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There are three primary elements of the Honours of Scotland: the Crown, the Sceptre, and the Sword.
The Crown of Scotland was made in 1540 for King James V. Made of Scottish gold, the Crown has 22 gemstones, 20 precious stones, and freshwater pearls.
The Sceptre was a gift from Pope Alexander VI to King James IV in 1494; it was remodelled and lengthened in 1536. It is made of silver gilt, and is topped by a globe of crystal and a Scottish pearl. The Sceptre includes several Christian symbols. Stylised dolphins, symbols of the Church, appear on the head of the rod, as do images of the Virgin Mary holding a baby Christ, of Saint James the Great, and of Saint Andrew holding a saltire.
The Sword of State was also a papal gift; Pope Julius II presented it to James IV in 1507. The blade includes figures of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, as well as the etched name of Julius II. The silver gilt handle bears figures of oak leaves and acorns.
After being used at the coronations of Mary I, James VI, and Charles ICharles I ( 19 November 1600 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625, until his death. He famously engaged in a struggle for power with Parliament; he was an advocate of the divine right of kings, but his foes in Parl, the regalia were last used in 1651 for Charles II's coronation. In England, Charles I had been executed, and the monarchy overthrown. Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell ( April 25, 1599 September 3, 1658) was an English military leader and politician. After leading the overthrow of the British monarchy he ruled England, Scotland and Ireland as Lord Protector from December 16, 1653 until his death, which i, the Lord ProtectorThe Lord Protector was the de facto head of state during the brief period of the republic or " Commonwealth" in Great Britain and Ireland. Oliver Cromwell and afterwards his son Richard Cromwell were the Lords Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland du of England, Scotland, and Ireland, ordered almost all of the English regalia to be broken. However, the Honours of Scotland were hidden and recovered only after the monarchy was restored. After the Restoration, the Honours were not used to crown any future Scottish sovereign.
Until the Act of Union 1707The Acts of Union were twin Acts of Parliament passed in 1707 (going into effect on 26 March) in the Scottish and the English Parliaments. The effect was twofold: to create a new Kingdom of Great Britain (though the name was used on occasion since 1604 to, which combined England and Scotland into Great Britain, the Honours of Scotland were taken to sittings of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh to represent the monarch, who, by virtue of being monarch of both England and Scotland, resided in London. After the Act of Union, the new Parliament sat in London, and the Honours of Scotland were placed in a chest at the Crown Room in Edinburgh Castle. They remained locked away or hidden until 1819, when they were put on public display.
In 1941, the Honours were hidden due to fears that they may be lost during a German attack during World War IIWorld War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the world's nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. The war was fough. They were taken out in 1953 to be presented to Queen Elizabeth II, and then were returned to be displayed in the Crown Room at Edinburgh Castle.
When the Stone of SconeThe Stone of Scone more commonly known as the Stone of Destiny or the Coronation Stone is a block of sandstone historically kept at the now-ruined abbey in Scone, near Perth. It is also known as Jacob's Pillow and as the Tanist Stone. Traditionally, it is was returned to Scotland in 1996 it too was placed in the Crown Room, alongside the Honours.
In October 2004 the new Scottish Parliament Building was opened by Queen Elizabeth II and the Honours of Scotland were present.
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