Enchanting Curse Of A Blood-Red Stone — Ruby of the Black Prince
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| Red Ruby Gemstones Source: Shutterstock |
Enchanting Curse Of A Blood-Red Stone — Ruby of the Black Prince
People's interest in gemstones is eternal. Many gems in history have become famous for their drawing shape and beauty. However, some gems have gained notoriety by being the unfortunate companions to their owners. Consciously or unconsciously, many people have taken these gems as the cause of misfortune. As a result, cursed stone badges are attached to their names. One of them is the Ruby of the Black Prince.
One of the most precious assets of the British royal family is their royal jewelery. It includes gemstones brought from different countries. One of the most enchanting is the Black Prince's Ruby.
Black Prince's Ruby is actually an Spinel
Although the name is ruby, this gemstone is a different type of stone, called spinel. It is probably the largest unbroken red spinel in the world. It was acquired by the British royal family in 1367. It was still considered ruby. Experiments in the sixteenth century proved that it was actually a spinel. It was mistakenly called Ruby because of the external resemblance of Ruby to Spinel. The stone weighs about 170 carats and is about 5 centimeters long. It also occupies a place in the list of cursed gemstones.
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| Black Prince's Ruby on Imperial State Crown Source: Instagram |
Where was the Black Prince's ruby found?
The Black Prince's ruby is said to have been mined at the Kuh-e-Lal mine in Badakhshan, now part of Tajikistan. However, it appeared in the pages of history in the fourteenth century. According to legend, the ruby was then the property of Abu Said of the Kingdom of Granada.
Don Pedro was the ruler of the contemporary Castile. At the time, Pedro was constantly attacking Granada as part of an ongoing reconquista.
Abu Said was defeated by Don Pedro in a series of battles. Abu Saeed offered to negotiation. Pedro invited him to Castile. Wearing expensive costumes and jewelry, Abu Said himself enters Pedro's territory.
Pedro, however, was not at all interested in negotiations. He heard about a huge precious gem of Abu Said. He was making trap to grab that stone. After their arrival for negotiation, Abu Said and his attendance, was struck on the forehead with sword.
Rumor has it that Pedro killed Abu Said with his own hands, removing Ruby from his body. From then on, the cursed badge was attached to it. While there are doubts about the veracity of this story, it is true that it was Pedro who first got the news of this rock.
Don Pedro's misfortune
Pedro's half-brother, Henry of Trastámara, claims the castle. He joined forces and attacked Pedro. The endangered Pedro fled to Bordeaux, France. There was the court of the British prince Edward of Woodstock. Pedro beg for Edward's help. He promised that in return he would fill the treasury with precious gems and money.
Why was Edward called the Black Prince
Edward was an imperious general. There are many stories of his heroism written in history. One and a half century after his death, he was popularly known as the Black Prince. Why, there are several theories about it.
One story is that he always wore black armor. Some people think that this symbol was born out of the symbolism of the three ostrich feathers on the black background. Many claim that he was called the Black Prince because of his cruelty to the prisoners of war.
However, Edward responded to Pedro's request. He went to Spain with the army. On April 3, 1367, Henry and his allies were defeated at the Battle of Najerá in northern Spain.
How the British Royal Family got the Ruby
Although Pedro was put on the throne, Pedro failed to deliver on his promise. The reason was the empty treasury. This time Edward demanded that Pedro's precious Ruby. Pedro had no choice. He was so compelled to give Edward his gem. This is how the British royal family became the owners of Ruby.
However, Ruby's curse but did not leave Pedro. As soon as Edward returned, Henry attack again. Fighting with him, Don Pedro became penniless. As soon as the throne was gone, he lost his life in the hands of his stepbrother Henry of Trastámara in a very poor condition.
The chaos of the British Royal family
Ruby's nickname became the Ruby of the Black Prince because it was at Edward possession. Suffering surrounds him too. Edward died at the age of forty-six, just before he ascended the throne. As a result, his son Richard became Crown Prince. His father's Ruby came into his possession. Later, at the age of ten, he made his debut as Richard II.
Richard II's fortunes were not very good either. He was being opposed by the aristocracy. One of them was son of John of Gaunt, Henry Bolingbroke. He banished him(Bolingbroke).
After his father's death, Henry returned to the country, bringing with him an army. Many who are upset with Richard, joined Henry. As a result, Henry's army quickly became heavier. He dragged Richard off his throne and sent him to prison. It is said that Richard II died of starvation there.
House Of Lancaster
Henry Bolingbroke ascended the throne as Henry IV. The Ruby of the Black Prince comes into his own. He founded the Lancasterian dynasty also known as House Of Lancaster. When Henry died of a long illness, his son Henry V was anointed. He attached the Ruby of the Black Prince to his helmet.
Henry fought against the French in the famous battle of Ezinecourt on 25 October 1415 wearing this helmet. On the field, the French prince, the Duke of Allens I (Duc d'Alençon), faces the King of England. He is said to have almost smashed Henry's helmet with an ax. Many more Frenchmen attacked him. Henry survived, but his helmet fell apart. But he won the war.
When the battle was over, a Frenchman collected the broken pieces and took them to England. Henry gets his ruby back. As a reward, the Frenchman was sent to prison!
Tudor and Stuart dynasty
The Tudors came to power in England in the 16th century. During the reign of Elizabeth I, Elizabeth gave the Ruby of the Black Prince to Queen Mary of the Scots. Later this Mary died as a insane woman. Mother's Ruby was preserved by her son James. Tudor's reign ended in 1603 when he became King of England, beginning with the Stuart period.
The son became the first Charles after James. The Ruby of the Black Prince passed to him as a legacy. With the birth of misfortune of Charles, Oliver Cromwell came to the rise. He deposed Charles in 1646, ending the First British Civil War. Two years later, Cromwell was execute the first Charles.
Cromwell was confiscated Charles's gems and sold. Ruby of The Black Prince was not specifically mentioned in the sales list. However, many people think that any one of the two ruby stones can be this gem. One ruby was sold for four pounds, the other for fifteen pounds. This trade was completed in 1660.
Charles' son became king when the monarchy was re-established after Cromwell's death. Charles II repurchased the Ruby of the Black Prince. He placed this stone in his crown. During his reign, the war with the Dutch dragged on the British treasury. Charles also failed to get any benefit from the fight.
James II, the brother after Charles, ascended the throne but was forced into exile after only three years. For many years after that, there was no mention of Ruby of The Black Prince.
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| Imperial State Crown Source: Instagram |
Imperial State Crown
The place of this stone is now on the front of Imperial State Crown. Jewelry from the British royal family is kept in the Tower of London for visitors to see. When the tower caught fire in 1841, all the jewels were saved by the courage of Police Inspector Pierce. The Tower of London was somehow spared German bombing during World War II. The Tower of London is now open to visitors. Once there, you will meet the Ruby of The Black Prince.
A closer look reveals the logical reasons for the many unfortunate stories involving The Black Prince's Ruby. Basically, these incidents started from the uncontrolled greed of human beings. However, in the minds of the people, the Ruby of The Black Prince has remained as a curse.