What do we call the act of crowning a king?

The story behind the answer

It is the formal public ceremony in which a monarch is ceremonially crowned, takes oaths, and receives the regalia, marking the official start and public recognition of their rule. The rite proclaims legitimacy before subjects and elites, often accompanied by acclamations and elaborate liturgy.

In the Middle Ages, this ritual was deeply religious: bishops anointed the ruler with holy oil to signal divine sanction—a component within the ceremony, not the whole. By contrast, accession is the moment one becomes monarch (often immediately upon a predecessor’s death), and investiture is the granting of an office or benefice, central to disputes like the Investiture Controversy. Medieval coronations at sites such as Westminster Abbey, Reims, or Aachen fused church and state to present kingship as both political authority and sacred duty.