Up until the end of the 13th century the arms used by the Swedish rulers, those of Knutt the Tall and the Folkunga dynasty were of Swedish origin and were family Coat of Arms converted through regal and official use into the Arms of the State. A different situation arose in 1363 when Duke Albrecht I of Mecklenburg ( left with his son ), who had married a sister of Magnus Eriksson, attacked his brother in law and the next year secured the proclamation of his own son as King of Sweden. The choice of what Arms to bear as king of Sweden was one fraught with difficulty. Although he had a claim on the Folkunga Arms through his mother,...
COAT OF ARMS OF THE PRINCIPALITIES OF EUROPE Arms of the United Kingdom admirably illustrates the way in which National Arms can reflect territorial representation in addition to showing the effects of changes both in dynasty and regime. The Royal Arms of Sweden illustrate the subject in an even clearer light. Sweden has had more changes in dynasty than most and the stages are clearly indicated in its Arms.The seal of King Erik Knutsson ( 1208 – 16) presents heraldic decoration in the form of two crowned leopards facing each other, but are probably not intended as real heraldic charges; no arms are known for him or for his successor John Sverkersson, who was succeeded in 1222 by the six...
QUEEN ANNE Queen Anne succeeded to the throne upon the death of William II in 1702. She bore the Arms of her father James II. Within a few years of her accession to the throne the Union with Scotland in 1707 enacted a constitutional change which in turn required a change to the Royal Arms. Remarshalling the contents of the shield indicated the change. These then continued to display four quarters, but the first and fourth quarters now bore the impaled Arms of England and Scotland, France was relegated to the second quarter, and the third quarter remained as before containing the Harp of Ireland.In 1714 the House of Hanover , in the person of George I, succeeded to the...
HESSEN, GERMANY COAT OF ARMS The National Arms of England remained relatively unchanged until the end of the 16th century. In 1603 Queen Elizabeth I died and the new sovereign was James VI of Scotland who succeeded Elizabeth as James I. He added to the Royal Arms quarterings for Scotland and Ireland, the Harp of Ireland and the Lion of Scotland. The shield then bore four quarters; in the first and fourth appeared the arms of his predecessor Queen Elizabeth I, in the second the Arms of Scotland and in the third the Arms of Ireland. The crest remained the English lion set upon the crown, while the unicorn of Scotland replaced the dragon supporter. The next monarch King Charles...
ENAMEL OF GEOFFREY PLANTAGENET When dealing with National Arms and the countries that use them it is best to begin with the older European monarchies, since this is where the practice originated. Two in particular, The United Kingdom and Sweden merit special attention because when their historical development is examined many aspects of the emergence of National Arms become clear.The earliest Coat of Arms found in existence to date is that of Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, who was the father of King Henry II of England. The scribe Jean Rapicault relates the story of the count’s marriage to Princess Mathilda of England in 1127. When his royal father-in-law, King Henry I, bestowed the accolade upon him he hung a...
