THE SPANISH RITE
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.