The coat of arms of Castile was the

heraldic emblem A heraldic badge, emblem, impresa, device, or personal device worn as a badge indicates allegiance to, or the property of, an individual, family or corporate body. Medieval forms are usually called a livery badge, and also a cognizance. They are ...

of its

monarchs A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority an ...

. Historian

Michel Pastoureau Michel Pastoureau (born 17 June 1947) is a French professor of medieval history and an expert in Western symbology. Biography Pastoureau was born in Paris on 17 June 1947. He studied at the École Nationale des Chartes, a college for prospectiv ...

says that the original purpose of heraldic emblems and

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...

s was to facilitate the exercise of power and the identification of the ruler, due to what they offered for achieving these aims. These symbols were associated with the kingdom, and eventually also represented the intangible nature of the national sentiment or sense of belonging to a territory.García de Cortázar, J.A.; Sesma Muñoz, J.A. (1998) La Edad Media: una síntesis interpretativa he Middle Ages: an interpretive synthesis Madrid: Alianza Editorial. P. 681. The blazon of the arms of Castile is:

Origin

The Royal Arms of Castile was first adopted at the start of the age of heraldry (circa 1175), that spread across Europe during the next century. The Spanish heraldist Faustino Menéndez Pidal de Navascués wrote that there is no evidence that there was a consolidated Castilian emblem before the reign of King

Alfonso VIII Alfonso VIII (11 November 11555 October 1214), called the Noble (El Noble) or the one of Las Navas (el de las Navas), was King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. After having suffered a great defeat with his own army at Alarc ...

or that these arms had pre-heraldic history as the

heraldry of León The first instance of a figure of the lion as symbol of the Kingdom of León is found in minted coins of Alfonso VII, called ''the Emperor'' (1126–1157). Until then, the cross had a preponderant position on documents and coins of Leonese monar ...

The

chancery Chancery may refer to: Offices and administration * Court of Chancery, the chief court of equity in England and Wales until 1873 ** Equity (law), also called chancery, the body of jurisprudence originating in the Court of Chancery ** Courts of e ...

of Alfonso VIII adopted a ''Signum Regis'' (

) in 1165. This device had wheel shape, a defining characteristic of the chancery of

monarchs of Castile This is a list of kings regnant and queens regnant of the Kingdom of Castile, Kingdom and Crown of Castile. For their predecessors, see List of Castilian counts. Kings and Queens of Castile Jiménez dynasty House of Ivrea / Burgundy ...

since 1157. This author has pointed out that the emergence of the

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

device Castile was similar to that of the Leonese lion but at a more accelerated pace. One of the earliest known testimonies documenting the origin of the castle emblem was carried out by bishop

Lucas de Tuy Lucas de Tui (or O Tudense) (died 1249) was a Leonese cleric and intellectual, remembered best as a historian. He was Bishop of Tuy from 1239 until his death. Born in León, Lucas was a canon of San Isidoro there between 1221 and 1239. While a ...

. In Castile, the first examples of the castle as heraldic symbols have been found on the reverse of pendent seals, as was common at the time. The ''Signum Regis'' of King Alfonso VIII does not always depict a castle. Alfonso initially used a seal with a

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

and a staff. By the year 1163 a single side with an equestrian image of Alfonso VIII holding a lance without a standard was used; this element allowed the determination of the royal device used at that time. Later seals continued to depict equestrian images as their central motif. The castle appeared for the first time on the reverse of pendent seals. The first preserved seal impression with the castle dates from 1176, contained in a document located in the

Toledo Cathedral The Primatial Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption (), is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Toledo, Spain. It is the seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Toledo. Since 1088, it holds the honorific title of Primatial, granted by ...

. The matrix of this seal dates back before 1171, as indicated by its typology. According to Faustino Menéndez Pidal de Navascués it is likely that the device of the castle was adopted in 1169, when Alfonso VIII came of age at age fourteen. The castle was adopted with a clear territorial connotation, a clear example of

canting arms Canting arms are heraldry, heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name (or, less often, some attribute or function) in a visual pun or rebus. The expression derives from the latin ''cantare'' (to sing). French heralds used the term (), ...

. This decision may have been motivated by a desire to claim the sovereignty of the Castilian monarch over the Kingdom of León. The castle from its inception has retained a basic design - three towers, higher the central than lateral ones - suggesting that it is a native innovation, different from that existing in

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

. Concerning the colours of the arms (

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

according to heraldry), the combination of "Or on a

Gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). Gules is portrayed in heraldic hatch ...

field", was already fixed at least since the reign of King Ferdinand III, who was known as ''the Saint''. This selection was indicated by the heraldry of the consort of the King

, Queen

Eleanor of England Eleanor of England (; – 31 October 1214), was Queen of Castile and Toledo as the wife of Alfonso VIII of Castile. She was the sixth child and second daughter of Henry II, King of England, and Eleanor of Aquitaine. She served as Regent of C ...

, daughter of

Henry II, King of England Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainme ...

. The arms used by the Queen were the

Royal Arms of England The coat of arms of England is the coat of arms historically used as arms of dominion by the monarchs of the Kingdom of England, and now used to symbolise England generally.: "The three golden lions upon a ground of red have certainly continued ...

, three identical gold

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

s (also known as leopards) with blue tongues and claws, walking past but facing the observer, arranged in a column on a red background. Although the tincture "azure" of tongue and claws is not cited in many blazons, they are historically a distinguishing feature of the Arms of England. These arms, which are one of the oldest heraldic emblems, were easily recognisable at a distance. This hypothesis is reinforced by the fact that the marriage of Alfonso VIII and Eleanor was celebrated from 1170 to 1176, immediately prior to the adoption of the emblem according to preserved sources. Faustino Menéndez Pidal de Navascués defends as another possible reason for this combination of colors for appearing more frequently in the arms. The selection of the third colour, shown in the door and windows, ''

Azure Azure may refer to: Color * Azure (color), a hue of blue ** Azure (heraldry) ** Shades of azure, shades and variations Arts and media * ''Azure'' (Art Farmer and Fritz Pauer album), 1987 * Azure (Gary Peacock and Marilyn Crispell album), 2013 * ...

'' (blue) could be due to the contrast with the other two, or to the fact that it was the third most commonly used colour after the previous. In the Reign of Alfonso VIII it was usual for the castle emblem to be presented as a device and not in an

escutcheon Escutcheon may refer to: * Escutcheon (heraldry), a shield or shield-shaped emblem, displaying a coat of arms * Escutcheon (furniture), a metal plate that surrounds a keyhole or lock cylinder on a door * (in medicine) the distribution of pubic ha ...

. This devic can be seene on the tomb of Alfonso VIII and Queen Eleanor, in the

Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas The Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas is a monastery of Cistercian nuns located approximately 1.5 km west of the city of Burgos in Spain. The word , which usually refers to "labour strikes" in modern Spanish, refers in this case ...

(

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

). The grave is decorated with the device of the castle and the English arms shown in a shield. The castle, as a device and not as part of an escutcheon, appears in all Castilian coins of the time. Castle devices placed in rows have been found on two stoles embroidered by Queen Eleanor from 1197 to 1198. One of the first representations of the castle emblem in an escutcheon has been displayed on a green

brocade Brocade () is a class of richly decorative shuttle (weaving), shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in coloured silks and sometimes with gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word "broccoli", comes from Italian langua ...

removed from the tomb of King Alfonso VIII.

Propagation

France

File:Arms of Robert dArtois.svg, Arms of

Robert I, Count of Artois Robert I (25 September 1216 – 8 February 1250), called the Good, was the first Count of Artois. He was the fifth (and second surviving) son of King Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile. Life He received Artois as an appanage, in accorda ...

File:Arms of Alphonse de Poitiers.svg, Arms of

Alphonse, Count of Poitiers Alphonse (11 November 122021 August 1271) was the Count of Poitou from 1225 and Count of Toulouse (as such called Alphonse II) from 1249. As count of Toulouse, he also governed the Marquisate of Provence. Birth and early life Born at Poissy, ...

File:Arms of Charles dAnjou.svg, Arms of

Charles I of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 a ...

(until 1246) File:Arms of Louis dEtampes.svg, Arms of Louis II d'Évreux, Count of Étampes File:Arms of Robert de Perche.svg, Arms of Robert of Alençon, Count of Perche File:Arms of Alphonso of Brienne.svg, Arms of

Alphonso of Brienne Alfonso of Brienne, called Alphonse d'Acre (c. 1220 – 14 September 1270), was the son of John of Brienne and Berengaria of León, born in Acre. Alfonso took part in the Seventh Crusade (1248) as a squire. By his marriage (before 1250) to ...

Portugal

File:Arms of Infante Fernando, Lord of Serpa.svg, Arms of Infante Fernando of Portugal, Lord of Serpa File:Arms of Infante Afonso of Portugal, Lord of Portalegre.svg, Arms of Infante Afonso of Portugal, Lord of Portalegre File:Arms of Infanta Branca of Portugal, Viscountess of Huelgas and Lady of Cifuentes.svg, Arms of Infanta Branca of Portugal, Viscountess of Huelgas and Lady of Cifuentes File:Arms of Alfonso Sánchez, Lord of Alburquerque.svg, Arms of

Afonso Sanches, Lord of Albuquerque {{Infobox noble, type , honorific_prefix = Servant of God , name = Afonso Sanches , title = Lord of Albuquerque , image = D. Afonso Sanches, senhor de Albuquerque - The Portuguese Genealogy (Genealogia dos ...

File:Coat of Arms of Beatrice of Portugal.svg, Arms of

Beatrice of Portugal Beatrice (, ; 7–13 February 1373 – ) was the only surviving legitimate child of King Ferdinand I of Portugal and his wife, Leonor Teles. She became Queen consort of Castile by marriage to King John I of Castile. Following her father's d ...

(As disputed Queen of Portugal) Portugal Coat of Arms with Sphere

Alfonso VIII's male issue did not survive him. Despite this, the Royal Arms of Castile was spread though female lineage into royal insignia used in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, Aragon and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The Castilian arms were present in the heraldry of all the grandchildren of Alfonso VIII, except Kings

Louis IX of France Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis VI ...

and

Sancho II of Portugal Sancho II (; 8 September 1207 – 4 January 1248), nicknamed Afonso the Cowled or Afonso the Capuched (), alternatively, Afonso the Pious (), was King of Portugal from 1223 to 1248. Sancho was born in Coimbra, the eldest son of Afonso II of ...

that, as reigning monarchs, used their respective "

arms of dominion Arms of dominion are the arms borne both by a monarch and the state in a monarchy. In this respect they are both the national arms and the arms of the nation's monarch, who is the monarchy's sovereign, and are thus simultaneously the personal ar ...

". Castles ''Or'' on field ''Gules'' were included on the shields of the children of

Louis VIII of France Louis VIII (5 September 1187 8 November 1226), nicknamed The Lion (), was King of France from 1223 to 1226. As a prince, he invaded Kingdom of England, England on 21 May 1216 and was Excommunication in the Catholic Church, excommunicated by a ...

and Queen Blanche, also depicted on the tomb of other maternal grandson of Alfonso VIII, Infante Alfonso of Aragon (1222-1260), the eldest son of

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( Catalan/Valencian: ''Jaume I or Jaume el Conqueridor''; Aragonese: ''Chaime I'' ''o Conqueridor''; ; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1 ...

and

Queen Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...

, decorated with the four pallets ''Gules'' and differenced with a

bordure In heraldry, a bordure is a band of contrasting tincture forming a border around the edge of a shield, traditionally one-sixth as wide as the shield itself. It is sometimes reckoned as an ordinary and sometimes as a subordinary. A bordure encl ...

charged with twenty escutcheons ''Gules'' with castles. But one of the most prominent example occurred in Portugal, when

Afonso III Alfonso III (Spanish) or Afonso III (Portuguese) may refer to: *Alfonso III of Asturias (866–910), surnamed "the Great" *Afonso III of Portugal (1210–1279) *Alfonso III of Aragon (1285–1291) *Alfonso III d'Este, Duke of Modena Alfonso III ...

added a bordure ''Gules'' charged with castles to the royal arms and remaining these until 1910, when the country became a

republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

. Since 1911 the bordure with castles have continued as part of the

national coat of arms A national coat of arms is a symbol which denotes an independent state in the form of a heraldic achievement. While a national flag is usually used by the population at large and is flown outside and on ships, a national coat of arms is normally co ...

of Portugal. A variant of the arms is adopted by

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...

since its beginning of Portuguese rule, even though it was later handed over to Spain.

Quartering with the arms of León

File:Royal Coat of Arms of the Crown of Castile (1230-1284).svg, 1230-1284 File:Royal Coat of Arms of the Crown of Castile (1284-1390).svg, 1281-1383 File:Coat of Arms of John I of Castile (as Castilian Monach and Crown of Portugal Pretender).svg, 1383-1390 File:Coat of Arms of Henry III of Castile (1390-1406).svg, 1390-1406 File:Royal Coat of Arms of the Crown of Castile (15th Century).svg, File:Coat of Arms of the Crown of Castile (16th Century-1715).svg, -1715 When his father,

Alfonso IX Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. I ...

, died in 1230, King Ferdinand III of Castile received the

Kingdom of León The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in 910 when the Christian princes of Kingdom of Asturias, Asturias along the Bay of Biscay, northern coast of the peninsula ...

and united the two kingdoms. The King wanted to symbolize the union for the first time, quartering the Castilian and Leonese arms, giving the arms of Castile pride of place. His aim was to have a device that reflects an indivisible union of kingdoms due to of the transitory symbolism of the

impalement Impalement, as a method of torture and execution, is the penetrating trauma, penetration of a human by an object such as a stake, pole, spear, or hook, often by the complete or partial perforation of the torso. It was particularly used in respon ...

and secondary of the

. This method, very widespread spread in the Heraldry of different countries, was soon followed successfully throughout

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. In the middle of the 12th century quarterings were used by monarchs of Aragon-Sicily, Brabant and others like the Kings of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

adopted it during the next century.

John I of Castile John I (; 24 August 1358 – 9 October 1390) was King of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from 1379 until 1390. He was the son of Henry II of Castile, Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile. John ascended to the throne in 137 ...

impaled the Castilian quartering with the arms of Portugal as pretender to the throne of that kingdom. The Royal Arms of Castile quartered with the Leonese ones were borne by the Castilian monarchs until the reign of the

Catholic Monarchs The Catholic Monarchs were Isabella I of Castile, Queen Isabella I of Crown of Castile, Castile () and Ferdinand II of Aragon, King Ferdinand II of Crown of Aragón, Aragon (), whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of ...

. The quartering was remained as symbol associated with the Crown of Castile territory until the promulgation of the ''Nueva Plant''a decrees by

Philip V Philip V may refer to: * Philip V of Macedon (221–179 BC) * Philip V of France (1293–1322) * Philip II of Spain, also Philip V, Duke of Burgundy (1526–1598) * Philip V of Spain Philip V (; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was List of Sp ...

in 1715.

Hispanic Monarchy and current uses

In 1475,

Isabella of Castile Isabella I (; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''Isabel la Católica''), was Queen of Castile and León from 1474 until her death in 1504. She was also Queen of Aragon from 1479 until her deat ...

and

Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II, also known as Ferdinand I, Ferdinand III, and Ferdinand V (10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), called Ferdinand the Catholic, was King of Aragon from 1479 until his death in 1516. As the husband and co-ruler of Queen Isabella I of ...

joined the arms of the Crowns of Castile and

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...

in a quarterly shield. It followed the method created by Fernando III and giving the arms of Castile pride of place again. A series of dynastic marriages enabled the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

to occupy the thrones of Castile, Aragon and Navarre, the arms of Castile have appeared in the arms of all Spanish monarchs and, since 1869 when was adopted, in all versions of the

. As above, in all these cases giving the Castilian arms pride of place.

In Spain

Leaving aside the Spanish local and provincial heraldry, where can be found numerous examples and being the most prominent the coat of arms of Toledo, the Castilian arms are among the elements of the coats of arms of the

autonomous communities The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Spa ...

(regions) of

Castile and León Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autonomous community in Spain by area, covering 94,222 km2. It is, however, sparsely populated, with a pop ...

(which has adopted the quartering of Ferdinand III),

La Rioja La Rioja () is an autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community and provinces of Spain, province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other List of municipalities in La Rioja, cities and towns in the ...

, Castile-La Mancha,

Extremadura Extremadura ( ; ; ; ; Fala language, Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is a landlocked autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, Spain, Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central- ...

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Murcia Murcia ( , , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the Ranked lists of Spanish municipalities#By population, seventh largest city i ...

and within the bordure of the

autonomous city An autonomous city is a type of autonomous administrative division. The most prominent example of this is in Argentina, a federal country with 23 provinces and an autonomous city, officially called the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. In recent y ...

Melilla Melilla (, ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was part of the Province of Málaga un ...

. File:Coat of Arms of Castile and Leon.svg,

Coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

File:Coat of Arms of Castile-La Mancha.svg,

of Castile–La Mancha File:Coat of Arms of the Community of Madrid.svg,

of the

Community of Madrid The Community of Madrid (; ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities and 50 provinces of Spain, provinces of Spain. It is located at the heart of the Iberian Peninsula and Meseta Central, Central Plateau (); its capital and largest munici ...

File:Coat of Arms of the Spanish Region of Murcia.svg,

of the

Region of Murcia The Region of Murcia (, ; ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain located in the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. The region is in area and had a popul ...

File:Coat of Arms of Extremadura.svg,

File:Coat of Arms of Melilla.svg,

File:Coat of Arms of Toledo (Spain).svg,

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Or ...

In former overseas territories

Outside the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

, the castle of Castile is depicted in the arms granted to capitals of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

, as is the case of the capital of

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

San Francisco de Quito, with a triple-towered castle ''

Argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

'' and two eagles

Sable The sable (''Martes zibellina'') is a species of marten, a small omnivorous mammal primarily inhabiting the forest environments of Russia, from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, and northern Mongolia. Its habitat also borders eastern Kaz ...

on field ''Gules''. It was granted to Quito by King Charles I (Charles V as Holy Roman Emperor), in 1541. Even older, the coat of arms of

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

was granted by the

Spanish Crown The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

on November 8, 1511, making it the oldest heraldic achievement still currently in use in the Americas. File:Coat of arms of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.svg,

File:Coat of Arms of Quito.svg,

Quito Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...

Crest and supporters

Coat of Arms of Castile with the Royal Crest

The Royal Crest of Castile, also called Crest of the Castle and the Lion, was it that used the last monarchs of Castile and Spain until the 19th century. This crest consisted of a castle or fortress with nascent lion on top. These two figures are charges of the Royal arms of the former Crown of Castile. King

John II John II may refer to: People * John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499) * John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672) * John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302) * John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318) * John II Komnenos (1087–114 ...

(1406–1454) adopted this crest was, its use is documented in ten and twenty ''

dobla The dobla (plural: doblas), including ''dobla castellana'' (''excelente''), ''gran dobla'', ''dobla de la Banda'', ''dobla cruzada'', ''dobla alfonsi'' and ''dobla almohade'', was the name of various Iberian Peninsula, Iberian gold coins betwee ...

s'' coins, minted in the city of

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

. According to historian José María de Francisco Olmos in his study of the late medieval Castilian currency, the obverse of these coins are represented a shield with the Device of the Bend and the Castilian Royal Crest. In the same study, the author recalls that the Crest of the Castle and the Lion is also represented at an image of King John II, an equestrian portrait of the ''Armorial of the Golden Fleece'', preserved in the

Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal The Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal (, ''Library of the Arsenal'', founded 1757) in Paris has been part of the Bibliothèque nationale de France since 1934. History The collections of the library originated with the private library of Marc Antoine ...

(

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

). Faustino Menéndez Pidal de Navascués noted that, previously, the Castilian monarchs had used a crest, consisting of the figure of a nascent

griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...

''Or''. This crest, reproduced in the ''

Armorial de Gelre The Gelre Armorial () is a medieval armorial. History The armorial was compiled before 1396 by one Claes Heinenzoon (or Heynen, fl. 1345−1414) who was a herald in the service of the Duke of Guelders and also the creator of the Beyeren Armo ...

'' (folio page 60v), was used by

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

, John I and Henry III. After the reign of the

, there is evidence of its usage by

Philip I Philip(p) I may refer to: * Philip I of Macedon (7th century BC) * Philip I Philadelphus (between 124 and 109 BC–83 or 75 BC) * Philip the Arab (c. 204–249), Roman Emperor * Philip I of France (1052–1108) * Philip I (archbishop of Cologne) ( ...

in some versions of his

achievement Achievement or achieving may refer to: *Achievement (heraldry) *Achievement (horse), a racehorse *Achievement (video games), a meta-goal defined outside of a game's parameters, a digital reward that signifies a player's mastery of a specific task ...

adopted as King ''jure uxoris'' of Castile. There are two prominent examples in his seal and the book of the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

, illustrated by

Simon Bening Simon Bening ( – 1561) was a Flemish miniaturist, generally regarded as the last major artist of the Netherlandish tradition. Bening, born either in Ghent or Antwerp, was probably trained by his father, illuminator Alexander Bening, in the ...

. The achievement of King Philip I was reproduced in this book due his status as sovereign and grand master of this order. The Spanish monarchs of the

also maintained the royal crest in their achievement. At the beginning of the 16th century the lion of the crest, crowned, began to hold a sword and a ''

globus cruciger The for, la, globus cruciger, cross-bearing orb, also known as ''stavroforos sphaira'' () or "the orb and cross", is an Sphere, orb surmounted by a Christian cross, cross. It has been a Christian Church, Christian symbol of authority since the M ...

''. Philip II and Philip III added two crowned helmets with nascent dragons, the crests of the Portuguese and

Aragonese monarchs This is a list of the kings and queens of Aragon. The Kingdom of Aragon was created sometime between 950 and 1035 when the County of Aragon, which had been acquired by the Kingdom of Navarre in the tenth century, was separated from Navarre in ...

; besides, it gave the crest and arms of Castile pride of place (the central position). This achievement is placed above the bronze figures, portrait of the family of Philip II, by the Milanese sculptor Pompeo Leoni (1533-1608), son of

Leone Leoni : Lioni Leoni ( – 22 July 1590) was an Italian sculptor of international outlook who travelled in Italy, Germany, Austria, France, Spain and the Netherlands. Leoni is regarded as the finest of the Cinquecento Medalist, medallists. He made his ...

, that are located in the interior of the Basilica of

El Escorial El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (), or (), is a historical residence of the king of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, up the valley ( road distance) from the town of El Escorial, Madrid, El ...

(

). Because of Spanish monarchs gave the Castilian quarters pride of place in their arms, the Royal Crest of Castile remained as single crest at their armorial achievement. Both latest versions of the armorial achievement of Spain with the royal crest, adopted by Philip V and his son

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

, showed the lion of the crest with a modern royal crown (with eight half arches) and a scroll charged with the

battle cry A battle cry or war cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same combatant group. Battle cries are not necessarily articulate (e.g. "Eulaliaaaa!", "Alala"..), although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religio ...

'' Santiago!''. The meaning of the phrase is to praise St. James the apostle, patron saint of Spain. At that time, it was usual to consider the Royal Crest of Castile as the crest of the whole of Spain, thus it was exposed by heraldists as José de Avilés e Iturbide, 1st Marquis of Avilés, in his book ''Ciencia heroyca''. Since the 18th century, full royal armorial achievements were used occasionally and the crest of the Castle and lion practically fell into disuse until its demise in 1975, when the Spanish monarchy was restored. In heraldry,

supporter In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up. Historically, supporters were left to an individual's free choice and were assu ...

s are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up, first appeared in English heraldry in the 15th century. Originally, they were not regarded as an integral part of arms, and were subject to frequent change. Lions were sporadically shown supporting the arms of the Castilian monarch and were introduced by John II. The lions as supporters were displayed until the reign of Philip V and, after 1868, in some ornate versions of the national arms of Spain. File:Coat of Arms of John II and Henry IV of Castile with Supporters.svg, Coat of Arms of

and Henry IV with

Supporters In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the Escutcheon (heraldry), shield and depicted holding it up. Historically, supporters were left to an individual's fr ...

File:Arms of the Crown Castile with the Old Royal Crest.svg, The arms of the Crown of Castile with the ancient royal crest File:Arms of the Crown Castile with the Royal Crest.svg, The Castilian arms with the Crest of the Castle and the Lion. During the reign of John II the royal crest was represented over the Device of the Bend depicted on a shield File:Full Ornamented Coat of Arms of Spanish House of Austria (1580-1668).svg, File:Full Ornamented Royal Coat of Arms of Spain (1761-1868 and 1874-1931).svg, Full armorial achievement of the Monarch of Spain since

with the Crest of the Castle and the Lion

Castilian flags

As it was quite usual during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

many

flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

banners A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...

and

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...

s were not standardized. There has never been a Castilian royal standard or banner with a unique design. There were varied designs of the castle or colours of the fabric, depending on the artisan or prevailing fashion. They have their origin in the representation of the arms of the Castilian monarch on cloth to be used as flag and, by extension were emblem of the Kingdom and the Historic Region of Castile. The field ''Gules'' was represented in more or less dark reddish tones, although a more specific colour,

crimson Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple. It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, '' Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red col ...

, has been used very frequently in Castile. File:Royal Banner of the Kingdom of Castile.svg, Royal Standard of the Kingdom of Castile File:Royal Banner of the Kingdom of Castile (Variant).svg, Royal Standard of the Kingdom of Castile
(Variant) File:Royal Banner of the Crown of Castille (Early Style).svg, Royal Standard of the Crown of Castile
(14th century) File:Royal Banner of the Crown of Castille (15th Century Style).svg, Royal Standard of the Crown of Castile
(15th century) File:Royal Banner of the Crown of Castille (15th Century Style)-Variant.svg, Royal Standard of the Crown of Castile. Square Shape
(15th century) File:Royal Banner of the Crown of Castille (Habsburg Style).svg, Royal Standard of the Crown of Castile
(ca.1500-1715) File:Flag of Castile and León.svg,

Flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

of the Autonomous Community of
Castile and León
(1983-) File:Flag of Castile-La Mancha.svg,

of the Autonomous Community of
Castile-La Mancha
(1986-) A triple-towered castle on red or crimson fabric has shown in standards used by Castilian monarchs. The quartering of Ferdinand III was also displayed on his standard and it has served as the basis for current flags of autonomous communities of

and Castile-La Mancha. Further confusions led to apply the colour purple to a legendary «Castilian banner» (which neither preserved nor has never been documented), identifying the color purple as symbol of the Kingdom of Castile, something that influenced in the

of the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...

and its lowest band. There are different hypotheses to explain the origin of the confusion. Fundamentally, the origin part of chromatic colour relationship among purple and red/crimson. Colour crimson was also widely used to represent the color purple, used in the ancient world as symbol of the sovereignty and authority of monarchs. One of the assumptions made is supported by the fact that with the passage of time many cloths, that originally were crimson, worn may become confused with other tones, as the purple. These inaccuracies were the creation of a legend on the purple colour of the banner used during the

Revolt of the Comuneros The Revolt of the Comuneros (, "War of the Communities of Castile") was an uprising by citizens of Crown of Castile, Castile against the rule of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles I and his administration between 1520 and 1521. At its hei ...

against King Charles I of Castile and Aragon (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles V), between 1520 and 1521. Nowadays

Castilian nationalism Castilian nationalism or "Castilianism" () is a fringe political movement that advocates for the national recognition of Castile, and in some cases, its independence from Spain. History The 19th century saw the development of what historian ...

movement uses a purple flag charged with the triple-towered castle in the center and Castilian Leftist groups included the castle within a red star. File:Banner of arms kingdom of Castile.svg, A Modern Interpretation. Colour Crimson
(Unofficial) File:Flag of Castile.svg, Another Modern Interpretation. Colour Red
(Unofficial) File:Flag of Castile (purple).svg, Flag used by Castilian Nationalists
(Unofficial) File:Flag of Castile (with star).svg, Flag used by Castilian Leftist Groups
(Unofficial)

Notes

Sources

* * Menéndez-Pidal de Navascués, Faustino (2004) ''El Escudo de España'' he coat of arms of Spain Real Academia Matritense de Heráldica y Genealogía, Madrid. PP. 64–78.

External links

The standard of Castile
(In Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Castile

Heraldry of Castile The coat of arms of Castile was the coat of arms, heraldic emblem of its King of Castile, monarchs. Historian Michel Pastoureau says that the original purpose of heraldic emblems and Seal (emblem), seals was to facilitate the exercise of power and ...

Coats of arms of former countries Coats of arms with buildings Coats of arms with lions Royal arms of European monarchs

Origin

Propagation

France

Portugal

Quartering with the arms of León

Hispanic Monarchy and current uses

In Spain

In former overseas territories

Crest and supporters

Castilian flags

See also

Notes

Sources

External links