On June 23, 1042, William I, Duke of Normandy and King of Norman, was crowned in the Cathedral of Rouen in the city of Rouen.

The clouds in the sky outside and the dim colors of the interior contrast with the bright and ornate gowns, uniforms, and jewelry of the people who come to the coronation.

At 8 a.m. that day, the Cathedral of Rouen was already crowded with nobles and clergy who were going to stay here for a day, and the streets were crowded with thousands of people, who had to wait for hours just to have a glimpse of the Norman procession as it passed.

The streets were filled with spear-wielding soldiers, who began to separate the crowd in the street with their spears horizontally, clearing the streets for William's arrival.

In a short time, from far and near the street came the sound of musical instruments and the hooves of war horses hitting the ground, and suddenly the otherwise quiet crowd of people was in a commotion, cheering, throwing the flowers, and celebrating the grand day in their own way.

The first to appear in front of everyone was William's Knights of the Guard, who were divided into four strands, front and back, left and right, protecting William in the middle and a carriage in the middle.

William was dressed in great costumes, with many layers of ribbons and symmetrical lion motifs, as well as the badge of his victories in battle, all symbolizing his unlimited power and immeasurable exploits.

The red royal cloak worn by William is a colorful embroidered coronation cloak, and the robe worn at the time of coronation is a coronation robe, which is heavy, gorgeous, and naturally falling, with delicate flower and plant patterns and small bees, which represent the support of the people and the cohesion of imperial power.

William's coronation robe and costume were designed by the well-known Flemish weaver Hartnell, who had designed coronation robes and costumes for King Baldwin V of Flanders and King Henry I of France, and was a master who was deeply relied on by the Duke of Flanders.

Behind William were his mother Arlett and his fiancée Uraka, who were to share the glory of being crowned king with those closest to him.

Beside and behind him were William's vassals and courtiers, including Earl Hubert, Count Adolph, Count Richard, and others, as well as his half-brothers Otto and Robert.

William rode on his horse, waving his hand in response to the cheers of the crowd until the towering Rouen Cathedral came into view.

At this time, a guard walked over and said respectfully, "Your Highness, the coronation ceremony has begun. ”

William opened the car door behind him, led Uraca and his mother Arlette out of the car, and took their hands and walked towards Rouen Cathedral.

In the huge auditorium, His Majesty Pope Gregory VI, Archbishop Hamelin and other bishoprics have been waiting for a long time on the coronation platform, flanked by attendants carrying the brand-new king's and queen's crowns, while the rest of the place is full of nobles who have come to watch the ceremony.

The most prominent figures on these podiums were León of Spain, King Ferdinand I of Castile and King Edward the Confessor of England. Godwin and his son Harold, Thibaud, Duke of Champagne, Baldwin V, Duke of Flanders, Caesar, Duke of Apulia, Bishop Stigande, and the rest were noble emissaries of the French and Holy Roman princes, who did not attend William's coronation, but chose to send envoys to attend the ceremony.

William didn't care, as long as he had the kingdoms of Spain and England as his allies, it would be enough to deter those with bad intentions.

Archbishop Hamelin began to recite the words of blessing that every king had to recite at the time of his coronation.

At the end of the chanting, the priests standing to the left of the coronation platform approached with their crowns in their arms.

The king's crown is placed on a tray upholstered in red velvet and is held by a bishopric who is flanked by two bishoprics. Together, the three of them came to the side of Archbishop Hamelin, and then knelt down.

The skeleton of the crown is made of gold and is decorated with red velvet on the outside. Exposed to the velvet gold skeleton, hundreds of gemstones of the same size are inlayed. In front of the crown, the diamonds are arranged in the shape of a cross. At the top of the crown is a ruby that is much larger than ordinary gemstones.

After reciting the blessing message, Archbishop Hamelin slowly picked up the crown from the tray beside him with both hands, took a few steps and knelt down to hand the crown to Pope Gregory VI, who was sitting on the throne.

William stepped forward and knelt down on one knee in front of Pope Gregory VI to kiss the ring on his hand, and the Pope received the heavy crown from the Archbishop of Hamelin, put it on William with his own hands, and then awarded William the Feast and the Orb in turn, and the coronation was completed.

"Long live His Majesty the King......"

First the nobles with swords, then the nobles in robes, and finally, only some of the older princes and the clergy on the high platform remained, and all of them chanted.

After a few shouts, William raised his hands and gestured to calm the crowd.

He leaned close to the ear of the Archbishop of Hamelin and whispered: "Now the coronation of the queen begins." ”

Although William and Urakar were not married, it was not appropriate, but he insisted on it.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The Archbishop of Hamelin did not dare to disobey, and after agreeing, he came to the future queen Ulaka. In front of him, facing her, he looked back at the king beside him hesitantly.

William had been staring at Archbishop Hamelin with eagle-sharp eyes, and even when he looked back, he had not changed.

Seeing William's eyes, Archbishop Hamelin was terrified and involuntarily turned to Uraka. Ximena, her voice trembling, chanted the blessing word.

As before, near the end, three other bishopric priests on the side walked up with the queen's crown.

The Queen's Crown is very different from the King's Crown.

The Queen's Crown jewels are more colorful, with a number of blue diamonds in addition to white diamonds, red gemstones, gold and silver jewelry, and the most dazzling and eye-catching jewels are the blue diamonds set in front of the crown. Above the blue diamond is a silver cross that resembles the base of the cross.

The Queen's Crown is more splendid than any of the other jewels in the crown, and is accentuated by a halo of red gemstones and white diamonds.

If the focus of the King's Crown is the King's authority, then the Queen's Crown shows the nobility and beauty of the Queen.

Archbishop Hamelin glanced at the king, and seeing that he was motionless, he hesitantly took the queen's crown from the tray, knelt down again, and handed it to Pope Gregory VI on the throne with both hands.

His Holiness the Pope for Uraka. When Jimena put on the crown, the crowd likewise shouted, "Long live the Queen!" ”

After the ceremony, William took Urakar's hand and left the coronation platform, and stood on the throne on the other side, standing condescendingly on the high platform and looking down on all beings.