An official head-dress worn by a king or
queen. The modern crown originated with the
diadem, an embroidered fillet worn by Eastern
rulers, for which a golden band was later
substituted. A laurel crown was granted by
the Greeks to a victor in the games, and by
the Romans to a triumphant general. Crowns
came into use among the Byzantine emperors
and the European kings after the fall of the
Western Empire. Perhaps the oldest in Europe
is the Iron Crown of Lombardy, made in 591.
The crown of Charlemagne, preserved in
Vienna, consists of eight gold plates. Before
the Norman Conquest, kings of England
certainly wore crowns, and from the Conquest
to the Commonwealth, each king had two
crowns. The old regalia was broken up under
the Commonwealth, and a new set was made
after the Restoration.