Romanian Crown Jewels

The Romanian Crown Jewels are a set of precious regalia which were used for the
coronation of the kings and queens of Romania. They are currently housed in
the National Museum of Romanian History in Bucharest. The Romanian Crown
jewels consist of the Royal Crown (the so-called Steel Crown), the Crown of Queen
Elizabeth, the Crown of Queen Maria, orbs, the Scepter of King Ferdinand
I the Scepter of King Carol II, the Sword of King Carol I and the Royal Mantle.

Royal "Steel Crown

The Romanian Steel Crown is the crown which was used for the coronation of the
Romanian kings.It was cast of steel from a Turkish cannon which was captured by
the Romanian Army during the Siege of Plevna in the Romanian War of Independence
(1877-1878). King Carol I chose that the crown be made of steel, and not gold, to
symbolize the bravery of the Romanian soldiers. In addition to the absence of gold the
crown contains no precious stones.The crown was presented to the king on May 10,
1881 during the ceremonies of his coronation and of the proclamation of Romania as
a kingdom. On October 15, 1922 the crown was used for the coronation of King Carol
I's nephew and successor, King Ferdinand I, as well as, the coronation of Romanias
last king, Michael I on September 6, 1940. The planned September 1930 coronation
of Ferdinands son, King Carol II, who was also the father of King Michael I, never
occurred due to his relationship with Magda Lupescu.

The Crown of Queen Elizabeth

The Crown of Queen Elizabeth, was made of gold at the Arsenalul Armatei, for the
occasion of the proclamation of the Kingdom and the coronation of King Carol
I and Queen Elizabeth in 1881. The crown follows a medieval design similar to that of
the Royal Steel Crown, and it, too, does not contain precious stones.

The Crown of Queen Maria

The Crown of Queen Maria was made of gold mined from the Transylvaniaregion
of Romania. It was constructed specifically for the occasion of the coronation of

King Ferdinand I and Queen Maria in 1922 at Alba-Iulia.The Crown has a very
original design. Rather than wearing the crown of Queen Elizabeth, Queen Maria had
reportedly told her husband I want nothing modern that another queen might have.
Let mine be all medieval. The new crown was modeled on one having belonged
to Despina, the consort of a 16th-century Wallachianprince. It contains rubies,
emeralds, amethyst, turquoise and opals and weighs 4 pounds (1.8 kg). Grains of
wheat decorate the base of the crown topped by eight large and eight small flower
ornaments connected by interlacing branches. A globe and cross sit atop the eight
arches above the flower ornaments and a pendulae, supposedly copied from ancient
Byzantine head ornaments, hangs from both sides of the headband just above the ear,
each bearing the Coat of arms of Romania. From each of these pendulae hang three
chains, each with a cross within a gold circle at the end.

The Scepter of King Ferdinand I

The Scepter of Ferdinand I, was constructed in Alba-Iulia for the coronation of King
Ferdinand I in 1922.It was presented to the king on May 10, 1920 by six girls from
the orphanage Radu Voda, and is inscribed "King Ferdinand I, King of the Romanians
is presented this gift by his people as a reward for his worthiness and good
governance of the country during the years 1916-1919". At the top are four images of
peasants in national costumes representing Transylvania, Bessarabia, Bukovina and
the ancient kingdom Romania.The head of an eagle sits atop the scepter and
symbolizes the Latin origin of the Romanians.

The Scepter of King Carol II

The Scepter of Carol II was presented by Romanian Army officials to King Carol II in
1940 for the 10th anniversary of his ascension to the throne.This scepter is similar to
the Scepter of Ferdinand I.

The Sword of King Carol I

The Sword of King Carol I was a present to King Carol I by Ottoman Sultan AbdulAziz. Its blade is crafted from Damascus steel and it has a gold plated handgrip. The
sheath contains 1140 jewels including 46 diamonds.

Azure, a crowned eagle displayed Or beaked and membered Gules holding in its beak
an Orthodox Cross Or, in its dexter talon a sword, and in its sinister talon a sceptre
Argent, and bearing on its breast an escutcheon quarterly: I, Azure, an eagle displayed
Or beaked and membered Gules holding in its beak an Orthodox Cross Or, in dexter
chief a sun in splendour and in sinister chief an increscent of the last (for Wallachia);
II, gules, a bull's head caboshed Argent, in dexter base a rose, in sinister base a
decrescent Argent, and between the bull's horns a mullet Or (for Moldavia); III, Gules,
issuant from water in base Azure a bridge of two arches embattled throughout, thereon
a lion rampant Or brandishing a sabre proper (for Oltenia and Banat); IV, Per fess
Azure and Or, a bar Gules issuant therefrom an eagle displayed between in sinister
chief a decrescent Argent and in dexter chief a sun in splendour Or; in base seven
castles Gules (for Transylvania); Ente en point, Azure, two dolphins urinant
respectant Or (for Dobruja)
In the Middle Ages, Wallachia had two core provinces. One was Greater Wallachia
(Muntenia) and the other was Lesser Walachia (Oltenia). There was also the disputed
province of Dobruja. These provinces were mostly geographical, not administrative,
but from the end of the 15th century, because the Banate of Severin was partitioned
between Wallachia and the Kingdom of Hungary, Oltenia was ruled by a ban. Oltenia
was known as the Banate of Craiova. It is unknown whether the Despotate of
Dobruja originally had a coat of arms. Control of the region over time involved
Romania, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire. The present coat of arms of Dobruja was
created in 1872. Also in 1872, a new form of the Wallachia coat of arms was
officiated to represent just Muntenia. In the Middle Ages, Muntenia had had a
different heraldic symbol.
In the Middle Ages, Moldova had four provinces: three permanent provinces, The
Upper Country, The Lower Country and Basarabia, and a disputed province, Pokuttya.
Moldova lay between the Ottoman Empire, the Austrian empire and the Russian
Empire. The Upper Country (the northwestern part) was occupied by Austrians, who
named the land Bucovina. The Lower Country (eastern part) was conquered by the
Russian Empire. It was merged with Basarabia, forming the Guberniya of Bessarabia.
The remaining portion was preserved as Moldova. In the 17th century, Transnistria
was governed by the Principality of Moldova but was never a part of it. Today, the
western part of Transnistria is in the Republic of Moldavia while the rest is
in Ukraine, as is most of Bugeac (north of Bucovina) and Pocutia.
The national flag of Romania (Romanian: drapelul Romniei) is a tricolor with
vertical stripes, beginning from the flagpole: blue, yellow and red. It has a widthlength ratio of 2:3.
The Constitution of Romania provides that "The flag of Romania is tricolor; the
colors are arranged vertically in the following order from the flagpole: blue, yellow,
red". The proportions, shades of color as well as the flag protocol were established by
law in 1994 and extended in 2001.
The flag is coincidentally very similar to the civil flag of Andorra and the state flag of
Chad. The similarity with Chad's flag, which differs only in having a darker shade of
blue (indigo rather than cobalt), has caused international discussion. In 2004, Chad
asked the United Nations to examine the issue, but then-president of Romania Ion

Iliescu announced no change would occur to the flag. The flag of Moldova is related
to the Romanian tricolor, except it has a 1:2 ratio, a lighter shade of blue, a slightly
different tint of yellow, and the Moldovan coat of arms in the middle. The civil ensign
of Belgium uses black rather than blue.