Coats of arms of the Holy Roman Empire


Over its long history, the Holy Roman Empire used many different heraldic forms, representing its numerous internal divisions.

Imperial coat of arms

Coats of arms of Holy Roman Emperors

The Reichsadler was the heraldic eagle, derived from the Roman eagle standard, used by the Holy Roman Emperors and in modern coats of arms of Germany, including those of the Second German Empire, the Weimar Republic and the "Third Reich". The same design has remained in use by the Federal Republic of Germany since 1945, but under a different name, now called Bundesadler.

Quaternion Eagle

One rendition of the coat of the empire was the "Quaternion Eagle" printed by David de Negker of Augsburg, after a 1510 woodcut by Hans Burgkmair. It showed a selection of 56 shields of various Imperial States in groups of four on the feathers of a double-headed eagle supporting, in place of a shield, Christ on the Cross. The top, larger shields, are those of the seven Prince Electors, the ecclesiastical: Trier, Cologne and Mainz as well as of the titular "Prefect of Rome" on the right wing; the secular: Bohemia, Electorate of the Palatinate, Saxony and Brandenburg on the left. The depiction also appeared on the Imperial Eagle beaker

Holy Roman Emperors

Direct attestations of imperial coats of arms become available in the later 13th century.
Past emperors are given attributed arms in 13th-century sources. Thus, Otto IV is given the first known depiction of a double-headed Reichsadler in the Chronica Majora. Henry VI is given a Reichsadler in the Codex Manesse.
Frederick II of Hohenstaufen did not use coats of arms in any of his seals. He did use the imperial eagle on some of his coins, but not displayed as a heraldic charge in a heraldic shield. Frederick's son and co-ruler Henry did have an equestrian seal with the Hohenstaufen coat of arms of three leopards, and this coat of arms is later attributed to Frederick II as well.
From the reign of Albert II, each Emperor bore the old Imperial arms with an inescutcheon of pretence of his personal family arms. This appears therefore as a black eagle with an escutcheon on his breast. Before 1438 the Emperors used separate personal and an imperial coat of arms. The arms of the High Offices of the Empire were borne as an augmentation to the office-holder's personal arms.

High offices (''Reichserzämter'')

Prince-electors

The seven Electors named in the Golden Bull of 1356 were: the Prince-Bishops of Cologne, Mainz and Trier, the King of Bohemia, the Count Palatine of the Rhine, the Duke of Saxony and the Margrave of Brandenburg.
The Count Palatine was replaced by the Duke of Bavaria in 1623, as the Elector Palatine, Frederick V, came under the imperial ban after participating in the Bohemian Revolt. The Count Palatine was granted a new electorate in 1648. Saxony was held by a Protestant elector from 1525, the Palatinate from 1541. In 1685, a Catholic branch of the Wittelsbach family inherited the Palatinate and a new Protestant electorate was created in 1692 for the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, who became known as the Elector of Hanover. The Elector of Saxony converted to Catholicism in 1697 so that he could become King of Poland, but no additional Protestant electors were created, and the Electorate itself remained officially Protestant.

Spiritual Electors

Secular Electors

Other states

Entries are listed by Imperial Circle even for territories that ceased to exist prior to 1500.

[Austrian Circle]

ArmsLocation/Blazon
Archduchy of Austria
Gules a fess argent.
Duchy of Carinthia
Or three lions passant sable armed and langued gules impaling gules a fess argent.
Duchy of Carniola
Argent an eagle displayed azure, armed, beaked, and langued gules, charged with a crescent chequy gules and Or.
Patria del Friuli
Azure an eagle displayed Or.
Duchy of Styria
Vert, a panther rampant argent incensed proper.
County of Tyrol
Argent an eagle displayed gules, armed, beaked, and langued Or.

[Bavarian Circle]

ArmsLocation and blazon
Bavaria
  • Simple form: Fusily bendwise, azure and argent.
  • Electorate, from 1753: Quarterly: fusily bendwise azure and argent; and sable, a lion rampant Or, armed and langued gules ; with an escutcheon: gules, an orb Or.
HaagGules, a horse springing argent, bridled argent.
Leuchtenberg
Quarterly: I and IV gules, an oak branch with acorns Or; II and III Or, a hops branch vert; an inescutcheon argent a fess azure.
Ortenburg
Gules, a bend embattled-counter-embattled argent
Prince-bishopric of Passau
Argent a wolf gules
Prince-bishopric of Regensburg
Gules, two keys in saltire argent.
Prince-archbishopric of Salzburg
Party per pale: Or a lion rampant sable, armed and langued gules; and gules a fess argent.

[Burgundian Circle]

ArmsLocation/Blazon
County of Burgundy
  • Before 1280: Gules an eagle displayed argent.
  • After 1280: Azure billetty Or a lion rampant of the same, armed and langued gules.
Brabant
  • Before 1288: Sable a lion rampant Or, armed and langued gules.
  • From 1288 to 1406: Quarterly, I and IV sable a lion rampant Or, armed and langued gules; II and III argent a lion rampant gules, queue fourchée, armed and langued Or.
  • From 1406 to 1430: Quarterly, I and IV azure three fleur-de-lis Or, a bordure compony argent and gules; II sable a lion rampant Or, armed and langued gules; III argent a lion rampant gules, queue fourchée, armed and langued Or.
FlandersOr a lion rampant sable.

Guelders
  • Before 1236: Or three cinquefoils gules.
  • From 1236 to 1276: Azure billetty Or a lion rampant of the same.
  • From 1276 to 1378: Azure a lion rampant Or, armed, langued, and crowned gules.
  • After 1378: Azure a lion sinister rampant Or, armed, langued, and crowned gules, impaling Or a lion rampant sable, armed and langued gules.
County of Hainaut
  • Before 1299: Chevronny Or and sable.
  • From 1299 to 1254: Quarterly, I and IV Or a lion rampant sable, armed and langued gules; II and III Or a lion rampant gules, armed and langued azure.
  • From 1254 to 1433: Quarterly, I and IV fusilly bendwise argent and azure; II and III grand-quarterly I and IV Or a lion rampant sable, armed and langued gules; II and III Or a lion rampant gules, armed and langued azure.
HollandOr a lion rampant gules, armed and langued azure.
Duchy of Limburg
  • Before 1214: Argent a lion rampant gules, armed and langued Or.
  • After 1214: Argent a lion rampant gules, queue fourchée, armed, langued, and crowned Or.

County of Loon
  • Counts of Loon: Barry of ten, Or and gules.
  • Counts of Chiny: Gules crusily fitchy, two barbels haurient addorsed Or.
  • Counts of Loon and Chiny: Barry of ten Or and gules, impaling gules crusily fitchy, two barbels haurient addorsed Or.
  • Counts of Loon and Chiny of the Heinsberg dynasty: Quarterly, I and IV gules a lion rampant argent, queue fourchée crossed in saltire; II and III barry of ten Or and gules impaling gules crusily fitchy two barbels haurient addorsed Or.
  • Counts of Loon and Chiny of the Montferrat-Oreye dynasty: Quarterly, I and IV argent a lion rampant sable; II and III barry of ten Or and gules impaling gules crusily fitchy two barbels haurient addorsed Or.
Duchy of Luxembourg
  • Until 1282 and after 1288: Barry of ten argent and azure, a lion rampant gules, armed, langued, and crowned Or.
  • From 1282 to 1288: Barry of ten argent and azure, a lion rampant queue fourchée crossed in saltire gules, armed, langued, and crowned Or.
    • County of Namur
    Or, a lion rampant sable, armed and langued gules, a bend overall of the same.

    [Franconian Circle]

    ArmsLocation and blazon
    Prince-bishopric of Bamberg
    Or, a lion rampant armed and langued gules, overall a ribband argent.
    County of Castell
    Quarterly, argent and gules.
    County of Erbach
    Party per fess gules and argent, three six-pointed mullets counterchanged.
    County of Hohenlohe
    Argent, two lions passant guardant sable, langued gules.
    County of Löwenstein-Wertheim
    Party per fess: fusily argent and azure; and Or, a lion statant gules, atop a mount azure.
    City of Nuremberg
    Or, a double-headed eagle sable dimidiating bendy gules and argent.
    County of Rieneck
    Quarterly: chevrony Or and gules; and barry Or and gules; overall a Wheel of Mainz argent.
    Rothenburg ob der Tauber
    Argent, a double-towered castle gules.
    Schwarzenberg
    Quarterly: paley azure and argent; Or, a raven pecking the eye out of a Turk's head couped at the neck proper.
    Schweinfurt
    Azure an eagle displayed argent.
    Seinsheim
    Argent, three pallets azure, a bend sinister wavy Or.
    Weißenburg im Nordgau
    Gules, a castle argent, portcullised Or, with an escutcheon of the Imperial arms at the honour point.
    Welzheim
    Argent, a pine tree on a mount Vert.
    County of Wertheim
    Party per fess: Or, a demi-eagle displayed sable; and azure three roses argent.
    Wiesentheid
    Gules, a lion passant reversed Or, crowned Or; with three stems of grass surtout, all on a mount Vert.
    Windsheim
    Argent, an eagle sable, armed and langued Or, with a W Or on the breast.
    Prince-bishopric of Würzburg
    Argent a Celtic cross sable; a chief :de:Fränkischer Rechen|dancetty gules.

    [Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle]

    ArmsLocation/Blazon
    Duchy of Cleves
    • Cleves dynasty: Gules, an escutcheon argent, overall an escarbuncle Or.
    • Mark dynasty: Quarterly, I and IV gules an escutcheon argent, overall an escarbuncle Or; II and III Or a fess chequy argent and gules.
    BergArgent a lion rampant gules, queue fourchée crossed in saltire, armed, langued, and crowned Or.
    Duchy of Jülich
    Or a lion rampant sable, armed and langued gules.
    Prince-Bishopric of Liège
    Quarterly: I: gules a fess argent; II: Argent, three lions rampant vert, crowned or, armed and langued gules; III: Barry gules and or; IV: Or, three hunting horns gules, hooped and belted argent. Overall an inescutcheon gules, a perron or, supported by three lions, surmounted by a pineapple and a cross pattée, with the capital letters L and G aside, all of the same.
    County of Mark
    • Counts of Mark: Or a fess chequy gules and argent.
    • Counts of Cleves and Mark: Quarterly, I and IV gules an escutcheon argent, overall an escarbuncle Or; II and III Or a fess chequy gules and argent.
    County of RavensbergArgent three chevrons gules.

    [Upper Rhenish Circle]

    ArmsLocation/Blazon
    Landgraviate of Hesse
    Azure a lion rampant barry argent and gules.

    		Lorraine
    • Before 1430: Or a bend gules three alerions displayed argent.
    • From 1430 to 1473: Quarterly of six, I barry of eight gules and argent ; II azure semy-de-lis Or a label gules ; III argent a cross potent and four crosslets Or ; IV azure semy-de-lis Or a bordure gules ; V azure crusilly fitchy, two barbels haurient addorsed Or ; VI Or a bend gules three alerions argent ; overall an inescutcheon Or four pallets gules.
    • From 1473 to 1508: Quarterly, I barry of eight gules and argent impaling azure semy-de-lis Or a label gules; II argent a cross potent and four crosslets Or impaling Or four pallets gules; III azure semy-de-lis Or a bordure gules; IV azure crusilly fitchy, two barbels haurient addorsed Or; overall an inescutcheon Or a bend gules three alerions argent.
    • From 1538 to 1737: Quarterly, I barry of eight gules and argent impaling azure semy-de-lis Or a label gules; II argent a cross potent and four crosslets Or impaling Or four pallets gules; III azure semy-de-lis Or a bordure gules impaling azure a lion sinister rampant Or, armed, langued, and crowned gules ; IV Or a lion rampant sable, armed and langued gules impaling azure crusilly fitchy, two barbels haurient addorsed Or; overall an inescutcheon Or a bend gules three alerions argent.
    Duchy of SavoyGules a cross argent.

    		Vaudémont
    • Before 1346: Barry of ten, argent and sable.
    • From 1346 to 1386
    • From 1386 to 1473: Or, on a bend gules three alerions argent, overall a label azure.

    [Electoral Rhenish Circle]

    ArmsLocation and blazon
    Arenberg
    Gules, three estoiles Or voided; on a chief Or three torteaux.
    Beilstein
    Gules, a hunting horn argent, bound Or.
    Prince-archbishopric of Cologne
    Argent a cross sable.
    Lower Isenburg
    Argent two bars sable.
    Prince-archbishopric of Mainz
    Gules, a wheel argent.
    Electorate of the Palatinate
    • Before 1214: Sable a lion rampant Or crowned gules.
    • After 1214: Quarterly, I and IV fusilly bendwise argent and azure ; II and III sable a lion rampant Or, armed, langued, and crowned gules.
    Thurn und TaxisQuarterly: argent, two sceptres Or in saltire, tipped with fleurs-de-lys Or, overall a tower gules, ajouré azure; and Or a lion gules, crowned, armed and langued azure; overall an escutcheon: azure, a badger argent.
    Prince-archbishopric of Trier
    Argent a cross gules.

    [Lower Saxon Circle]

    ArmsLocation
    Holstein
    Gules, a nesselblatt argent.

    [Upper Saxon Circle]

    ArmsLocation/Blazon
    Margraviate of Brandenburg
    Argent an eagle displayed gules crowned Or.
    Duchy of Pomerania
    Duchy of Saxony
    Barry sable and Or, a crancelin vert.

    [Swabian Circle]

    ArmsLocation/Blazon
    Augsburg
    Baden
    Or a bend gules.

    [Lands of the Bohemian Crown]

    ArmsLocation/Blazon
    Kingdom of Bohemia
    Argent, a lion rampant queue forchée, armed, langued and crowned Or.
    Moravia
    Azure an eagle displayed chequy argent and gules, crowned Or.
    Görlitz
    Per fess, chief gules a lion rampant argent, armed, langued, and crowned Or; base argent.
    Lusatia
    • Lower Lusatia: Argent, a bull rampant gules.
    • Upper Lusatia: Per fess embattled, azure and Or.
    Silesia
  • Upper Silesia: Azure, an eagle displayed Or, armed and langued Or.
  • Lower Silesia: Or, an eagle displayed sable, armed and crowned Or and langued gules, charged on the breast with a crescent terminating in trefoils at each end with issuing from the centrepoint a cross patée argent.

    • Other

    ArmsLocation/Blazon
    Geneva
    Or a cross quarter-pierced azure.
    Nice
    Argent, an eagle displayed crowned gules standing upon three rocks sable issuing from the sea azure issuing from the base.
    Provence
    • Before 1245: Or four pallets gules.
    • After 1245: Azure semy-de-lis Or, a label gules.
    Prussia Argent, an eagle displayed sable crowned Or.
    Teutonic Knights
    • Argent, a cross sable.
    • Grand Master: Argent, on a cross sable a cross floretty Or and overall on an inescutcheon Or an eagle displayed sable.
    Viennois Or, a dolphin haurient azure finned gules.