A Greek word passed into Latin as throne and then into our language as throne. The term refers to the seat used by sovereigns or monarchs. For example: “Confused, the king got up from the throne and demanded that everyone leave the hall”, “His Majesty asked that the food be brought to the throne”, “The sultan stumbled on the way to the throne”.
Generally, the throne is used in solemn ceremonies and official acts. This seat, characterized by its ornamentation, is usually located in an elevated place and, often, under a cover. The goal is for the authority sitting on the throne to stand out from other people in the same environment, which is often called a throne room or hall.
There are many stays in monuments and historic buildings that use the term that we are now dealing with in their name. This would be the case, for example, of the Throne Room that exists in the Royal Palace of Madrid. It is a room that is located just in front of the windows that overlook the Plaza de la Armería and has two thrones, with arms with golden lions that give them elegance, inspired by the one that D. Carlos III had at the time. This room is decorated by the Italian Felice Gazzola (1699 – 1780). Another space that also uses the term that concerns us in its name and that is a reference is the Throne Room of the Alhambra (Granada). Also known as the Ambassador’s Hall, it is located in the Torre de Comares and has the particularity of being the largest hall in the entire complex. Tiled plinths, rich stuccoes and original ceramics take center stage in this enclave, where the sultan occupied his throne and attended to certain matters of interest, which is surrounded by a total of nine rooms. In addition to its characteristics as a physical element, the importance of the throne has always been symbolic. Accessing the throne represents having the power to govern a people. That is why the concept is used, by metonymy, to name a monarchy in general. Likewise, we cannot ignore the fact that one of the most successful television series of recent decades is called precisely “Game of Thrones”. It is based on the literary saga “A Song of Ice and Fire”, written by George RR Martin, and revolves around various conflicts and fierce fights between various noble families who want to occupy the Iron Throne of the continent of Westeros. The notion is also used to refer to any place of privilege or position that implies leadership: “Channel 6 has maintained the throne of national television for being the most watched channel for the eighth consecutive month”, “Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been fighting for the throne of the best player in the world for years”, “With this title, the Spanish tennis player recovers the throne that he had lost in 2012”.
