Bratislava - The Coronation City of the Kingdom of Hungary

In 1543 Székesfehérvár, the coronation city of the Kingdom of Hungary, was sacked by the Ottoman Empire and held for the next 150 years.

As the southern part of the Kingdom was being conquered by the Ottomans, the Kingdom was in need of a safe place to officially crown its monarchs. From 1563 to 1860, Bratislava served as the coronation city of the Kingdom of Hungary, beginning on September 8, 1563 when the Crown of St. Stephen was placed on the head of Maximillian II.

In total, 11 monarchs (including Maria Theresa) and eight consorts were crowned in Bratislava over 300 years. Below is a list of those monarchs and their dates of coronation:

Maximilian II (8 September 1563)
Maria, wife of Maximilian II (9 September 1563)
Rudolf II (25 September 1572)
Matthias (19 November 1608)
Anna, wife of Matthias (25 March 1613)
Ferdinand II (1 July 1618)
Eleonore, second wife of Ferdinand II (26 July 1622)
Maria Anna, first wife of Ferdinand III (14 February 1638)
Ferdinand IV (16 June 1647)
Eleanor, third wife of Ferdinand III (6 June 1655)
Leopold I (27 June 1655)
Joseph I (9 December 1687)
Charles III (22 May 1712)
Elisabeth Christine, wife of Charles III (18 October 1714)
Maria Theresa (25 June 1741)
Leopold II (15 November 1790)
Maria Ludovika, third wife of Francis I (7 September 1808)
Caroline Augusta, fourth wife of Francis I (25 September 1825)
Ferdinand V (28 September 1830)