Open royal crown

Separador heráldico
Escudo de Castilla y León

Leonor Plantagenet, corona real abierta

Gules, three lions, passant, guardant, in pale Or, armed and langued Azure. Crest: An open royal crown Or.

Princess of England and Queen Consort of Castile from 1170 to 1214.

Gules, three lions, passant, guardant, in pale Or, armed and langued Azure. Crest: An open royal crown Or.

Escudo de gules, tres leopardos en palo de oro, armados y lampasados de azur. Timbrado de una corona real abierta.

Armorial bearings of the queen interpreted by me as follows: the shape of the shield is pointed and rounded; both the field, the three leopards, and the open royal crown have been enamelled with flat tints of gules and metal or, with details in azure, vert, and metal argent; the three leopards and the crown are outlined in sable; and the whole composition has a watercolor finish.

She was the daughter of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of Alfonso VIII of Castile, and mother of 10 children documented in historical records, with her eldest daughter being Queen Berenguela of Castile.


Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, Or, Azure, Three, Leopard, Armed, Langued, In pale, Crest, Open royal crown and Crown.

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

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

Bearer: Leonor Plantagenet.

Separador heráldico
Escudo de Castilla y León

Alfonso VIII of Castile, royal crown

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

King of Castile from 1158 to 1214.

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 king, as interpreted by me, as follows: the shield's shape is pointed and rounded; the field is enameled Gules; the castle is outlined in Sable; and the whole composition features a watercolor finish.

In [Valero de Bernabé, L.; 2009a; page 1] the author specifies the main characteristics of the «Castilian royal castle», which can be summarized as: «with three towers, the middle one taller, and the two flanking it identical», «each tower crowned with three battlements», «one to three doors and one or two pointed windows on each tower», and «masoned and battlemented», as also noted by the same author in [Valero de Bernabé, L.; 2009b; page 33].


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

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

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

Bearer: Alfonso VIII of Castile.

Separador heráldico
Escudo de Castilla y León

Berenguela of Castile, open royal crown

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

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.


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.

Separador heráldico
Escudo de Castilla y León

Alfonso IX of Leon, open royal crown

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

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.

Purple lion of King Alfonso IX of León, 13th century.

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.

Separador heráldico
Escudo de Castilla y León

Ferdinand III of Castile, open royal crown

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.

King of Castile from 1217 to 1252 and of León from 1230 to 1252.

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.

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

Arms of the king, as interpreted as follows: the shield’s shape is pointed and rounded; the field, the castles, the lions, and the crown have been illuminated; only the castles and the lions have been shaded; and the whole composition features a raised-line finish.

Between the years 1217-1229, King Ferdinand III, before adopting this quarterly shield and when he was only King of Castile, in his seals «bears the arms of Leon (family arms) on the shield of the equestrian image and carries on the reverse the emblem of Castile (territorial sign)» [Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, F.; 1988; page 537].


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, Illuminated, Shaded and Freehand.

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

Bearer: Ferdinand III of Castile.

Separador heráldico
Escudo de Castilla y León

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.

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: 1o y 4o de gules, un castillo de oro, aclarado de azur, mazonado de sable; 2o y 3o 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 1st and 4th quarters, and his father's arms, the lion, in the 2nd and 3rd 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

Schematic in English.

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, Accolé arms, Kingdom of Castile, Kingdom of León and Kingdom of Castile and Leon.

Bearer: Ferdinand III of Castile.

Separador heráldico

Alphonse X of Castile, open royal crown

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

Escudo cuartelado: 1o y 4o de gules, un castillo de oro, aclarado de azur, mazonado de sable; 2o y 3o 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: 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.

Separador heráldico
Escudo de Castilla y León

Jamilena, province of Jaen

Or, a cross of Calatrava. Crest: An open royal crown Or.

Or, a cross of Calatrava. Crest: An open royal crown Or.

Escudo de oro, una cruz de Calatrava. Timbrado de una corona real abierta.

Coat of arms interpreted as follows: the shield's shape is a semicircular arch; the field is illuminated in metal Or; the cross of Calatrava is outlined in Sable and illuminated in Gules; the royal crown is open, outlined in Sable and illuminated in metal Or, pearls in Argent, gemstones in Gules and Vert, and the visible base hollow in Sable; and the entire piece has a slightly hammered metal finish.

The municipality of Jamilena belongs to the La Campiña region and is the smallest in the province of Jaén. I have depicted its coat of arms with an open royal crown, but representations with a closed royal crown can also be found.

The origin of the cross of Calatrava in its heraldic coat of arms dates back to the year 1525 when Emperor Charles V issued several decrees from Toledo to build a convent for nuns in Jamilena. For the construction of this convent, stones from the Muslim castle, which was reformed and occupied by the Order of Calatrava, were used.


Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Or, Cross of Calatrava, Cross couped, Cross, Crest, Open royal crown and Crown.

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

Classification: Interpreted, Civic and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Jamilena.

 

Dr. Antonio Salmerón y Cabañas,
,
Paseo de la Castellana 135, 7th floor,
28046 Madrid, Spain.