Missal to the Prince of Halfway.