The child whose wishes Tycho had taken too lightly had come of age and was now king. Tycho had suffered recent social embarrassment over Magdalene’s ill-fated betrothal, but he nevertheless made a splendid showing at the festivities. He wore the golden chains of the Order of the Elephant (a symbol that was prominent in the Chapel of the Magi) and medallions with portraits of two kings. The Brahe family was much in evidence. Tycho’s brother Steen bore the royal orb. All the members of the Rigsraad held the crown to place it on Christian’s head, symbolizing that the highest power lay not with the king but with the aristocratic oligarchy. In truth, the old symbolism had almost run its course. A new age was dawning, and it would not benefit Tycho’s relatives or other great noble families. The coronation oration, delivered by Bishop Peter Winstrup, celebrated a philosophy of government favored by the new king and his closest advisers, that kings rule not by the election or consent of any oligarchy but by divine right.
