Direct attestations of imperial coats of arms become available in the later 13th century. Past emperors are given attributed arms in 13th-century sources. Thus, Otto IV is given the first known depiction of a double-headedReichsadler in the Chronica Majora (c.1250). Henry VI is given a (single-headed) Reichsadler in the Codex Manesse (c.1320).
Frederick II of Hohenstaufen (Emperor 1220–1250) did not use coats of arms in any of his seals. He did use the imperial eagle on some of his coins, but not displayed as a heraldic charge in a heraldic shield. Frederick's son and co-ruler Henry did have an equestrian seal with the Hohenstaufen coat of arms of three leopards, and this coat of arms is later attributed to Frederick II as well.
From the reign of Albert II (reigned 1438–39, was never crowned emperor), each Emperor bore the old Imperial arms (Or, an eagle displayed sable beaked and membered gules) with an inescutcheon of pretence of his personal family arms. This appears therefore as a black eagle with an escutcheon on his breast. Before 1438 the Emperors used separate personal and an imperial coat of arms. The arms of the High Offices of the Empire were borne as an augmentation to the office-holder's personal arms.
Per pale, dexter barry of eight, gules and argent (for Hungary); sinister gules a lion rampant argent, queue fourchée crossed in saltire, armed, langued, and crowned Or (for Bohemia).
Gules a fess argent (Babenberg, adopted by Rudolph I (d.1291), King of Germany, of the House of Habsburg, having obtained the former Babenberg Duchies of Austria and Styria, in lieu of his paternal arms (Or, a lion rampant gules crowned armed and langued azure).
Quarterly: I and IV grand-quarterly i and iv great-grand-quarterly 1 and 4 gules a three towered castle Or masoned sable and ajouré azure (for Castile), 2 and 3 argent a lion rampant purpure crowned Or langued and armed gules (for Leon), ii per pale, dexter per fess, in chief Or four pallets gules (for Aragon), in base gules a cross, saltire, and orle of chains linked together Or and a centre point vert (for Navarre), sinister argent a cross potent and four crosslets Or (for Jerusalem) impaling barry of eight gules and argent (for Hungary), iii per pale, dexter per fess, in chief Or four pallets gules (for Aragon), in base gules a cross, saltire, and orle of chains linked together Or and a centre point vert (for Navarre), sinister per saltire, 1 and 4 Or four pallets gules, 2 and 3 argent an eagle displayed sable (for Sicily); II and III grand-quarterly, i gules a fess argent (for Austria), ii azure semy-de-lis Or a bordure compony argent and gules (new Burgundy), iii bendy of six Or and azure a bordure gules (old Burgundy), iv sable a lion rampant Or langued and armed gules (for Brabant), overall at the fess point of the quarter an inescutcheon Or a lion rampant sable armed and langued gules (for Flanders) impaling argent an eagle displayed gules, armed, beaked, and langued Or (for Tyrol); enté en point argent a pomegranate proper seeded gules, supported, sculpted and slipped vert (for Granada).
Quarterly, I and IV gules a lion rampant argent, queue fourchée crossed in saltire, armed, langued, and crowned Or (for Bohemia); II and III barry of eight, gules and argent (for Hungary); overall and inescutcheon per pale, dexter gules a fess argent (for Austria), sinister bendy of six Or and azure, a bordure gules (for Burgundy).
Quarterly, I gules a lion rampant argent, queue fourchée crossed in saltire, armed, langued, and crowned Or (for Bohemia); II barry of eight, gules and argent (for Hungary); III per pale, dexter gules a fess argent (for Austria), sinister bendy of six Or and azure, a bordure gules (for Burgundy); IV grand-quarterly i and iv gules a three-towered castle Or ajouré azure (for Castile), ii and iii argent a lion rampant purpure armed, langued, and crowned Or (for Leon).
Quarterly, I gules a lion rampant argent, queue fourchée crossed in saltire, armed, langued, and crowned Or (for Bohemia); II barry of eight, gules and argent (for Hungary); III grand-quarterly, i and iv gules a three-towered castle Or (for Castile), ii and iii argent a lion rampant purpure armed, langued, and crowned Or (for Leon); IV per pale, dexter bendy of six Or and azure a bordure gules (for Burgundy), sinister per fess, chief argent an eagle displayed gules armed, langued, and beaked Or (for Tyrol), and base Or a lion rampant sable, armed and langued gules (for Flanders); overall an inescutcheon gules a fess argent (for Austria).
Quarterly, I barry of eight, gules and argent (for Hungary); II gules a lion rampant argent, queue fourchée crossed in saltire, armed, langued, and crowned Or (for Bohemia); III per pale, dexter gules a fess argent (for Austria), sinister bendy of six Or and azure, a bordure gules (for Burgundy); IV grand-quarterly i and iv gules a three-towered castle Or ajouré azure (for Castile), ii and iii argent a lion rampant purpure armed, langued, and crowned Or (for Leon).
Quarterly, I and IV gules a lion rampant argent, queue fourchée crossed in saltire, armed, langued, and crowned Or (for Bohemia); II and III barry of eight, gules and argent (for Hungary); overall and inescutcheon per pale, dexter gules a fess argent (for Austria), sinister bendy of six Or and azure, a bordure gules (for Burgundy).
Quarterly, I gules a three-towered castle Or masoned sable and ajouré azure (for Castile); II barry of eight, gules and argent (for Hungary); III per pale, dexter Or four pallets gules (for Aragon), sinister per saltire i and iv Or four pallets gules, ii and iii argent an eagle displayed sable (for Sicily); IV per pale, dexter gules a fess argent (for Austria), sinister bendy of six Or and azure a bordure gules (for Burgundy); overall an inescutcheon gules a lion rampant argent, queue fourchée crossed in saltire, armed, langued, and crowned Or (for Bohemia).
Quarterly, I and IV fusilly bendwise argent and azure (for Bavaria); II and III sable a lion rampant Or, armed, langued, and crowned gules (for the Electorate of the Palatinate); overall an inescutcheon gules an orb Or (for Arch-Steward of the Holy Roman Empire).
Quarterly, I barry of eight gules and argent (for Hungary) impaling azure semy-de-lis Or a label gules (for Naples); II argent a cross potent and four crosslets Or (for Jerusalem) impaling Or four pallets gules (for Aragon); III azure semy-de-lis Or a bordure gules (for the House of Valois-Anjou) impaling azure a lion sinister rampant Or, armed, langued, and crowned gules (for Guelders); IV Or a lion rampant sable, armed and langued gules (for Jülich) impaling azure crusilly fitchy, two barbels haurient addorsed Or (for Bar); overall an inescutcheon Or a bend gules three alerions argent (for Lorraine) impaling Or, in annulo six torteaux, the torteau in chief replaced by a roundel azure charged with three fleurs-de-lis Or (for the Medici family).
Quarterly, I barry of eight, gules and argent, impaling gules a patriarchal cross argent on a trimount vert (for Hungary); II gules a lion rampant argent, queue fourchée crossed in saltire, armed, langued, and crowned Or (for Bohemia); III bendy of six Or and azure, a bordure gules (for Burgundy); IV Or, in annulo six torteaux, the torteau in chief replaced by a roundel azure charged with three fleurs-de-lis Or (for the Medici family); overall and inescutcheon gules a fess argent (for Austria) impaling Or a bend gules three alerions argent (for Lorraine).
1792-1804: Francis II of Habsburg-Lorraine (1768 † 1835), King of Bohemia and Hungary, Emperor of the Germans, Emperor of Austria
Quarterly, I barry of eight, gules and argent, impaling gules a patriarchal cross argent on a tri-mount vert (for Hungary); II gules a lion rampant argent, queue fourchée crossed in saltire, armed, langued, and crowned Or (for Bohemia); III bendy of six Or and azure, a bordure gules (for Burgundy); IV azure crusilly fitchy, two barbels haurient addorsed Or (for Bar); overall an inescutcheon per pale, dexter Or a bend gules three alerions argent (for Lorraine), sinister Or, in annulo six torteaux, the torteau in chief replaced by a roundel azure charged with three fleurs-de-lis Or (for the Medici family), overall on a pale gules a fess argent (for Austria).
The Count Palatine was replaced by the Duke of Bavaria in 1623, as the Elector Palatine, Frederick V, came under the imperial ban after participating in the Bohemian Revolt. The Count Palatine was granted a new electorate in 1648. Saxony was held by a Protestant elector from 1525 (John), the Palatinate from 1541 (Otto Henry). In 1685, a Catholic branch of the Wittelsbach family inherited the Palatinate and a new Protestant electorate was created in 1692 for the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, who became known as the Elector of Hanover (officially confirmed by the Imperial Diet in 1708). The Elector of Saxony (Augustus II) converted to Catholicism in 1697 so that he could become King of Poland, but no additional Protestant electors were created, and the Electorate itself remained officially Protestant.
Before 1623: Sable a lion rampant Or crowned gules.
From 1648 (Charles I Louis): Quarterly, I and IV fusilly bendwise argent and azure (for Bavaria); II and III sable a lion rampant Or, armed, langued, and crowned gules.[4]
Before 1288: Sable a lion rampant Or, armed and langued Gules.
From 1288 to 1406: Quarterly, I and IV Sable a lion rampant Or, armed and langued Gules; II and III Argent a lion rampant Gules, queue fourchée, armed and langued Or.
From 1406 to 1430: Quarterly, I and IV Azure three fleur-de-lis Or, a bordurecompony Argent and Gules; II Sable a lion rampant Or, armed and langued Gules; III Argent a lion rampant Gules, queue fourchée, armed and langued Or.
From 1236 to 1276: Azure billetty Or a lion rampant Or.
From 1276 to 1378: Azure a lion rampant Or, queue fourchée, armed and langued Gules, crowned Or.
After 1378: Azure a lion sinister rampant Or, queue fourchée, armed and langued Gules, crowned Or, impaling Or a lion rampant sable, armed and langued gules.
From 1299 to 1254: Quarterly, I and IV Or a lion rampant Sable, armed and langued Gules; II and III Or a lion rampant Gules, armed and langued Azure.
From 1254 to 1433: Quarterly, I and IV fusilly bendwise Argent and Azure; II and III grand-quarterly I and IV Or a lion rampant Sable, armed and langued Gules; II and III Or a lion rampant Gules, armed and langued Azure.
Counts of Chiny: Gules crusilyfitchy, two barbels haurient addorsed Or.
Counts of Loon and Chiny: Barry of ten Or and Gules, impaling Gules crusily fitchy, two barbels haurient addorsed Or.
Counts of Loon and Chiny of the Heinsberg dynasty: Quarterly, I and IV Gules a lion rampant Argent, queue fourchée crossed in saltire; II and III barry of ten Or and Gules impaling Gules crusily fitchy two barbels haurient addorsed Or.
Counts of Loon and Chiny of the Montferrat-Oreye dynasty: Quarterly, I and IV Argent a lion rampant sable; II and III barry of ten Or and Gules impaling Gules crusily fitchy two barbels haurient addorsed Or.
Quarterly: I: gules a fess argent; II: Argent, three lions rampant Vert, crowned Or, armed and langued Gules; III: Barry Gules and Or; IV: Or, three hunting horns Gules, hooped and belted Argent. Overall an inescutcheon Gules, a perron, supported by three lions, surmounted by a pineapple and a cross pattée, with the letters L to the dexter and G to the sinister, all Or.
Before 1430: Or a bend Gules, three alerions bendwise displayed Argent.
From 1430 to 1473: Quarterly of six, I barry of eight Gules and Argent (for Hungary); II Azure semy-de-lis Or a label Gules (for Naples); III Argent a cross potent between four crosslets Or (for Jerusalem); IV Azure semy-de-lis Or a bordure Gules (for the House of Valois-Anjou); V Azure crusilly fitchy, two barbels haurient addorsed Or (for Bar); VI Or a bend Gules, three alerions bendwise displayed Argent (for Lorraine); overall an inescutcheon Or four pallets Gules (for Aragon).
From 1473 to 1508: Quarterly: I barry of eight Gules and Argent impaling Azure semy-de-lis Or a label Gules; II Argent a cross potent between four crosslets Or impaling Or four pallets Gules; III Azure semy-de-lis Or a bordure Gules; IV Azure crusilly fitchy, two barbels haurient addorsed Or; overall an inescutcheon Or a bend Gules three alerions bendwise displayed Argent.
From 1538 to 1737: Quarterly: I barry of eight Gules and Argent impaling Azure semy-de-lis Or a label Gules; II Argent a cross potent between four crosslets Or impaling Or four pallets Gules; III Azure semy-de-lis Or a bordure Gules impaling azure a lion sinister rampant Or, armed, langued, and crowned Gules (for Guelders); IV Or a lion rampant Sable, armed and langued Gules (for Jülich) impaling azure crusilly fitchy, two barbels haurient addorsed Or; overall an inescutcheon Or a bend Gules, three alerions bendwise displayed Argent.
Before 1214: Sable a lion rampant Or crowned Gules.
After 1214: Quarterly, I and IV fusilly bendwise Argent and Azure (for Bavaria); II and III sable a lion rampant Or, armed, langued, and crowned Gules.[4]
Quarterly: Argent, two sceptres Or in saltire, tipped with fleurs-de-lys Or, overall a tower Gules, ajouré azure; and Or a lion Gules, crowned, armed and langued Azure; overall an inescutcheon Azure, a badger Argent.
Argent an eagle displayed Gules crowned with an electoral hat Proper, armed and beaked Or, langued Gules, the wings charged with a trefoil Or, in his dexter claw grasping a sceptre Or tipped Gules thereupon an eagle displayed Argent, armed, langued, beaked and crowned Or, on his chest a torteux Gules, in his dexter claw grasping a sceptre and orb Or and in his sinister claw grasping a sword Or; and in his sinister claw graping a sword Argent hilted Or; overall and on his chest an inescutcheon Azure, a sceptre finished with a fleur-de-lys Or.
Quarterly of nine; I Azure a griffin segreant sinister Gules armed and beaked Or (for Pomerania-Stettin); II Argent a griffin segreant Gules armed and beaked Or (for Pomerania); III Or a griffin segreant Sable armed, langued and beaked Gules (for Cassubia); IV Argent a griffin segreant sinister bendy Vert and Gules (for Wenden); V Or a demi-lion Sable, crowned, langued and armed Gules issuant from a wall of bricks throughout Azure therein a chevron of bricks Gules (for Rügen); VI Gules a sea-griffin segreant Argent, armed, beaked and langued Or (for Usedom); VII Gules a griffin segreant sinister Sable, armed, langued and beaked Gules, under his wings, feathers of Argent (for Pomerania-Barth); VIII Or two batons in saltire Gules between four roses Gules barbed and seeded Or; IX a demi-griffin segreant Argent, armed, langued and beaked Or issuant from a wall of bricks alternately Azure and Or (for Pomerania-Wolgast.)
Lower Silesia: Or, an eagle displayed Sable, armed and beaked Or and langued Gules, crowned with a Princely hat Proper charged on the breast with a crescent terminating issuing from the centrepoint a cross patée argent.
Argent, an eagle displayed sable crowned with the Royal Crown Proper, the wings charged with a trefoil Or, in his dexter claw grasping a sceptre Or tipped Gules thereupon an eagle displayed Argent, armed, langued, beaked and crowned Or, on his chest a torteux Gules, in his dexter claw grasping a sceptre Or and in his sinister claw grasping a sword Or on his chest an R Or.
Grand Master: Argent, on a cross Sable a cross floretty Or and overall on an inescutcheon Or an eagle displayed sable, armed, langued and beaked Gules, the wings charged with a trefoil Gules.
The prince-electors, pl. Kurfürsten, Czech: Kurfiřt, Latin: Princeps Elector) were the members of the electoral college that elected the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire.
The Electoral Palatinate or the Palatinate, officially the Electorate of the Palatinate, was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of Lotharingia in 915; it was then restructured under the Counts Palatine of the Rhine in 1085. From 1214 until the Electoral Palatinate was merged into the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1805, the House of Wittelsbach provided the Counts Palatine or Electors. These counts palatine of the Rhine would serve as prince-electors from "time immemorial", and were noted as such in a papal letter of 1261; they were confirmed as electors by the Golden Bull of 1356.
The House of Wittelsbach is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, Holland, Zeeland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Hungary, Bohemia, and Greece. Their ancestral lands of Bavaria and the Palatinate were prince-electorates, and the family had three of its members elected emperors and kings of the Holy Roman Empire. They ruled over the Kingdom of Bavaria which was created in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918.
The coat of arms of Germany displays a black eagle with a red beak, a red tongue and red feet on a golden field, which is blazoned: Or, an eagle displayed sable beaked langued and membered gules. This is the Bundesadler, formerly known as Reichsadler. It is one of the oldest coats of arms in the world, and today the oldest national symbol used in Europe.
The Swabian League was a military alliance of imperial estates – imperial cities, prelates, principalities and knights – principally in the territory of the early medieval stem duchy of Swabia established in 1488. New institutions created through imperial reform removed the need for the league, whilst the religious revolution of the Protestant Reformation divided its members, leading to the Swabian League being disbanded in 1534.
An Imperial Estate was a part of the Holy Roman Empire with representation and the right to vote in the Imperial Diet. Rulers of these Estates were able to exercise significant rights and privileges and were "immediate", meaning the only authority above them was that of the Holy Roman Emperor. They were thus able to rule their territories with a considerable degree of autonomy.
The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony, was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356 to 1806 initially centred on Wittenberg that came to include areas around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. It was a major Holy Roman state, being an electorate and the original protecting power of Protestant principalities until that role was later taken by its neighbor, Brandenburg-Prussia.
The German state of Brandenburg has a coat of arms depicting a red eagle.
This is a list of coats of arms of Germany.
The Reichsadler is the heraldic eagle, derived from the Roman eagle standard, used by the Holy Roman Emperors, later by the Emperors of Austria and in modern coat of arms of Austria and Germany.
An Imperial Eagle beaker, or eagle glass, was a popular drinking vessel from the 16th until the late 18th century in the Holy Roman Empire. The enamelled glass was decorated with a double-headed eagle, usually in the shape of a Quaternion Eagle. The Reichsadler means "Imperial Eagle" or double-headed eagle which was the emblem of the empire, while "humpen" refers to a cylindrical drinking glass. These beakers became the essential medium to represent the most popular explanatory model for the emergence of the Empire: the quaternion theory as represented by Hans Burgkmair.
German heraldry is the tradition and style of heraldic achievements in Germany and the Holy Roman Empire, including national and civic arms, noble and burgher arms, ecclesiastical heraldry, heraldic displays and heraldic descriptions. German heraldic style is one of the four major broad traditions within European heraldry and stands in contrast to Gallo-British, Latin and Eastern heraldry, and strongly influenced the styles and customs of heraldry in the Nordic countries, which developed comparatively late. Together, German and Nordic heraldry are often referred to as German-Nordic heraldry.
The Palatine Lion, less commonly the Palatinate Lion, is an heraldic charge. It was originally part of the family coat of arms of the House of Wittelsbach and is found today on many coats of arms of municipalities, counties and regions in South Germany and the Austrian Innviertel.
The imperial election of 1619 was an imperial election held to select the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. It took place in Frankfurt on August 28.
The imperial election of 1636 was an imperial election held to select the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. It took place in Regensburg on December 22.
The imperial election of 1653 was an imperial election held to select the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. It took place in Augsburg on May 31.
The imperial election of 1711 was an imperial election held to select the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. It took place on October 12.
The imperial election of 1273 was an imperial election held to select the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. It took place in Frankfurt on October 1.
The Quaternion Eagle, also known as the Imperial Quaternion Eagle or simply Imperial Eagle, was an informal coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire.
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