Editing Anointing (section)

==Christian monarchy==
[[Image:Sacre de Louis XV.jpg|thumb|The Anointing of young [[Louis XV]] as King of France.]]
[[Image:Preussen 1701 Königsberg.jpg|thumb|[[Friedrich I of Prussia|Friedrich I]], [[King of Prussia]], being anointed by two Protestant bishops after his coronation at [[Königsberg]] in 1701.]]
[[Image:Coronation of the Emperor Nicholas II.jpg|thumb|The Anointing of [[Tsar]] [[Nicholas II of Russia]] at his [[Coronation]] at [[Dormition Cathedral, Moscow|Uspensky Cathedral]], 1896 ([[Tretyakov Gallery]], Moscow).]]

In Christian Europe, the [[Carolingian]] monarchy was the first  to anoint the king <sup>[]</sup> in 7th century AD at a coronation ceremony that was designed to epitomize the Catholic Church's conferring a religious sanction of the monarch's divine right to rule. Nevertheless, a number of Merovingian, Carolingian and Ottonian kings and emperors have avoided coronation and anointing.

English and Scottish monarchs in common with the French included anointing in the [[coronation]] rituals (''sacre'' in French). The Sovereign of the United Kingdom is the last anointed monarch. For the coronation of [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]] in [[1626 AD|1626]] the holy oil was made of a concoction of [[Orange (fruit)|orange]], [[jasmine]], distilled roses, distilled [[cinnamon]], oil of ben, extract of [[Benzoin|bensoint]], [[ambergris]], [[musk]] and [[civet]].

Shakespeare reflected English popular culture in the indelible nature of anointing:
:Not all the water in the rough rude sea
:Can wash the balm off an anointed king.<sup>[]</sup>
 
However this does not symbolize any subordination to the religious authority, hence it is not usually performed in Catholic monarchies by the pope but usually reserved for the (arch)bishop of a major see (sometimes the site of the whole [[coronation]]) in the nation, as is sometime the very act of crowning. Hence its utensils can be part of the [[regalia]], such as in the French kingdom an [[ampulla]] for the oil and a [[spoon]] to apply it with; in the Swedish and Norwegian kingdoms, an [[anointing horn]] (a form fitting the Biblical as well as the Viking tradition) is the traditional vessel.

The French Kings adopted the [[fleur-de-lis]] as a baptismal symbol of purity on the conversion of the Frankish King [[Clovis I]] to the [[Christian]] religion in [[493 AD|493]]. To further enhance its mystique, a legend eventually sprang up that a vial of oil—the [[Holy Ampulla]]--descended from [[Heaven]] to [[anoint]] and sanctify Clovis as King. The thus "anointed" Kings of France later maintained that their authority was directly from [[God]], without the mediation of either the [[Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor]] or the [[Pope]].

Legends claim that even the lily itself appeared at the baptismal ceremony as a gift of blessing in an apparition of the [[blessed Virgin Mary]].

In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], the Anointing of an Orthodox Sovereign is considered a [[Sacred Mystery]] (Sacrament). The act was believed to bestow upon the ruler the empowerment, through the [[divine grace|grace]] of the [[Holy Spirit]], to discharge his God-appointed duties, and his ministry in defending the Orthodox Christian faith. The same ''[[Myrrh|Myron]]'' which is used in [[Chrismation]] is used for the Anointing of the Monarch. In the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], during the [[Coronation of the Russian monarch|Coronation of the Tsar]], the Anointing took place just before the receipt of [[Holy Communion]], toward the end of the service. The Sovereign and his Consort were escorted to the [[Holy Doors]] ([[Iconostasis]]) of the Cathedral, and were there anointed by the [[Metropolitan bishop|Metropolitan]]. After the Anointing, the Tsar alone was taken through the Holy Doors (an action normally reserved only for bishops or priests) and received Holy Communion at a small table set next to the [[Holy Table]], or [[altar]].<sup>[]</sup>