Coats of arms of the Holy Roman Empire

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Coats of arms of prince electors surrounding the double-headed Reichsadler (1545).

Over its long history, the

numerous internal divisions
.

Imperial coat of arms

Habsburg coat of arms, for Rudolf II, from Siebmachers Wappenbuch (1605). The surrounding coats of arms represent Habsburg possessions, the inescutcheon exceptionally combines the Austrian and Castilian arms, for Habsburg Austria and Habsburg Spain
.

Coats of arms of Holy Roman Emperors

Further information: Reichsadler

The Reichsadler ("

Third Reich" (Nazi Germany, 1933–1945). The same design has remained in use by the Federal Republic of Germany
since 1945, but under a different name, now called Bundesadler ("Union Eagle" or "Federal Eagle", from German "Bund", genitive form "Bundes" meaning 'Union' or 'Federation', and "Adler" meaning 'Eagle').

Quaternion Eagle

Main article: Quaternion Eagle
The Quaternion Eagle, hand-coloured woodcut (c. 1510) by Hans Burgkmair.

One rendition of the coat of the empire was the "Quaternion Eagle" (so named after the

Electorate of the Palatinate, Saxony and Brandenburg on the left. The depiction also appeared on the Imperial Eagle beaker
.

Holy Roman Emperors

Further information:
List of Holy Roman Emperors and List of German monarchs

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-headed Reichsadler in the Chronica Majora (c. 1250). Henry VI is given a (single-headed) Reichsadler in the Codex Manesse (c. 1320).

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

augmentation
to the office-holder's personal arms.

Personal arms Imperial arms Name/Blazon of personal arms

Barry of ten argent and azure, a lion rampant gules crowned or.

Fusilly bendwise argent and azure.

Gules a lion rampant argent, queue fourchée crossed in saltire, armed, langued, and crowned Or.

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).

Per pale, dexter gules a fess argent (for Austria); sinister bendy of six Or and azure, a bordure gules (for his wife Mary Duchess of Burgundy).

Main article:
Coat of arms of Charles I of Spain

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

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

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

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

Medici
family).

Quarterly, I barry of eight, gules and argent, impaling gules a patriarchal cross argent on a trimount vert (for

Lorraine
).

Quarterly, I barry of eight, gules and argent, impaling gules a patriarchal cross argent on a tri-mount vert (for

Medici family), overall on a pale gules a fess argent (for Austria
).

High offices (Reichserzämter)

Arms Office and Blazon
Arch-Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Empire
Arch-Steward of the Holy Roman Empire

Gules, an orb Or.

Arch-Treasurer of the Holy Roman Empire

Gules, the imperial crown proper.

Arch-Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire

Per fess sable and argent, two swords in saltire gules.

Prince-electors

Main article: Prince-elector

The seven Electors named in the

Margrave of Brandenburg
.

The Count Palatine was replaced by 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.

Spiritual Electors

Arms Electorate/Blazon
Cologne

Argent a cross sable.[1]

Mainz

Gules, a wheel with six spokes argent.[1][2]

Trier

Argent a cross gules.[1]

Secular Electors

Arms Electorate/Blazon
Bohemia

Gules a lion rampant argent, queue fourchée crossed in saltire, armed, langued, and crowned Or.[3]

Electorate of the Palatinate
 (suspended 1623–1648)
  • 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]
Brandenburg

Argent an eagle displayed gules crowned Or.

Saxony

Barry sable and Or, a crancelin rampant vert.

Bavaria
 (from 1623)

Fusilly bendwise argent and azure.

Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) (from 1692)

Per pale, I Gules two lions passant guardant Or (for Brunswick), II Or a semy of hearts Gules a lion rampant Azure (for Lüneburg).

  • After 1714: Laid on
    Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
    .

Other states

Further information:
List of Imperial abbeys

Entries are listed by

Imperial Circle
(introduced 1500, 1512) even for territories that ceased to exist prior to 1500.

Austrian Circle

Arms Location/Blazon
Archduchy of Austria

Gules a fess Argent.

Duchy of Carinthia

Or three lions passant Sable armed and langued Gules impaling Gules a fess Argent.

Duchy of Carniola

Argent an eagle displayed Azure, crowned of the Imperial Crown Proper, armed, beaked, and langued Gules, charged with a crescent chequy Gules and Or.

Patria del Friuli

Azure an eagle displayed Or, armed, langued and beaked Gules, the wings charged with a trefoil Gules.

Duchy of Styria

Vert, a panther rampant Argent incensed proper.

County of Tyrol

Argent an eagle displayed Gules, armed, beaked, and langued Or, the wings charged with a trefoil Or.

Bavarian Circle

Arms Location/Blazon
Bavaria
Haag

Gules, a horse springing Argent, bridled Argent.

Leuchtenberg

Quarterly: I and IV Gules, an oak branch with acorns Or; II and III Or, a hops branch Vert; an inescutcheon argent a fess Azure.

Ortenburg

Gules, a bend embattled-counter-embattled Argent.

Prince-bishopric of Passau

Argent a wolf rampant Gules.

Prince-bishopric of Regensburg

Gules, two keys in saltire argent.

Prince-archbishopric of Salzburg

Party per pale: Or a lion rampant Sable, armed and langued Gules; and Gules a fess Argent.

Burgundian Circle

Arms Location/Blazon
County of Burgundy
  • Before 1280: Gules an eagle displayed argent.
  • After 1280: Azure billetty Or a lion rampant crowned Or, armed and langued Gules.
Brabant
  • 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
    compony
    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.
Flanders

Or a lion rampant Sable, armed and langued Gules.


Guelders
  • Before 1236: Or three cinquefoils Gules.
  • 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.
County of Hainaut
  • Before 1299: Chevronny Or and Sable.
  • 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.
Holland

Or a lion rampant gules, armed and langued azure.

Duchy of Limburg
  • Before 1214: Argent a lion rampant Gules, armed and langued Or.
  • After 1214: Argent a lion rampant Gules, queue fourchée, armed, langued, and crowned Or.


 County of Loon (County of Chiny)
  • Counts of Loon: Barry of ten, Or and Gules.
  • Counts of Chiny: Gules crusily fitchy, 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.
Duchy of Luxembourg
  • Until 1282 and after 1288: Barry of ten Argent and Azure, a lion rampant Gules, armed, langued, and crowned Or.
  • From 1282 to 1288: Barry of ten Argent and Azure, a lion rampant queue fourchée crossed in saltire gules, armed, langued, and crowned Or.
Main article: Coat of arms of Luxembourg
County of Namur

Or, a lion rampant Sable, armed and langued Gules, a bend overall of the same.

Franconian Circle

Arms Location/Blazon
Prince-bishopric of Bamberg

rampant Sable armed and langued Gules, overall a bendlet Argent
.

County of Castell

Quarterly, Argent and Gules.

County of Erbach

Party per fess Gules and Argent, three mullets of six counterchanged.

County of Hohenlohe

Argent, two lions passant guardant coward Sable, langued Gules.

County of Löwenstein-Wertheim

Party per fess:

fusily Argent and Azure
; and Or, a lion statant Gules, atop a mount Azure.

City of Nuremberg

Or, a

bendy
Gules and Argent.

County of Rieneck

Quarterly: chevrony Or and Gules; and barry Or and Gules; overall a Wheel of Mainz Proper.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Argent, a double-towered castle Gules.

Schwarzenberg

Quarterly: paley Azure and Argent; and Or, a raven collared Or pecking the eye out of a Turk's head couped at the neck Proper.

Schweinfurt

Azure an eagle displayed Argent.

Seinsheim

Argent, three pallets azure, overall a bend sinister wavy Or.

Weißenburg im Nordgau

Gules, a two-towered castle portcullised Argent, with an escutcheon of Or, a double-headed eagle sable at the honour point.

Welzheim

Argent, a pine tree on a mount Vert.

County of Wertheim

Party per fess: Or, a demi-eagle displayed Sable, langued and beaked Gules; and Azure three roses Argent.

Wiesentheid

Gules, a lion passant sinister crowned Or on a mount Vert; issuant from base three stems of grass surtout Proper.

Windsheim

Argent, an eagle displayed Sable, armed and langued Or, with a W Or on the breast.

Prince-bishopric of Würzburg

Argent a Celtic cross Sable; a chief dancetty Gules (de).

Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle

Arms Location/Blazon
Duchy of Cleves
  • Cleves dynasty: Gules, an escutcheon Argent, overall an escarbuncle Or.
  • Mark dynasty: Quarterly, I and IV gules an escutcheon Argent, overall an escarbuncle Or; II and III Or a fess chequy Argent and Gules.
Berg

Argent a lion rampant Gules, queue fourchée crossed in saltire, armed, langued, and crowned Or.

Duchy of Jülich

Or a lion rampant sable, armed and langued gules.

Prince-Bishopric of Liège

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.

County of Mark
  • Counts of Mark: Or a fess chequy Gules and Argent.
  • Counts of Cleves and Mark: Quarterly, I and IV Gules an escutcheon Argent, overall an escarbuncle Or; II and III Or a fess chequy Gules and Argent.
County of Ravensberg

Argent three chevrons Gules.

Upper Rhenish Circle

Arms Location/Blazon
Landgraviate of Hesse

Azure a lion rampant barry Argent and Gules, armed and crowned Or.


Lorraine
Duchy of Savoy

Gules a cross argent.


Vaudémont
  • Before 1346: Barry of ten, Argent and Sable.
  • From 1346 to 1386: Azure three broyes fesswise Or linked Argent, in chief Argent a lion issuant Gules.
  • From 1386 to 1473: Or, on a bend Gules, three alerions bendwise displayed Argent; overall a label azure.

Electoral Rhenish Circle

Arms Location/Blazon
Arenberg

Gules, three cinquefoils Or; on a chief Or, three torteaux.

Beilstein

Gules, a hunting horn argent, bound Or.

Prince-archbishopric of Cologne

Argent a cross sable.[1]

Lower Isenburg

Argent two bars sable.

Prince-archbishopric of Mainz

Gules, a wheel argent. (Or: Gules, the Wheel of Mainz Argent.)

Electorate of the Palatinate
  • 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]
Thurn und Taxis

Quarterly: Argent, two

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.

Prince-archbishopric of Trier

Argent a cross Gules.[1]

Lower Saxon Circle

Arms Location
Holstein

Gules, a nettle leaf Argent.

Upper Saxon Circle

Arms Location/Blazon
Margraviate of Brandenburg

Argent an eagle

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.

Duchy of Pomerania

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.)

Duchy of Saxony

Barry Sable and Or, overall a crancelin Vert.

Swabian Circle

Arms Location/Blazon
Augsburg

Party per pale Gules and Argent, a

chapiter
Or thereupon a cedar cone Vert.

Baden

Or a bend Gules.

Lands of the Bohemian Crown

Arms Location/Blazon
Kingdom of Bohemia

Argent, a lion rampant queue forchée, armed, langued and crowned Or.

Margraviate of Moravia

Azure an eagle displayed chequy Argent and Gules, armed, langued, beaked and crowned Or.

Görlitz

Party per fess, chief gules a lion rampant Argent, armed, langued, and crowned Or; base Argent.

Lusatia
  • Lower Lusatia: Argent, a bull passant reguardant Gules, horned and hooved Or.
  • Upper Lusatia: Per fess embattled, Azure and Or.
Silesia
  • Upper Silesia: Azure, an eagle displayed Or.
  • 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.

Other

Arms Location/Blazon
Geneva
 (before 1401)

Or a cross quarter-pierced Azure.

Nice (as part of the Duchy of Savoy from 1046)

Argent, in base wavy of Azure and Argent issuing therefrom three rocks Vert thereupon an eagle displayed crowned Gules.

Provence
 (before 1481)
  • Before 1245: Or four pallets gules.
  • After 1245: Azure semy-de-lis Or, a label gules.
Prussia (after 1701)

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.

Main article: Coat of arms of Prussia
Teutonic Knights (1224–1525)
  • Argent, a cross sable.
  • 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.
Viennois
 (before 1349)

Or, a dolphin haurient azure finned Gules.

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scheibler Armorial.
  1. ^ a b c d e "Bernhard Peter Monographien: Wappen der Bistümer". Archived from the original on 2007-11-23. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  2. ^ "Die Wappen der Landkreise". Archived from the original on 2007-11-17. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  3. ^ "Königreich Böhmen". Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  4. ^ a b "Kultur und Geschichte". Friedelsheim in der Pfalz. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
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