Coat of arms of the King of Spain
Encyclopedia
The blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...

ing of the coat of arms of the King of Spain is set out in Title II, Rule 1, of Spanish Royal Decree 1511 of 21 January 1977, by which the Rules for Flags, Standards, Guidons, Banners, and Badges were adopted.

Quartered shield

The shield is divided into four quarters, blazoned as follows:
  • 1st, gules
    Gules
    In heraldry, gules is the tincture with the colour red, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of vertical lines or else marked with gu. as an abbreviation....

     a castle or
    Or (heraldry)
    In heraldry, Or is the tincture of gold and, together with argent , belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". In engravings and line drawings, it may be represented using a field of evenly spaced dots...

    , triple-embattled and voided gate and windows, with three towers each triple-turreted, of the field, masoned sable
    Sable
    The sable is a species of marten which inhabits forest environments, primarily in Russia from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, in northern Mongolia and China and on Hokkaidō in Japan. Its range in the wild originally extended through European Russia to Poland and Scandinavia...

     and ajoure azure
    Azure
    In heraldry, azure is the tincture with the colour blue, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of horizontal lines or else marked with either az. or b. as an abbreviation....

    , which is for Castile
    Kingdom of Castile
    Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...

    ;

  • 2nd, argent
    Argent
    In heraldry, argent is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures, called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it...

     a lion rampant purpure crowned or, langued and armed, of the second, which is for León
    Kingdom of León
    The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...

    ;

  • 3rd, or, four pallets gules, which is for Aragon
    Crown of Aragon
    The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...

    ;

  • 4th, gules a cross, saltire and orle of chains linked together or, a centre point vert, which is for Navarre
    Kingdom of Navarre
    The Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....

    ;


Argent enté en point, with a pomegranate proper seeded gules, supported, sculpted and leafed in two leaves vert, which is for Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...

.

Inescutcheon azure
Azure
In heraldry, azure is the tincture with the colour blue, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of horizontal lines or else marked with either az. or b. as an abbreviation....

 bordure
Bordure
In heraldry, a bordure is a band of contrasting tincture forming a border around the edge of a shield, traditionally one-sixth as wide as the shield itself...

 gules, three fleurs-de-lys or, which is for Bourbon-Anjou
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...

.

Joined to the shield, the red saltire of Burgundy
Cross of Burgundy Flag
The Cross of Burgundy flag was used by Spain 1506-1701 as a naval ensign, and up to 1843 as the land battle flag, and still appears on regimental colours, badges, shoulder patches and company guidons...

 and, to the dexter and sinister of the base point, the yoke gules in its natural position with ribbons, of the field, and the sheaf of five arrows gules with the arrowheads inverted and ribbons, of the field.

All surrounded by the chain of the Golden Fleece
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...

 and crowned with a crown of the same metal and precious stones, with eight rosettes, five visible, and eight pearls interspersed, closed at the top by eight diadems also adorned with pearls and surmounted by a cross on a globe, which is the royal crown of Spain.
In 1969, General Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...

 appointed Juan Carlos I
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...

 as his "successor to the Headship of the Spanish state with the title of King" but gave him the new title of Prince of Spain instead of the traditional title of Prince of Asturias
Prince of Asturias
Prince of Asturias is the historical title given to the heir to the Spanish throne. It was also the title under the earlier Kingdom of Castile. The current Prince of Asturias is Felipe, son of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofía...

. From 1971 to 1975, Juan Carlos as Prince of Spain used a coat of arms which was virtually identical to the one later adopted when he was became King in 1975. The earlier coat of arms differed only that it featured the royal crown of a Crown Prince of Spain, the King's royal crown has eight half-arches of which five are visible, while the Prince's one has only four half-arches of which three are visible.

Ornamented versions of the historical royal coats of arms

For common versions and the changes of the heraldic charges and the divisions of the field, see Coat of arms of Spain
Coat of arms of Spain
The current coat of arms of Spain, although it has its roots centuries ago, was approved by law in 1981, when the present established replaced the interim version which, in turn, replaced the official arms of Francoist Spain...

.


Royal Arms Monarch Supporters Other ornaments Motto
House of Trastamara (1475–1506)

The Catholic Monarchs
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being both descended from John I of Castile; they were given a papal dispensation to deal with...


(1474–1492)

  • Two lions
    (adopted by John II of Castile
    John II of Castile
    John II was King of Castile from 1406 to 1454.He was the son of Henry III of Castile and his wife Catherine of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster by Constance of Castile, daughter of King Peter of Castile.-Regency:He succeeded his father on 25 December 1406, at the age of...

    )
  • The former royal crown

  • The Catholic Monarchs
    (1492–1504)
    • The Eagle of St John
      John the Evangelist
      Saint John the Evangelist is the conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John...

    • Two lions
      (as displayed at the Church of St Paul in Valladolid
      Valladolid
      Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...

      )
  • The crown of the Catholic Monarchs
  • A yoke
  • A sheaf of five arrows

  • Tanto monta
    Tanto monta, monta tanto, Isabel como Fernando
    Tanto monta, monta tanto, Isabel como Fernando, , or "equal opposites in balance" was the motto of a prenuptial agreement made by the Spanish Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon...


    (Spanish
    Spanish language
    Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

    : They amount to the same)

    Ferdinand II of Aragon
    Ferdinand II of Aragon
    Ferdinand the Catholic was King of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia, Sardinia, and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, jure uxoris King of Castile and then regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of...


    (1504–1516)
    (After the death of queen Isabella)
    • Two griffin
      Griffin
      The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...

      s
      (as displayed at the Aljafería Palace in Zaragoza
      Zaragoza
      Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...

      )
  • The former royal crown of Aragon

  • Joanna of Castile
    Joanna of Castile
    Joanna , nicknamed Joanna the Mad , was the first queen regnant to reign over both the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon , a union which evolved into modern Spain...


    (1504–1506)
    • The Eagle of St John
    • Two lions
      (as displayed at at the fachade of the Church of Saint Mary the Royal in Aranda de Duero
      Aranda de Duero
      Aranda de Duero is a Spanish town and municipality in the south of the province of Burgos, autonomous community of Castile and León. It has a population of roughly 33,000 people. The post code for the town is 09400. The closest airport is in Valladolid....

      , Burgos Province)
  • The former royal crown
  • A yoke
  • A sheaf of five arrows

  • Philip I of Castile
    Philip I of Castile
    Philip I , known as Philip the Handsome or the Fair, was the first Habsburg King of Castile...


    (1504–1506)
    (with Joanna)
    • The Eagle of St John and one lion
      (as displayed on his seal)
  • The royal crest of Castile
  • The former royal crown
  • A helmet
  • Gold and ermine mantling
    Mantling
    In heraldry, mantling or lambrequin is drapery tied to the helmet above the shield. It forms a backdrop for the shield. In paper heraldry it is a depiction of the protective cloth covering worn by knights from their helmets to stave off the elements, and, secondarily, to decrease the effects of...

  • The Order of the Golden Fleece

  • Qui voudra
    (Old French
    Old French
    Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...

    : Whoever will accept)
    House of Habsburg (1506–1700)

    Charles I
    Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
    Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...


    King of Castile
    (1506–1516)
    Spanish Monarch
    (1516–1520)
    • The Eagle of St John and one lion
      (as displayed on his seal)
  • The royal crest of Castile
  • The former royal crown
  • A helmet
  • Gold and ermine mantling
  • The Order of the Golden Fleece

  • Plus oultre
    Plus Ultra (motto)
    Plus ultra is the national motto of Spain adopted from the personal motto of Charles I of Spain. Earl Rosenthal, author of The Palace of Charles V in Granada , has researched the origin of the motto...


    Later Plus ultra
    (Latin
    Latin
    Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

    : Further beyond)

    Charles I
    (1520-1530)
    • The Eagle of St John and one lion
  • The royal crest of Castile
  • The former royal crown
  • A helmet
  • Gold and ermine mantling
  • The Order of the Golden Fleece

  • Plus ultra

    Charles I
    Charles V
    as Holy Roman Emperor
    Holy Roman Emperor
    The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...


    (1530-1556)
    • The Double-headed eagle
      Double-headed eagle
      The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry and vexillology. It is most commonly associated with the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and...


      (in some variants showed within his arms)
  • The imperial crest
  • The imperial crown
  • A helmet
  • Gold and ermine mantling
  • The Order of the Golden Fleece

  • Plus ultra

    Philip II
    Philip II of Spain
    Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....


    (1556-1598)
    • Two lions
  • The royal crest of Aragon
  • The royal crest of Castile
  • The royal crest of Portugal
    Kingdom of Portugal
    The Kingdom of Portugal was Portugal's general designation under the monarchy. The kingdom was located in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, Europe and existed from 1139 to 1910...

  • The former royals crowns of Aragon, Castile and Portugal
  • Three helmets
  • Gold and ermine mantling
  • The Order of the Golden Fleece

  • Dominus mihi adjutor
    (Latin: Lord, give me counsel) V. 6, Psalm 117

    Philip III
    Philip III of Spain
    Philip III , also known as Philip the Pious, was the King of Spain and King of Portugal and the Algarves, where he ruled as Philip II , from 1598 until his death...


    (1598-1621)
    • Two lions
  • The royal crest of Aragon
  • The royal crest of Castile
  • The royal crest of Portugal
  • The former royals crowns of Aragon, Castile and Portugal
  • Three helmets
  • Gold and ermine mantling
  • The Order of the Golden Fleece

  • Ad utrumque
    Ad utrumque paratus
    Ad utrumque paratus, sometimes shortened to ad utrumque, is Latin for "Ready for either alternative" or "Prepared for both" and is a sentence attributed to Virgil. It is used as a motto on the seal of Lund University. It is also used as the motto of the Spanish Navy Submarine force...


    (Latin: Ready for either alternative)

    Philip IV
    Philip IV of Spain
    Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...


    (1621-1665)
    Charles II
    Charles II of Spain
    Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain and the ruler of large parts of Italy, the Spanish territories in the Southern Low Countries, and Spain's overseas Empire, stretching from the Americas to the Spanish East Indies...


    (1665-1700)
    • Two lions
  • The royal crest of Castile
  • The former royal crown
  • A helmet
  • Gold and ermine mantling
  • The Order of the Golden Fleece

  • Ad utrumque
    House of Bourbon
    House of Bourbon
    The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...

     (1700–1808 / 1813-1868 / 1874-1931)

    Philip V
    Philip V of Spain
    Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...


    (First reign)
    (1700-1724)
    Louis
    (1724)
    Philip V
    (Second reign)
    (1724-1746)
    Ferdinand VI
    Ferdinand VI of Spain
    Ferdinand VI , called the Learnt, was King of Spain from 9 July 1746 until his death. He was the fourth son of the previous monarch Philip V and his first wife Maria Luisa of Savoy...


    (1746-1759)
    Charles III
    Charles III of Spain
    Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...


    (1759-1761)
    • Two angels
      (as well as a lance with two royal standards)
    • The Pillars of Hercules
      Pillars of Hercules
      The Pillars of Hercules was the phrase that was applied in Antiquity to the promontories that flank the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. The northern Pillar is the Rock of Gibraltar in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar...

  • The sun
  • The royal crest of Castile
  • The former royal crown
  • The royal mantle
  • The modern royal crown
    (with eight half-arches)
  • A helmet
  • Gold and ermine mantling
  • The Order of the Golden Fleece
  • The Order of the Holy Spirit
    Order of the Holy Spirit
    The Order of the Holy Spirit, also known as the Order of the Knights of the Holy Spirit, was an Order of Chivalry under the French Monarchy. It should not be confused with the Congregation of the Holy Ghost or with the Order of the Holy Ghost...

  • A solis ortu usque ad occasum
    (Latin: From the rising up of the sun unto the going down of the same) V. 3, Psalm 112
  • Plus ultra
  • Santiago
    Santiago!
    Santiago! , was a war cry of Spanish troops during the Reconquista, and of the Spanish Empire....


  • Charles III
    (1761-1788)
    Charles IV
    Charles IV of Spain
    Charles IV was King of Spain from 14 December 1788 until his abdication on 19 March 1808.-Early life:...


    (1788-1808)
    Ferdinand VII
    (1808)
    Ferdinand VII
    (Restored)
    (1808-1833)
    Isabella II
    Isabella II of Spain
    Isabella II was the only female monarch of Spain in modern times. She came to the throne as an infant, but her succession was disputed by the Carlists, who refused to recognise a female sovereign, leading to the Carlist Wars. After a troubled reign, she was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of...


    (1833-1868)
    Alfonso XII
    Alfonso XII of Spain
    Alfonso XII was king of Spain, reigning from 1874 to 1885, after a coup d'état restored the monarchy and ended the ephemeral First Spanish Republic.-Early life and paternity:Alfonso was the son of Queen Isabella II of Spain, and...


    (1874-1885)
    Alfonso XIII
    Alfonso XIII of Spain
    Alfonso XIII was King of Spain from 1886 until 1931. His mother, Maria Christina of Austria, was appointed regent during his minority...


    (1886-1931)
    • Two angels
      (as well as a lance with two royal standards)
    • The Pillars of Hercules
  • The sun
  • The royal crest of Castile
  • The former royal crown
  • The royal mantle
  • The modern royal crown
    (with eight half-arches)
  • A helmet
  • Gold and ermine mantling
  • The Order of the Golden Fleece
  • The Order of Charles III
  • A solis ortu usque ad occasum
  • Plus ultra
  • Santiago
  • French occupation
    Peninsular War
    The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...

     (1808–1813)

    Joseph Bonaparte
    Joseph Bonaparte
    Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte was the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who made him King of Naples and Sicily , and later King of Spain...


    (1808–1813)
    • Two sceptres
  • The modern royal crown
    (with eight half-arches)
  • The royal mantle
  • The Order of the Golden Fleece
  • The Legion of Honour
  • House of Savoy
    House of Savoy
    The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...

     (1870–1873)

    Amadeus
    Amadeo I of Spain
    Amadeo I was the only King of Spain from the House of Savoy...


    (1870–1873)
    • The modern royal crown
      (with eight half-arches)
    • The royal mantle
    • The Order of the Golden Fleece
    House of Bourbon (1931)

    Alfonso XIII
    (1931)
    • Two angels
      (as well as a lance with two royal standards)
    • The Pillars of Hercules
  • The modern royal crown
    (with eight half-arches)
  • A helmet
  • Gold and ermine mantling
  • The Order of the Golden Fleece
  • The Order of Charles III
  • Plus ultra


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