It was in Spain that the coronation rite first appeared in the West. The actual date at which the rite was first used in Spain is not known, but in the seventh century it was evidently well established. Thus in the Canons of the sixth Council of Toledo (638) reference is made to the oath which the king takes on his accession, in which he swears to persecute the Jews, and in the Canons of the eighth Council this oath is again referred to. Julian, Bishop of Toledo[124], has left us a short description of the coronation of King Wamba in 672, at which ceremony he was himself present. He tells us that the king, standing in his royal robes (regio iam cultu conspicuus) before the altar of the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Toledo, ‘according to custom made his oath to the people, and then on bended knees the oil of benediction is poured on his head by the hands of the holy bishop Quiricius and an abundance of benediction is manifested.’ Here we have the oath, the anointing, and the curious expression ‘benedictionis copia,’ which probably means a series of benedictions. There are no early Spanish forms extant, though there are slight traces of the rite and evidence that there was a proper Mass for the occasion in the old Spanish service books[125].

From the time of the Arab conquest until the reigns of Ferdinand and Isabella, Spain was little more than a geographical term. Three small Christian states, Aragon, Castile, and Navarre, maintained their independence against the flourishing Arab kingdom of Granada. The realm of Aragon was in itself a confederation of different states, and therefore in strict theory the king should, to obtain due recognition, be crowned in each state. But, probably owing to the inconvenience of an oft-repeated coronation, the rite seems to have been discarded altogether in Aragon by the fifteenth century. Nevertheless the order used at the coronation of Dom Pedro IV of Aragon in 1336 is still preserved. Castile was even more than Aragon a confederation of different states, and the king of Castile was king also of LÉon, Galice, Toledo, Jaen, Murcia, etc. Here again, doubtless from considerations of convenience, the rite seems to have passed out of existence early, being replaced by a series of proclamations, and the taking of the oath by the new king before the Cortes.

The third Christian state in Spain was the kingdom of Navarre. In this state, up to the fifteenth century, a coronation rite was used which possessed even more clearly marked characteristics than the rite of Aragon.

After the union of the Spanish states into the one Spain under Ferdinand and Isabella, the rite seems to have passed out of existence altogether, the custom of Castile serving for the whole of Spain.

The order of the coronation of Dom Pedro IV of Aragon[126] in 1336, while shewing Roman influence, on the other hand exhibits, with the rite of Navarre, more clearly marked national characteristics than any other Western rite.

The order of the coronation of Dom Pedro is as follows. The day before the ceremony the king entered the church in which he was to be crowned on the morrow, and kneeling down said a prayer for himself in Spanish. The Sword, Shield, and Helmet were then set on the altar, where they remained through the night watched by nobles, the king reposing in the Sacristy. Next morning he hears Mass privately, and at the time appointed he is summoned by the archbishop and other bishops, and is arrayed in his royal vesture; an ample linen camisa, like a Roman rochet; an amice of linen; a long camisa of white linen; a girdle; a stole over the left shoulder hanging before and behind; a maniple on his left wrist; a tunicle; and a dalmatic. The king thus arrayed goes in procession to the altar, and the Litany is said, followed by a prayer for the king and the collect Actiones nostras. At this point comes a section peculiar to the Spanish rite, the Benedictio super omnia arma regis; first a general benediction, then the Benedictio super scutum, the Benedictio super lanceam, and the Benedictio super ensem. After these benedictions, if he is not already a knight, the king is invested with the Sword, the archbishop saying Accipe ensem desuper altare, as in the Roman rite, and the king says a prayer for himself in Spanish. The Mass for the day is then begun, and after the Epistle the king takes the oath in the direct form, Nos N. profitemur et promittimus coram Deo[127]. The more important bishops now lead the king to the archbishop and ask that he may be crowned, as in the Roman rite, except that the petition is made in Spanish. The archbishop then says Deus in cuius manu corda sunt regum, and there follow three prayers under the heading Alia oratio which are probably to be regarded as alternative to the foregoing, Omn. semp. Deus qui famulum tuum N., Deus qui scis omne humanum, and Omn. semp. Deus caelestium terrestriumque. The archbishop then puts the questions to the king Vis fidem sanctam, etc., and asks the people whether they will accept him as king, as in Hittorp’s order. The archbishop blesses the king with the prayer Benedic Domine hunc regem, and proceeds to the consecration; after Sursum corda, Preface, and the prayer Creator omnium Imperator angelorum he anoints him in the threefold Name on the breast and each of his shoulders, and then says Prospice Omn. Domine hunc gloriosum regem nostrum serenis obtutibus. At this point under the heading Alia oratio are given a number of prayers Domine Deus Omn. cuius est omnis potestas, in a longer version than usual, Omn. semp. Deus qui Azahel super Syriam, Spiritus Sancti gratia, Deus qui es iustorum gloria, and Deus Dei filius.

The king is now crowned, the archbishop saying the form Accipe igitur coronam regni, as in Hittorp’s order except for a few words, and the king takes the Crown from off the altar and crowns himself, the archbishop saying Accipe signum gloriae, diadema et coronam regni, as in the Roman rite of the coronation of an emperor. The king then takes the Sceptre from the altar, the archbishop saying Accipe virgam, etc.; then the Orb, the archbishop saying Accipe dignitatis pomum et per id, etc., which is the form with which the Ring is delivered in Hittorp’s order with the necessary changes. After the investitures, under the heading Alia oratio come the two prayers, Benedic Domine quaesumus hunc regem, and Deus pater aeternae gloriae, and the king is then enthroned with the Sta et retine, the anthem Desiderium animae being sung the while.

The queen’s coronation now follows. After the prayers Omn. semp. Deus fons et origo, and Deus qui solus, she retires to the sacristy, where she is arrayed in a camisa romana; a camisa of white silk; a girdle of white silk; a maniple on the left arm; and a dalmatic. Then the Litany is sung, followed by two prayers for the queen, Praetende, quaesumus, Domine, famulae tuae, and Omn. semp. Deus hanc famulam. The consecration prayer follows, Deus bonorum cunctorum auctor with its preface, and the queen is anointed on head, breast, and on one shoulder, and after the anointing are said the prayers, Deus pater aeternae gloriae, and Spiritus Sancti gratia. The king now takes the Crown from off the altar and sets it on the queen’s head, the archbishop saying the short Roman form, Accipe coronam gloriae, or the form of Hittorp’s order Officio indignitatis. The king then gives the Sceptre into the queen’s right hand, the archbishop saying Accipe virgam virtutis, and the Orb into her left hand, the same form being used as in the case of the king. The coronation of king and queen now over, Te Deum is sung, and Mass is begun. The Postcommunion is the old Roman form adapted, Deus qui ad defendendum aeterni regni evangelium regium Aragonum solium praeparasti, and before the Mass blessing are said Omn. semp. Deus qui te populi sui voluit esse rectorem, and Haec Domine salutaris sacrificii perceptio, this latter, which is the Postcommunion of the Missa pro imperatoribus, being evidently a Postcommunion out of place.

It will be seen that at this stage the Spanish rite had been considerably influenced by the Roman rite. On the other hand it still retained very ancient features. The Shield and Spear are among the insignia of the Eastern emperors[128]. The Crown is still called the ‘Helmet,’ as in the Order of ‘Egbert.’ The taking of the insignia by the king himself, and his investing the queen with her insignia, of which usages there are signs in some of the early Frankish rites, all are reminiscent of the old Eastern rite, as are the private prayers of the king himself, which have their parallel in the living form of the Eastern Imperial rite, that which exists in Russia at the present day. The use of the vernacular, too, is very noticeable. Indeed the parallels between their rite and the earlier Eastern rite raise the question whether there has been at any stage a borrowing by the former of elements from the latter.

The coronation rite seems to have lasted longest in Navarre of all the Spanish kingdoms. Moreover the rite of Navarre, though very similar to the rite of Aragon, is still more peculiarly Spanish than that of Aragon. The general character of the rite of Navarre is seen in the description of the coronation of Charles the Noble in 1390, though unfortunately the actual forms used are not available[129]. The ceremony took place at Pamplona, and is begun by the Archbishop of Pamplona requesting the king, ‘before you approach the sacrament of your unction,’ to take the oath to the people which custom requires. The king accordingly laying his hand on cross and gospels, swears to maintain the rights and privileges of the people and to maintain justice. Then in their turn the nobility and gentry present with one voice swear to be loyal and obedient to the king, and lastly the officials of the towns, etc., take the oath of fealty. The king then proceeds to the chapel of St Stephen, disrobes, and is arrayed in white vestments designed with special openings to admit of the anointing. The Archbishop of Pamplona proceeds to anoint him in front of the high altar according to custom, but unfortunately what the custom is is not specified. The king after the anointing changes his raiment for precious vestments, and returns to the high altar. The archbishop then proceeds with the accustomed prayers, and the king takes the Sword off the altar and girds it on himself. He draws it, brandishes it, and returns it to its sheath. The king next takes the Crown from off the altar and sets it on his head, the archbishop saying the special form for the crowning; and then in the same way he takes the Sceptre. Finally, with Crown on head and Sceptre in hand, he is raised aloft on a large shield by twelve barons and deputies of various towns, who thrice shout ‘Real, real, real.’ Certain prayers follow, and Te Deum is sung. High Mass is then begun, the king offering certain palls of cloth of gold, and money according to custom. He makes his communion.

The rite by which John and Blanche were crowned in 1429 is more or less the same[130]. The oaths were made as usual, and the elevation on the shield took place, both John and Blanche being elevated, ‘according as the Gothic Kings of Spain were wont to be elevated, and before them certain Emperors of the Roman Empire.’

There are certain features of the Spanish rite which are very reminiscent of the Byzantine rite. For example, the Crown is called the ‘Helmet.’ The Shield and Spear are among the regalia. The monarch is elevated on a shield. And again the king invests himself with the various regal ornaments as was done in some circumstances at Constantinople. On the other hand it is to be remembered that after all the Shield and Spear were arms in general use and common to all nations. The elevation on the shield at Constantinople was without doubt derived from the practice of the Teutonic tribes who furnished the Empire with so many of her soldiers, and may well have been the custom of the Goths. The self-investiture by the king is curious in a land so much under the domination of the Church as was Spain from earliest Visigothic times. And there is no definite evidence of any derivation of the rite of the Spanish kingdoms from the rite of Constantinople.