Coat of arms of Denmark

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The National Coat of Arms of Denmark consists of three crowned blue lions surrounded by nine red hearts, all in a golden shield. 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. Historians believe that the hearts originally were søblade (literally: sea-leaves) but that this meaning was lost early due to worn and crudely made signets used during the Middle Ages. A royal decree of 1972 specifies these figures as søblade but Danes normally refer to them as hearts. The current version was adopted in 1819 during the reign of King Frederick VI. 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 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 the crown of King Christian V, not to be confused with the crown of King Christian IV. Both, 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 which can be traced directly back to King Valdemar II and the Danish rule in northern Estonia 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 lions face the viewer, they are not crowned, and no hearts are present. The Danish coat of arms has also been the inspiration for the coat of arms of the former Duchy of Schleswig, a former Danish fief (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.

Contents 1 Royal coat of arms 2 Territories and titles formerly represented in the Danish arms 3 Gallery 4 Related symbols 5 References 6 External Links

[edit] Royal coat of arms

The royal coat of arms is more complex. The shield is quartered. The first and fourth quarters represent Denmark by three crowned lions passant accompanied by nine hearts; the second quarter contains two lions passant representing Schleswig, a former Danish province now divided between Denmark and Germany, the third quarter contains a total of three symbols. The three golden crowns on blue are officially interpreted as a symbol of the former Kalmar Union. This symbol is identical to the coat of arms of Sweden and originally represented a Danish claim to the Swedish crown. The silver ram on blue represents the Faroe Islands and the similarly coloured polar bear represents Greenland. The current form of the shield, adopted in 1972, is greatly simplified from the previous version which contained seven additional sub-coats representing five territories formerly ruled by the Danish kings: Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarschen, Lauenburg, Delmenhorst and two medieval titles: King of the Wends and Geats. 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 upon the death of King Christian X in 1947 reflecting the breakup of the Danish-Icelandic union in 1944.

The four quarters are divided by a silver cross lined in red, derived from the Danish flag, the Dannebrog

The centre escutcheon, two red bars on a gold shield, represents Oldenburg; the home of the former royal dynasty that ruled Denmark and Norway since 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 descendents 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.

Two savages act as supporters, and this element can be traced back to the early reign of the Oldenburg dynasty. 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 the crown of King Christian V.

A blazon in heraldic terms is: A shield quartered by a cross Argent fimbriated Gules, first and fourth quarter Or, three lions passant in pale Azure crowned and armed Or langued Gules, nine hearts Gules (for Denmark); second quarter Or, two lions passant in pale Azure armed Or langued Gules (for Schleswig); third quarter Azure, party per fess, in base per pale; in chief three crowns Or (for the Kalmar Union), in dexter base a ram passant Argent armed and unguled Or (for the Faroe Islands), in sinister base a polar bear rampant Argent (for Greenland). Overall an escutcheon Or two bars Gules (for Oldenburg) the whole surrounded by the Collars of the Order of the Dannebrog and the Order of the Elephant. Supporters two savages armed with clubs Proper standing on a pedestal. All surrounded by a mantle Gules doubled Ermine crowned with a royal crown and tied up with tasseled strings Or.

The royal coat of arms has since c. 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.

[edit] Territories and titles formerly represented in the Danish arms

The following list is based on the research by Danish heraldist, Erling Svane.^[2]

• Norway: 1398 - c. 1819: on red, a golden lion carrying a silver axe. The union with Norway was dissolved as a result of the Napoleonic Wars in 1814.
• Sweden: 1398 - the Folkung lion, the arms of Sweden until 1364. Only used during the reign of Eric of Pomerania.
• Pomerania: 1398 - a red griffin on silver. Only used during the reign of Eric of Pomerania.
• Bavaria: 1440 - lozengy blue/white. Only used during the reign of Christopher of Bavaria.
• Palatinate: 1440 - a crowned golden lion on black. Only used during the reign of Christopher of Bavaria.
• King of the Wends: 1440 - 1972: a crowned golden dragon on red. Canute VI proclaimed himself Rex Sclavorum (King of Slavs). From the reign of Valdemar IV this title was known as King of the Wends.
• King of the Geats: 1449 - 1972: in gold, a blue lion passant over nine red hearts arranged 4, 3, 2. Originally a leopard. Derived from the arms of Denmark and originally the arms of the Dukes of Halland. The lion is almost never crowned.
• Holstein: 1440 - 1972: on red, a silver nettle leaf.
• Stormarn: 1496 - 1972: on red, a silver swan with a golden crown around its neck.
• Dithmarschen: 1563 - 1972: on red, a knight dressed in golden armor on a silver horse. On his arm, an oval blue shield with a golden cross. Frederick II conquered Dithmarschen in 1559.
• Iceland: 16th century - 1903: on red, a crowned silver stockfish. The symbol had been associated with Iceland from the early sixteenth century. First included in the arms of Frederick II. 1903 - 1947: a silver falcon on blue. Iceland dissolved the union with Denmark in 1944, and when King Christian X died in 1947, the new King Frederick IX decided to remove the falcon from his arms.
• Gotland: on red, a silver Agnus Dei. First included by King Frederick II. Last used during the reign of King Frederick VI.
• Øsel: from 1603, last used by King Frederick VI: on blue a black eagle. Several historians have explained the black colour as the result of silver-coloured paint oxidizing.^[3]
• Femern: from 1666, last used by King Frederick VI: on blue, a golden crown.
• Bornholm: from c. 1665, last used by King Frederick VI: on red, a golden four-legged dragon.
• Lauenburg: 1819 - 1972: on red, a golden horse's head. Derived from the arms of Brunswick-Lüneburg; on red, a silver horse.

[edit] Gallery

The Danish arms in the Gelre Armorial, 14th century. This is the oldest coloured image of the Dannebrog.

One of the seals of Erik VII, 1398. Note the Dannebrog cross between the four quarters and the small Dannebrog banner in the top-left corner.

[edit] Related symbols

• The coat of arms of Estonia
• The coat of arms of Schleswig (also represented in the coat of arms of Denmark's royal family)
• The coat of arms of South Jutland County
• The coat of arms of Lüneburg
• The coat of arms of Schleswig-Holstein
• The coats of arms of Dannenberg and Landkreis Dannenberg
• The personal arms of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh contain the arms of Denmark in the sinister chief (i.e. upper left) quarter of the shield and the sinister (i.e. left-side) supporter is the "savage" from the Danish arms. He uses them on account of his descent from the Greek Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg branch of the Danish House of Oldenburg.

[edit] References

[edit] External Links

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