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Coronations in Russia involved a highly developed religious ceremony in which the Emperor of Russia (generally referred to as the Tsar) was crowned and invested with regalia, then anointed with chrism and formally blessed by the church to commence his reign. Although rulers of Muscovy had been crowned prior to the reign of Ivan III, their coronation rituals assumed overt Byzantine overtones as the result of the influence of Ivan's wife Sophia Paleologue, and the imperial ambitions of his grandson, Ivan IV.〔(Muscovy ), Sections "The Evolution of the Russian Aristocracy" and "Ivan IV". For crownings of earlier rulers of Muscovy, see Alfred Rambaugh (Rambaud on the Rise of the Grand Princes of Moscow ).〕 These elements remained, as Muscovy was transformed first into the Tsardom of Russia and then into the Russian Empire, until the abolition of the monarchy in 1917. Since Tsarist Russia claimed to be the "Third Rome" and the replacement of Byzantium as the true Christian state,〔(Moscow the Third Rome ). See also (Moscow Becomes the Third Rome ).〕 the Russian rite was designed to link its rulers and prerogatives to those of the so-called "Second Rome" (Constantinople).〔Wortman, pg. 10. A political theory prevalent amongst many Orthodox Russians into the twentieth century postulated that there were three "Romes": the first (Rome) had allegedly apostatized from true Christianity after the Great Schism of 1054 between Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy; the second (Constantinople) had equally apostatized by accepting Roman Catholicism at the Council of Florence and had subsequently fallen to the Turks; Moscow and "Holy Russia" were the third Rome, and (according to this doctrine) "a fourth there shall never be". (A History of Russia ), Chapter 1: Medieval Russia, Section "Ivan the Great".〕 While months or even years could pass between the initial accession of the sovereign and the performance of this ritual, church policy held that the monarch must be anointed and crowned according to the Orthodox rite to have a successful tenure.〔''New York Times'', May 31, 1896. Quoted in Wortman, Introduction. See also Blech, Annalise, (The Russian Orthodox Church: History and Influence ), University of Texas at Austin, 2008, pg. 9.〕 As the church and state were essentially one in Imperial Russia, this service invested the Tsars with political legitimacy; however, this was not its only intent. It was equally perceived as conferring a genuine spiritual benefit that mystically wedded sovereign to subjects, bestowing divine authority upon the new ruler. As such, it was similar in purpose to other European coronation ceremonies from the medieval era. Even when the imperial capital was located at St. Petersburg (1713–1728, 1732–1917), Russian coronations were always held in Moscow at the Cathedral of the Dormition in the Kremlin. The last coronation service in Russia was held on 26 May 1896 for Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, who would be the final Tsar and Tsaritsa of Russia. The Russian Imperial regalia survived the subsequent Russian Revolution and the Communist period, and are currently on exhibit in a museum at the Kremlin Armoury. Starting with the reign of Ivan IV, the ruler of Russia was known as "Tsar" rather than "Grand Prince"; "Tsar" being a Slavonic equivalent to the Latin term "Caesar". This continued until 1721, during the reign of Peter I, when the title was formally changed to ''Imperator'' (Emperor). Peter's decision reflected the difficulties other European monarchs had in deciding whether to recognize the Russian ruler as an emperor or a mere king, and reflected his insistence on being seen as the former.〔Francois Veldi, (The Title of Emperor ), section "Russia". See also Chancery of the Committee of Ministers, St. Petersburg: ''(Statesman's Handbook for Russia: 1896 )'', Section "On the Prerogatives of the Sovereign Power".〕 However, the term "Tsar" remained the popular title for the Russian ruler despite the formal change of style, thus this article utilizes that term, rather than "Emperor". ==Symbolism== In medieval Europe, the anointed Christian ruler was viewed as a ''mixta persona'', part priest and part layman, but never wholly either. The Russian Orthodox Church considered the Tsar to be "wedded" to his subjects in the Orthodox coronation service. The Orthodox concept on this subject was explained by Russian bishop Nektarios (Kontzevich), a prelate of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad: Since no Orthodox layperson, regardless of societal or political rank, was ever permitted to pass through the Royal Doors or partake of communion in both kinds separately, the permission given to the Tsar to do both during his coronation ritual was intended to demonstrate both the solemn nature of the ritual, and the special duties and authority devolving upon the new monarch. Sacred and secular, church and state, God and government were all welded together by the coronation service in the person of the anointed Tsar—or so many Russians believed.〔Tauschev, Archbishop Averkey, (Archbishop Averkey's View on Monarchy ), See also (Royal Family Regalia ), quote after paragraph 3; and (Tsar-Martyr Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov II ).〕 Since the newly ascended sovereign was permitted all the privileges of rule immediately upon his accession, coronations were not necessarily held right away. Instead, one or more years might be permitted to elapse between the initial accession of a Tsar and the ceremony itself. This allowed the court to finish its mourning for the new sovereign's predecessor, and permitted completion of the immense arrangements involved in staging the ritual.〔Massie, pg. 52.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Coronation of the Russian monarch」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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