• A tiara is a common type of European crown generally worn by queens.tiara image by Allyson Ricketts from Fotolia.com
  
  A crown is a symbolic headpiece used to denote authority. A crown may be worn in the coronation of a monarch or a religious ceremony. Westerners are familiar with European crowns, yet many other types of crowns can be found in different cultures and societies. Types of crowns known to us today include European crowns, such as tiaras, but many other cultures both ancient and modern use a variety of different crowns.
  
  

English Crowns

• English crowns are probably the most recognizable crowns throughout the Western world. Crowns used in the coronations of English monarchs contain historic jewels associated with specific events in history. Only few specific crowns have been used in English coronations throughout the history of English Monarchy. The crown of St. Edward the Confessor has been used by every English Monarch from William the Conqueror in 1066 until William the IV in 1830--the diminutive Queen Victoria considered it too heavy for her head at her coronation in 1837.
  
  

Tiara

• The tiara is a common type of European crown often associated with Catholic popes. The papal tiara is usually shaped like a beehive with a small cross on top and was worn at least as far back as Sergius III in the early 10th century. Another type of tiara, which look quite different from papal ones, is often worn by European queens and used to crown beauty pageant winners. Queen Elizabeth II has the largest collection of historical tiaras.
  
  

Egyptian Crowns

• Egyptian crowns were used in a wider variety of circumstances than many other civilizations. Crowns were often worn by rulers and their children and were believed to have been worn by Gods. The most common type of crown found throughout much of the history of ancient Egypt was called the uraeus. The uraeus is characterized by a cobra in striking position in the front of the crown and is meant to ward off the ruler's enemies. No examples of any ancient Egyptian uraeuses are known to exist, but they can be seen on many artifacts such as the sarcophagus of King Tutankhamun.