10 Historic Royal Thrones from Around the World

10 Historic Royal Thrones from Around the World If you want to be a monarch, you need three things. Ultimate power over your domain, a brilliant gold crown to impress the peasantry, and the best seat in the palace. The idea of giving important people a special place to sit is near universal. Many ancient civilizations placed their rulers, priests, and gods on thrones. They became so synonymous with royalty that the throne is a byword for monarchy itself. Let's take a closer look at 10 fabulous royal thrones from history. I've selected this list based on their fame, historic importance, beauty, and their fascinating stories. They span the globe and history. So find a comfortable seat as we examine where ancient and modern monarchs rested their behinds. Number 1 The Throne of Knossos is the oldest known throne in the world. It was built in the 1400s BCE as part of the palace complex of Knossos on the island of Crete in Greece, home of the Bronze Age Minoan civilization. The throne itself is a carved alabaster seat and backrest, fit directly into the north wall of the chamber. Two griffins are painted on either side, staring intently at the sitter. These mythological creatures with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion were symbolic of power, wealth, courage, and prestige. The walls are lined with gypsum benches used by other members of the court and painted red with more griffins and palms, symbols of victory, peace, and fertility. The throne room is accessed from an antechamber through double doors. The altar and lustral basin on the floor suggest religious bathing and other rituals took place here, likely at dawn on certain days of the year, when the rising sun would have lit up the chamber magnificently. The throne may have been reserved for the king or perhaps for a high priestess. The palace of Knossos is currently open to the public. 2. The Golden Throne of Tutankhamun Was made for the boy king around 1323 BCE, Egyptian pharaohs were considered living gods and their thrones were a connection between earthly and divine. The lustrous armchair was crafted from wood and covered with gold, silver, semi-precious stones, and colored glass. Two lion's heads protect the seat, while the arms take the form of winged cobras wearing a double crown of Egypt and guarding the cartouche names of the king. On the backrest is an intricately wrought scene of the king with his queen Anoxenamun. Their linen robes are made of silver. She holds a salve cup and spreads perfumed oil on her husband's collar, as the sun disk Aten shines above them. This intimate moment, preserved for all time, hints at a troubled life for the royal couple. In ancient Egypt, it was customary for the eldest son and daughter of the pharaoh to marry each other and become co-rulers. Tutankhamun was the result of generations of inbreeding. He was plagued with a clubbed foot, scoliosis, necrosis of the bone tissue, a cleft palate, and a painful skin condition, which was probably psoriasis. The salve his wife is applying was likely a remedy. This royal pair were half-siblings. Anoxenamun gave birth to two stillborn daughters, whose mummies were found buried in their father's tomb. Tutankhamun only ruled for nine years before dying at 19 of malaria, which was exacerbated by his many genetic health problems. He was buried in a magnificent tomb in the Valley of the Kings, filled with luxurious burial goods, which give us some of the best glimpses into ancient Egypt. They were discovered in 1922 by archaeologist Howard Carter. The golden throne was found under a hippopotamus bed. In 3,000 years, its brilliant colors have not faded. It can now be seen at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. 3. The throne of Charlemagne was built for the father of Europe himself in 1790 in the octagon chamber of the Palace Cathedral in Aachen. Once the capital city of the Holy Roman Empire, the throne is plain and free from ornamentation. It has six steps, just like the throne of King Solomon. Charlemagne saw himself as the biblical ruler's successor, bringing Europe to Christianity at swordpoint. The steps lead up to a podium, upon which rests a seat, constructed from marble slabs held together with bronze clamps. The marble and the steps may have been taken from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the site where Jesus was crucified and buried. There are myriad designs etched into the slabs, both pagan and Christian, which indicate that they were recycled. One served as a game board for nine mens moris. The back is etched with the crucifixion. Behind the throne is an altar, with a chamber which once concealed the imperial crown, Saint Stephen's purse, and other regalia. The oak door has been carbon dated to 800 CE. The throne is held up by four stone pillars, representing the four elements, four seasons, and four cardinal directions. Between them is an open space into which visitors could crawl, demonstrating their humility to both the Emperor and Jesus. The smoothness of the stone indicates this ritual of supplication was performed countless times. The throne was used for the coronations of kings of the Germans, also called kings of the Romans. Afterward, it was up to them to travel to Rome to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope. The last coronation to take place on this throne was Charles V in 1520. His brother, Ferdinand I, cut out the Pope and declared himself Emperor. From then on, coronations took place in the new capital, Vienna. In 1804, while Napoleon was destroying the empire, he visited Aachen and paid his respects to the ancient throne. But the man who had little reverence for anything else, declined to sit in the throne, out of respect for his hero, Charlemagne. The immovable stone chair has survived 1,200 years of renovations in the chapel. During World War II, it was covered in tar paper and buried in sand to protect it from air raids. The throne of Charlemagne can be seen today in Aachen Cathedral in Germany. Number 4. The Chair of St. Peter was a gift from Charlemagne's grandson, Emperor Charles the Bald, to Pope John VIII. According to legend, it was the throne used by the Apostle Peter while he was ruling the early church as the first Pope. But recent studies have found that the oldest parts date back only to the 500s. The chair is made of oak, which has been greatly damaged by cuts and worms. It is decorated with ivory, carved with astrological symbols. On either side are iron rings into which poles can be run to carry the throne in papal processions. This caused a lot of damage. So in 1655, Pope Alexander VII decided to preserve the ancient relic inside a glorious reliquary. Lorenzo Bernini was commissioned to create an otherworldly Baroque masterpiece. On a black and white and rose marble base stand four gilt-bronze figures of saints. They hold scrolls which support a gilt-bronze throne that seems to hover in mid-air. The original chair of St. Peter is kept inside. The backrest shows a relief of Christ instructing St. Peter. Above the throne shine gilded sunrays, clouds, and angels, all illuminated by an amber stained glass window with a dove. Though the chair of St. Peter has not been seen for centuries, it became a byword for the office of the Pope and has been celebrated on its own feast day, February 22nd. On October 27th, 2024, the ancient chair of St. Peter was removed from its reliquary and put on public display for the first time since 1867. It can be seen in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican until December 8th. Number 5. St. Edward's Chair The mystical Stone of Scone, or Stone of Destiny, is said to have served as Jacob's pillow in the Book of Genesis. It was then hauled to Ireland by the prophet Jeremiah, and finally to Scotland where it was used as the throne for ancient Pictish kings. Though geological testing has proven that it was actually quarried in Scotland, but it has been an important part of Scottish history for a thousand years. In 1296, King Edward I of England invaded, stole the Stone of Scone and took it back to London. He ordered a throne to hold it, which has been sat upon during the crowning, the most important moment of the coronation ceremony for every English monarch since. The high-backed, gothic-style armchair, designed by the royal goldsmith, was originally supposed to be made of bronze, but the king, who nearly bankrupted England with wars, decided cheaper oak would do just as well. The chair was named for 11th century Anglo-Saxon king St. Edward the Confessor. The wood was covered in gold leaf and mosaics, depicting foliage, birds, and animals. An image of a king, probably Edward the Confessor or Edward I, with his feet resting on a lion was painted on the back. Neither Edward I nor his successors were successful in conquering Scotland, which held on to its independence until 1603, when their king, James VI, inherited the throne of England. From then, the two nations were joined in an uncomfortable union. Monarchs used to place their behind directly on the stone of Scone, but in the 1600s, the royals added a wooden seat and gilded lions for chair legs. Tourists could sit on the coronation chair for a small fee. Many also gleefully picked off the gold and glass for souvenirs, or carved their initials into the priceless antique. This is why we can't have nice things. In preparation for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, the coronation chair was painted brown. In 1914, a corner of the chair was destroyed by a bomb detonated by suffragettes. Over the 800 years of its existence, it has only left Westminster Abbey twice. Once in 1653 for a ceremony in Westminster Hall, when Oliver Cromwell was inducted as Lord Protector, and again during World War II, when it was moved out of London to protect it from air raids. The Stone of Scone's possession by the English has long been viewed in Scotland as a symbol of oppression. On Christmas Day 1950, a group of Scottish students stole the stone. They hid it for four months, but the government tracked them down and returned the stone in time for the coronation of Elizabeth II. In 1996, the Stone of Scone was finally returned to Scotland. In 2023, it was temporarily brought back to London for the coronation of King Charles III. Today, St. Edward's Chair can be seen in Westminster Abbey, where it is kept behind protective glass, and the Stone of Scone can be seen at Perth Museum in Scotland. Number 6. The Throne of Montezuma Also known as the Teokali of the Sacred War, is a miniature of an Aztec temple, which is thought to have served as a throne. It is fashioned from a single stone in the shape of a flat-roofed stepped pyramid. Into the backrest is carved a sun disc flanked by two gods, and a headdress believed to represent Montezuma II. He was the ninth Aztec emperor. In 1520, he was the first to make contact with Europeans. He was killed in the power struggle with conquistador Hernan Cortes. The throne is covered in reliefs of gods, weapons, and symbols representing mythological events of the past and future. On the back is an eagle with a prickly pear cactus, similar to the coat of arms of Mexico. The eagle holds in its beak the glyph for war. The cactus grows out of the defeated corpse of the goddess of lakes and rivers. The sculpture was rediscovered in 1831 in the foundations of the National Palace of Mexico. Historians long interpreted the glyphs on the throne as justification for the Aztecs' practice of war to capture prisoners for human sacrifice, but more recent scholars have reinterpreted it as a representation of the Mexico lands held together by force of arms. The throne of Montezuma is located in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. Number 7 The Peacock Throne of the Mughal Empire Is the only throne on my list which no longer exists, but as it is the most extravagant and expensive throne ever made, I have to talk about it. It was commissioned in 1635 by Emperor Shah Jahan, who ruled over much of modern day India and Pakistan. It took seven years for goldsmiths to craft the dazzling throne. It had steps leading up to a platform on which the ruler appeared to float above the ground, closer to heaven. He reclines under a canopy supported by 12 carved columns. The roof was surmounted by at least two carved jewel-encrusted peacocks, symbols of beauty and wealth. This masterpiece was covered in an incredible amount of solid gold, rubies, emeralds, pearls, diamonds, and other precious stones. The columns were embedded with pearls weighing 6-10 carats each. It also held four massive uncut diamonds, the smallest of which was 83 carats. The largest was the 186-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond, known as the Mountain of Light. It is not clear where these stones were mounted, but it has been suggested that they were the eyes of the peacocks. But they all pale in comparison to the 352-carat Timur Ruby. The third largest spinel in the world. Watch my video on crowns to see the first and second largest. The peacock throne cost twice as much as the Taj Mahal, which Shah Jahan built as a tomb for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. He joined her there in 1666 after his son deposed and imprisoned him. In 1739, the ruler of Iran, Nadar Shah, defeated the Mughal emperor, sacked the city, and massacred tens of thousands of people. The Persian army carried off the peacock throne as a spoil of war. Nadar Shah was assassinated in 1747, and the throne disappeared in the ensuing chaos and civil war. Most likely it was dismantled, and its gold and gems harvested for other pieces. Many of the stones are now part of the crown jewels of Iran. The Sikh emperor obtained the Koh-i-Noor diamond and the Timur Ruby, and brought them back to India. But he died shortly after, leaving them to his five-year-old son, Duleep Singh. In 1849, the British East India Company forced the boy king to sign a treaty handing over his kingdom and the jewels. Both were presented to Queen Victoria in 1850. Prince Albert placed the ruby in the Great Exhibition, and then had Gerrard's set it into a necklace as a gift for his wife. The Timur Ruby is still part of the British royal family's personal collection, though the necklace is rarely worn. Albert had the Koh-i-Noor cut to European style, but it was badly done and nearly half of the gem was destroyed. Because of the many disasters which have befallen its male owners, the diamond is believed to be cursed, and is therefore placed only in the crowns of queen consorts, most recently Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1936. The governments of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have all asked for the Koh-i-Noor to be returned. For the double coronation of Charles III and Camilla in 2023, the queen selected a historic crown, but the spot where the Koh-i-Noor once shone was patched over with a diamond brooch. Still, the British royals are holding on to the controversial diamond. This last fragment of the magnificent Peacock Throne of the Mughal Empire can now be seen at the Tower of London. The Coronation Chair of Denmark was made in 1662 for King Frederick III. The Danish monarchy had been elective since its inception during the Viking Age. Usually the king's eldest son was chosen, but in brutal times kings often died young while their sons were still in swaddling clothes, so an adult male relative might be chosen to lead instead. Once a new king was elected, he was proclaimed and crowned. But in 1660, monarchs weren't dying in battle nearly as often, so Frederick III got rid of the election and made himself an absolute monarch. From then on, Danish kings claimed authority directly from God rather than the people. The coronation ceremony was done away with, and kings were instead anointed with holy oil and enthroned. To enhance his own majesty, Frederick III commissioned an incredible gilded coronation chair. According to legend, the spiral columns were made from unicorn horn. No mythological creatures were actually harmed in the making of this throne, but a few real-life Norwals were. Adult males of this arctic whale species have tusks which can measure up to 3 meters or 9 feet long. The hollow spiraled protrusions were heavily coveted and thought to have magical properties to protect their owner from poison and disease. Ivan the Terrible had a jewel-encrusted Norwal tusk on his deathbed. Elizabeth I was presented one by a privateer. Tusks were worth several times their weight in gold. Thus, the whales that grew them were hunted extensively. Continuing on the animal theme, the Danish throne is guarded by three life-size silver lions, which contain no actual lion. Each lounging king of the jungle weighs 130 kilos, nearly 300 pounds. Their eyes, manes, and rumps are covered in pure gold. The throne-lion combo was inspired by the biblical throne of King Solomon, which was made from ivory and guarded by 12 lions. The masterpiece took nine years to complete. Unfortunately by then, Frederick was a year in his grave. His son, Christian V, added the gold figures for his 1671 enthronement. His grandson, Christian VI, so loved his wife, Sophie Magdalena, that he ordered a silver throne for her to rest upon during their 1731 enthronement. The last monarch to sit upon the throne was Christian VIII in 1840. In 1849, Denmark became a constitutional monarchy. Danish sovereigns no longer have coronations or enthronements. Instead, they are proclaimed from the balcony of Christianborg Palace. The coronation chair of Denmark is on display at Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen. Number 9. The Golden Stool of the Asante Dates to the reign of Asantehini Ositutu in the early 1700s. He united several clans in West Africa, modern-day Ghana, to form the Asante Kingdom. According to legend, his high priest called the golden stool down from heaven. The Sika Dwa Kofi, the golden stool born on a Friday, is much more than the thrones of European monarchs. Stools are incredibly important to the Asante culture. They represent the sansum, or soul, of their owner, and are given at important milestones. Parents present stools to their children and grooms to their brides. When a leader dies, their stool is painted black with soot and animal blood and enshrined. Chiefs and lesser kings have intricately carved wooden stools. But the golden stool is the most sacred object and is said to harbor the souls of all the Asante people, living, dead, and yet to be born. It is also depicted on the Asante flag. The golden stool has a curved seat and stands 46 centimeters or 18 inches high. Its entire surface is inlaid with pure gold and hung with golden bells to warn the king of impending danger. The Asante homeland is rich in gold. This is one of many reasons Europeans were so interested in exploiting it. The Portuguese first arrived in the 1400s. European powers supplied guns to inflame warfare between the tribes, and purchased prisoners of war to ship them to the Americas as enslaved labor. In 1872, the British invaded the Asante capital, Kumasi, killing thousands of people and burning down the Asante palace. Primpey I refused to submit to British rule, so he was deposed and shipped to a penal colony in the Seychelles. British Governor General Sir Frederick Hodgson demanded that the golden stool be presented to him so he could sit upon it. He had no understanding of the cultural significance of this object and saw it merely as the spoils of war. But the Asante hid their precious relic. Hodgson ordered his men to search all of Kumasi and dig up the ground. Asante chiefs met in secret to decide what to do. Many were resigned to giving the English what they wanted. But Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa gave a fiery speech, shaming the chiefs and proclaiming, If you are going to behave like cowards and not fight, you should exchange your loincloths for my undergarments. She then grabbed a gun and fired a shot into the roof. The leaders named her war chief. She led 5,000 against the British in the War of the Golden Stool. Many women refused to sleep with their husbands if they would not stand with the Queen Mother. Yaa's army chased Hodgson and his men into their fort and held them under siege for several months. But eventually reinforcements arrived and the Asante were defeated. The Queen Mother was deported to the Seychelles and the Asante empire was made a protectorate of the British crown. But they never found the Golden Stool. If they had, it surely would be on display in the British Museum now. Instead, the sacred stool remains with the Asante as a symbol of their strength, unity and independence. Only members of the royal family know where it is hidden. It's brought out only for important occasions like the installment of a new Asantehini. The stool may never touch the ground and is placed on an elephant's skin or on its own stool. The new Asantehini is lifted over it and his bottom is allowed to gently touch the stool three times. The last installment was held in 1999 for Ositutu II. Number 10. The Chrysanthemum Throne of Japan is more than just a chair. It is the very idea of the oldest existing monarchy in the world, the Empire of Japan. According to legend, the first emperor was Jimmu around 660 BCE. He was believed to be the grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu. But chrysanthemums weren't introduced until the 8th century CE. Chinese merchants brought the flowers to Japanese cultivators, who bred a variety of stunning colors and shapes. Chrysanthemums became one of the island nation's most important exports. In 1183, Emperor Gotoba adopted the chrysanthemum as the official imperial family crest. It represented his empire's wealth and beauty. Japan does not have a crown. Instead of a coronation, new emperors are enthroned. This ancient rite was traditionally held in Kaito, the old capital. There have been numerous thrones used over the centuries. But the current imperial throne is the Takamikuri, constructed in 1912 for Emperor Taisho. It is based on the design of thrones past. It consists of a square pedestal of black and red lacquered sandalwood. The lacquering process of coating materials with sap from the lacquer tree to create a hard, shiny surface was invented in Japan around 1000 BCE. The pedestal is decorated with gold and paintings of dragons. In the back, it has a staircase for the emperor. He climbs three black octagonal pedestals, upon which stand eight lacquered columns. The ornate roof is bordered by blue, green, and white painted clouds, from which rise polished gold suns and a massive golden phoenix, a mythological bird which represents immortality. Each of the eight corners are elongated by a gold encrusted spiral, upon which perch a smaller phoenix, and from which dangle dozens of gold chrysanthemum charms and bells. The entire structure stands 6 meters or 20 feet high and weighs 8 tons. The canopy is hung with purple and red silk curtains, which are parted to reveal the new emperor, seated on a relatively simple black lacquer gold embellished chair with a red silk cushion. While wearing full traditional dress, he reads out the proclamation of his accession to the chrysanthemum throne. To his left sits the empress, in her own smaller throne, called the Michodai. In 1990, Emperor Akihito moved the Takamikura and his enthronement ceremony to the modern capital, Tokyo. The thrones are occasionally put on public display at both palaces. The last enthronement was for Emperor Norihito in 2019. Want even more tea on history? Check out the History Tea Time podcast. You can now follow History Tea Time on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. A special thank you goes to my patrons, Spencer Knudsen and Sir Enrico Manaua de la Cruz. 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