Castile and León, history of the coat of arms

This heraldic catalogue consists of 14 pages in DIN A4 format; 10 of the pages are framed in Gules and Argent with the arms of the kingdom, combining 78 castles with 78 crowned lions, 152 of which are small figures and 4 large ones; it includes 11 different heraldic elements for colour printing; and the texts are in Sable with highlights in Gules.

Blazon keywords: Quarterly, Argent, Purpure, Gules, Or, Azure, Sable, One, Castle, Port and windows, Masoned, Lion, Rampant, Armed, Langued and Crowned.

Classification: PDF, Created, Civic, Catalogue, Heraldic document, Kingdom of Castile and Leon and Canting.

Bearer: Castile and León.

Fernández de Córdoba y Carrillo, Diego

Marshal of Castile, first Lord of Baena and plenipotentiary ambassador to the court of Portugal (1355–1435).

Or, three fesses Gules.

Escudo de oro, tres fajas de gules.

Coat of arms del que fue mariscal de Castilla interpreted as follows: the shield has a semicircular (round) base; the field is illuminated in flat metal Or; its three fesses illuminated in Gules y outlined in Sable; y el conjunto con un plastered finish.

He served under the kings John I of Castile, Henry III of Castile, and John II of Castile.

These three bars of the Fernández de Córdoba lineage are found, for example, in the first quarter of the coat of arms of Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba y Enríquez de Aguilar, known as *El Gran Capitán*.

Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Or, Fess and Gules.

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

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Coat of arms and Kingdom of Castile and Leon.

Bearer: Fernández de Córdoba y Carrillo, Diego.

Blazon equivalent to: Berry of Molland.

Libro abierto, hojas de plata, filo de oro, guardas de gules, tapas de sable.

Burke, B.; 1842

Sir Bernard Burke, C. B., LL. D., Ulster King of Arms, «The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales; Comprising a Registry of Armorial Bearings from the Earliest to the Present Time», Harrison, London, 1842.

Sir Bernard Burke, C. B., LL. D. (1814-1892), also cited as John Bernard Burke, was a British genealogist. He was son of the genealogist John Burke (1787–1848). In 1853, Sir Bernard Burke was appointed Ulster King of Arms.

I use to consult [Burke, B.; 1989] and [Burke, B.; 2009].

Bibliographical reference of century XIX.

Classification: In black and white and English language.

Author: Burke, Bernard.

Here are the articles quoting this reference:

External resource:

Burke's Peerage.

Sancho IV of Castile

Known as the Brave, king of Castile and León from 1284 to 1295.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Gules, a castle triple towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable; 2 and 3 Argent, a lion rampant Purpure, armed and langued Gules, crowned Or.

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de gules, un castillo de oro, aclarado de azur, mazonado de sable; 2^o y 3^o de plata, un león rampante de púrpura, armado y lampasado de gules, coronado de oro.

Pre-existing arms interpreted by me as described below: the shield of arms has a rounded (semicircular) base; the field, the two castles and the two lions are illuminated; and the whole has a parchment-like finish.

Blazon keywords: Quarterly, Gules, Or, Azure, Sable, One, Castle, Port and windows, Masoned, Argent, Purpure, Lion, Rampant, Armed, Langued and Crowned.

Style keywords: Rounded, Illuminated and Parchment.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Coat of arms and Kingdom of Castile and Leon.

Bearer: Sancho IV of Castile.

Sancho IV of Castile, open royal crown

Son of Alfonso X of Castile and Violant of Aragon.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Gules, a castle triple towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable; 2 and 3 Argent, a lion rampant Purpure, armed and langued Gules, crowned Or. Crest: An open royal crown Or.

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de gules, un castillo de oro, aclarado de azur, mazonado de sable; 2^o y 3^o de plata, un león rampante de púrpura, armado y lampasado de gules, coronado de oro. Timbrado de una corona real abierta.

Arms of the king interpreted by me as follows: the shield of arms has a rounded (semicircular) base; the quarters are in flat tinctures Argent and Gules; the castles, lions and crown are illuminated; the castles and lions are shaded; and the whole has a parchment finish.

Blazon keywords: Quarterly, Gules, Or, Azure, Sable, One, Castle, Port and windows, Masoned, Argent, Purpure, Lion, Rampant, Armed, Langued, Crowned, Crest, Open royal crown and Crown.

Style keywords: Rounded, Illuminated and Parchment.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Coat of arms and Kingdom of Castile and Leon.

Bearer: Sancho IV of Castile.

Alphonse X of Castile

Known as the Wise, King of Castile and Leon from 1252 to 1284.

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de gules, un castillo de oro, aclarado de azur, mazonado de sable; 2^o y 3^o de plata, un león rampante de púrpura, armado y lampasado de gules.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Gules, a castle triple towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable; 2 and 3 Argent, a lion rampant Purpure, armed and langued Gules.

Armories of the Wise King of Castile interpreted by me with the following characteristics: the external shape of the coat of arms ends in an ogee arch; the field, the 2 castles, and the 2 lions are outlined and enameled in flat colors; and the texture seems fabric.

This coat of arms, but with a pointed external shape, can be seen in the 2^nd part of the so-called armorial [Wijnbergen; 1265; cuat of arms number 1,289], with the title «Le roy Despaingne», which in this context is understood to refer to Castilla y León.

The 2^nd part of this armorial was made between 1270 and 1285 and, being Alphonse X king of Castile and Leon from 1252 to 1284, it is to Him that the title «Le roy Despaingne» seems to refer.

Blazon keywords: Quarterly, Gules, Or, Azure, Sable, One, Castle, Port and windows, Masoned, Argent, Purpure, Lion, Rampant, Armed and Langued.

Style keywords: Ogee, Plain tincture, Outlined in sable and Fabric.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Coat of arms and Kingdom of Castile and Leon.

Bearer: Alphonse X of Castile.

Alphonse X of Castile, open royal crown

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de gules, un castillo de oro, aclarado de azur, mazonado de sable; 2^o y 3^o de plata, un león rampante de púrpura, armado y lampasado de gules. Timbrado de una corona real abierta.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Gules, a castle triple towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable; 2 and 3 Argent, a lion rampant Purpure, armed and langued Gules. Crest: An open royal crown Or.

I emblazoned the coat of arms of the King with an external shape ending in an ogee arch, the field, castles, lions, and crown are outlined; and all have a crystal clear finishing.

Blazon keywords: Quarterly, Gules, Or, Azure, Sable, One, Castle, Port and windows, Masoned, Argent, Purpure, Lion, Rampant, Armed, Langued, Crest, Open royal crown and Crown.

Style keywords: Ogee, Plain tincture, Outlined in sable and Marmoreal.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Coat of arms and Kingdom of Castile and Leon.

Bearer: Alphonse X of Castile.

Ferdinand III of Castile

Son of Berenguela, Queen of Castile, and Alfonso IX, King of León.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Gules, a castle triple towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable; 2 and 3 Argent, a lion rampant Purpure, armed and langued Gules.

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de gules, un castillo de oro, aclarado de azur, mazonado de sable; 2^o y 3^o de plata, un león rampante de púrpura, armado y lampasado de gules.

Arms of King Ferdinand III of Castile, as interpreted by me, with the following characteristics: the shield’s shape is rounded; the field, the two castles, and the two lions have been illuminated; and the whole composition features a watercolor finish.

It is with King Ferdinand III the Saint of Castile when «the emblematic system reaches its highest degree of perfection, acquiring two characteristics: realism, which becomes a hallmark of Spanish heraldry,... and the tendency to combine coats of arms» with the appearance of quarterly divisions replacing the cadency marks used in the rest of Europe [Valverde Ogallar, P. B.; 2001; page 100].