Royal coat of arms of Scotland
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The shield of the Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland |
The
Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland was the official
coat of arms of the
monarchs of Scotland, and were used as the official coat of arms of the
Kingdom of Scotland until the
Union of the Crowns in
1603. Afterwards, the arms became an integral part of the
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom.
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The Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland, as used before 1603 |
The
shield depicts a red
lion rampant on a yellow field, surrounded by and double tressure fleury-counter-fleury.
The
crest is a red lion sitting on a crown, holding a sword and a sceptre. Above the lion is the motto 'In Defens', which in turn is taken from the war cry 'In My Defens God Me Defend'. (The spelling of 'Defens' being the
Scots spelling of 'Defence').
The supporters are two crowned unicorns, the
dexter supporter holds a banner of the arms; the
sinister supporter holds the
national flag of Scotland.
The coat features both the motto
Nemo me impune lacessit (No-one wounds (touches) me with impunity) and insignia of
The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle around the shield.
Kingdom of Scotland
A form of these arms was first used by
King William I in the
12th century. A register in the
College of Arms in
London describes the arms of the
Kyng of Scottz as being
Or, a lion rampant within a double tressure flory counter-flory Gules. (The lion is usually also depicted
armed and langued azure.) The supporters were
unicorns (chained as
heraldic unicorns normally are, since they were considered dangerous beasts) and the
crest was a crowned lion gules
sejant affronte, holding a
sceptre and a
sword. The
motto was
Nemo me impune lacessit (
Latin:
"No one provokes me with impunity") and the
war-cry was
"In My Defens God Me Defend", abreviated to read
"In Defens".Union of the Crowns
On the death of
Queen Elizabeth I of England in
1603,
James VI, King of Scots inherited the English throne, becoming King James I of England and VI of Scotland. The
Royal Coat of Arms of England were quartered with those of Scotland, and a quarter for the
Kingdom of Ireland was also added, as the English monarch was also
King of Ireland.
In each of the still
independent kingdoms he used a slightly different version of the same arms, and this distinction was maintained after the
Acts of Union 1707 and continues to this day. In the Royal Coat of Arms for Scotland, the Scottish quarter and unicorn supporter are given priority in place; the Scottish crest and mottos are also used.
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The current Royal Arms of Scotland |
The Scottish version of the Royal Coat of Arms shows the lion of Scotland in the first and fourth quarters, with those of England being in the second. The harp of Ireland is in the third quarter.
The mottos read 'In Defens', from the original 'In My Defens God Me Defend' (Using the
Scots spelling of
Defence) and 'No one touches me with impunity', from the
Scots 'Wha Daur Meddle Wi' Me', translated into the
Latin Nemo me impune lacessit. This expression refers to the floral emblem of Scotland, the
Thistle, which has sharp spikes at the tips of its leaves. This is also used as the motto of the highest order of chivalry in Scotland,
The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle and is also used as the motto for the
Royal Regiment of Scotland.
From the times of the Stuart kings, the Scottish quarterings have been used for official purposes in Scotland (for example, on official buildings and official publications).
The
Royal Standard of Scotland, also known as the
Lion Rampant, is a banner of the arms. It is officially flown from
Balmoral Castle and the
Holyrood Palace when the Queen is not in residence. It is also used unofficially as an alternative flag of Scotland, and is commonly seen on the terraces during football and rugby matches involving the Scottish national team.
The
Scottish Football Association uses a crest based on that of the Royal Arms.
The
Royal Coat of Arms of Canada feature the Scottish arms in the second quarter of the shield, and use the unicorn as the sinister supporter.
Both the
flag and
coat of arms of
Nova Scotia feature the Scottish arms.
The standard of the
Duke of Rothesay features an
inescutcheon, with the arms of the heir apparent to the King of Scotland (the Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland with a three point label).
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Scotland*
Flag of Scotland
