THE FRENCH RITE
I
As we have seen, there was in all probability a Frankish coronation rite
in existence in the time of the Merovingians, and certainly in the time
of the Carolingian kings, but it seems to have been very variable and
without much stability before the tenth century.
A group of orders of the end of the ninth and the beginning of the tenth
century may be taken as representing the Frankish or French rite in its
earliest and unfixed stage.
Charles the Bald was crowned as king of Lotharingia in 869. The rite[88]
begins with an address from Adventius, Bp of Metz, after which the king
takes the oath to preserve the rights of Church and people. Another
address is then delivered by Hincmar of Rheims, which perhaps is
additional and exceptional. Adventius says the prayer _Deus qui populis_,
and then follows a series of nine benedictions said by different bishops,
four of the benedictions being identical with forms occurring in the
second English recension. The unction follows, Bp Hincmar anointing the
king on his right ear, from his forehead to his left ear, and on the
crown of his head, with a form beginning _Coronet te Deus_, which does
not occur again and is not to be confounded with the coronation prayer
beginning with the same words. Hincmar then recites two benedictions,
identical with the last two of the second English rite, and the prayer
_Clerum ac populum_, which here appears for the first time. The king is
now crowned, all the bishops uniting, as in ‘Egbert’s’ order, to set the
crown on his head, the form used being _Coronet te deus corona gloriae_,
which is found in the second English order and in most subsequent rites.
The bishops then give the Sceptre and the Palm, with a form commencing
_Det tibi Dominus velle et posse_.
The Mass which follows the coronation is the Mass for the day.
A second example of the Frankish rite may be seen in that by which
Louis II (the Stammerer) of France was crowned at Compiègne in 877[89].
First of all the bishops ask that the rights of their churches shall
be maintained, _A vobis perdonari nobis petimus_, and the king grants
their petition _Promitto et perdono vobis_, a section which is found
henceforward regularly in the French orders. Next is said the prayer
_Deus qui populis_, and then follows the anointing, the king being
anointed during the prayer _Omnipotens sempiterne Deus creator et
gubernator_, which occurs in the second English order and in Hittorp’s
Roman order. The crowning then takes place with the form _Coronet te
Deus_, and the sceptre is given with the form used in the second English
order and henceforward, _Accipe sceptrum regiae potestatis_. The order
ends with a benediction consisting of fourteen prayers, among which occur
all those used in the order of Charles the Bald.
These two orders are very simple, and while the former is manifestly
in an unfixed stage, the latter is the first recension of the definite
French rite. It is noticeable that it presents many points of similarity
with the second English rite, and this is probably due to the influence
of the Roman rite.
Louis II was crowned a second time in 877 at Troyes by Pope John VIII.
The order used on this occasion[90] is quite different from that used at
Compiègne, and is, as might be expected under the circumstances, somewhat
Roman in character, but otherwise it is rather puzzling; perhaps it was
specially composed for the occasion, or else it belongs to the unfixed
stage and may be classed with the order of Charles the Bald.
The first prayer _Deus cui omnis potestas et dignitas famulatur_ (an
early form of the familiar _Deus cuius est omnis potestas_) occurs here
for the first time and is found later in most French orders and in the
English second and fourth recensions. Then follows _Omnium, Domine, fons
bonorum_, also found in the second English recension, after which come
the first ten of the benedictions which accompany the delivery of the
Sceptre in ‘Egbert.’ Then comes the prayer _Deus inenarrabilis_, which
here first occurs; and finally a prayer, evidently composed for the
occasion, _Oratio qua benedixit Apostolicus Johannes regem nostrum_,
and _Spiritum sanctificationis quaesumus Domine, Hludowico regi nostro
propitiatus infunde_, which does not occur elsewhere.
There are two examples of the coronation of queens in Frankish lands at
this time, the earliest examples of the rite in the case of queens in the
West.
In 856 Judith[91], the daughter of the Emperor Charles II, was married to
Ethelwulf, king of England, and was crowned at the time of her marriage.
The actual coronation prayers, which are inserted in the marriage rite,
are as follows: _Te invocamus_, and then, preceded by _Sursum corda_ and
Preface, _Deus electorum fortitudo_, in which however are inserted a few
lines proper to the occasion. The queen is then crowned with the form
_Gloria et honore coronet te Dominus_, etc.
The coronation of Queen Hermintrude[92] at Soissons in 866 is still
more a special adaptation of the nuptial ceremony. There is first of
all a very long allocution made by two bishops, after which follows the
marriage prayer containing allusions to the royal position and duties
of the bride, and then the queen is crowned with the words _Coronet te
Dominus gloria et honore et sempiterna protectione, qui vivit et regnat_.
In England there was no coronation of the queen consort at this time,
and the same was probably the case ordinarily in France. It will be
remembered that in the Eastern Empire if an emperor was married after
his accession his bride was crowned at the time of her wedding not only
with the nuptial crown but also as empress. It is noticeable that both
these coronations of Frankish queens took place at the time of their
marriage, and it is most probable that there was some such adaptation
of the nuptial coronation (which was at this time used in the West) to
the special circumstances of the royal bride. The occurrence of _Sursum
corda_ and Preface before the consecration prayer in the case of Judith
is the first occasion of their use in this connection, but probably this
too is due to the influence of the special Preface of the nuptial rite
with which it is combined.
II
In the tenth century there appears a definite French rite. This is
represented by the orders contained in the codex of Ratold of Corbey[93]
and Martène’s Ordo VII[94], which are very close to the almost
contemporary second English recension, and manifestly derived from an
English source.
It begins, as does the rite of Louis II in 877, with the petition of
the bishops, _A vobis perdonari_, and the king’s promise, _Promitto
vobis_. Here in M. VII comes the Oath _Haec tria_[95], which has been
lengthened by the insertion of a promise to persecute heretics. Then
comes the Recognition, two bishops asking the people if they will accept
the king as the ruler, and _Te Deum_ is sung, followed by the prayers
_Te invocamus_, _Deus qui populis_ and (alia) _In diebus eius_. In M.
VII the investiture with the sword followed by _Deus qui providentia_
and the Litany are inserted after _Te Deum_. Now comes the _Consecratio
regis_, consisting of the prayer _Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, creator
et gubernator_, during which the king is anointed, the anthem _Unxerunt
Salomonem_ being sung at the time of the anointing, (alia) _Deus
electorum fortitudo_, (alia) _Deus Dei Filius_. There is no indication
of the number of anointings in Ratold’s order, but in M. VII there are
five, the head, breast, between the shoulders, on the shoulders, and
the bend of the arms being specified. The investitures follow; the Ring
with the form _Accipe anulum signaculum_ and the prayer _Deus cuius est
omnis potestas_, and the rest of the regalia, Sword, Crown, Sceptre, and
Verge, are delivered in the same order and with the same forms as in
the second English recension. After the investitures comes a series of
six benedictions, all of which already occur in the orders of Charles
the Bald (869) and Louis II (877), followed (item alia) by three more
that are found in ‘Egbert’s’ rite. The king is then enthroned with the
form _Sta et retine_, and last of all occurs in Ratold the charge as to
the duties of a king, not yet in the form of an oath, but as in Egbert,
_Rectitudo est regis noviter ordinati_. In M. VII the enthronisation is
followed by two prayers, _Omn. Deus det tibi de rore_ and _Benedic Domine
fortitudinem_.
As has been remarked, there is a very close similarity between this
order and the almost contemporary English rite, and it is evident that
the compiler of Ratold’s order had before him one or more English
orders; for in the consecration prayer, where in the English order the
words occur, ‘famulum tuum N. quem ... in regnum Anglorum vel Saxonum
eligimus,’ in Ratold’s order, in the corresponding position, are found
the words, ‘quem ... in regnum N. Albionis totius videlicet Francorum,’
and elsewhere in the same prayer the words ‘totius Albionis ecclesiam.’
Probably the passages occur in this form in Ratold’s order as the result
of an oversight on the part of the compiler. But this explanation is
not altogether satisfactory, for in M. VII and in the order of Louis
VIII (1223) the sentence in Ratold’s consecration prayer ‘ut regale
solium vid. Francorum sceptra non deserat’ appears as ‘ut regale solium
Saxonum, Merciorum, Nordanhymbrorum sceptra non deserat,’ which can only
be explained as being retained for the purpose of making a claim to the
English throne[96]. A further proof of the English origin of this rite
is the occurrence of the name of ‘St Gregory the Apostle of the English.’
The clause ‘Rectitudo regis’ of Egbert is also found here. But while no
really satisfying explanation of these features in the French rite of
this period has as yet been forthcoming, they at least bear witness to
the influence of the English rite on the French at this time.
The sacring of the queen is exactly like that of the second English order
except that in the French order the prayer _Adesto supplicationibus_,
which is said before the anointing, does not appear at all in the English.
III
The French rite in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries was subjected, as
was the English rite of the same period, to considerable Roman influence.
Of this recension Martène’s Ordo VI[97], and the order of Louis VIII[98]
(1223) may be taken as examples.
[Illustration: The Anointing of St Louis of France]
In this recension appear first the preliminary prayers as in the Roman
order of Hittorp; the prayer _Deus qui scis humanum genus_ on his
entrance into church, and on his entrance into the choir _Omn. semp. Deus
caelestium terrestriumque moderator_. Between Prime and Terce (the king
enters the church after Prime) the Abbot of St Rémi goes in procession to
fetch the holy chrism.
The order begins with the petition of the bishops, _A vobis perdonari_,
after which the recognition takes place and _Te Deum_ is sung. The king
then takes the oath in the old form, _Haec tria populo christiano_. Then
follows a section directly taken from the Roman rite, and largely a
repetition of what has already taken place; the Litany, the king lying
prostrate the while, an oath in answer to interrogations, and another
recognition in the Roman form, _Si tali principi_, followed by a series
of benedictions all of which occur in the Roman rite.
For the consecration three choices are given as to the forms to be
used[99]:
(1) _Deus inenarrabilis_, during which the king is anointed, the anthem
_Unxerunt Salomonem_ being sung at the time of anointing.
(2) Alia Oratio. _Deus Dei Filius._ Then the anointing of the hands with
the form _Unguantur manus istae_. Then the prayer from the Roman rite
_Prospice Omnipotens_.
(3) Alia. _Deus qui es iustorum gloria_, and, introduced by _Sursum
corda_ and _Preface_, _Deus creator ac gubernator_.
The unction of the hands here first occurs and is found henceforward in
the French rite. It is first found in the English rite at this same time
in the third recension, but in the English rite it always precedes,
while in the French it comes after, the unction proper.
The investitures of Sword, Ring, Sceptre, Verge, and Crown follow the
order of Hittorp’s rite, and the old forms used at the delivery of
Sword, Ring, and Crown give place to the forms of the Roman order. The
Sceptre is given at the same time as the Verge and has no special form
of its own, here again showing the Roman influence. The investitures are
followed by three benedictions derived from the Roman rite, and then
follows the enthronisation, _Sta et retine_. In Martène VI the king takes
another oath, Roman in form, at this point and _Te Deum_ is sung, again
shewing that there was already a tendency to transfer the latter to this,
the Roman position, from its original place at the beginning of the rite.
The consecration of the queen is different from that of the last
recension. It begins with the prayer _Adesto Domine supplicationibus
nostris_ and follows exactly the ordo of Hittorp, with the exception that
the form used at the crowning exhibits slight verbal variations.
NOTE
There are two orders[100] given by Martène, VIII and XI, which stand
quite by themselves, and are not easily placed. Ordo VIII is taken from
an Arles pontifical, dated by Martène c. 1200-1300. The rite is short
and shews Roman influence. It begins with _Te Deum_, after which the
king takes the oath in the later Roman form _Profiteor coram Deo et
angelis_. The king is then presented to the metropolitan by two bishops
and the consecration begins with the prayer _Omnipotens sempiterne Deus
creator omnium_, followed by _Deus Dei filius_, during which the king
is anointed on the head. He is then crowned with the Roman form _Accipe
igitur coronam regni_, invested with the Verge, _Accipe virgam_, and
enthroned with the _Sta et retine_. After the enthronisation is said
either _Deus qui victrices Moysi_, a Roman form here first appearing, or
_Deus inenarrabilis_. The forms of the coronation of the queen are almost
identical with those of the Roman pontifical of 1520.
The Archbishop of Arles had no official part in the coronation of the
French monarch. On the other hand, in strict theory, the emperor should
be crowned at Arles as King of Burgundy, as well as at Aachen, Milan, and
Rome; it is possible therefore that this order may represent the rite
used on such an occasion, though but few emperors were actually crowned
at Arles.
Ordo IX is still more puzzling. It is found in the Pontifical of Peter,
Bishop of Senlis, who died in the year 1356. The consecration of the
king is introduced by _Benedic Domine hunc regem_, then follows _Deus
inenarrabilis_, after which the king is anointed, during the _Deus
qui es iustorum gloria_, on feet, shoulders, and arms. The forms of
the investitures with Sword (after which is said the prayer _Deus qui
providentia_, which however is given out of place), Ring, Sceptre (which
is followed by the benediction of the Oriflamme), and Crown follow
more or less the Romanized third recension, but the benediction of the
Oriflamme is inserted among them. The anointing of the feet is unique,
and there can be very little doubt that this ceremony has never had a
place in any rite. The probabilities are that both these orders are quite
unauthoritative and were never used.
IV
We come now to the final recension of the French rite, which is
represented by the order of Charles V, who was crowned in 1364[101]. This
recension, like the corresponding fourth recension of the English rite,
returns to the older rite anterior to the Romanized third recension in so
far as it is a conflation of the second and third recensions, containing
nearly everything that had appeared in all previous rites, and therefore
much matter that was originally alternative.
There is the short preliminary service. At the end of the prayers said
at the king’s entrance into the choir, in the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries, _Veni Creator_ was sung. The king enters the church between
Prime and Terce, and while waiting for the arrival of the Sainte Ampoule
Terce was sung. The rite begins as usual with the bishop’s petition and
the king’s reply, and then follows the oath _Haec populo christiano_,
in which is inserted, in this order, a clause, which vanishes finally in
1484, promising to maintain the rights of the French crown (doubtless
against English claims). _Te Deum_ is then sung, though a note remarks
that this should be sung, according to Roman use, after the enthroning.
_Deus inenarrabilis_ is now said, and the Buskins are put on and the
Spurs. Then follows the investiture with the Sword in the position it
occupies in the Roman orders, with a benediction, and a conflate form
combining the old French _Accipe gladium_ with the Roman _Accipe gladium
per manus nostras_. Then follow the anthem _Confortare_ and the prayers
_Deus qui providentia_, _Prospice omnipotens_, _Benedic Domine quaesumus
hunc principem_, and _Deus pater aeternae gloriae_. While the unction is
preparing, a series of versicles and responses peculiar to the French
rite, and beginning _Gentem Francorum inclitam_, and a collect are said.
The Chrism was miraculous. Brought down from heaven by an angel for the
coronation of Clovis, it was carefully preserved in the Abbey of St
Rémi, and brought in solemn procession from the Abbey at the time of the
coronation. A tiny particle of the contents of the ampoule was mixed with
Chrism. The Litany is now said, closing with the prayers _Te invocamus_,
_Deus qui populis_, (alia) _In diebus eius_. Then comes the consecration.
The king is anointed during the prayer _Omn. sempiterne Deus creator ac
gubernator_, which is followed by the prayers _Deus electorum fortitudo_
and _Deus Dei filius_, the anthem _Unxerunt Salomonem_ being sung during
the anointing. He is anointed on the head, breast, between the shoulders,
and at the bend of both arms. The king’s hands are then anointed with
the form _Unguantur manus_, and he then puts on gloves blessed with two
forms adapted from the benediction of a bishop’s gloves. The investitures
follow; the Ring, with a benediction and the old form _Accipe anulum_
restored in place of the Roman form introduced into the last recension,
and the prayer _Deus cuius est omnis potestas_; the Sceptre, with the
usual form and the prayer _Omnium Domine fons bonorum_; the Verge, with
the usual form; the Crown, with the prayer _Coronet te Deus_, and a
conflate form combining the French _Accipe coronam_ and the Roman _Accipe
inquam coronam_, which is followed by _Deus perpetuitatis_. A series of
benedictions are now said, all of which are found elsewhere. After the
enthronisation with the usual form the anthem _Firmetur manus_ is sung
and the Roman prayer _Deus qui victrices Moysi_ is said, and finally the
archbishop kisses the king, saying _Vivat Rex in aeternum_, and the cry
is taken up by the Peers. The Mass, as in the English corresponding rite,
is a Mass for the king, and before the Pax the benedictions _Benedicat
tibi Deus custodiatque_, _Clerum ac populum_ and _Quatenus divinis
monitis_ are said over king and people. The king communicates, as did the
French kings always at a coronation, in both kinds[102].
The queen’s coronation begins with the prayers _Adesto Domine
supplicationibus_, _Omn. aeterne Deus fons et origo_, _Deus qui solus
habes_ and _Omn. semp. Deus hanc famulam_. She is anointed on head and
breast as of old, _In nomine_, etc., and then follow _Spiritus sancti
gratia_ and _Deus Pater aeternae gloriae_. The Ring is given with the
form _Accipe anulum_, as in the second recension, followed by _Deus
cuius est omnis potestas_; the Verge with the form _Accipe virgam_ and
the prayer _Omn. semp. Deus affluentem_. Lastly she is crowned with the
form of the second recension, and the prayer follows _Omnium Domine fons
bonorum_.
After the sacring of the queen the benediction of the Oriflamme takes
place.
This order remained in use, with small and unimportant variations, as
long as the monarchy lasted in France. But the coronation of the queen
was dispensed with for some reason. The last queen to be anointed and
crowned was Marie de Médicis in 1610, and probably a sacring took place
in her case only because there was every prospect of her being left
Regent and so virtual monarch.
V
NAPOLEON
The rite by which Napoleon[103] was crowned stands by itself. The
arrangement was that he should be crowned according to the rite of the
Roman Pontifical, but at the last moment changes were introduced from the
French rite itself.
Napoleon came into church already clad in the imperial robes, the Pope
having already heard Terce. According to the Roman order the metropolitan
should, after certain questions, address the monarch on his duties,
and then the oath should be taken. But in place of this _Veni Creator_
was here sung, as in the French rite, and after the versicle _Emitte
Spiritum_ and its Response, and the Whitsunday collect _Deus qui corda
fidelium_, Napoleon took the oath. This was much modified, for the
Emperor refused to confirm the Church in property which it did not
possess, and indeed refused to recite the oath itself, simply saying
_Profiteor_ when it was read. Then followed, as in the Pontifical,
_Omn. semp. Deus creator omnium_ with the necessary alterations, such
as _imperatorem_ for _regem_, and the addition of _et consortem eius_
whenever the Emperor was named. During the Litany the Emperor and Empress
remained seated, and only knelt at the special petitions. According
to the Pontifical the anointings should be on neck and right hand, but
Napoleon ordained that it should be on the head and hands, and he was
so anointed with Chrism with the prayers from the Pontifical, _Deus
Dei filius_ and _Omn. semp. Deus qui Hazael super Syriam_, the anthem
_Unxerunt Salomonem_ being sung the while. Josephine was anointed in the
same places immediately after the Emperor with the prayer _Deus pater
aeternae gloriae_. At the Mass, at the Emperor’s request, a collect of
the Blessed Virgin as patron of the Church was used instead of the proper
collect. After the epistle the benediction and delivery of the ornaments
took place. As the Pontifical has no forms of benediction of ornaments,
the forms for the blessing of Sword, Rings, and Gloves were taken from
the _Cérémoniel françois_, and from the same source were derived forms
for the delivery of Main de justice (Verge) and Sceptre, while forms
for the benediction of the Orb and the delivery of the Mantles were
composed for the occasion. The form for the delivery of Ring and Mantle
were used in the plural for Emperor and Empress at once. At the time of
the crowning the Emperor ascended to the altar and taking from off it
the imperial Crown crowned himself, and then crowned Josephine, the Pope
saying _Accipe coronam regni_ and _Coronet vos Deus corona gloriae_.
At the enthronisation the French form of the _Sta et retine_ was used
instead of the Roman, as affirming the independence of the sovereign.
_Te Deum_ was then sung, followed by the anthem _Firmetur manus_ and
the prayers _Victrices Moysis_ and _Deus inenarrabilis_, and Mass
proceeds. Neither Emperor nor Empress communicated. After Mass, while
the Pope was unvesting in the Chapelle du Trésor, Napoleon took the
constitutional oath at which the Pope had refused to be present, and was
proclaimed ‘Le très glorieux et très auguste Empereur Napoléon Empereur
des français, sacré et intronisé.’ The Emperor and Empress then proceeded
to the Archevêché whither they were followed by the Pope, during whose
procession the anthem _Tu es Petrus_ was sung.