Coat of arms of england

Coat of arms of england

Details
Introduced	1198
Heraldic shield	Three golden, striding, blue armored and tongued, gazing lions on a red background

The coat of arms of England contains three gold lions on a red background. Since it is a question of lions striding with their gaze towards the beholder, in the language of heraldry they are "leopards", see leopard ( heraldic animal) . In general, the three heraldic animals are usually referred to as "lions" (English Three Lions ).

Presumably the coat of arms of England derives from the coat of arms of Normandy . In the version with three lions, sometimes together with the French lilies , it was used by the English kings until the personal union of England and Scotland in 1603. It then became part of a combination with the Scottish and Irish coats of arms that, after numerous changes, still forms the coat of arms of the United Kingdom today.

The coat of arms of England is one of the national symbols of the country. For example, some national sports federations use modified forms as their own coat of arms.

history

Richard the Lionheart
(from a manuscript, 12th century)

After the Norman conquest of England in 1066 and the ensuing personal union between England and Normandy , the coat of arms of the Norman dynasty, two golden lions on a red background, was also used in England. A specifically English coat of arms, consisting of a golden soaring lion, appeared for the first time under Henry II .

Aquitaine coat of arms

The three lions were originally the personal coat of arms of Heinrich's son Richard , known as the Lionheart, adopted after his accession to the throne. Why three lions were suddenly used is unclear: According to tradition, the third lion came either from Henry's English coat of arms or from the coat of arms of Aquitaine and was intended to express the connection of the respective territories with Normandy, represented by the two remaining lions. It is possible that the number of lions at that time - heraldry was still young - had not yet been determined.

To the claim of Edward III. To symbolize the French throne, the French lilies were added in 1340. Their number was reduced to three in 1406 in order to adapt the representation to the modern French coat of arms. The lilies were still used together with the lions in the later, all-British coats of arms and did not cease to exist until 1801 when the coat of arms fields were redistributed as a result of the union with Ireland .

Historical development of the coat of arms

coat of arms	Remarks	Period
	Royal coat of arms of Henry II.	1154-1189
	Older coat of arms of Richard I.	1189-1198
	Younger coat of arms Richard I.	1198-1340
	Coat of arms first used by Edward III. to assert his claim to the French throne.	1340-1395
	The coat of arms of Richard II included the old coat of arms of Edward the Confessor .	1395-1399
	The English coat of arms was adapted to the use of the coat of arms of France and now shows the three French lilies. It was used with interruptions from 1399 and 1406 to 1603.	1399-1422
	King Henry VI. increased the claim to France.	1422-1461
	King Edward IV restored the previous coat of arms.	1461-1470
	King Henry VI. restored his coat of arms version when he was reinstated.	1470-1471
	King Edward IV finally restored the previous state.	1471-1554
	The coat of arms of England combined with the coat of arms of Philip II of Spain, as it was sometimes used by Maria I.	1554-1558
	Queen Elizabeth I restored Edward IV's coat of arms, which her father Henry VIII had also used.	1558-1603
	With the unification of the Crowns of England and Scotland, the coat of arms of England becomes part of the coat of arms of the United Kingdom.	1603-1649
	Commonwealth of England coat of arms .	1649-1660
	With the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the English coat of arms again became part of the coat of arms of the United Kingdom. Its current shield shows the coat of arms of England in the first and fourth images.	1660 - today

Todays use

Use in sports

Coat of arms of the English Football Association

Similar to the earlier royal flag of Scotland , which also shows a coat of arms, flags with three golden lions on a red background are used unofficially instead of the actual flag of England at international matches .

Examples of non-governmental modified uses are the England and Wales Cricket Board and the English Football Association . Both use three blue lions on a white background in their club crests. The Football Association's crest also features Tudor roses , another symbol of England.

Coats of arms and flags of other territories

Flag of Normandy (unofficial)

Even today, the coats of arms of England (in the original version) and Normandy are sometimes used almost unchanged, though not by sovereign states. For example, Normandy today uses a coat of arms and a flag with two lions (unofficially three are also used).

Some of the Channel Islands have red and gold lion crests: Guernsey and Jersey with three, Sark with two lions.