Chain

Alfonso X of Castile, The Wise, «The Seven-Part Code», its estimated completion year is 1265.

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This is the copy I can consult, as it is available in the Hispanic Digital Library, it is a manuscript measuring 42 by 30 centimeters that once belonged to Álvaro de Zúñiga y Guzmán, first Duke of Arévalo, which later came into the possession of the Catholic Monarchs, initially Queen Isabella I of Castile, and after her death, King Ferdinand reclaimed it for the price of 5,251 maravedis. The original is housed in the National Library, in display case 4/6.

This copy, in addition to its numerous capital letters, has 8 illustrated pages, which according to its subsequent hand-numbering in pencil are:

• Page 6, among its illustrations can be seen 2 coats of arms of the Zúñiga family «Argent, a bend Sable, over all, a chain in orle Or», in this case formed by 16 links, 8 round and 8 more elongated placed in profile.
• Pages 106 and 191, on the latter can be seen a curious bishop-lizard climbing.
• Pages 294 and 331, on the 2^nd at the bottom, a maiden is seen walking a monkey to relieve itself and to her right a fight of men with beast bodies.
• Page 379 and on its previous unnumbered page, and finally, on page 415 which begins with a tournament where the 2^nd knight bears the ancient arms of France «Azure, semy of fleurs de lis Or».

The coat of arms that illustrates this bibliographic reference is that of Álvaro de Zúñiga y Guzmán. For the creation of his chain, I followed the illustration of his 2 coats of arms on the already mentioned page 6 of this manuscript.

It is one of my favorite manuscripts and, perhaps, the one with which I have created the most things.

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Bibliographical reference of century XIII.

Classification: Castilian language, Manuscript and In color.

Author: Alfonso X of Castile.

Bibliographical reference mentioned in the following article:

• Zúñiga y Guzmán, Álvaro de

External links:

• National Library of Spain.
• Indirect access to the Library of Congress of the United States of America.
• Direct access to the Library of Congress of the United States of America.

Internal resources: AlfonsoXDeCastilla1265.7Partidas.10642.pdf.

Lord of Zúñiga and Mendavia and of Béjar and Bañares and of Gibraleón, 1^st Duke of Arévalo, 1^st Duke of Plasencia, 1^st Count of Bañares, 1^st Duke of Béjar, 2^nd Count of Plasencia, and Grandee of Castile.

Argent, a bend Sable; overall a chain orlewise Or.

Escudo de plata, una banda de sable; brochante sobre el todo una cadena puesta en orla de oro.

Personal coat of arms interpreted by me as follows: the shield has a semicircular (round) base; both the field and the bend have been illuminated in flat tinctures Argent and Sable; the links of the chain are enameled and illuminated in Or; and the whole is made of beaten metal.

In [Argote de Molina, G.; 1588; page 94 according to the numbering of the book, or page 93 according to the numbering accompanying the illustrations] this coat of arms appears under the title «Zúñigas» with the overlying chain formed only by 8 long links.

In [Anonymous; 1800a; page 46] the blazon of «the Zúñigas» is described, where in this book, curiously, the letter Z is ordered after C and before D.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Argent, Sable, Or, One, Bend, Chain, Orlewise and Overall.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated and Metal beaten.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Zúñiga y Guzmán, Álvaro de.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Vert, a crescent within eight mullets in lozenge Or; 2 and 3 Azure, a chain fesswise throughout between three fleurs de lis, 2 and 1, all the links and fleurs de lis per pale Or and Argent; an inescutcheon Azure, bearing a crown of count, charged with an eagle displayed within a bordure Or.

Coat of arms emblazoned by me with a pointed shape, illuminated, and with a watercolor finishing.

G0067, Chief Herald of Malta's grant of Robert George Alexander Balchin's arms, whose coat of arms has been emblazoned by me.

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Blazon keywords: Quarterly, Vert, One, Crescent, Eight, Mullet, In lozenge, Or, Azure, Chain, Fesswise, Throughout, Between, Three, Fleur de lis, Ordered, Party per pale, Argent, Inescutcheon, Crest and mantling, Crown of Count, Crown, Charged, Eagle and Bordure.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Watercolor and Pointed.

Classification: Personal, Interpreted and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Balchin, Robert George Alexander.

Party per fess: 1 party per pale: 1 quarterly: 1 and 4 Gules, a castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable [for Castile]; 2 and 3 Argent, a lion rampant Purpure, armed and langued Gules, crowned Or [for Leon]. 2 quarterly: 1 Or, four pallets Gules [for Aragon]; 2 quarterly per saltire: 1 and 4 Or, four pallets Gules; 2 and 3 Argent, an eagle displayed Sable [for Aragon-Sicily]. 3 Argent, a cross potent cantoned of four crosslets Or [for Jerusalem]. 4 Gules, a chain orlewise, crosswise, and saltirewise Or, charged in the fess point with an emerald Vert [for Navarre]. Enté en point Argent, a pomegranate proper, seeded Gules, slipped and leaved Vert [for Granada]. 2 quarterly: 1 Gules, a fess Argent [for Austria]; 2 Azure semé of fleurs de lis Or within a bordure compony Argent and Gules [for Burgundy modern]; 3 bendy Or and Azure within a bordure Gules [for Burgundy ancient]; 4 Sable, a lion rampant Or, armed and langued Gules [for Brabant]; overall an inescutcheon party per pale: 1 Or, a lion rampant Sable, armed and langued Gules [for Flanders]; 2 Argent, an eagle displayed Gules, crowned, armed, beaked, langued and membered Or, charged on the wings with two trefoiled stems Or [for Tyrol].

Escudo cortado: 1^o partido: 1^o cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de gules, un castillo de oro, aclarado de azur, mazonado de sable [de Castilla]; 2^o y 3^o de plata, un león rampante de púrpura, armado y lampasado de gules, coronado de oro [de León]. 2^o cuartelado: 1^o de oro, cuatro palos de gules [de Aragón]; 2^o cuartelado en aspa: 1^o y 4^o de oro, cuatro palos de gules; 2^o y 3^o de plata, un águila de sable [de Aragón-Sicilia]. 3^o de plata, una cruz potenzada cantonada de cuatro crucetas de oro [de Jerusalén]. 4^o de gules, una cadena puesta en orla, en cruz y en sotuer de oro, cargada en el centro de una esmeralda de sinople [de Navarra]. Entado en punta de plata, una granada al natural, tajada de gules, tallada y hojada de sinople [de Granada]. 2^o cuartelado: 1^o de gules, una faja de plata [de Austria]; 2^o de azur sembrado de flores de lis de oro, una bordura componada de plata y gules [de Borgoña moderna]; 3^o bandado de oro y azur, una bordura de gules [de Borgoña antigua]; 4^o de sable, un león rampante de oro, armado y lampasado de gules [de Brabante]; sobre el todo un escusón partido: 1^o de oro, un león rampante de sable, armado y lampasado de gules [de Flandes]; 2^o de plata, un águila de gules, coronada, armada, picada, lampasada y membrada de oro, cargada en las alas con dos tallos trebolados todo de oro [del Tirol].

Coat of arms depicted by me, highlighted with lights and shadows, contoured in Sable, with a semi-circular outer contour and with a metal beaten finishing.

Arms of Charles, Holy Roman Emperor, emblazoned by me.

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Blazon keywords: Gules, Azure, Sable, Argent, Purpure, Or, Vert, One, Four, Party per fess, Party per pale, Quarterly, Castle, Triple-towered, Port and windows, Masoned, Lion, Rampant, Armed, Langued, Crowned, Pale, Quarterly per saltire, Eagle, Displayed, Cross potent, Cross couped, Cantoned, Crosslet, Chain, Orlewise, Crosswise, Saltirewise, Charged, In the fess point, Emerald, Enté en point, Pomegranate, Proper, Seeded, Slipped, Leaved, Fess, Semé, Fleur de lis, Bordure, Compony, Bendy, Overall, Inescutcheon, Beaked, Membered, Wing, Trefoiled and Stem.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Metal beaten.

Classification: Civic, Interpreted, Boa and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

Quarterly: 1 Gules, a castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable [for Castile]; 2 Argent, a lion rampant Purpure, armed and langued Gules, crowned Or [for Leon]; 3 Or, four pallets Gules [for Aragon]; 4 Gules, a chain orlewise, crosswise, and saltirewise Or, charged in the fess point with an emerald Vert [for Navarre]; enté en point Argent, a pomegranate proper, seeded Gules, slipped and leaved Vert [for Granada]; an inescutcheon Azure, three fleurs de lis Or, 2 and 1, a bordure Gules [for Bourbon]; and the whole debruised by a label of three points Azure. Crest: A Crown of Prince. The shield is surrounded by the Golden Fleece.

Arms depicted by me, highlighted with lights and shadows, outlined in Sable, with a semi-circular external shape and with a iridescent finish.

This is my interpretation of the coat of arms of Her Royal Highness Doña Leonor Princess of Asturias (as heiress to the Crown of Castile), Princess of Girona (as heiress to the Crown of Aragon), and Princess of Viana (as heiress to the Kingdom of Navarre), with the Collar of the Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece. Her coat of arms is that of her father, the King, charged with a label Azure and surmounted by the crown of a princess with four pearl diadems, three visible.

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Blazon keywords: Gules, Azure, Purpure, Vert, Or, Argent, One, Three, Four, Quarterly, Castle, Triple-towered, Port and windows, Masoned, Lion, Rampant, Crowned, Pallet, Chain, Orlewise, Crosswise, Saltirewise, Charged, In the fess point, Emerald, Enté en point, Pomegranate, Proper, Slipped, Leaved, Inescutcheon, Fleur de lis, Ordered, Bordure, Cadency, Label of three points, Crown of Prince, Crown, Surrounded and Collar.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Iridescent.

Classification: Personal, Kingdom of Spain, Interpreted, Boa and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Leonor Princess of Asturias.

Azure, a terraze in base Or, overall a gazelle springing Argent, collared with a chain streaming to sinister Or conjoined to the cross of the Cruz family bendwise.

De azur terrazado de oro, brochante sobre el todo una gacela brincante de plata, acollarada de una cadena extendida hacia la siniestra de oro unida a la cruz de la familia Cruz puesta en banda.

Coat of arms of Rosalía Cruz Carballo designed by Juan Lanzagorta Vallín and refined and emblazoned by me. In heraldry, a gazelle springing represents a broader and more dynamic leap than a gazelle salient, since in the springing attitude none of the hooves touch the ground, whereas in the salient attitude the hind legs, usually held close together, remain grounded while propelling the body upward. The English heraldic term «springing» is commonly used to describe a quadruped depicted in mid-leap, with all four legs clear of the ground, since there is no fully established Castilian translation for this heraldic attitude, I translate it as «brincante». The broad and energetic leap of the gazelle reflects Rosalía’s sporting spirit, vitality, and fondness for running and overcoming obstacles. The gazelle bears around its neck the cross designed by Jon Lanzagorta for his co-father-in-law, Mr. Cruz, her father. For this reason the cross is referred to in the blazon as the cross of the Cruz family and is not specifically blazoned in this case, although it could be described as a cross patty whose arms are each formed by three compony pallets Argent, Purpure and Or.

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Blazon keywords: Azure, Or, Argent, One, Terrace in base, Gazelle, Springing, Collared, Chain, Sinister, Conjoined, Cross couped and Bendwise.

Style keywords: Outlined, Outlined in sable and Semi-circular.

Classification: Personal, Interpreted, Boa and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Cruz Carballo, Rosalia.

Publication of my interpretation of the arms of His Majesty King Felipe VI on the blog Twelve Lineages of Soria in an article entitled The heraldic artist Dr. Antonio Salmerón Cabañas receives the recognition and gratitude of H.M. Felipe VI for his interpretation of the royal arms based on the golden ratio and, later, in another article entitled The eminent heraldist Mr. Antonio Salmerón Cabañas interprets the arms of H.M. King Felipe VI.

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Categories: Link, Or, Four, Pale, Gules, Azure, Sable, One, Castle, Port and windows, Masoned, Argent, Purpure, Lion, Rampant, Armed, Langued, Crowned, Chain, Orlewise, Crosswise, Saltirewise, Charged, In the fess point, Emerald, Vert, Closed royal crown, Crown, Inescutcheon, Fleur de lis, Bordure, Enté en point, Pomegranate, Proper, Seeded (pomegranate), Slipped and Leaved.

Root: Twelve Lineages of Soria.

Azure, a terraze in base Or, overall a gazelle salient Argent, collared with a chain streaming to sinister Or conjoined to the cross of the Cruz family.

Coat of arms of Julia Íñiguez Cruz designed by Juan Lanzagorta Vallín and refined and emblazoned by me. This image shows a composition consisting of the hand-drawn salient gazelle, subsequently digitally processed, together with its final representation within the coat of arms, all entirely created by me.

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Blazon keywords: Azure, Or, Argent, One, Terrace in base, Gazelle, Salient, Collared, Chain, Sinister, Conjoined and Cross couped.

Style keywords: Outlined, Outlined in sable and Semi-circular.

Classification: Personal, Interpreted, Boa, Hand-drawn, Collage and Photographic.

Bearer: Íñiguez Cruz, Julia.

Gules, a chain orlewise, crosswise, and saltirewise Or, charged in the fess point with an emerald Vert.

Escudo gules, una cadena puesta en orla, en cruz y en sotuer de oro, cargada en el centro de una esmeralda de sinople.

Current coat of arms of Navarre interpreted with: the point of the shield in the shape of a semicircular (round) arch; its field enamelled in flat Gules; the chains, formed by round and elongated links, illuminated in Or and shaded by the light emitted by the emerald; the emerald illuminated in Vert; and the whole outlined in Sable and finished with a hammered-metal effect.

Unlike other ways of blazoning it, I like the emerald to be overall. I truly believe it is better that the emerald of Vert colour lies over the Or metal, whether of the chain or of the carbuncle, and not over the Gules field, since it avoids placing colour upon colour or metal upon metal.

It can be consulted in [Vega, P. J. de; 1702; folio XV of the manuscript].

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, One, Chain, Orlewise, Crosswise, Saltirewise, Or, Charged, In the fess point, Emerald and Vert.

Style keywords: Metal beaten, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Shaded.

Classification: Interpreted, Civic and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Navarre.

Quarterly: 1 Gules, a castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable [for Castile]; 2 Argent, a lion rampant Purpure, armed and langued Gules, crowned Or [for Leon]; 3 Or, four pallets Gules [for Aragon]; 4 Gules, a chain orlewise, crosswise, and saltirewise Or, charged in the fess point with an emerald Vert [for Navarre]; enté en point Argent, a pomegranate proper, seeded Gules, slipped and leaved Vert [for Granada]; an inescutcheon Azure, three fleurs de lis Or, 2 and 1, a bordure Gules [for Bourbon].

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o de gules, un castillo de oro, aclarado de azur, mazonado de sable [de Castilla]; 2^o de plata, un león rampante de púrpura, lampasado y armado de gules, coronado de oro [de León]; 3^o de oro, con cuatro palos de gules [de Aragón]; 4^o de gules, una cadena puesta en orla, en cruz y en sotuer de oro, cargada en el centro de una esmeralda de sinople [de Navarra]; entado en punta de plata, una granada al natural, tajada de gules, tallada y hojada de sinople [de Granada]; un escusón de azur, tres flores de lis de oro, 2 y 1, una bordura de gules [de Borbón].

Arms depicted by me, illuminated with lights and shadows, contoured in Sable, with a semi-circular outer contour and with a freehand finishing.

Arms of the Kingdom of Spain emblazoned by me. Although in the official blazon text it is blazoned as a point vert, and as a point what is painted in a way that it is not known whether it is a large point or an uncutt circular emerald, in the blazon I have described it as an emerald both in Spanish and in English, since the point does not have a clear heraldic existence in Spanish and even less so in English.

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Blazon keywords: Gules, Azure, Purpure, Vert, Or, Argent, One, Three, Four, Quarterly, Castle, Triple-towered, Port and windows, Masoned, Lion, Rampant, Crowned, Pallet, Chain, Orlewise, Crosswise, Saltirewise, Charged, In the fess point, Emerald, Enté en point, Pomegranate, Proper, Slipped, Leaved, Inescutcheon, Fleur de lis, Ordered and Bordure.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Freehand.

Classification: Civic, Kingdom of Spain, Interpreted, Boa and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Spain, Kingdom of.

Quarterly: 1 Gules, a castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable; 2 Argent, a lion rampant Purpure, armed and langued Gules, crowned Or; 3 Or, four pallets Gules; 4 Gules, a chain orlewise, crosswise, and saltirewise Or, charged in the fess point with an emerald Vert; enté en point Argent, a pomegranate proper, seeded Gules, slipped and leaved Vert; an inescutcheon Azure, three fleurs de lis Or, 2 and 1, a bordure Gules.

The British heraldic artist Baz Manning, responsible for painting the coats of arms of the Order of the Garter in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, produced in polychromed wood the armorial bearings of His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain following his admission into the Order. During this process, I had the honour of assisting him by providing official documentation, explaining the heraldic differences between the arms of Juan Carlos I and Felipe VI, clarifying various points, and reviewing the final details of the work prior to its installation in Windsor. The illustration accompanying this post is a collage made from a photograph of the completed shield, crafted by him in painted wood, sent to me by Baz Manning while it was drying, with explicit instructions not to publish it until its formal placement in the chapel. I used that image together with my own artistic interpretation of the King’s arms to carry out a detailed, side-by-side verification of every element. Although my contribution was modest, I am deeply proud to have taken part in a work destined to occupy a permanent place within one of the United Kingdom’s most emblematic heraldic settings.

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Blazon keywords: Gules, Azure, Purpure, Vert, Or, Argent, One, Three, Four, Quarterly, Castle, Triple-towered, Port and windows, Masoned, Lion, Rampant, Crowned, Pallet, Chain, Orlewise, Crosswise, Saltirewise, Charged, In the fess point, Emerald, Enté en point, Pomegranate, Proper, Slipped, Leaved, Inescutcheon, Fleur de lis, Ordered and Bordure.

Classification: Personal, Interpreted, Painted wood, Boa, Collage and Photographic.

Bearer: Felipe VI of Spain.

Emblem Azure, Saint Michael Argent, vested and nimbed Or, grasping in his dexter hand a spear Or, point downward, and in his sinister hand bearing [ Gules, a chain orlewise, crosswise, and saltirewise Or, charged in the fess point with an emerald Vert, of Navarre ], upon a dragon Vert, armed, langued, fanged, and the eyes Gules.

Emblema de azur, un San Miguel de plata, vestido y nimbado de oro, teniendo en su diestra una lanza de oro, con la punta hacia abajo y en su siniestra trae [ escudo gules, una cadena puesta en orla, en cruz y en sotuer de oro, cargada en el centro de una esmeralda de sinople, de Navarra ], sostenido por un dragón de sinople, armado, lampasado, fierezado y encendido de gules.

Emblem interpreted by me as follows: an oval shape with proportions 5x6, wider than the original; the field illuminated in Azure; its charges outlined in Sable and illuminated in the colours Gules and Vert and the metals Argent and Or; the Archangel Saint Michael vested in Or, unlike others who appear in Argent; his emerald simplified into an area enameled Vert; and the whole emblem has a lightly beaten metal finish.

Due to its special characteristics, the difficulty in complying with the first rule of heraldry concerning metals and colours, and out of prudence, I categorize it as an emblem rather than a shield.

In a relief of the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel in Estella, Saint Michael can be seen fighting a dragon that represents the devil, in a similar but mirrored arrangement to that of this emblem. In that relief, the Archangel Saint Michael bears a pre-heraldic shield with its umbo. According to [Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, F.; 1963], the umbo of the shield is a reinforcing element that is the predecessor of what would later become the pommelly carbuncle of the shield of the Kingdom of Navarre.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Azure, Male figure, Angel, Archangel, Argent, Vested, Nimbed, Or, Grasping, Dexter, Spear, Point downwards, Sinister, Gules, One, Chain, Orlewise, Crosswise, Saltirewise, Charged, In the fess point, Emerald, Vert, Upon, Dragon, Armed, Langued, The fangs and The eyes.

Style keywords: Oval, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Soft metal.

Classification: Interpreted, Socioeconomic, Education, Emblem and Kingdom of Navarre.

Bearer: University of Navarra.

Azure, between two palm fronds in pile reversed a Lady of Mercy grasping in her sinister hand a broken chain Argent, and charged on the chest with an escutcheon per fess, 1 Gules, a cross patty Argent, and 2 Or, four pallets Gules.

Escudo de azur, una Virgen de la Merced teniendo en su mano siniestra una cadena rota de plata, y cargada en su pecho de un escudete cortado, 1^o de gules, una cruz patada de plata y 2^o de oro, cuatro palos de gules, acostada de dos hojas palmas en pira.

Arms designed by me, illuminated with lights and shadows, contoured in Sable, with a semi-circular external shape and with a freehand finishing.

This is the coat of arms of Sister Esperanza Vega Lanzagorta, designed by Juan Lanzagorta Vallin and painted by me. Usually, the English term «between» is translated into Castilian as «acompañado». However, when the 3 elements are elongated in the same direction, the appropriate term in Castilian is «acostado», which means lying down.

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Credits: Juan Lanzagorta Vallin is the designer of the coat of arms.

Blazon keywords: Azure, Argent, Gules, Or, One, Two, Our Lady of Mercy, Grasping, Sinister, Hand, Broken, Chain, Charged, Chest, Escutcheon, Party per fess, Cross patty, Cross couped, Between, Palm frond and In pile reversed.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Freehand.

Classification: Personal, Created, Boa and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Vega Lanzagorta, Sister Esperanza.