The Austrian Imperial Crown (the personal crown of Rudolf II)
1804–1918
Made in Prague for Emperor Rudolf II in 1602, this crown, referred to as the ‘House Crown’, originally served as a symbolic substitute for the insignia of the Holy Roman Empire which were kept at Nuremberg and was used at certain ceremonies at the Habsburg Court that required the emperor to represent his imperial office.
When Emperor Franz I proclaimed the Empire of Austria in 1804, this crown was chosen as the insigne of the newly-created imperial title.
