Arms of dominion are the arms borne both by a

monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...

and the state in a

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic ( constitutional monar ...

. In this respect they are both the national arms and the arms of the

nation A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective identity of a group of people understood as defined by th ...

, who is the monarchy's sovereign, and are thus simultaneously the personal arms of the monarch and the arms of the state he or she reigns over.

The arms of the monarch and the arms of the realm

The famous heraldic author

John Brooke-Little John Philip Brooke Brooke-Little (6 April 1927 – 13 February 2006) was an English writer on heraldic subjects, and a long-serving herald at the College of Arms in London. In 1947, while still a student, Brooke-Little founded the Society of He ...

Norroy and Ulster King of Arms Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is the Provincial King of Arms at the College of Heralds with jurisdiction over England north of the Trent and Northern Ireland. The two offices of Norroy and Ulster were formerly separate. Norroy King of Arms is t ...

, in his book 'An Heraldic Alphabet' (page 38) wrote regarding arms of dominion: Furthermore, in his 1983 revision to 'Boutell's Heraldry', Brooke-Little stated (page 222): Therefore, in most hereditary monarchies the arms of dominion are also the arms of state; they cannot be used by anyone else; no matter how closely related they are to the monarch. Thus younger members of royal houses will use arms that are similar to those of the monarch, but they are made slightly different by marks that are placed on the shield, including but not restricted to, labels. This is called

cadency In heraldry, cadency is any systematic way to distinguish arms displayed by descendants of the holder of a coat of arms when those family members have not been granted arms in their own right. Cadency is necessary in heraldic systems in which ...

, and is equally applicable to the arms of non-royal families, but is not as enforced. Within royal families, however, it is rigidly enforced by the heraldic authorities of the particular country. In republics, the arms of the head of state (who is not the

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

by definition) are not the same as the arms of the state (which is sovereign – or rather – the people of the state are sovereign). For example, the

coat of arms of the United States A coat typically is an outer garment for the upper body as worn by either gender for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front and closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners, toggles, a ...

and the arms of the various presidents are not the same. This is something that has been well established since pre-modern times; the arms of the various

doge A doge ( , ; plural dogi or doges) was an elected lord and head of state in several Italian city-states, notably Venice and Genoa, during the medieval and renaissance periods. Such states are referred to as " crowned republics". Etymology The ...

s of the republics of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

and

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

were not the same as the republics over which they ruled. Common external elements in arms of dominion are

royal pavilion The Royal Pavilion, and surrounding gardens, also known as the Brighton Pavilion, is a Grade I listed former royal residence located in Brighton, England. Beginning in 1787, it was built in three stages as a seaside retreat for George, Princ ...

s, which are used in most arms of dominion, modern and historical, except in the arms of countries that belong to the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the C ...

Examples of arms of dominion currently in use

File:Coat of arms of Andorra.svg, Arms of Dominion (jointly) of the Co-Princes of Andorra;

Joan Enric Vives Sicília Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multiple ...

and

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...

File:Coat of arms of Bahrain.svg, Arms of Dominion of Hamad, King of Bahrain File:Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg, Arms of Dominion of

King Philippe of Belgium french: Philippe Léopold Louis Mariegerman: Philipp Leopold Ludwig Maria , house = Belgium , father = Albert II of Belgium , mother = Paola Ruffo di Calabria , birth_date = , birth_place = Belvédère Castle, Laeken, ...

File:Royal arms of Cambodia.svg, Arms of Dominion of

Norodom Sihamoni Norodom Sihamoni ( km, នរោត្តម សីហមុនី, ; born 14 May 1953) is King of Cambodia. He became King on 14 October 2004, a week after the abdication of his father, Norodom Sihanouk. He is the eldest son of Norodom Sih ...

, King of Cambodia File:Royal Coat of Arms of Canada.svg, Arms of Dominion of

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person ...

, King of Canada File:Coat of arms of Eswatini.svg, Arms of Dominion of

Mswati III Mswati III (born Makhosetive; 19 April 1968) is the king ( Swazi: Ngwenyama, Ingwenyama yemaSwati) of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family. He was born in Manzini in the Protectorate of Swaziland to King Sobhuza II and one of his young ...

, King of Eswatini File:Coat of arms of Jordan.svg, Arms of Dominion of

King Abdullah II Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein ( ar, عبدالله الثاني بن الحسين , translit=ʿAbd Allāh aṯ-ṯānī ibn al-Ḥusayn; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of t ...

, King of Jordan File:Coat of arms of Kuwait.svg, Arms of Dominion of

Sabah al-Ahmad Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ( ar, الشيخ صباح الأحمد الجابر الصباح, translit=ash-Shaykh Sabāh al-ʾAḥmad al-Jābir aṣ-Ṣabāḥ; 16 June 192929 September 2020) was the Emir of Kuwait and Commander of the Kuwa ...

, Emir of Kuwait File:Coat of arms of Lesotho.svg, Arms of Dominion of

King Letsie III Letsie III (born Seeiso Bereng; 17 July 1963) is King of Lesotho. He succeeded his father, Moshoeshoe II, who was forced into exile in 1990. His father was briefly restored in 1995 but died in a car crash in early 1996, and Letsie became king a ...

of Lesotho File:Coat of arms of Liechtenstein.svg, Arms of Dominion of Prince

Hans Adam II Hans-Adam II (Johannes Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marco d'Aviano Pius; born 14 February 1945) is the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein, since 1989. He is the son of Prince Franz Joseph II and his wife, Countess Georgina von Wilczek. He a ...

of Liechtenstein File:Greater coat of arms of the grand-duke of Luxembourg (since 2000).svg, Arms of Dominion of

Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri (french: Henri Albert Gabriel Félix Marie Guillaume, ; born 16 April 1955) is the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. He has reigned since 7 October 2000. Henri, the eldest son of Grand Duke Jean and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium, is a ...

File:Coat of arms of Monaco.svg, Arms of Dominion of Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco File:Coat of arms of Morocco.svg, Arms of Dominion of

Mohammed VI Muhammad VI may refer to: * Muhammad Imaaduddeen VI (1868–1932), sultan of the Maldives from 1893 to 1902 * Mehmed VI (1861–1926), sultan of Ottoman Empire, from 1918 to 1922 * Mohammed VI of Morocco (born 1963), King of Morocco since 19 ...

, King of Morocco File:Royal coat of arms of the Netherlands.svg, Arms of Dominion of

Willem-Alexander Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born ) is King of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne following his mother's abdication in 2013. Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht as the oldest child of Princess Bea ...

, King of the Netherlands File:Royal Arms of Norway.svg, Arms of Dominion of Harald V, King of Norway File:Great coat of arms of Sweden.svg, Arms of Dominion of

Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973. He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, D ...

, King of Sweden File:Coat of arms of Tonga.svg, Arms of Dominion of

Tupou VI Tupou VI (; born 12 July 1959) is the King of Tonga. He is the younger brother and successor of the late King George Tupou V. He was officially confirmed by his brother on 27 September 2006 as the heir presumptive to the Throne of Tonga, as his ...

, King of Tonga File:Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom.svg, Arms of King Charles III of the United Kingdom (for use in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) File:Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (Scotland).svg, Arms of Dominion of King Charles III of the United Kingdom (for use in Scotland)

Examples of arms of dominion formerly in use by monarchies that have been abolished

File:Austro-hungarian_coat_of_arms_1914.svg, Arms of Dominion of

Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until ...

, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary File:Soulouque coat of arms.png, Arms of Dominion of Faustin I, Emperor of Haiti File:Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.svg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes/Yugoslavia, 1919–1945 File:Russian_greaterarms.png, Arms of Dominion of the Emperors of Russia, 1857–1917 File:Royal Coat of arms of Serbia (1882–1918).svg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of Serbia, 1882–1918 File:Larger State Achievement of Bulgaria 1908-1946.svg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of the Bulgarians (there are variants) until 1946 File:Great Arms of the Kingdom of Albania (1939–1943).svg, Arms of Dominion of King

Victor Emmanuel III The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

of the Albanians, 1939–1945 File:Great coat of arms of the king of italy (1890-1946).svg, Arms of the Kings of Italy until 1946 File:Kingdom of Romania - 1881 CoA.svg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of Romania from 1881 to 1922 File:Kingdom of Romania - Big CoA.svg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of Romania, 1922–1947 File:Royal Coat of Arms of Greece.svg, Arms of the Kings of Greece (there are variants) from 1863 to 1922 and 1935 to 1974 File:Grand Royal Coat of Arms of France.svg, Arms of the Kings of France and Navarre (there are variants) to 1792, 1814, and 1815–1830 File:Imperial Coat of Arms of France (1804-1815).svg, Arms of Dominion of the Emperors of the French, 1804–1814, 1815 and (with modifications), 1852–1870 File:Imperial Coat of Arms of Iran.svg, Arms of Dominion of the Shahs of Iran, 1925–1979 File:Coat of Arms of the First Mexican Empire.svg, Arms of Dominion of Agustin I, Emperor of Mexico, 1822–1823 File:Coat_of_Arms_of_the_Second_Mexican_Empire.svg, Arms of Dominion of Maximillian I, Emperor of Mexico, 1863–1867 File:Coat of arms of the Empire of Brazil.svg, Arms of Dominion of the Emperors of Brazil, 1822–1889 File:Imperial Coat of arms of Central Africa (1976–1979).svg, Arms of Dominion of Bokassa I, Emperor of the

Central African Empire From 4 December 1976 to 21 September 1979, the Central African Republic was officially known as the Central African Empire (french: Empire centrafricain), after military dictator (and president at the time) Marshal Jean-Bédel Bokassa declared ...

File:Coat of arms of Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen.jpg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of Yemen until 1962 File:Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Libya.svg, Arms of Dominion of

Idris I Idris (I) ibn Abd Allah ( ar, إدريس بن عبد الله, translit=Idrīs ibn ʿAbd Allāh), also known as Idris the Elder ( ar, إدريس الأكبر, translit=Idrīs al-Akbar), (d. 791) was an Arab Hasanid Sharif and the founder of the ...

, King of Libya, 1951–1969 File:Coat of arms of Egypt (1922–1953).svg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of Egypt, 1922–1953 File:Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Iraq.svg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of Iraq, 1921–1958

Bibliography

* * {{Heraldry footer Coats of arms