Coat o airms o Swaden

The greater naitional coat o airms (stora riksvapnet) an the lesser naitional coat o airms (lilla riksvapnet) are the offeecial coats o airms o Swaden.

Description

Escutcheon

The escutcheon uised in the greater blazon haes in tot five elements: 4 quarterins on the main escutcheon (twa coats o airms duplicatit), an three coat o airms incorporatit intae a escutcheon o pretense. Housomeivver, Bernadotte niver uised ony starns in the airms o Pontecorvo (neither as Prince o Pontecorvo, nor as King o Swaden an Norawa) contrary tae the illustration belaw. The starns wur introduced as an element in the ryal coat o airms in mid 19t century an then abuin the eagle.

↗	↗	↖
The three crouns	Coat o airms o the Hoose o Bjelbo	Coat o airms o the Hoose o Bernadotte
		↗	↖
		Coat of arms of the Hoose o Vasa	The initial coat o airms of the Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, Prince de Ponte Corvo, Maréchal de France (later King Charles XIV John o Swaden)
			↑ Staundart quarterin for the sovereign princes unner the Napoleon I o the First French Empire.
			↑ Eagle emblem o Napoleon I

Supporters

The airms are supportit bi twa lions wi forked tails (queue fourchée), facin away frae the shield an crouned wi Ryal Crouns. For centuries, the lion haes been an important element in Swadish heraldry an especially for the State Coat o Airms.

Collars o the Ryal Orders

The shield mey be surmuntit bi the Collar o the Order o Seraphim, the foremaist order in Swaden, an the heichest honour the Swadish state can bestou on an individual.

General description

Besides bein the offeecial naitional coat o airms, the greater coat o airms is an aa the personal coat o airms o the king, an as such he can decree its uise as a personal coat o airms bi ither members o the Ryal Hoose, wi the alterations an additions decidit bi him.

Blazon: "The greater state airms consist o a heid shield azure, quartered bi a cross or wi ootbent airms, an an inescutcheon containin the dynastic airms o the Ryal Hoose.

In the first an fowert fields three coronets or, placed twa abuin ane. In the seicont an third fields three sinisterbendwise streams argent, a lion crouned wi an open croun or wi armaments gules. The inescutcheon is pairty per pale the airms for the Hoose o Vasa an the Hoose o Bernadotte. The main shield is crouned bi a ryal croun an surroondit bi the insignia of the Order of the Seraphim. Supported bi twa lions regardant or crouned, wi pairtit tails an armaments gules, staundin on a postament. Aw surroondit bi hermine mantlin crouned wi a ryal croun an tee'd up wi tasseled strings or."

Personal Command Sign o H.M. the Keeng

The Personal Command Sign of H.M. the Keeng o Swaden

The Personal Command Sign o H.M. the King o Swaden wis introduced bi a Ryal regulation in 1943. The Command sign includes the central pairt o the greater coat o airms. The banner, offeecially termed His Majesty's Personal Command Banner, is ane o a kynd. The anerlie copy wis creatit bi Einar Kedja, a renouned Swadish heraldic airtist. The cloth is permanently attacht tae a pole wi a croun servin as finial.

The lesser coat o airms

The lesser coat o airms is mainly uised bi the Govrenment o Swaden an its agencies. As such it mey be joined bi insignies seembolisin thair activity, follaein approval bi the State Buird o Heraldry. It is, for instance, embroidered on aw Swadish police uniforms.

Blazon: "Azure, wi three coronets Or, ordered twa abuin ane." Crouned wi a ryal croun. The shield mey an aa be surroondit bi the insignias o the Order o the Seraphim."

Regulatit uisage

The uisage o the coats o airms is regulatit bi Swadish Law, Act 1970:498, which states (in translation) that "in commercial activities, the coats o airms, the banner or ither offeecial insignie o Swaden mey no be uised in a trademark or ither insignias for products or services athoot proper authorisation. This includes ony mark or text referrin tae the Swadish govrenment which thus can give the commercial mark a sign o offeecial endorsement. This includes municipal coats o airms which are registered." [1] Archived 2008-05-19 at the Wayback Machine

Ony representation consistin o three crouns ordered twa abuin ane are considered tae be the lesser coat o airms, an its uisage is therefore restrictit bi law 1970:498.

See an aa

• Swedish heraldry
• Three Crowns
• Flag of Sweden
• List of flags of Sweden