A fancy spoon, holy oil, a catchy song, and a very long history...
It is not every day that I would consider getting up at 5am (willingly) on a Saturday, but I am sorely tempted to tomorrow - because tomorrow is not only a big day in our household (Davis's first birthday party), but it is a big day in European history - the first time in 70 years that the UK has crowned a monarch: King Charles III will be formally and ceremonially crowned King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland etc. etc.
This is truly a historic moment. And even for the most violent Whig with the slightest interest in history, it is worth watching, pondering, and (frankly) nerding out a bit. For me, a very un-Whiggish medievalist, this is a historic moment I feel lucky enough to observe. And also luckily, it is one of the few times in my life when my obscure medieval knowledge is actually semi-useful.
I am not going to do a full run-down of all the symbols and history of the ceremony, but I do want to pull out a few of the things you'll see tomorrow surrounding a particular part of the ceremony, the anointing, and talk briefly about why they're so fascinating historically, symbolically, and ritually. I am indebted to incredible British historian Tom Holland for some of my facts, and if you want to hear more from him on the coronation, check out this excellent podcast episode and this really interesting article.
Some people tend to think that much of the coronation ritual was a Victorian creation, but the great majority of the words, implements, and rituals come from a much older tradition. During the brief interlude of Parliamentary rule in the 17th century the government under Cromwell destroyed most of the coronation implements, many of which came from the Middle Ages (I am still so mad about this). Even though the scepter, crown, and orb were all remade for Charles II (the new king's namesake, interestingly enough), the pieces are still older than our country. However, one very interesting piece did survive the Civil War - the spoon that is used in the anointing of the monarch. I am so glad this spoon made it through the centuries - it was possibly used by King Richard the Lionhearted himself, and how cool is that??
I think it especially interesting that this piece in particular survived, because it is used in the most interesting part (I think) of the ceremony - the anointing of the new monarch with the chrism oil. If that weird word "chrism" looks familiar to you, it should! The word "Christ" literally means "anointed one," and the idea of anointing actually goes all the way back to the Old Testament in the anointing of the priests, and later the kings, of the Israelites. The word "Messiah" also means "anointed," and both are descriptors of Jesus - the "anointed" one who was to take ultimate power as priest and king (cool, huh?). Historically the chrism held enormous symbolic and mythological power. Chrism oil could supposedly calm seas and ensure good crops on fields. Its most important task was, however, to set apart particular people for higher work - priests, and rulers in particular. If you think this all sounds a bit archaic, well, it is! And honestly, that is part of the point. It is a reminder that for most of its history, the legitimacy that the English monarchy claimed was, in part, a sacred legitmacy. In fact, the recipe for the oil itself is imbued with tradition - Charles's oil was made from olives from the Mount of Olives, and contains the same herbal recipe his mother used. The Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem and the Patriarch of Jerusalem both consecrated the oil in a holy ceremony, and the actual anointing part of the ceremony will not be televised - Charles will be hidden behind a screen when it happens, in keeping with the sacred nature of the act. While some have accused Charles of being far more secular than his mother, his choice to be anointed "off-screen" (as it were) is to me an interesting (though debatable) mark of his personal piety.
The anointing of King Solomon with holy oil has been famously put to music as a coronation hymn, and is known as "Zadok the Priest." The words come from 1 Kings 1:34-45, and the most well-known setting of the hymn today comes from Handel. However, the hymn itself as part of the coronation ritual is much older, being present at King Edgar's coronation in 973AD. This link with ancient history and holiness was, and is, vital to the legitimacy and mystique of the British monarchy. As Tom Holland puts it, "A British coronation stands in a line of descent from the age of Solomon or it is nothing." The entire anointing ceremony puts an extra level of responsibility on the monarch, and is a reminder to them, and to their people, that the oaths they are swearing matter - they are sworn in a sacred ceremony witnessed not just by sleepy Americans via YouTube, but by God himself.
I wish I had more time to take a deep dive into the various other rituals and implements present in the ceremony, but I have to go set up a coronation-themed first birthday party for my son (also happening tomorrow, and of infinitely more importance to me than Charles's coronation).
If you're interested, I'd suggest Tom Holland's podcast, anything from the Royal Collection Trust, and of course, following along as the coronation is streamed for free on YouTube tomorrow. Despite its detractors, the coronation ceremony will be watched by millions, and does, I think, give some ritual and liturgy to a secular world that is starved of these things.
I will close with the words Tom Holland ends his article with - some food for thought as we consider this strange ritual and its blending of the secular and sacred: "The King - who as prince greeted the new millennium by going on Thought for the Day and praying for a rediscovery of "a sense of the sacred in all that surrounds us" - is, perhaps, less out of tune with the vibes of the age than he might appear. There may be magic in monarchy yet."