Leopard

Adrian Ailes, «The Origins of the Royal Arms of England: Their Development to 1199», foreword by Rodney Dennys, includes 27 black and white illustrations, Graduate Centre for Medieval Studies, Reading University, 126 pages, ISBN 07-049077-6-3, Reading, Berkshire, 1982.

An article reviewing this book is: Brigitte Bedos Rezak, Archives nationales de Paris and Metropolitan Museum of Art, «The Origins of the Royal Arms of England, their Development to 1199 by Adrian Ailes», Speculum, volume 60, number 2, pages 373-376, Medieval Academy of America, Cambridge, Massachusetts, April of 1985.

Bibliographical reference of century XX.

The author is Ailes, Adrian.

Bibliographical reference mentioned in the following article:

• Henry II of England

External resource:

• Google Books.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Gules, three lions passant, guardant, in pale Or, armed and langued Azure; 2 Or, a lion rampant Gules, armed and langued Azure, within a double tressure flory counterflory Gules; 3 Azure, a harp Or, stringed Argent.

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de gules, tres leopardos en palo de oro, lampasados y armados de azur; 2^o de oro, un león de gules, armado y lampasado de azur, encerrado en un trechor doble flordelisado y contraflordelisado de gules; 3^o de azur, un arpa de oro cordada de plata.

Arms depicted by me, highlighted with lights and shadows, outlined in Sable, with an ogee external shape and with a leather finish.

These are arms of the British Monarchy emblazoned by me.

Blazon keywords: Gules, Or, Azure, One, Three, Quarterly, Leopard, Pale, Armed, Langued, Lion, Rampant, Double tressure, Flory, Counterflory, Harp and Stringed.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Ogee and Leather.

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

Bearer: British Monarchy.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Gules, three lions passant, guardant, in pale Or, armed and langued Azure; 2 Or, a lion rampant Gules, armed and langued Azure, within a double tressure flory counterflory Gules; 3 Azure, a harp Or, stringed Argent. Crest: A crown proper.

Coat of arms emblazoned by me, highlighted with lights and shadows, outlined in Sable, with an ogee outer contour and with a metal beaten finish.

Coat of arms of His Majesty King Charles III emblazoned by me. The Tudor Crown, or 16^th-century Imperial State Crown, has been the motif chosen by King Charles III for his visual identity. This crown is distinguished by its four ascending arches, three visible, which rise from a circular base decorated with four cross patty, three visible, alternating with four fleurs de lis, two visible. The arches, adorned with pearls, join at the center to support an orb, a cross on a world. The cloth cap inside is traditionally represented in Gules. And the base is lined with ermine. The way to distinguish the Tudor Crown from Saint Edward Crown is that Saint Edward Crown has depressed arches and its cap or inner lining is traditionally represented in Purpure. Charles III's choice revives the heraldic version used by his grandfather and great-grandfather, marking a preference for a symbol of the 16^th-century monarchy.

Blazon keywords: Gules, Or, Azure, One, Three, Quarterly, Leopard, Pale, Armed, Langued, Lion, Rampant, Double tressure, Flory, Counterflory, Harp, Stringed, Tudor crown, Closed royal crown and Crown.

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

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

Bearer: Charles III of the United Kingdom.

The one with the Cross on his back ~ Crouchback (1245–1296)

Arms of England; overall, a label Azure of three points, each charged with three fleurs-de-lis Or in pale.

Arms interpreted as follows: the mouth of the shield is semicircular (round); the field enamelled in a flat tint of Gules; the label and figures illuminated in Or and Azure and outlined in Sable; and the whole finished with a watercolour effect.

He was the second son of King Henry III of England, and took part in the Ninth Crusade, hence the epithet «Cross on the back».

In 1253 he was appointed Earl of Chester, holding dominion, among others, over the county of Cheshire, but the following year Pope Innocent IV granted him the crown of Sicily, so he ceded his earldom to his elder brother Edward I of England, however, he never came to occupy the throne of Sicily.

The label is an honourable ordinary and also «a kind of mark of cadency, and the most noble of all those used to differentiate the Arms of the younger sons of a House» [Avilés, J.; 1725a; page 248] and it can likewise be used by the eldest son while his father's arms are still in use, ceasing to bear the label when he inherits his father’s coat. When both the eldest and the second son bear a label, the latter’s label then has more points or is charged with figures to distinguish it.

The label is constructed with «a fillet, which is one-ninth of the width of the chief, with three pendants in the form of carpentry wedges or ill-shaped triangles, joined to it without any line of separation, falling twice as far as the fillet is wide, two placed at the ends and one in the middle, its usual position being in the centre of the chief’s length, without reaching the edges of the shield» [Avilés, J.; 1725a; page 248].

Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, Or, Azure, Three, Leopard, Armed, Langued, In pale, Surmounted, Overall (deprecated), Label, Suspended, Charged and Fleur de lis.

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

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Coat of arms, House of Plantagenet and Kingdom of England.

Bearer: Edmund Plantagenet.

First Prince of Wales from 1301 to 1307, King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 to 1327.

Gules, three lions, passant, guardant, in pale Or, armed and langued Azure.

Escudo de gules, tres leopardos en palo de oro, armados y lampasados de azur.

Coat of arms interpreted as follows: the mouth rounded; the field illuminated Gules; the figures illuminated in Or and Azure, outlined in Sable, and the third leopard slightly smaller; and the whole finished with a plastered effect.

Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, Or, Azure, Three, Leopard, Armed, Langued and In pale.

Style keywords: Rounded, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Gesso.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Coat of arms, House of Plantagenet and Kingdom of England.

Bearer: Edward II of England.

Banner Quarterly: 1 and 4 Azure, three fleurs de lis Or; 2 and 3 Gules, three lions, passant, guardant, in pale Or, armed and langued Azure.

Pendón cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de azur, tres flores de lis de oro; 2^o y 3^o de gules, tres leopardos en palo de oro, armados y lampasados de azur.

Banner interpreted by me as follows: with the proportions of 5x6, like a shield; the field is coloured in flat tinctures Gules and Azure; the fleurs-de-lis and the leopards are outlined in Sable and illuminated in Or; and the banner’s finish resembles fabric.

Its design follows [Edward IV of England; 1461; row 27, 2^nd column, final banner]:

• which represents what are considered «the royal arms of England»,
• which were also borne by Henry V of England,
• which Henry VI of England placed in the 2^nd quarter of a per pale shield, where he set those of France in the 1^st, and
• which were restored by Henry IV, as shown here.

Blazon keywords: Quarterly, Azure, Or, Three, Fleur de lis, Ordered, Gules, Leopard, Armed, Langued and In pale.

Style keywords: Rectangular, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Fabric.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Flag, Banner of arms, Kingdom of England and House of York.

Bearer: Edward IV of England.

Edward IV King of England and Lord of Ireland, «The Armorial of Edward IV», «The Edward IV Roll», armorial in the form of a roll about 6 meters long, created to celebrate the coronation of Edward IV as the first King of England from the House of York and illustrated, probably, by different artists, 1461.

The image illustrating this reference corresponds to the banner, which is number 27 in the 2^nd column, the final one of this armorial. This banner is held by a white deer, which was a personal badge of King Richard II of England, and also, two white deer were the supporters of his shield. The reason for the inclusion of this white deer might be to contribute to the legitimization of Edward IV as king.

It is notable that in row 25 of the 2^nd column of this armorial there is a banner with the arms of the shield of Castilla y León, probably because Edward IV, like his predecessors, claimed their throne. In this version of the shield of Castilla y León:

• The two gold castles, in the 1^st and 4^th quarters of gules, have three towers with the central one taller like the Castilian, but the twin side towers seem to be connected by the wall as in the English castle, [Valero de Bernabé, L.; 2009a; page 2] and [Valero de Bernabé, L.; 2009b; page 33], the wall has a door that is enameled in azure as in the Castilian.
• The two lions, in the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters of silver, seem to be gold, therefore, of «metal on metal» and, furthermore, very different from the purple lion of Castilla y León, it could well be an error by the artist or a degradation of an original purple enamel to ochre, as explained in the pendón de Castilla y León.

This shield of Castilla y León also appears:

• On the banner in row 27 of the 1^st column of this armorial. In this banner, they are combined with the arms of England represented in this article, in a new quartered, under an escutcheon with the imaginary arms of «Brutus of Troy», the also imaginary founder and king of Britain.
• On the caparison of the horse that Edward IV rides in the portrait at the beginning of his armorial. This caparison is a reproduction of the previous banner in row 27 of the 1^st column that combined the arms of England with those of Castilla y León. The presence of these arms in this initial portrait of the armorial of Edward IV denotes the importance he gave to his aspirations to the crown of Castilla y León.

Bibliographical reference of century XV.

The author is Edward IV of England.

The following articles cite this bibliographic reference:

• Banner of Castile and León
• Brutus of Britain
• Brutus of Britain, banner
• Charles V of France
• Edward IV of England
• Edward IV, armorial for His coronation
• Edward IV, quartered con Castile and León
• Heraldica Nova
• King Arthur, 3 crowns in pale
• King Arthur, banner with 3 crowns in pale
• King Arthur, banner with cross flory
• King Arthur, cross flory
• Leonor de Aquitania
• Pendón con inescutcheon de Edward IV

External resources:

• Free Library: Edward.
• Free Library: Banners.
• The Edward IV Roll.
• Brutus of Troy.

King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307.

Gules, three lions, passant, guardant, in pale Or, armed and langued Azure.

Escudo de gules, tres leopardos en palo de oro, armados y lampasados de azur.

Coat of arms interpreted with the following features: the mouth is semicircular (round); the field enamelled in a flat tint of Gules; the three leopards illuminated in the metal Or and the colour Azure, outlined in Sable, and the leopard closest to the base has a different shape and size; and the whole finished with a fabric-like texture.

Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, Or, Azure, Three, Leopard, Armed, Langued and In pale.

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

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Coat of arms, House of Plantagenet and Kingdom of England.

Bearer: Edward I of England.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Gules, three lions passant, guardant, in pale Or, armed and langued Azure; 2 Or, a lion rampant Gules, armed and langued Azure, within a double tressure flory counterflory Gules; 3 Azure, a harp Or, stringed Argent.

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de gules, tres leopardos en palo de oro, lampasados y armados de azur; 2^o de oro, un león de gules, armado y lampasado de azur, encerrado en un trechor doble flordelisado y contraflordelisado de gules; 3^o de azur, un arpa de oro cordada de plata.

Arms interpreted by me, illuminated with lights and shadows, contoured in Sable, with an ogee outer contour and with a watercolor finish.

Coat of arms of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II emblazoned by me.

Blazon keywords: Gules, Or, Azure, One, Three, Quarterly, Leopard, Pale, Armed, Langued, Lion, Rampant, Double tressure, Flory, Counterflory, Harp and Stringed.

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

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

Bearer: Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

Gules, three lions passant, guardant, in pale Or, armed and langued Azure.

Escudo de gules, tres leopardos en palo de oro, armados y lampasados de azur.

Coat of arms interpreted by me, highlighted with lights and shadows, outlined in Sable, with an ogee external shape and with a leather finishing.

These are arms of the Kingdom of England emblazoned by me.

Blazon keywords: Gules, Or, Azure, Three, Leopard, Pale, Armed and Langued.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Ogee and Leather.

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

Bearer: England, Kingdom of.

King of England, Lord of Ireland and Duke of Aquitaine from the year 1216 to the year 1272

Gules, three lions, passant, guardant, in pale Or, armed and langued Azure.

Escudo de gules, tres leopardos en palo de oro, armados y lampasados de azur.

Coat of arms interpreted as follows: the mouth of the shield is semicircular (round); its field has been enamelled in a flat tint of Gules; its leopards are illuminated in Or and Azure and outlined in Sable; and the whole has a finish of aged parchment.

Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, Or, Azure, Three, Leopard, Armed, Langued and In pale.

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

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Coat of arms, House of Plantagenet and Kingdom of England.

Bearer: Henry III of England.

Cecil Humphery-Smith, FHS - Fellow of The Heraldry Society, «Why three Leopards?», Coat of Arms, COA, An Heraldic Quarterly Magazine, issue 126, The Heraldry Society, Baldock, Hertfordshire, summer of 1983.

The coat of arms illustrating this bibliographic reference is that of the Kingdom of England, which was also that of the queen of Castile Leonor Plantagenet.

Bibliographical reference of century XX.

Author: Humphery-Smith, Cecil.

Bibliographic reference mentioned in the following articles:

• Geoffrey Plantagenet
• John I of England
• Leonor Plantagenet
• Richard I of England

External resource:

• The Heraldry Society.

Internal resources: HumpherySmithC1983.3Leopards.docx.

King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1199 to 1216.

Gules, three lions, passant, guardant, in pale Or, armed and langued Azure.

Escudo de gules, tres leopardos en palo de oro, armados y lampasados de azur.

Arms of King John interpreted with: a rounded (semicircular) base; the field enamelled with a flat tint of Gules; the leopards illuminated in Or and Azure, outlined in Sable, all three of the same size; and the whole finished with a crystalline effect.

Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, Or, Azure, Three, Leopard, Armed, Langued and In pale.

Style keywords: Rounded, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Crystalline.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Coat of arms, House of Plantagenet and Kingdom of England.

Bearer: John I of England.

Gules, a lion passant, guardant Or.

Escudo de gules, un leopardo de oro.

Arms interpreted by me with: the shape of the coat of arms rounded; the field illuminated in Gules; the leopard illuminated in Or, outlined in Sable, and shaded; and the whole composition finished with a marble texture.

A description of the leopard in heraldry can be found in [Medél, R.; 1846; page 38].

Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, One, Leopard and Or.

Style keywords: Rounded, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Marmoreal.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Coat of arms, Duchy of Aquitaine, Kingdom of France and Kingdom of England.

Bearer: Leonor de Aquitania.

[ Gules, a castle triple towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable ] accolé with [ Gules, three lions, passant, guardant, in pale Or, armed and langued Azure ].

[ Escudo de gules, un castillo de oro, aclarado de azur, mazonado de sable ] acolado de un [ escudo de gules, tres leopardos en palo de oro, armados y lampasados de azur ].

Arms of the King and Queen of Castile interpreted with: the escutcheons' shapes pointed and rounded; the field of each shield, the castle, and the three leopards enamelled in flat tints of Gules and metal Or, with windows, claws, and tongues in Azure; and the whole composition finished with a raised line technique.

[Medél, R.; 1846; page 38] provides a heraldic description of the leopard.

Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, Or, Azure, Three, Leopard, Armed, Langued, In pale, Sable, One, Castle, Port and windows and Masoned.

Style keywords: Ogee, Plain tincture, Outlined in sable, Tilted shield and Freehand.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Accolé arms, House of Plantagenet, Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Castile.

Bearer: Leonor Plantagenet.

Azure, two lions passant, guardant, winged, each holding in its paws an open book Argent, with the inscription «Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus» Sable distributed on their four pages. Motto: «Evangelium Annutiata».

Escudo de azur, dos leopardos alados, teniendo cada uno en sus garras un libro abierto todo de plata, con la inscripción «Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus» de sable distribuida en sus cuatro páginas. Lema: «Evangelium Annutiata».

Coat of arms designed by me, illuminated with lights and shadows, contoured in Sable, with an ogee outer contour and with a freehand finishing.

Blazon keywords: Azure, Argent, Sable, Two, One, Four, Leopard, Winged, Grasping, Paw, Closed book, Book, Inscribed, Page and Motto.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Ogee and Freehand.

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

Bearer: Eschenlauer, Marc.

Azure, on three bars wavy Argent, a Norman ship Or, full sail Argent; on a chief Gules, two leopards Or, armed and langued Azure; a bordure Argent charged with eight acorns bendwise Azure.

Escudo de azur, en punta tres burelas ondadas de plata sumadas de un barco normando de oro con vela de plata; en un jefe de gules, dos leopardos de oro, armados y lampasados de azur; una bordura de plata cargada de ocho bellotas puestas en banda de azur.

Arms devised by me, illuminated with lights and shadows, outlined in Sable, with an ogee outer contour and with a watercolor finish.

Coat of arms of Dr. Jacques William Normand Delfin. He is from Mexico and his family comes from Falaise in Normandy. This coat of arms has been created by him and me, and emblazoned by me. The terms «Norman ship» has been chosen instead of other possible names for this type of vessel in order to create a reference to the surname «Normand» of the armiger, whose family descends from Normandy.

Blazon keywords: Azure, Argent, Or, Gules, One, Two, Eight, In base, On, Wavy, Bar, Norman ship, Full sail, Chief, Leopard, Armed, Langued, Bordure, Acorn and Bendwise.

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

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

Bearer: Normand Delfin, Jacques William.

Arnold Rabbow, «The Origin of the Royal Arms of England - a European Connection», Coat of Arms, COA, An Heraldic Quarterly Magazine, número 186, The Heraldry Society, Baldock, Hertfordshire, verano de 1999.

This bibliographical reference is illustrated wit the coat of arms of the Kingdom of England interpreted by me with the with a semi-circle shape.

Bibliographical reference of century XX.

The author is Rabbow, Arnold.

Bibliographical reference mentioned in the following article:

• Henry II of England

External link:

• The Heraldry Society.

Internal resources: RabbowA1999.OriginRoyalArmsEnglandEuropeanConnection.docx.

Vert, a pall raguly Or between three leopards' faces Or. Motto: «Inter feros» in letters Sable within a scroll Argent.

Interpreted coat of arms: with a pointed shape; spot inks metal or and color vert; outlined with sable; and a freehand finish.

Blazon keywords: Vert, One, Pall, Raguly, Or, Three, Head, Leopard and Motto.

Style keywords: Plain tincture, Freehand, Pointed and Outlined in sable.

Classification: Coat of arms, Interpreted and Personal.

Bearer: Stowe, Richard Allen.

Gules, three Leopards faces Or, the whole within a Border Or with two Bars Gules.

Watercolor finishing

Blazon keywords: Gules, Three, Head, Leopard, Or, Ordered, Bordure, Two and Bar.

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

Classification: Coat of arms, Interpreted and Personal.

Bearer: Juchter van Bergen Quast, Rudolph Andries Ulrich.

Heraldic device designed by me, illuminated with lights and shadows, outlined in Sable, and with a leather finish.

This is the heraldic standard of Laurent Liu-Lecomble, designed by him and me, and emblazoned by me. Structure: coat of arms; from his badge, the two arms bendwise proper, grasping a sword bend sinisterwise; motto «Semper renascitur»; a leopard Or, armed and langued Azure; warcry «Mon dû»; from his badge, the two arms bendwise grasping a sword bend sinisterwise.

Blazon keywords: Azure, Argent, Gules, Or, One, Two, Three, Quarterly, Dexter, Hand, Appaumée, Sword, Point upwards, Between, Cross patty, Cross couped, Sinister, Eight-pointed cross, Plough share, Affronty, Disordered, Eagle claw, Inescutcheon, Charged, Fleur de lis, Arm, Bendwise, Proper, Grasping, Bend sinisterwise, Motto, Leopard, Passant, Armed, Langued and War cry.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated and Leather.

Classification: Personal, Created, Boa, Standard and Flag.

Bearer: Liu-Lecomble, Laurent.

Quarterly Azure and Gules; overall a leopard face, crowned Or, langued Gules, within a tressure flory Or. Motto: «Entalente a parler d'armes».

Escudo cuartelado de azur y gules; brochante sobre el todo, una cabeza de leopardo coronada de oro, lampasada de gules, dentro de un trechor flordelisado de oro. Lema: «Entalente a parler d'armes».

The official blazon of this coat of arms is «Quarterly Azure and Gules a lion’s face crowned with an Ancient Crown Or within a tressure flory on the outer edge of the same». The following are my comments to the official blazon:

• With «crowned» can be assumed the common default «crowned with an ancient crown».
• With «tressure flory» can be assumed the common default «tressure flory on the outer edge».
• I use to specify the «langued», for example Gules or Azure, because I think there is not a common default tincture for «langued» in all heraldic traditions.
• The use of «overall» can help to understand the blazon, then I add it.

Blazon keywords: Quarterly, Azure, Gules, Overall, Head, Leopard, Crowned, Or, Langued, Within, Tressure, Flory and Motto.

Style keywords: Pointed, Illuminated, Outlined in sable, Shaded and Freehand.

Classification: Interpreted, Socioeconomic and Coat of arms.

Bearer: The Heraldry Society.

The Heraldry Society, «Education Pack, A brief explanation of Heraldry for teachers together with explanatory sheets and templates for students», Baldock, Hertfordshire, 2013.

This bibliographical reference is illustrated with the quartered coat of arms of The Heraldry Society.

Bibliographical reference of century XXI.

Author: The Heraldry Society.

Here are the articles quoting this reference:

• Balaguer, municipality of
• Chequey, chequy or checky
• Drawing the arcs of a pointed coat of arms
• Geoffrey Plantagenet
• Savoy, Duchy of

External link:

• The Heraldry Society.

Internal resources: TheHeraldrySociety2013.EducationPack.pdf.