Greater coat of arms of Denmark | |
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Versions | |
Armiger | Frederik X, King of Denmark (greater version) Government of Denmark (lesser (state) version) |
Adopted | First documented in the 1190s. Designated as dynastic arms 1959. Last modified 20 December 2024. |
Crest | Crown of King Christian V |
Torse | tasseled strings Or |
Shield | A shield quartered by a cross pattée argent bordured gules, first quarter Or, three lions passant in pale azure crowned and armed Or langued gules, nine lily pads gules (for Denmark); second quarter azure, a ram passant argent armed and unguled Or (for the Faroe Islands); third quarter azure, a polar bear rampant argent (for Greenland); fourth quarter Or, two lions passant in pale azure armed Or langued gules (for Schleswig). Overall an escutcheon Or two bars gules (for Oldenburg) |
Supporters | two wild men armed with clubs Proper |
Compartment | pedestal |
Motto | Latin: Magnanimi Pretium |
Order(s) | Order of the Dannebrog, and Order of the Elephant |
Other elements | The monarch places this coat of arms on a mantle gules lined with Ermine. Above the mantle is a pavilion gules again topped with the royal crown. |
The coat of arms of Denmark (Danish : Danmarks rigsvåben) has a lesser and a greater version.
The state coat of arms (rigsvåben) consists of three pale blue lions passant wearing crowns, accompanied by nine red lilypads (normally represented as heraldic hearts), all in a golden shield with the royal crown on top.
The national coat of arms of Denmark (nationalvåben — also called lille våben) is similar to the state coat of arms, but without the royal crown above the shield.
It is evolved from the coat of arms of the House of Estridsen, the dynasty which provided the kings of Denmark between 1047 and 1412. Historically, there had been no distinction between the "national" and the "royal" coat of arms. Since 1819, there has been a more complex royal coat of arms of Denmark (kongevåben) separate from the national coat of arms (rigsvåben). The current design was introduced in 2024, under Frederik X.
The oldest known depiction of the insignia dates from a seal used by King Canute VI c. 1194. The oldest documentation for the colours dates from c. 1270. [1]
Historically, the lions faced the viewer and the number of hearts was not regulated and could be much higher. The "heart" shapes originally represented waterlily pads; a royal decree of 1972 still specifies these figures as søblade ("lake leaves").
The current design was traced to 1819 during the reign of King Frederick VI who fixed the number of hearts to nine and decreed that the heraldic beasts were lions, consequently facing forward. A rare version exists from the reign of king Eric of Pomerania in which the three lions jointly hold the Danish banner, in a similar fashion as in the coat of arms of the former South Jutland County. Until c. 1960, Denmark used both a "small" and a "large" coat of arms, similar to the system still used in Sweden. The latter symbol held wide use within the government administration, e.g., by the Foreign Ministry. Since this time, the latter symbol has been classified as the coat of arms of the royal family, leaving Denmark with only one national coat of arms, used for all official purposes.
The crown on the shield is a heraldic construction based on the crown of King Christian V, not to be confused with the crown of King Christian IV. The main difference from the real crown is that the latter is covered with table cut (taffelsten) diamonds rather than pearls. Both crowns, and other royal insignia, are located in Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen.
The blazon in heraldic terms is: Or, three lions passant in pale azure crowned and armed Or langued gules, nine hearts Gules.
This insignia is almost identical to the coat of arms of Estonia and the greater coat of arms of Tallinn which can both be traced directly back to King Valdemar II and the Danish rule in northern Estonia in 1219–1346. The main differences are as follows: In the Danish coat of arms the lions are crowned, face forward, and accompanied by nine hearts. In the Estonian coat of arms, the "leopards" still face the viewer, they are not crowned, and no hearts are present. The coat of arms of Tallinn resembles the Estonian arms, but the leopards in the former arms are crowned with golden crowns [2] similar to the ones in the Danish arms. It shows great similarities with the contemporary insignia of England's Richard the Lionheart and the current arms of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The Danish coat of arms has also been the inspiration for the coat of arms of the former Duchy of Schleswig, a former Danish province (two blue lions in a golden shield). The hearts of the coat of arms also appear in the coat of arms of the German district of Lüneburg.
The current iteration of the royal coat of arms was adopted on December 20, 2024. [3]
The royal coat of arms is more complex. The current version was established by royal decree on 20 December 2024. [4] It is much simpler than previous versions.
The shield is quartered by a silver cross fimbriated in red. The first quarter represents Denmark with three crowned lions passant accompanied by nine hearts, the second quarter represents the Faroe Islands with a silver ram on blue, the third quarter represents Greenland with a silver polar bear on blue, and the fourth quarter contains two lions passant representing Southern Jutland, the northern part of former Schleswig.
The centre escutcheon, two red bars on a golden shield, represents the House of Oldenburg, the former royal dynasty that ruled Denmark and Norway from the middle of the fifteenth century. When the senior branch of this dynasty became extinct in 1863, the crown passed to Prince Christian of the cadet branch Glücksburg, whose descendants have reigned in Denmark ever since. The House of Glücksburg continues the use of the arms of the old Oldenburg dynasty, and the symbol is still officially referred to by its old association[ clarification needed ].
Two woodwoses (vildmænd) act as supporters; this element can be traced back to the early reign of the Oldenburg dynasty. [5] Similar supporters were used in the former arms of Prussia. The shield features the insignias of the Order of the Dannebrog and the Order of the Elephant around it.
The shield and supporters are framed by a royal ermine robe, surmounted by a royal crown.
The royal coat of arms has since around 1960 been reserved exclusively for use by the monarch, the royal family, the Royal Guards and the royal court according to royal decree. A select number of purveyors to the Danish royal family are also allowed to use the royal insignia.
In late medieval heraldry, coats of arms that used to be associated with noble families became attached to the territories that had been ruled by these families, and coats of arms used by individual rulers were composed of the coats of arms of the territories they ruled. In the case of Denmark, the coat of arms of the House of Estridsen with the extinction of the dynasty became the "coat of arms of Denmark". Olaf II of Denmark (and IV of Norway) succeeded his maternal grandfather Valdemar IV in 1376. He was the first king to rule Norway and Denmark in personal union. Olaf on his seal still displayed the Estridsen (for Denmark) and Sverre (for Norway) coats of arms in two separate shields. The custom of dividing the field arises with Eric of Pomerania at the end of the 14th century.
The modern "royal coat of arms of Denmark" is the continuation of this tradition of the Danish monarch using his or her personal coat of arms after the end of the personal union of Denmark and Norway.
Coat of arms | Bearer | Description |
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King Valdemar IV | Coat of arms of Valdemar IV of Denmark. | |
Queen Margaret I | The Arms of Margaret I of Denmark with the heraldry of Denmark (left field), Sweden (right field, represented by the Arms of House of Bjälbo) and Norway (escutcheon) with 3 crowns in the center. | |
King Eric VII | Coat of arms of King Eric VII of Denmark and III of Norway (ruled in personal union, 1396–1439). The colour of the cross over all, here shown in red, is unattested; Christian I has a silver cross (or cross potent) superimposed on the red cross, later designs seem to favour gold. | |
King Christopher III | Coat of arms of Christopher III | |
King Christian I | Coat of arms of Christian I, John I, and Christian II; introduces the arms of the House of Oldenburg as inescutcheon. | |
King John I | ||
King Christian II | ||
King Frederick I | Coat of arms of Frederick I | |
King Christian III | Coat of arms of Christian III | |
King Frederick II | Arms of Denmark and Norway used 1559–1699 | |
King Christian IV | ||
King Frederick III | ||
King Christian V | ||
King Frederick IV | Greater coat of arms of Denmark and Norway used during 1699–1819 | |
King Christian VI | ||
King Frederick V | ||
King Christian VII | ||
King Frederick VI | Greater coat of arms of Denmark used from 1819 to 1903. This was the first Danish arms following the replacement of the Norwegian lion with the coat of arms of the three former parts of Norway that Denmark retained after 1814: the stockfish of Iceland, the ram of Faroe Islands, and the polar bear of Greenland. | |
King Christian VIII | ||
King Frederick VII | ||
King Christian IX | ||
Greater coat of arms of Denmark. This version was used from 1903 to 1948. This was the only version of the Danish arms in which Iceland was represented by a falcon rather than its traditional stockfish arms. | ||
King Frederik VIII | ||
King Christian X | ||
King Frederik IX | Greater coat of arms of Denmark. This version was used from 1948 to 1972. The falcon of Iceland was removed belatedly after the independence of Iceland from Denmark in 1944. The change was implemented after the death of king Christian X, who used the style "king of Denmark and Iceland" until his death. In 1959, the "three-lions" insignia became the sole national coat of arms, and the previous "greater coat of arms" was designated as the coat of arms of the Danish royal family. [6] | |
Queen Margrethe II | Version used from 1972 until 2024. The shield is quartered by a silver cross fimbriated in red, derived from the Danish flag, the Dannebrog. The first and fourth quarters represent Denmark by three crowned lions passant accompanied by nine hearts; the second quarter contains two lions passant representing Southern Jutland, the northern part of former Schleswig; the third quarter contains a total of three symbols. The Three Crowns are officially interpreted as a symbol of the former Kalmar Union. [7] The silver ram on blue represents the Faroe Islands and the similarly coloured polar bear represents Greenland. The centre escutcheon, two red bars on a golden shield, represents the House of Oldenburg, the former royal dynasty that ruled Denmark and Norway from the middle of the fifteenth century. When the senior branch of this dynasty became extinct in 1863, the crown passed to Prince Christian of the cadet branch Glücksburg, whose descendants have reigned in Denmark ever since. The House of Glücksburg continues the use of the arms of the old Oldenburg dynasty, and the symbol is still officially referred to by its old association. | |
King Frederik X | Present version used since 2024. | |
Throughout the 20th century the version of the arms became simplified from the previous versions, which contained seven additional sub-coats representing five territories formerly ruled by the Danish kings and two medieval titles: Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarschen, Lauenburg, Delmenhorst, and King of the Wends and Goths. A crowned silver stockfish on red was formerly included to represent Iceland, but due to Icelandic opposition, this symbol was replaced in 1903 by a silver falcon on blue. The falcon was in turn removed from the royal arms in 1948 following the death of King Christian X in 1947 and reflecting the 1944 breakup of the Dano-Icelandic union.
The following list is based on research by Danish heraldist Erling Svane. [9] Danish names are shown in brackets.
On 20 December 2024, Frederik X changed the royal arms, which were last adjusted by his mother in 1972. [13] In the current version Greenland and the Faroe Islands have been given more space in the new royal arms, which are the King's personal arms and a state emblem. [13]
The change reflects the King's wishes to create a contemporary royal arms that both reflects the Danish Realm and takes into account history and heraldic tradition. Previously, the Faroe Islands and Greenland divided the same field out of four in the royal arms, where they have now each received their own field out of the four fields in the middle of the arms. [13] [14]
Notwithstanding the above, as in the royal arms from 1972, the Schleswig lions, the coat of arms of South Jutland, also have their own field in the arms. The two lions are carried as a special testimony to the history of South Jutland and date from the mid-13th century. [14]
In connection with the change of the royal coat of arms, the Royal House has also decided to change the royal flags, so that the new royal coat of arms is now included in a number of the flags that the Royal House flies. The Royal Flag has the new coat of arms in the middle of the flag, while the Queen's flag has both the Queen's coat of arms and the King's new coat of arms. Crown Prince Christian also has a new flag, with the royal coat of arms in the middle of the flag crowned with the Crown Prince's Crown. The new royal flags have been flown from 1 January 2025 at Amalienborg, over the palaces of Frederik VIII and Christian VII. [14]
The three crowns present for 500 years, symbolising the Kalmar Union between Denmark, Norway and Sweden, which was led from Denmark between 1397 and 1523, and an important symbol of Sweden, were removed in the 2024 update. This was described as a shock and a sensation. The emphasis on Greenland and the Faroes was thought to be a rebuke to the returning American president Donald Trump and his proposals for the United States to purchase Greenland to increase its security. [15]
Royal coat of arms painter Ronny Skov Andersen [14] has designed and drawn the new version of the royal coat of arms. He has also been chairman of the committee that was appointed shortly after the accession to the throne on 14 January with the aim of ensuring that the King would have a new coat of arms. In addition, the committee consisted of a royal historiographer of orders, a heraldic consultant, a museum director and three others.
Various versions of the Danish Royal Arms are used by the Kingdom: Government, the Parliament and courts. The Kingdom Government and its agencies generally use a simplified version of the Royal Arms without the mantle, the pavilion and the topped royal crown. [16] This simplified Royal Arms also feature on the cover of passports, embassies and consulates of the Kingdom of Denmark. [17]
Coat of arms | Bearer | Description |
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Queen Mary | Queen Mary's coat of arms is composed of the shield of arms of her husband impaled with those of her own, granted to her in 2004. The main field of Mary's coat of arms is Or-coloured and shows a MacDonald Gules eagle and a Sable-coloured boat both symbolising her Scottish ancestry. The Chief is Azure-coloured and shows two gold Commonwealth Stars from the arms of Australia, and a gold rose in between, depicting her personal symbol. The shield is surmounted by the Royal Crown of Denmark. | |
Crown Prince Christian | Crown Prince Christian’s coat of arms is similar to the royal coat of arms except for the heir apparent's crown and the purple mantle. | |
Prince Joachim | Prince Joachim's coat of arms is similar to the royal coat of arms except the inescutcheon, which is divided with the first being that of the House of Oldenburg and second being that of the House of de Laborde de Monpezat. The crown is that of a Prince of Denmark. | |
Princess Marie | Princess Marie's coat of arms is composed of the shield of arms of her husband impaled with those of her own, granted to her in 2010. A horseman, representing her maiden name Cavallier (meaning knight or horseman) is depicted Azure. The secondary charge is a combination of the Danish and French national symbols; a heart and a fleur de lys. Three red hearts (symbolising Denmark) are cut with the fleur de lys (symbolising France). | |
The flag of Denmark is red with a white Nordic cross, which means that the cross extends to the edges of the flag and that the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side.
The coat of arms of Saskatchewan, officially known as His Majesty's Arms in right of Saskatchewan, is the heraldic symbol representing the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.
The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden is the arms of dominion of the King of Sweden. It has a greater and a lesser version. The shield displays the "Three Crowns of Sweden" quartering the "Lion of Bjälbo", with an inescutcheon overall of the House of Vasa impaling the House of Bernadotte.
Three Crowns is the national emblem of Sweden, present in the coat of arms of Sweden, and composed of three yellow or gilded coronets ordered two above and one below, placed on a blue background. Similar designs are found on a number of other coats of arms or flags.
The coat of arms of Finland is a crowned lion on a red field, the right foreleg replaced with an armoured human arm brandishing a sword, trampling on a sabre with the hindpaws. The Finnish coat of arms was originally created around the year 1580.
The coat of arms of Norway is the arms of dominion of King Harald V of Norway, and as such represents both the monarch and the kingdom. It depicts a standing golden lion on a red background, bearing a golden crown and axe with silver blade.
The coat of arms of Portugal is the main heraldic insignia of Portugal. The present model was officially adopted on 30 June 1911, along with the present model of the Flag of Portugal. It is based on the coat of arms used by the Kingdom of Portugal since the Middle Ages. The coat of arms of Portugal is popularly referred as the Quinas.
The coat of arms of the King of Spain is the heraldic symbol representing the monarch of Spain. The current version of the monarch's coat of arms was adopted in 2014 but is of much older origin. The arms marshal the arms of the former monarchs of Castile, León, Aragon, and Navarre.
The coat of arms of Greenland is a blue shield charged with an upright polar bear. This symbol was first introduced in the coat of arms of Denmark in 1666 and it is still represented in the arms of the Danish royal family. In a Danish context, the bear was originally shown walking naturally, but an upright position was specified in 1819. The 1470 London Roll shows an arms captioned Le Roy de Greneland featuring a shield depicting a polar bear surrounded by three birds. This royal title did not reflect any official title, but merely that the arms could be used by anyone controlling Greenland.
This lists those feudal magnates who have held Halland (Hallandia) as fief, or its southern or northern part, as a substantive title.
The coat of arms of Schleswig or Southern Jutland depicts two blue lions in a golden shield. It is the heraldic symbol of the former Duchy of Schleswig, originally a Danish province but later disputed between Danes and Germans. The region has been divided between Germany and Denmark since 1920 and the symbol consequently appears in official heraldry in both countries. It is derived from the national coat of arms of Denmark and has been dated to the middle of the 13th century, first known from the arms of Erik Abelsøn, Duke of Schleswig. Throughout the ages, the design has featured both crowned and uncrowned lions, the lions have occasionally been accompanied by heraldic hearts, and usage between heraldic lions and leopards has shifted. The far most common version was to omit both crowns and hearts and this version has been used exclusively for several centuries.
The coat of arms of Napoleonic Italy was the coat of arms used by the Kingdom of Italy (1805–1814) during the reign of Napoleon as King of Italy.
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. The verb to blazon means to create such a description. The visual depiction of a coat of arms or flag has traditionally had considerable latitude in design, but a verbal blazon specifies the essentially distinctive elements. A coat of arms or flag is therefore primarily defined not by a picture but rather by the wording of its blazon. Blazon is also the specialized language in which a blazon is written, and, as a verb, the act of writing such a description. Blazonry is the art, craft or practice of creating a blazon. The language employed in blazonry has its own vocabulary and syntax, which becomes essential for comprehension when blazoning a complex coat of arms.
The German state of Brandenburg has a coat of arms depicting a red eagle.
Danish heraldry has its roots in medieval times when coats of arms first appeared in Europe. Danish heraldry is a branch of the German-Nordic heraldic tradition.
The coat of arms of the Extremadura is described in the Title I of the Spanish Law 4 of June 3, 1985, the Law of the coat of arms, flag and regional day of Extremadura.
Icelandic heraldry is the study of coats of arms and other insignia used in Iceland. It belongs to the German-Nordic heraldic tradition, as the heraldry of Iceland has been primarily influenced by the heraldic traditions of Norway, Denmark and other Nordic countries. Iceland does not have a strong sense of heraldic tradition, however, because the country lacks a governing body to oversee this. As a result, coats of arms registered as such are virtually nonexistent in modern Iceland. While many municipalities use more or less heraldic logos, there are no heraldic standards to which these must adhere, and they are registered as graphic designs rather than as coats of arms.
A number of cross symbols were developed for the purpose of the emerging system of heraldry, which appeared in Western Europe in about 1200. This tradition is partly in the use of the Christian cross an emblem from the 11th century, and increasingly during the age of the Crusades. Many cross variants were developed in the classical tradition of heraldry during the late medieval and early modern periods. Heraldic crosses are inherited in modern iconographic traditions and are used in numerous national flags.
The first instance of a figure of the lion as symbol of the Kingdom of León is found in minted coins of Alfonso VII, called the Emperor (1126–1157). Until then, the cross had a preponderant position on documents and coins of Leonese monarchs since that reign the cross was gradually displaced by the lion. The Spanish historian and heraldist Martín de Riquer explained that the lion was already used as heraldic emblem in 1148. At the end of the reign of Alfonso VII, the figure of this animal began to appear on royal documents as personal device of the monarch and became pervasive during reigns of Ferdinand II (1157-1188) and Alfonso IX (1188-1230).
The coat of arms of Castile was the heraldic emblem of its monarchs. Historian Michel Pastoureau says that the original purpose of heraldic emblems and seals was to facilitate the exercise of power and the identification of the ruler, due to what they offered for achieving these aims. These symbols were associated with the kingdom, and eventually also represented the intangible nature of the national sentiment or sense of belonging to a territory.