Insignia of the Holy Roman Empire

Detail of Cuff of Dalmatic, part of the Insignia of
the Holy Roman Empire

Images kindly provided by Prof Michael Greenhalgh


The Insignia of the Holy Roman Empire is a set of various items of clothing collected and made over a period of many years that were used by various Emperors of the empire. The robes and other items were often used only on state occasions such as coronations.

It is unusual for items of such intrisic wealth to have survived in tact over such a long period of time. This gives some indication of how highly prized the items were.


Each segment is decorated with a sequence of motifs com prising a flowering tree with a root out of which grow leafy branches, flanked on either side by a long-tailed bird perched on a branch with its wings outstretched.

Insignia of the Holy Roman Empire


Sources for Further Information
