Ferdinand III, invention of quartering

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.

A symbolic image representing, through 3 coats of arms, the creation of the coat of arms of the King Ferdinand III the Saint from the arms of Alfonso IX, King of León, and Berenguela, Queen of Castile. The shapes of all three shields are rounded; all their components are illuminated; and the whole composition features a watercolor finish.

Ferdinand III the Saint was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of Castile. During his reign, the crowns of Castile and León were united forever. When, in 1230, Ferdinand III succeeded his father, he adopted a quarterly coat of arms, placing his mother's arms, the castle, in the 1^st and 4^th quarters, and his father's arms, the lion, in the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters. His goal was likely to achieve balance between the two kingdoms and to give his coat of arms a greater sense of continuity over time compared to impaled arms. The coat of arms of Ferdinand III the Saint was the first quarterly shield in history, and the idea spread into the heraldry of Spain and other kingdoms, such as Aragon-Sicily, Brabant, England, Navarre, and Bohemia.

The mother first, schematic in English

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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: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Tilted shield and Watercolor.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Escudos acolados, Kingdom of Castile, Kingdom of León and Kingdom of Castile and Leon.

Bearer: Ferdinand III of Castile.

Gerard J. Brault, professor of French and Medieval Studies at Pennsylvania State University, «Rolls of Arms of Edward I, 1272-1307, Volume I and Volume II», is a set of 2 volumes, 1,104 pages, size 24.4 x 17.2 cm, with 3 color illustrations and 8 black and white illustrations, published by Boydell Press, Aspilogia series, ISBN 9780851156699, Suffolk, United Kingdom, May 1, 1997.

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Another annotated edition exists from February 21, 2008, also published by Boydell Press.

The starting hypothesis of this book is that at the beginning of the second half of the 13th century, the use of coats of arms increased, this increase led to the appearance of the first armorials in which the names of their holders were recorded along with the descriptive blazon of their armory, and painted shields could be included.

From the Middle Ages, about 350 armorials have survived, of which 130 come from England, and they are a unique source for identifying many medieval figures, their titles, and their possessions. This book analyzes 17 of these armorials, such as the so-called [Marshal, L.; 1295; The Lord Marshal's Roll], which includes the coat of arms of William de Colebrand that illustrates this bibliographic reference.

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Bibliographical reference of century XX.

Author: Brault, Gerard J..

Here are the articles quoting this reference:

• Colebrand, William de
• Marshal, L.; 1295

External link:

• Boydell and Brewer.

Faustino Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, «Spanish Heraldic Panorama: Epochs and Regions in the Medieval Period», paper presented at the I Seminar on Heraldry and Genealogy, organized by the Zurita Chair of the Institución Fernando el Católico, in Zaragoza, on December 14 and 15, 1984, published in I Seminar on Heraldry and Genealogy, publication number 1.138 of the Institución Fernando el Católico, pages 5-21, Zaragoza, 1988.

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Also published later in the Revista Príncipe de Viana, ISSN 0032-8472, year number 68, issue number 241, dedicated to the tribute to Faustino Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, pages 533-553, Government of Navarra, Institución Príncipe de Viana, Pamplona, 2007.

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Bibliographical reference of century XX.

The author is Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, Faustino.

The following article cites this bibliographic reference:

• Ferdinand III of Castile, open royal crown

External link:

• University of La Rioja.

Internal resources: MenendezPidalDeNavascuesF1988.PanoramaHeraldicoEspanolEpocasYRegionesEnElPeriodoMedieval.pdf.

Born on August 15, 1171, in Zamora and died on September 24, 1230, in Sarria, Lugo.

Argent, a lion rampant Purpure, armed and langued Gules.

Escudo de plata, un león rampante de púrpura, armado y lampasado de gules.

Arms of the king of León interpreted by me as follows: the escutcheon is in a semi-circular arch; the field and the lion have been enameled and illuminated; and the ensemble has a watercolor finish.

This coat of arms of León can be seen, among many other places, for example, in [Argote de Molina, G.; 1588; chapter XLII].

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Argent, Purpure, Gules, One, Lion, Rampant, Armed and Langued.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Outlined in the field tincture and Watercolor.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Coat of arms and Kingdom of León.

Bearer: Alfonso IX of Leon.

King of León from January 21, 1188, until his death on September 24, 1230.

Argent, a lion rampant Purpure, armed and langued Gules. Crest: An open royal crown Or.

Escudo de plata, un león rampante de púrpura, armado y lampasado de gules. Timbrado de una corona real abierta.

Arms of the King interpreted as follows: the escutcheon is finished in a semi-circular arch; both the field, the lion, and the crown of the crest have been illuminated; and the ensemble has a hammered metal finish.

Purple lion of the Kingdom of León

In the following image, I show a miniature from the Tumbo A of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, from the 13th century, with the heading reading «Inclitus:Adeffonsus:Rex:Legionensium:et Gallecie:», combined with my interpretation of his coat of arms. The lion of the Kingdom of León can be found depicted in both purple and gules, but images like this confirm that it is purple, and I particularly favor the purple, as it makes it historically unique.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Argent, Purpure, Gules, One, Lion, Rampant, Armed, Langued, Crest, Open royal crown and Crown.

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

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Coat of arms and Kingdom of León.

Bearer: Alfonso IX of Leon.

Born in 1179 in Segovia and died on November 8, 1246 in the Monastery of Las Huelgas in Burgos.

Gules, a castle triple towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable.

Escudo de gules, un castillo de oro, aclarado de azur, mazonado de sable.

Arms of the Queen of Castile, as interpreted by me: the shape of the shield is rounded; the field and the castle have been enamelled and illuminated; and the whole composition features a watercolor finish.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, Or, Azure, Sable, One, Castle, Port and windows and Masoned.

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

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

Bearer: Berenguela of Castile.

Queen of Castile during the year 1217 and queen consort of León from 1197 to 1204.

Gules, a castle triple towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable. Crest: An open royal crown Or.

Escudo de gules, un castillo de oro, aclarado de azur, mazonado de sable. Timbrado de una corona real abierta.

Arms of the Queen, as interpreted by me as follows: the shield's shape is finished with a rounded arch; both the field, the castle, and the crown have been illuminated; the castle and the crown are outlined; and the whole composition features a hammered metal finish.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, Or, Azure, Sable, One, Castle, Port and windows, Masoned, Crest, Open royal crown and Crown.

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

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

Bearer: Berenguela of Castile.

Sigue por: Berenguela of Castile and Alfonso IX.