Kingdom of Castile and Leon

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.

The author is Alfonso X of Castile.

External resources:

• 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.

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.

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

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

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

Bearer: Alphonse X of Castile.

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.

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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: Pointed and rounded, Plain tincture, Outlined in sable and Marmoreal.

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

Bearer: Alphonse X of Castile.

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.

This coat of arms can be seen in [Bergshammars; 1440; page 2], in [Lutzelbourg, N. de; 1530; page 35], and in [Tewkesbury; Century XVII; folio 25v].

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

Style keywords: Semi-circular and Plain tincture.

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

Bearer: Castile and Leon.

Party per pale: 1 Gules, a castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, and masoned Sable; 2 Argent, a lion rampant Gules, crowned Or.

Coat of arms (1984-1997 and 1997-2002) of the former Central Military Region, where I serve. I interpreted now this coat of arms with a pointed shape. This kind of shape for this coat of arms are not usual.

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Blazon keywords: Party per pale, Gules, One, Castle, Or, Port and windows, Azure, Masoned, Sable, Argent, Lion, Rampant and Crowned.

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

Classification: Interpreted, Military, Army and Navy, Coat of arms and Kingdom of Castile and Leon.

Bearer: Central Military Region.

Party per pale: 1 Gules, a castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, and masoned Sable; 2 Argent, a lion rampant Gules, crowned Or. Motto: «Región Militar Centro» over a scroll Or.

Coat of arms (1984-1997 and 1997-2002) of the former Central Military Region, also called 1^st Military Region, where I serve. I interpreted and emblazoned now this coat of arms with a semi-circular ended shape.

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Blazon keywords: Party per pale, Gules, One, Castle, Or, Port and windows, Azure, Masoned, Sable, Argent, Lion, Rampant, Crowned, Motto (identification) and Scroll.

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

Classification: Interpreted, Military, Army and Navy, Coat of arms and Kingdom of Castile and Leon.

Bearer: Central Military Region.

Banner 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.

Pendón 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.

Pendón interpretado por mí como: un rectángulo de proporción entre su ancho y su alto de 5x6; el campo está esmaltado de tintas planas gules y plata; los 2 castillos y los 2 leones están iluminados; el león y su corona están delineados del campo; el castillo está mazonado de sable; y el conjunto tiene un acabado apergaminado.

Puede consultarse en el armorial para la coronación de [Eduardo IV de Inglaterra; 1461; columna 2, fila 25] un pendón de estas características, la razón de ello era la aspiración de Eduardo IV a este reino, aspiración procedente de sus predecesores.

Este armorial fue realizado por diferentes artistas y al que le correspondió hacer el pendón de Castilla y León parece que pintó los leones de oro, si bien este oro no es tan amarillo como el que esmalta los castillos, castillo que tienen 2 ventanas mínimas y una puerta aclarada de azur. Por esta diferencia de tonos entre leones y castillos cabría plantearse la hipótesis de una degradación de un esmalte púrpura original en un ocre.

Al comienzo del armorial también aparecen estos leones en una representación ecuestre de Eduardo IV donde un tono rosa podría recordar a un púrpura original y, por tanto, apoyar la hipótesis de la degradación.

Finalmente, hay una tercera aparición de estos leones en otro pendón que combina las armas de Castilla y León con las de Inglaterra. Donde el color de los leones es más parecido al del pendón que al de la representación ecuestre.

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

Style keywords: Illuminated, Rectangular and Old parchment.

Classification: Interpreted, Civic, Flag, Banner of arms, Kingdom of Castile and Leon and Canting.

Bearer: Castilla y León.