Monde

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Monde means “world” in French. It is a small globe on top of a crown, representing the world the ruler governs. It sits at the point where the crown’s arches meet. It is usually topped with a symbol, often national or religious, such as a cross in Christian countries. Sometimes the arches are shown as an armillary sphere, a model of the cosmos, linking the monde to the universe—seen in Pedro I of Brazil’s crown, or in Elizabeth I’s Rainbow Portrait with a serpent.