The final Ceremony of Homage

Ferdinand I.

For the Ceremony of Homage to Ferdinand I in 1835 the archducal hat is transported to Vienna in a litter. There are records of the proceedings. The ceremony begins with a procession of homage through the city; the focus is on the territorial ruler to whom it makes its way. First stop is for a high mass at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, then on to the Hofburg, where, in the Knights’ Room of the Imperial Apartments, the actual Ceremony of Homage with the oath of allegiance takes place. After a service of thanksgiving in the chapel a court banquet is thrown, where the archducal hat gets its own table next to the new ruler as a symbol of his worthiness to govern.