Heavy Upon Their Shoulders: A Study of Eleventh Century European Royal Mantles and Regalia

The 11th century was a time fraught with change. Dynasties rose and fell, nations were changed to their very core, and artistic achievements became more widespread throughout Europe. With the foundation being laid for these endeavors by illustrious leaders such as Charlemagne and Alfred the Great, their descendants and followers were able to create, sponsor, and inspire great works of art in the Romanesque period. While many of the works that have survived are architectural, one of the greatest accomplishments in this period was in the field of fashion. In this time, gold embroidery and metalwork flourished, with great mantles, vestments, crowns, reliquaries, and other treasures being created. Although not all of what was created has survived, there are some notable examples that are still extant. Even more notably, they hail from one extended family, two countries united by kinship: the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. Through the objects they wore and commissioned, a brief and dazzling glimpse is given into their lives. This article shall endeavor to explore the details of several of these remarkable objects, with emphasis on the surviving mantles. The extraordinary embroidery that was created for these mantles is stunning, and is rare in its entirety. In our modern world, we often take any sort of metallic object, let alone a metallic textile, for granted. Yet there was a time when creating such things required one thing, real gold