The so-called Swedish Crown, also known as the "Purchased Crown", was a part of the Polish Crown Jewels

Polish Crown Jewels

The only surviving original piece of the Polish Crown Jewels from the time of the Piast dynasty is the ceremonial sword - Szczerbiec. It is currently on display along with other preserved royal items in the Wawel Royal Castle Museum, Kraków....

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History

The crown was made for King Sigismund II Augustus

Sigismund II Augustus

Sigismund II Augustus I was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the only son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548...

. After King's death it was pawned to Giovanni Tudesco and later ransomed by King Sigismund III Vasa

Sigismund III Vasa

Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...

 for 20,000 florin

Italian coin florin

The Italian florin was a coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard. It had 54 grains of nominally pure gold worth approximately 200 modern US Dollars...

s and used for his coronation in Uppsala

Uppsala

- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...

 as the King of Sweden on February 19, 1594.

In 1623 King Sigismund III bequeathed it to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and it was included in the State Treasury at the Wawel Castle

Wawel Castle

The Gothic Wawel Castle in Kraków in Poland was built at the behest of Casimir III the Great and consists of a number of structures situated around the central courtyard. In the 14th century it was rebuilt by Jogaila and Jadwiga of Poland. Their reign saw the addition of the tower called the Hen's...

 after king's death in 1633.

The appearance of the crown was a type of corona clausa, consisting of five larger and five smaller parts (portiones maiores quinque, minores quinque) and 262 precious stones, including 24 emeralds, 64 rubies, 30 sapphires, 21 diamonds and 123 pearls. In the 18th century the crown was depicted in the portrait of Sigismund I the Old

Sigismund I the Old

Sigismund I of Poland , of the Jagiellon dynasty, reigned as King of Poland and also as the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until 1548...

 by Marcello Bacciarelli

Marcello Bacciarelli

Marcello Bacciarelli was an Italian painter of the late-baroque and Neoclassic periods.He studied in Rome under Marco Benefial. In 1750 he was called to Dresden, Saxony, where he was employed by Elected King Augustus III of Poland; after whose death he went to Vienna, and thence to Warsaw...

, painted to embellish the Marble Room at the Royal Castle in Warsaw

Royal Castle, Warsaw

The Royal Castle in Warsaw is a castle residency and was the official residence of the Polish monarchs. It is located in the Castle Square, at the entrance to the Warsaw Old Town. The personal offices of the king and the administrative offices of the Royal Court of Poland were located there from...

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Further reading

• Jerzy Lileyko. Regalia Polskie. Warszawa 1987. ISBN 83-03-02021-8
• Janusz Miniewicz. Tajemnica polskich koron. Czy jest szansa ich odnalezienia?. Nowy Sącz 2006. ISBN 83-924034-2-8
• Michał Rożek. Polskie koronacje i korony. Kraków 1987. ISBN 83-03-01914-7

External links

Korona szwedzka