The Power of Weakness: Machiavelli Revisited - German Historical ...

therefore places of humiliation and represent a period of temporary
weakness on the part of the future emperor or king.
A final observation relates to one of the most important insignia
of royal power in the Ottonian empire, the Reichskrone. 45 (See
Illustration 2.) This insignia of power consists of eight metal plates,
Illustration 2. Detail from the Reichs krone
(the Ottonian Imperial Crown): the
Heze kiah (Isaiah) plate. Kunst hi sto -
risches Museum, Wien. SK XIII 1. West -
ern Ger many, second half of the tenth
century. Re pro duced with permission.
23
The Power of Weakness
four of them depicting
the logic of the heavenly
Je ru salem in a complicated
arrangement of precious
gems and jewels.
The four other plates are
pictorial enamels depicting
the classical ideals of
Christian rulership in the
following personifications:
Jesus Christ (maiestas
domini or pantocrator),
King David, King Solo -
mon, and King Heze kiah.
Each figure holds a banner
bearing an in scrip -
tion. The three kings are
usually described as Old
Tes tament models of
Chris tian rule in the Mid -
dle Ages: Rex David with
the reminder honor regis
iudicium diligit (the honour
of the kings loves justice);
Rex Solomon with
45 Space does not permit a detailed discussion of the never-ending story of
the problems of dating the Reichskrone. The most generally accepted opinion
dates it to the late 10th century. However, it has been plausibly argued that
it dates from the 11th century (Mechthild Schulze Dörlamm) or even from
the mid 12th century (Hans Martin Schaller). For a comprehensive account
see Joachim Ott, ‘Kronen und Krönungen in frühottonischer Zeit’, in Bernd
Schneidmüller and Stefan Weinfurter (eds.), Ottonische Neuanfänge: Symposion
zur Ausstellung ‘Otto der Große, Magdeburg und Europa’ (Mainz, 2001), 171–88;