The crowning of Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark as King and Queen of the British Empire and British Dominion took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on August 9, 1902. Originally scheduled for June 26 of that year, the ceremony has been postponed at short notice, as the King has been ill with abdominal abscesses which requires immediate operation.
Video Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra
Preparation
The coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838, mother and predecessor of Edward VII, has become a lackluster and somewhat lackluster event at Abbey, although newly expanded street processions and celebrations across the country have become a popular big success. The success of the Golden Jubilee and the Victorian Diamond has created the hope that Edward's coronation will be an expression of the nation's status as a great imperial power. In December 1901, the Executive Equality Committee was formed, whose main member, Viscount Esher, worked closely with the King to organize the agenda for the event. Esher was responsible for organizing the Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and was one of the driving forces behind renewed enthusiasm for royal ceremonies. The Music Director's position was given to Sir Frederick Bridge, organ and choirmaster at Westminster Abbey; the first convent organ since Henry Purcell was given that role. Bridge has successfully changed the quality of music at Abbey and has directed music in the Golden Jubilee, where he has become a Royal Victorian Order Member.
Maps Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra
Diseases and delays
At the time of accession, Edward is 59 years old overweight and likes big meals and cigars. He launched himself into his new role, but his first busy months on the throne were filled with a series of illnesses and injuries. On June 23, three days before the date set for coronation, Edward and his wife, Alexandra from Denmark, returned from the Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace in preparation. The foreign correspondent noted that he looked "pale and pale" and leaned on his wand. That night, the King and Queen held formal dinners for the seventy royal guests of England and abroad.
The next day at 12 noon, a telegram reading "OFFICIAL" was sent throughout the Empire, with news that the coronation was postponed and that the King was undergoing surgery. Shortly thereafter, a bulletin was released from Edward's medical team, stating that "The King suffers from perityphlitis, and Saturday's condition is so satisfying that it is expected that His Majesty's attention will be through a coronation ceremony.On Monday night the surge becomes real, surgical rendering needed today ". It's undersigned, among other things, Lord Lister and Sir Frederick Treves, who actually performed an operation on the table in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace, to drain his stomach cyst.
On June 26 itself, an "intercession service" was held at St Paul's Cathedral, which was attended by many British and foreign officials residing in London for coronation. Although the workers immediately received instructions to begin dismantling the wooden stalls that had been established along the procession route, Edward insisted that the celebration of the area and the planned "London Dinner Supper for the Poor" should be continued. Hosted by Sir Thomas Lipton, 500,000 dinners were served to London on July 5 at 800 locations around the capital. The king personally donated Ã, Â £ 30,000 towards the cost and there was a donation from commercial companies and the rich. The Rowntree's candy maker provides each restaurant with a can of chocolate and a better one for 60,000 people serving as waiters, arguing that they will "have a greater social influence than the poor".
Many people intend to witness the coronation procession, and the rooms along the planned route have been rented at a high price for the expected day of coronation. The postponement of coronation led to many requests for refunds on lease contracts, which resulted in a "coronation case", which became an important precedent in the doctrine of objective frustration in the general law of British contracts.
Service
One unwanted effect of the delay is the departure of foreign delegates; they did not return for a re-scheduled ceremony, leaving their country to be represented by their ambassador. This made the coronation of "the domestic celebration of the British race united by the influence of the Empire Kingdom" according to J E C Bodley, the official historian of the event. Among the 8,000 guests at Abbey is the prime minister of the British Dominion, thirty-one rulers of the Pioneer Country of India, the Sultan of Perak and Litunga of Barotseland. The Times rejoiced that "KING EDWARD was our first king to be attended in his coronation by a group of eminent statesmen of self-governing colonies, as he was the first to be accompanied by a number of the great princes of India. They are bound to preserve the fabric of British government and British civilization. "
The content of the service itself has been carefully selected to ensure its spiritual character is maintained, while keeping the ceremony as short as possible. The design was mainly the work of Randall Davidson, Bishop of Winchester.
The service was performed by the elderly and infirm bishops of Canterbury, Frederick Temple, who will die before the end of the year. He persistently refuses to delegate some of his work and must be supported by two other bishops. Due to his failing vision, the service text must be printed in giant form to a roll of paper called "quick roll"; they are preserved in the Lambeth Palace Library. Archbishop Temple gives most of the disturbance in the extraordinary ceremony; he could not rise after kneeling to pay homage and should be assisted by the King and some bishops, he put the crown back forward on the King's head, and when a colleague asked after his health, he was told to "go!" in a loud voice clearly heard by the congregation. The king also deviates from the order of service; when Prince Wales touched the Crown and kissed his father's left cheek with a traditional gesture of honor, the King stood up and hugged his son's neck in an unusual display of affection. Because he was still recovering, Edward was crowned with Imperial State Crown, not the heavily-targeted Crown St. Edward. Alexandra was crowned immediately after her husband by William Dalrymple Maclagan, Archbishop of York. He was crowned with a new crown containing Koh-i-Noor diamonds.
Music
When he received his commission as Music Director, it was clear to Frederick Bridge that coronations needed sublime music and majesty to make the show unparalleled in history. He is assisted by Sir Walter Parratt, Master of the King's Music, who has influence in the courts that Bridge does not have. Bridge decided to make the coronation as a celebration of British music for four hundred years. The arrangement of coronation texts compiled by Thomas Tallis, Orlando Gibbons, and Henry Purcell is incorporated with the works of modern composers such as Arthur Sullivan, Charles Villiers Stanford, and John Stainer. New jobs assigned to famous events include the Hubert Parry arrangement of Psalm 122, I Was Glad proficiently incorporating the traditional "Vivat Rex" acclamation by the King's Scholars of Westminster School. at the entrance of sovereignty. It has been used in every coronation since.
The music is played by choir 430, 65 orchestra and 10 Trumpeter States. At the coronation of 1838, the organs had tried to play the instrument and perform at the same time, with the result that the two functions were not satisfactory. Bridge not only delegates organs to Walter Alcock, but also uses two sub-conductors, and then alternates with Parratt in performing from the top of the organ screen. The only real musical error is that Bridge misjudged the time of I Was Glad and has finished the song before the King arrives, having to repeat it when the right moment comes. The bridge is saved by an organ, which improvises for a while.
Procession
The procession in the State initially included the military contingent from Germany, Austria-Hungary, Denmark, Russia and Portugal. However, after the delay, this returns home, leaving a fully parade of British and Imperial affairs. Of the total 30,000 people marching or marching on the route, more than 2,000 people are representatives of colonial troops, Dominion or India. The rest represented every corps and regiments of the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Marines. A procession of carriages was conducted by British and overseas officials and was followed by prominent kings, comrades and commanders including Lord Kitchener, Lord Roberts and Lord Wolseley.
The second procession, which had been planned for the day after the coronation service for the City of London and Southwark tours, was postponed until 25 October due to the King's health.
Review of Coronation of Fleet
Aside from the pending procession, the final coronation ceremony was the Armada Review on August 16 at Spithead offshore in Portsmouth. Without bringing one warship back from every foreign station, the Royal Navy was able to collect 20 warships, 24 cruisers and 47 destroyers. A number of foreign warships are invited to participate. An estimated 100,000 people watched from shore or from steamboats and small boats in the sea. Although there are no fewer than seventeen fleet reviews during the Victorian government, this is the first to be associated with coronation.
On the morning of the review, the King had an audience on a royal cruise with three Boer commanders; Louis Botha, Christiaan de Wet and Koos de la Rey. This is remarkable because the Vereeniging Treaty ending the Second Boer War fought just ended on May 31 of that year. The next day, the King was well enough to watch the fleet exercise at sea.
See also
- List of British crownings
- Coronation of Edward VII , the film revives the ceremony
- King Edward VII Coronation Medal
- King Edward VII Police Coronation Medal
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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