The crown of Hungary before and after the Hungarian crowning: the use of the Holy Crown of Hungary in Hungarian revolts and Habsburg representation between 1604 and 1611

This study deals with the use of the Holy Crown of Hungary in Hungarian revolts and Habsburg representation between 1604 and 1611. It describes how the meaning of the crown suddenly changed after 1604 and how this meaning was spread across the borders of Hungary. The focus is on the use of the crown in the propaganda of King Matthias II at the time of his crowning as King of Bohemia in 1611. This is a rare example of the use of the Hungarian crown in the political legitimation of a ruler in another country outside Hungary, but it has a special ideological back-ground. This use is an aspect of the history of the crown that has been overlooked to this day. Keywords: Political thought, political and national identities, coronations, propa-ganda, representatio