Coronation of Leopold I in Bratislava

June 27, 1655
The seventh coronation in Bratislava took place in St. Martin's Cathedral, which was the coronation church of Hungarian monarchs from 1563 to 1830

A hand-colored engraving from 1655, framed under museum-quality anti-reflective UV glass, depicts the coronation of Leopold I (June 9, 1640, Vienna – May 5, 1705, Vienna) as King of Hungary in Bratislava (Pressburg). It was the seventh coronation of a Hungarian king in Bratislava since the beginning of the coronation tradition in 1563. The ceremony took place in St. Martin's Cathedral.

The upper part of the engraving depicts the interior of the cathedral during the coronation ceremony itself. In the center of the composition, the young monarch stands on a raised platform in front of the altar. The Archbishop of Esztergom, as the highest ecclesiastical dignitary in Hungary, performs the anointing and coronation. The Hungarian coronation regalia – the Holy Crown, the scepter, the orb, and the coronation sword – are depicted at the altar. The composition is strictly hierarchical. The monarch is surrounded by magnates, representatives of the estates, court dignitaries, and clergy. The audience is gathered in the upper gallery of the cathedral and in the background. At the bottom of the sheet is the title of the engraving in German: "Deutliche Vorstellung, mit was Herrlichkeit der Durchleuchtigste Fürst und Herr Leopold Ignatius Ertzhertzog zu Oesterreich, den 16. Junij im Jahr 1655 zu Pressburg zum König in Ungarn einmüßig erwählt und darauff am 27. ejusdem mit gewöhnlichen Ceremonien gekrönet worden." (A clear depiction of the glory with which the most illustrious prince and lord Leopold Ignatius, Archduke of Austria, was unanimously elected King of Hungary in Pressburg on June 16, 1655, and then crowned with the usual ceremonies on the 27th of the same month.) The individual groups and persons depicted in the engraving are marked with a letter legend: A. Ihre Röm. Kay. Majest. (His Roman-Imperial Majesty), B. Ihre Königl. Maj. vorm Altar kniend (His Royal Majesty kneeling before the altar), C. Des Königreichs Hungarn Cron, Zepter und Schwert (Crown, Sceptre and Sword of the Kingdom of Hungary), D. Ihre Königl. Maj. Thron (Throne of His Royal Majesty), E. Herrn Nuncius Bapstl. (Papal Nuncio), F. Herr Erz-Bischof von Gran (Archbishop of Esztergom), G. Dero Königreichs Hungaria und Böhmen Herrn Botschafften (Envoys of the Kingdom of Hungary and Bohemia), H. Ihre Kay. Maj. Röm. Kay. Reichs-Augst. Erz-Bohm. (Representatives of the Roman-Imperial and Habsburg Lands), I. Ihre Königl. Maj. Hofstatt (Court of His Royal Majesty), K. Das Königl. Schloß (Royal Castle), L. Wie Ihre Königl. Maj. den Schwur thut (How His Royal Majesty takes the oath).

The lower part of the engraving shows a panorama of Bratislava at that time. The dominant feature is Bratislava Castle, which served as a repository for the Hungarian crown jewels. These were stored in the castle's Coronation Tower. The crown jewels were carried to St. Martin's Cathedral in a solemn procession under the supervision of designated dignitaries and armed guards. Below the castle, you can see the city walls and towers, with the Danube in the foreground. The army, nobility, and burghers are gathered in front of the city. This is the secular phase of the coronation celebrations, which followed the liturgical ceremony. The newly crowned monarch then moved to the Coronation Hill (mons coronationis), where he drew his sword and turned to the four corners of the world as a sign of defending the country. The hill stood on the site of today's Reduta building (Slovak Philharmonic).

This is authentic graphic material documenting the coronation. Some copies were subsequently hand-colored. The detailed drawing of the architecture, figures, and heraldic elements attests to the representative character of the work. The engraving is a high-quality graphic work of art. At a time when regular printing in the form of modern newspapers did not yet exist, it served as an important pictorial and textual medium. It made the event accessible to the royal court, the church, and the high nobility. However, the technical nature of copperplate engraving did not allow for high costs – the number of copies was limited to a few hundred, so it did not reach the wider public. The engraving is included in the collections of the Bratislava City Gallery (inv. no. C 7174) and is accessible via the Web umenia portal, which is operated by the Slovak National Gallery. It is also found in the collections of major international institutions such as the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich, the British Library in London, the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna, and the Slovak National Library in Martin. Copies of this engraving can also be found in private collections around the world. This particular copy was purchased in an antique shop in Germany about ten years ago.