CROWN (MHutch krune, krone. Icel. krina, Ger. Krone. 011G. eoroac. corona. OF. (-crone, Fr. couronne. from Lat. corona, crown, Ok. Ko pc:nn, kortine, curved end of a connected with Gael. eruinn, Welsh erten, round, Lat. (w ens. curved). The crown, as we mulerstand it to-day, resembles in some degree the fillets, wreaths. and garlands which were worn among the Greeks as an emblem of office tin the case of the arehons), as a distinction for the victors in the public games, or for citizens who had rendered exceptional service to their country. The Romans used them chiefly as rewards for valor. The most highly prized was the corona obsidionolis, made of grass or wild flowers. be stowed by a beleaguered garrison on the general who rescued them. Next came the corona eivica, of oak-leaves and acorns, as a reward to soldier who had saved the life of a Roman citi zen in battle: a place next to the senators was reserved for the wearer at public spectacles, and the whole assembly rose at his entrance. The corona ma•aiis, a golden ring surmounted with turrets or battlements, was bestowed on the man who first sealed the wall of a besieged city; and the corona triumplealis, of three kinds, illicit a general who obtained a triumph. There were other crowns not honorary, but emblematical, and regulated not by law as were the former ones. hut by custom. Of these the most important were the corona sneerdnfalis, worn by priests and others engaged in sacrifice: mrona funrbris. or sepulchralis, with which the dead were crowned; corona conriria/is, worn on by banqueter,; corona naplialts, or bridal wreath; and COrtlIIII nalalitia, a chaplet suspend ed over the door of a hit.c in which a child was born.
As the emblem of sovereignty in modern Europe the crown was borrowed rather from the diadem (q.v.) than from the above•mentioned crown-.. 'file Roman emperors are represented as wearing either the diadem, the laurel crown la simple emblem of glory), or the radiating crown, probably of Eastern origin. which syndad ized aiming the Romans the deification of the em perors. From the time of Constantine the Great (306-337) the diadem was the established em I'leni of imperial power; lint it was "111111111ted under Justinian (527-(i5) by the crown called sh mum, a slight elaboration upon the golden fillet: and this in turn was replaced by still more elaborate crowns. until the crown with arches be
came the :tempted form. The ordinary type of the imperia 1 crown of the Jliddle Ages, as assumed in imitation of the Greek emperors by Charles the Bald (840-77), is found in an illuminated 1\14. at Munich representing the Emperor Henry 11. (1002-24) crowned by Christ. The crown mthiall• used at the coronation of many sill emperors. and MAY preserved in the imperial treasury in Vienna, is a round cap stir rounded by eight small shields with semicircular tops alternately adorned with precious stone• and with pictures. 11 is surmounted by a small ern--; resting on an arid' inscribed Dei gratin Roma nonun imperator an,gnstus" (Conrad 11., 1024-39). The present Austrian imperial crown is of the style adopted Icy the Emperor Alaximilian II. in 1570: it is cleft in the centre so as partly to resemble a mitre; the golden circlet is jeweled and adorned with fleurs de-lis and surmounted by a cap, above whirl; rises a single arch surmounted by a cross. The new German imperial crown resembles the old crown of Charlemagne and consists of eight shields ornamented with precious stones; the shields show a cross made of precious stones. the smaller the imperial eagle set with diamonds; above it rise four arches surmounted by a cross. The royal crown of Great Britain is a of gold enriched with precious stones and pearls, and heightened by four crosses pat•e and four fleurs-de-lis alternately; from these rise four arches which close under a mound ensigned with a cross pati.e. See TIARA; CORONET.
So entirely was the crown regarded as the symbol of sovereignty that the word came to Ire used as synonymous with the monarchy, the State, and matters tinder the eontrol of the execu tive authority; thus we speak of Crown lawyers, Crown lands. etc., the term having no connection with the sovereign personally.