President Jimmy Carter, who died earlier this week, has been praised for his humanitarian instincts. Not for nothing did he receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, long after his presidency, for his continuing work in promoting human rights around the world. But as a Hungarian-born writer, my warm feelings towards him will always be associated with one of his lesser-known acts of international diplomacy: the return to Hungary of its most valued symbol of Hungarian nationhood, the Crown of St Stephen.
The golden jewel and enamel-encrusted crown, topped with its distinctive tilted cross, was crafted in the Byzantine capital of Constantinople. According to legend, Pope Sylvester II gifted it to the devout Christian, Stephen I, Hungary’s first king, for his coronation in the year 1000. This marked the beginning of Hungarian statehood, and Stephen became the country’s patron saint. From the 12th century onwards, the Crown of St Stephen was used in the coronation of at least 50 kings.
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