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The Iron Crown of Lombardy (Corona Ferrea) is both a reliquary and one of the most ancient royal insignia of Europe. It became the symbol of the medieval Kingdom of Italy and after of Holy Roman Emperor starting from Charlemagne. It is kept in the Cathedral of Monza near Milan. According to tradition, the nail was first given to Emperor Constantine by his mother Helena, who had discovered the True Cross. Sources speak of several nails dispensed by Helena and Constantine: Helena cast one into the sea to calm a storm, while another was incorporated into Constantine's helmet, another fitted to the head of a statue of the Emperor[1], and a fourth melted down and molded into a bit for Constantine's horse. When the nail was incorporated into a crown and how it fell into the hands of the Lombard kings, Germanic conquerors of northern Italy, is unclear, though legends involve Theodelinda, the queen of Lombards who resided at Monza in the late 6th century. Since almost thirty European countries lay claim to a holy nail, historian Philip Blom holds that Byzantine Emperors, who "understood the value of these objects in diplomacy", sent several off to various dignitaries and that Princess Theodelinda received a nail this way and incorporated it into a crown given to her by Pope Gregory the Great for her part in converting the Lombards to Christianity.[1] She later donated the crown to the Italian church at Monza in 628, where it was preserved until being used in Charlemagne's coronation as King of the Lombards. Others however hold that the crown was only forged in the 9th century, years after Charlemagne, and consider all the supposed former history as legends. (Source Wikiped.)