Royal barge
Aroyal bargeis a ceremonialbargethat is used by amonarchfor processions and transport on a body of water.
Royal barges are currently used in monarchies such as theUnited Kingdom,SwedenandThailand.
Traditionally the use of royal barges was of high importance in Southeast Asian monarchies such as Siam, Burma, Brunei, Riau and Cambodia.
Belgium
[edit]In the 19th century, when a head of state visited a port city, it was traditional to invite them aboard a royal barge. This was why the Belgian government decided, on the recommendation of theKing Leopold I,to have the Lecarpentier shipyards inAntwerpbuild a royal barge. Launched on 12 July 1835,Canot Royalcarried the royal couple for the first time fromBrusselsto Antwerp via theRupelto watch a military flotilla. Subsequently, Leopold I used theCanot Royalduring his various trips to Antwerp,GhentandOstend.On 10 July 1862, in Antwerp, theCanot RoyalbroughtPrince Louis of Hesseand his wifePrincess Aliceto the quay on the occasion of their honeymoon aboard the British Royal YachtVictoria and Albert.
On 5 November 1899,RVBelgicareturned to Antwerp.Canot Royalpicked upAdrien de Gerlacheand his mate,Georges Lecointe,to bring them aboard the mail shipPrincess Clémentine,where government officials and their close families waited to greet them. On 7 December 1901, theCanot Royalwas retired and disassembled. Parts of theCanot Royalare kept at theRoyal Military Museumand atRoyal Palace of Brussels.[1][2]
In 2022 L'Atelier Marin/Maritiem Atelier announced plans to make a replica of the royal barge.[3]
Burma (Myanmar)
[edit]
The royal barge, calledphaungdaw(ဖောင်တော်), was of historic importance during the monarchical era, and retains cultural significance in modern-day Myanmar (Burma).
TheKaraweikbarge on Yangon'sKandawgyi Lakeand an iconic symbol of the city, was designed by Burmese architect Ngwe Hlaing, and was based on a royal barge.[4]
Hpaung Daw U Pagoda,which is situated onInle Lake,is known for a majorpagoda festivalduring which four of the Buddha images from the pagoda are placed on a royal barge designed as ahinthabird and taken throughoutInle Lake.
The royal barge was an important ceremonial possession of the Burmese monarchy, and was used for ceremonial and state affairs, such as a procession around the royal palace moat following a monarch's coronation. By theKonbaung dynasty,several types of royal state barges existed, each distinguished by a specific mythicalfigureheadat the front of the barge, and each allocated to different members of the royal court:
- Pyigyimon(ပြည်ကြီးမွန်) - two conjoined gilded barges crowned with a seven-tiered roof (pyatthat), with dragon-headed hulls and carved figureheads of thegaruda(a mythical bird) andnaga(a mythical serpent), andThagyaminat the center[5]
- Nawarupa(နဝရူပ) - used by the royal ministers and officers, with a figurehead of anawarupa(a chimeric animal with the mane of a karaweik, the hump of bull, the tail of angagyinfish, two elephant tusks, the trunk of amakara,and horns of atoe naya,two wings of parakeet, and a front and hind leg of a horse)[5]
- Nagadewa(နာဂဒေဝ)- used by the royal ministers and officers, with the figurehead of anagaraja[5]
- Pyinsarupa(ပဉ္စရူပ) - used by the chief queens, a gilt barge with the figurehead of apyinsarupa(a chimeric animal with the mane ofkaraweikbird, the tusk and trunk of an elephant, the hump of bull, the tail of angagyinfish, and the horns of atoe naya)[5]
- Eni(ဧဏီ) - a barge adorned with the figurehead of a deer[5]
- Hintha(ဟင်္သာ) - used by princes, a barge adorned with the figurehead of ahamsa(mythical bird)[5]
- Udaung(ဥဒေါင်း) - used by princes, a barge adorned with the figure ofpeacock[5]
The elaborate figureheads and motifs used in Burmese royal barges influenced the construction of increasingly elaborate Siamese royal barges toward the end of theAyutthaya period.[6]
Sweden
[edit]
Vasaordenis the Swedish royal barge. The original royal barge of this name was built in 1774 on the orders ofKing Gustav III,to a design byFredrik Henrik af Chapman,but was destroyed in a dockyard fire in 1921. A private fundraising led to a new barge being constructed in 1923 with the help of the old blueprints. TheVasaordenis used on special occasions such as royal weddings.[7]
Thailand
[edit]TheRoyal Barge Processionis a ceremony of both religious and royal significance which has been taking place for nearly 700 years. Some of the royal barges are kept at theNational Museum of Royal Barges.
United Kingdom
[edit]The Thames was a regular thoroughfare for the sovereign until the middle of the 19th century, on state occasions or between the royal palaces of Windsor, Westminster, Hampton Court, Greenwich and the Tower of London. The travel of the monarch by barge is managed by theKing's Bargemaster and Royal Watermen,chosen from theCompany of Watermen and Lightermen.Though there is currently no official state barge, a number of boats in recent years have stepped into the role of Royal Barge for various specific ceremonies and occasions:[8]
Royal Nore
[edit]Until 2017[9]theRoyal Nore,owned and maintained by the Port of London Authority, was used whenever a member of the royal family travelled on the River Thames for an official engagement.[10]
TheRoyal Standardand regalia were displayed whenQueen Elizabethwas on board. The Queen was always accompanied by herBargemaster,along with eight Royal Watermen in full ceremonial dress standing on the fore deck.[11]
Royal Norewas at the centre of the River Progress and Pageant held to celebrate the Queen'sSilver Jubileein June 1977. At the time the vessel was namedNore;she was subsequently renamedRoyal Norein recognition of her service, by royal command.[9]She is permanently berthed atOcean Terminal,Leith,in Edinburgh, Scotland, alongside the similarly retired royal yacht,HMYBritannia.
Royal ShallopJubilant
[edit]
The RoyalShallopJubilantwas built for theGolden Jubilee of Elizabeth II.The vessel itself was modelled on theNaval VictuallingCommissioners’ Barge held at theNational Maritime Museum.It was designed with accessibility in mind, to help those with disabilities and disadvantages take part inrowing.[12][13]
Gloriana
[edit]
A new royal barge namedGlorianawas built in 2011–2012 to mark theQueen's Diamond Jubilee.Glorianais a rowing barge, powered by 18 oarsmen; it took a leading position in theThames Diamond Jubilee Pageanton 3 June 2012 and carried ten flags, among them those representing the four home nations:England,Scotland,WalesandNorthern Ireland,[14]as well as theflag of the City of Londonand theflag of Cornwall.
HMYBritannia,Royal Barge
[edit]
TheRoyal Bargewas atenderforHMY Britanniatraditionally used to transport the royal family to and from the royal yacht. As part of theQueen's Diamond Jubilee,the vessel was re-commissioned to take part in the Thames Pageant. The vessel carried the Queen to and from the largerSpirit of Chartwell,along with two Royal Watermen in full ceremonial dress. After the pageant the vessel was returned to Leith to sit on display alongside the Royal YachtBritannia.[15][16]
MVSpirit of Chartwell
[edit]
During the celebrations on 3 June 2012, the Queen travelled aboard theMVSpirit of Chartwell,which acted as royal barge for the occasion.[17]A special warrant was issued by the Secretary of State for Defence to permit the MVSpirit of Chartwellto wear theWhite Ensignwhilst serving as the Royal Barge on 3 June 2012.[18]When the Queen was on board, it also flew theRoyal Standard of the United Kingdomfrom the bow.
See also
[edit]- Pleasure barge
- Bucentaur,the ceremonial barge of theVenetian doge
- State Barge of Charles II
- Queen Mary's Shallop
- Prince Frederick's Barge
References
[edit]- ^"Canot Royal".www.marinebelge.be.Retrieved2022-09-02.
- ^"Le Canot Royal".www.marine-mra-klm.be.Retrieved2022-09-02.
- ^"L'atelier marin lance un nouveau projet".L'Atelier Marin ASBL.Retrieved2022-09-02.
- ^Tin Mg Oo (2003).Aspects of Myanmar Culture.Yangon: Zun Pwint Publishing House. pp. 78–79.
- ^abcdefg"Beautiful Burmese Barges and Boats - Asian and African studies blog".British Library.Retrieved2020-12-12.
- ^Wales, H. G. Quaritch (2019-05-23).Siamese State Ceremonies: Their History and Function With Supplementary Notes.Routledge.ISBN978-1-136-77636-6.
- ^"Sailors Train for Royal Wedding Mission".Sveriges Radio.31 March 2010.
- ^"The Queen's Watermen".The Royal Family.15 January 2016.
- ^ab"Royal Nore to Leave Thames for Royal Yacht Britannia Trust Collection".
- ^"The Queen's Watermen".The Royal Household. 15 January 2016.Retrieved2016-07-03.
- ^"The Royal Nore".The Fleet.Woods' Silver Fleet. Archived fromthe originalon June 2, 2011.Retrieved2011-06-02.
- ^"History - the Jubilant Trust".
- ^"14th Richmond Viking Scout Boat Centre – Our Boats".
- ^Bartram, A Visual Guide... p.5.
- ^"Royal barge joins Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations".BBC News.9 March 2012.
- ^"Forces Vessels and Lifeboats - the Queen's Pageant".10 May 2012.
- ^Paul Harrison (11 December 2011)."Royal Barge 'Jewel' For The Queen's Jubilee".Sky News.Retrieved9 April2012.
- ^Bartram, A Visual Guide... p.16.
Sources
[edit]- Bartram, Graham (2012)."A Visual Guide to the Flags used in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant"(PDF).The Flag Institute. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 7 March 2014.Retrieved7 June2012.
External links
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