A three-point label, the first and third points charged with the Cross of St. George, the second point charged with a lion passant guardant. Keightley, Thomas (1834). The crusaders; or, Scenes, events, and characters, from the times of the crusades. Vol.2 (3rded.). J. W. Parker. Although seals only survive from about 1189, it is not improbable that John, knighted by his father in 1185 (Roger de Hovenden, Chronicles, (Rolls Series) Vol. II, p. 303) and invested with the lordship of Ireland, bore the two lions passant (but apparently not guardant — of Norse and Viking family culture in which the grandson was to be looked upon as the reincarnation of the spirit of his grandfather and understand why King Henry II and Richard I chose a single lion, the two lions watchful and symbolic of abundance being adopted to strengthen the idea of descent. It is absolutely impossible with such considerations to pretend that the origins of coat armory have anything to do with descent from Charlemagne as has been propounded recently, (Beryl Platts, Origins of Heraldry, 1980) but with so many individuals called “the lion”, one cannot resist the temptation to suggest that these names derived from their armorial bearings. On the other hand, Henry II had been knighted in 1149 by his maternal uncle, King David of Scotland (Hovenden, Vol. I, p. 211; W. L. Warren, Henry II, p. 36 and R. H. C. Davis King Stephen, p. 107). David’s seal shows a single lion which he had probably adopted simultaneously with his kinsman the Count of Holland. Florent III, Count of Holland, married Ada, sister of William the Lion, and their son Dirk VIII has the lion on his seal in 1198 (Corpus Sigillorum Nederlandicorum 1937-40); “Heraldic Notes on the issue of Postage Stamps”, C. J. Holyoake, Family History Aug. 1976). Royal emblems depicting lions were first used by Danish Vikings, [14] Saxons (Lions were adopted in Germanic tradition around the 5th century, [15] they were re-interpreted in a Christian context in the western kingdoms of Gaul and Northern Italy in the 6th and 7th centuries) and Normans. [4] [16] [17] Later, with Plantagenets a formal and consistent English heraldry system emerged at the end of the 12th century.

Pathak, Yamini (31 March 2016). "Bringing out the kala". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X . Retrieved 4 September 2019. Days for Hoisting Flags on Buildings of the Scottish Government 2010" (PDF). Scottish Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 February 2018 . Retrieved 9 February 2018. A three-point label, signifying a direct heir to the Throne, the second point charged with a red escallop taken from the arms of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. Onians, John (2004). Atlas of World Art. Lawrence King Publishing. p. 58. ISBN 978-1856693776. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023 . Retrieved 16 February 2021. significant pre-figuration of medieval heraldry A red dragon rampant on a gold field, from a longstanding local badge; the winning entry in a competition.Campion, Vikki; Matheson, Melissa (9 November 2012). "Foul weather follows Prince Charles and Camilla". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney . Retrieved 27 December 2013. a b "Staffordshire County Flag Vote". The Flag Institute. 28 February 2016 . Retrieved 5 June 2016. Animal supporters first appeared in English heraldry in the 15th century. They were not regarded as an integral part of arms, and were frequently changed. The supporters of many medieval monarchs were invented during the Tudor period but are still used to represent them, for instance at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. [12] [13] The supporters became more consistent under the Tudors, and by the reign of Elizabeth I were usually a red Welsh dragon and a gold lion. [9] After the Union of the Crowns the Stuart monarchs swapped the dragon for a Scottish unicorn, and the lion and unicorn have remained the supporters of the royal arms since. [9] Six gold martlets on blue are the traditional emblem of Sussex. [34] This flag is for public use by the entire shire county of Sussex and its people. [35] The German evidence indicates that by 1198 two versions of arms with lions passant guardant – one with three, one with two lions – were well established and existed simultaneously. Hence the question arises as to which was the senior version? Among British historians, conventional wisdom hold that the English Royal Arms developed in a seemingly natural way: one, two, three, which sounds reasonable, but in fact the evolution was quite complex.

Shanzer, Danuta; Mathisen, Ralph W (28 July 2013). Romans, Barbarians, and the Transformation of the Roman World: Cultural Interaction and the Creation of Identity in Late Antiquity. Ashgate Publishing. p. 322. ISBN 978-1409482093. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023 . Retrieved 16 February 2021. During the existence of the Kingdom of England the arms were usually depicted as part of a full heraldic achievement, the appearance of which has varied over the centuries. [9] Mbiyu, David (3 June 2012). "Diamond Jubilee flotilla adds color on the Thames". Demotix.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015 . Retrieved 27 December 2013. Henry IV abandoned the attributed arms of King Edward the Confessor, and reduced the fleurs-de-lis to three, in imitation of Charles V of France. [4] [9] A banner of the Royal Coat of Arms of William III, first and fourth quarters representing England and the English claim to the French throne, second quarter representing Scotland, third quarter representing Ireland, with an inescutcheon for the House of Nassau.

The historic Royal Standard of Scotland is used officially at Scottish royal residences, when the monarch is not in residence, and by representatives of the Crown, including the First Minister, Lord Lieutenants in their lieutenancies, the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and Lord Lyon King of Arms. A variation of the Royal Standard of Scotland is used by the heir apparent to the King of Scots, the Duke of Rothesay, whose personal Royal Standard is the Royal Standard of Scotland defaced with an azure-coloured label of three points. (The banner of the Duke of Rothesay also features the same, displayed upon an inner shield). We can dismiss the suggestion that King Richard I’s first seal bore lions combattant. The seal of his uncle William FitzEmpress which repeats the device of the shield on the horse trappings removes that idea of the heraldry manuals once and for all. Both bore a rampant lion, in neither case appearing to be crowned. 2 We must turn to the study of chivalric rites to the process of acquisition of armorial insignia along with knighthood to be able to understand the conclusions that can be drawn. A logical application of these helps us to determine what arms King Henry II may have borne. As my late lamented friend M. Paul Adam-Even recalls in his study of the Reggio Emilia enamel (Archivum Heraldicum 1954), there is great importance to be attached to the well known medieval custom by which a newly dubbed knight might receive the arms of his sponsor, though frequently with adequate differences (Dictionnaire Héraldique, P.C.A. Loizeau de Grandmaison (1851) pp. 399-403). 3 A golden-orange "W" shape on a green field, with three white six-pointed estoiles between the arms of the "W". The arms of Berkshire County Council bore arms with two golden lions, referencing the attributed arms of the Norman kings and their early influence upon the county. [34] Corporate [ edit ]

a b c Ailes, Adrian (1982). The Origins of The Royal Arms of England. Reading: Graduate Center for Medieval Studies, University of Reading. pp.52–63. The Flag of Mercia, gold saltire on a blue field (Cross of St Alban), still flown on Tamworth Castle and a lighter version in St Albans.The Three Lions". England Football Online. Archived from the original on 12 September 2010 . Retrieved 15 September 2010. Heraldic bearings are granted to individuals and corporations by the Lord Lyon in Scotland or by the College of Arms in England, Northern Ireland and Wales on behalf of the sovereign as the fount of all honours. Local authority flags come within this category when based on the arms granted to that authority, and such a flag is the authority's personal property, representing that authority rather than its area. The reconstruction of the "Fighting Man Banner" mentioned by William of Poitiers. Was the military standard or personal banner of Harold Godwinson who led the Anglo-Saxon army in the Battle of Hastings (1066) against the Norman invaders.

A crescent of gold on a shade of azure, with a blazing star of eight points. Portsmouth's original 1194 arms are based on those used by King Richard I and William de Longchamp, who granted Portsmouth its town charter in 1194. Portsmouth's arms predate the College of Arms, but were confirmed by Heraldic visitations in 1622 (by John Philipot) and in 1686 (by Henry St George, the younger). [53] The Portsmouth arms are officially owned by Portsmouth City Council. [54] Briggs, Geoffrey (1971). Civic and Corporate Heraldry: A Dictionary of Impersonal Arms of England, Wales and N. Ireland. London: Heraldry Today. ISBN 0-900455-21-7.Rabbow, Dr Arnold (1999). "The Origin of the Royal Arms of England – a European Connection". Coat of Arms. 186. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021 . Retrieved 16 September 2021.