REGNO DELLE DUE SICILIE
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For a long time
the kingdom of Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples had been united in a personal
union and were ruled directly from Spain, remaining, however, constitutionally
separated. The period of
direct Spanish rule under the same line of kings lasted until 1713, when
Spain and both Sicilies passed to Philip, duke of Anjou, who founded the
Spanish branch of the House of Bourbon. Briefly interrupted by an eight year
spell of Savoy rule of Sicily, the two kingdoms were united again in a
personal union after the Treaty of The Hague, when Charles VI, Holy Roman
Emperor was named ruler. The kingdoms
were conquered from the Austrians by a young Spanish prince during the War of
the Polish Succession who would then become Charles VII of Naples. The two
kingdoms were then recognised as both independent and under Charles’ rule as
a cadet branch of the Spanish Bourbons by the Treaty of Vienna. After
Charles’ brother, Ferdinand VI of Spain died childless, Charles inherited the
Spanish Crown in 1759, reigning as Charles III of Spain. His son Ferdinand
(IV) then became king of the two kingdoms so as to maintain them as separate
realms (as required by the treaties restoring junior Spanish dynasts to the
southern Italian kingdoms). For a brief
period the Parthenopaean Republic was installed in Naples by French
Revolution supporters; however, a counter-revolutionary army of lazzaroni
retook Naples in order to restore royal power. (1799) In 1805 Napoleon sent his brother Joseph the capture the kingdom again. Ferdinand IV took refuge to Sicily and Joseph could enter Naples without any important resistance in January 1806. At first the kingdom was annexed by France but soon Napoleon decided to make a vassal-state of it with his brother as a king. Joseph was crowned on 30 March 1806. Anticipating a capture of Sicily the kingdom was called according tradition “Kingdom of the Two Sicilies”. With the help of the British Ferdinand IV could prevent a french occupation of the island until the end of the French Empire. However only
eight years later, Napoleon conquered the peninsula part of the kingdom
during the War of the Third Coalition and installed his brother Joseph
Bonaparte as king. Ferdinand fled to his other kingdom, on the island of
Sicily itself. Meanwhile, back
on the mainland Joachim Murat had become the second Bonapartist king. In the Edict
of Bayonne he was named as “King of the Two Sicilies”, though de facto
he never actually held the island of Sicily where Ferdinand was, and is
usually referred to as just a King of Naples. Murat actually switched sides
for a while, abandoning the Grand Army after the disastrous Battle of Leipzig
in an attempt to save his Neapolitan throne. However, as the Congress of
Vienna progressed, tensions arose as there was strong pressure to restore
Ferdinand to the Neapolitan kingdom as well as keeping his Sicilian one.
Murat returned to Napoleon and together they declared war on the Austrian
Empire, leading to the Neapolitan War in March 1815. Ferdinand and his allies
Austria, Britain and Tuscany were victorious, restoring him to his Neapolitan
throne. To avoid further French attempts, it was agreed at the Congress of
Vienna that Ferdinand would reunite his kingdom. |
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30.03.1806-20.05.1815 |
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*1768-†1844 King of the Two Sicilies
20.03.1806-06.06.1808 King of Spain 1808-1813 |
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By law of 1 December 1806 a new coat of arms for the kingdom was adopted. [1] The shield was divided gironny in 15 parts, each bearing the arms of a province. In the centre came the achievement of Joseph being the French Imperial eagle on a blue shield, surrounded by a red mantle, strewn with golden bees, lined ermine and imperially crowned. The main shield surrounded by the collar of the Legion d’Honneur and supported by two mermainds, each with a cornucopia, the dexter with a rudder, the sinister with an anchor in her hand. Shield and supporters were placed on a blue mantle lined ermine, with golden fringes and with a bordure chequy white and red “like the armes of the Norman kings, founders of the kingdom”, and royally crowned.. |
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Watercolor
of the achievement of Joseph Napoleon Ministry
of Foreign Affairs b. 5443, f.lo 1854 [2] |
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The law reads: Legge del 1 Dicembre 1806. Spiegazione delle armi. 1. Scudo delle armi imperiali di Francia:
Aquila d’oro con fulmini negli artigli in un campo azzurro, coperto dalla
corona imperiale di Francia, e col manto imperiale de’ Principi Francesi in
argento sparso di api d’oro. 2. Città e Provincia di Napoli;
Cavallo nero sfrenato in campo d’oro. 3. Terra di Lavoro: Cornucopie
d’oro legate da corona d’oro in campo azzurro. 4. Principato Citra: Bussola
marittima alata, in mezzo a due campi, uno di argento colla stella polare, e
l’altro nero. 5. Basilicata: Mezza aquila
coronata con onde al di sotto in campo d’oro. 6. Calabria Citra: Croce nera in
campo d’argento. 7. Calabria Ultra: Pali vermigli
in campo d’oro, fiancheggiati da croci nere in campo d’argento. 8. Terra d’Otranto: Pali vermigli
in campo d’oro, sopra i quali un delfino d’argento con mezza luna in bocca. 9. Terra di Bari: Pastorale d’oro
in campo azzurro, fiancheggiato da due campi d’argento. 10. Capitanata: Un monte d’oro con
spighe di grano, sopra del quale un Angiolo in campo d’azzurro. 11. Contado di Molise: Ghirlanda di
spighe di grano in campo rosso, con una stella di argento in mezzo. 12. Principato Ultra: Una corona
d’oro fra due campi, uno rosso, e l’altro d’argento. 13. Provincia di Chieti: Una testa
di cinghiale, sopra la quale un giogo rosso in campo d’oro. 14. Provincia dell’Aquila: Aquila
coronata assisa sopra tre monti d’oro in campo azzurro. 15. Provincia di Teramo: Banda
d’argento con due croci d’argento in campo rosso. 16. Regno di Sicilia: Trinacria
d’argento in campo d’oro. 17. Corona d’oro usata nelle armi
de’ Re di Napoli. 18. Manto Reale blue azzurro
fregiato di scacchi bianchi e rossi, secondo le armi de ‘ Re Normanni
fondatori della monarchia, foderato di armellino. 19. Due Sirene, che sostengono lo
scudo delle armi della Corona. Una di esse porta il cornucopia, e l’ancora; e
l’altra il cornucopia, ed un timone antico. 20. Collane della Legione d’onore
instituita dall’Imperatore de’ Francesi, e Re d’Italia. |
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By the same law a version for use on the smaller seal was adopted. This showed: Arms: Per fess, the
chief for Naples impaled of two cornucopia for Terra Lavoro and a dolphin for
Otranto in base the triquetra for Sicily; in fess point The French Empire,
imperially crowned. Order: De la Légion
d’Honneur Mantle: Azure, with a bordure chequy Argent and Gules, crowned with a royal crown with five hoops..
The law reads: Dell’Arma abbreviata pel piccolo sigillo. 1. Scudo delle armi di Francia,
ornato dalla corona Imperiale. 2. Arma del Regno di Napoli, composta
di cornucopia d’oro, e del delfino d’argento sopra un campo d’azzurro. 3. Arma del Regno di Sicilia,
indicata dalla Trinacria d’argento in campo d’oro. 4. Collana della Legione d’onore. 5. Corona, e manto Reale di Napoli
bleu azzurro, con lo scacchiere bianco, e rosso. 6. Giro pel nome del Dipartimento,
a cui appartiene il Sigillo. Certificate conforme al modello
annesso alla legge del 1 Decembre 1806. Il Segretario di Stato: F. Ricciardi [3] |
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A lesser version of the achievement shows:
Arms: Per fess, the
chief for Naples impaled of two cornucopia for Terra Lavoro and a dolphin for
Otranto in base the triquetra for Sicily; in fess point The French Empire,
imperially crowned. Crown: A royal crown
of five hoops Supporters: Two mermaids each
supporting a cornucopia, the dexter with a rudder and the sinister with and
anchor. This version is on coins:
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What can be called a national coat of arms
shows the royally crowned arms per fess with the imperially crowned
escutcheon surounded by a garland only:
The national emblem consisted of a
crowned mermaid or melusine with a cornucopia and an anchor in her
hands [4]:
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Joachim Murat |
*25.03.1767-†13.10.1815 Grand-Duke of Berg 1801-1808 King of the Two Sicilies 1808-1815 |
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The achievement of Joseph was readopted slightly embellished by his successor Joachim Murat. Behind the shield in nombril point there came a black grapnel, its stock blue, set with nine white five-pointed stars, being the badge of rank of a Grand-Admiral of the Empire. Also a helmet and a main de justice and a sceptre were added, the ball of the main dse justice charged with the triquetra of Sicily and the ball of the sceptre charged with the horse unbridled. The smaller arms was changed entirely. For the mainland the arms with the horse unbridled replaced the arms of Lavoro and Otranto. The imperal eagle came on a chief. The arms itself were surrounded by the collars of the Order of the Two Siclies and the Legion d’Honneur and was placed on a grapnel, a main de justice and a sceptre in saltire. [5] |
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Larger Arms: Arms: Irregularly gironny of the arms of the 15
Sicilian provinces, in fess point: France (Empire surrounded by the Order of the Légion d’Honneur and supported
by the grapnel of the Grand Admiral de l’Empire all on a mantle Gules,
fringed Or, lined ermine and royally crowned. Order: Of the Two Sicilies (1808). Supporters: Two mermaids, the dexter with a
rudder, the sinister with an anchor, proper Mantle: On a helmet guardant Or, royally
crowned, upheld with a main de justice and a sceptre in saltire, Gules with a
bordure chequy of two rows Argent and Vert, fringed Or and lined ermine. |
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Smaller arms:
Arms: Per fess the chief of the empire, the base
per pale of the rearing horse of Naples and the triquetra of Sicily. Orders: Of the Two Sicilies and of the
Legion d’Honneur. Supporter: Behind the shield is the grapnel
of the Grand Admiral de l’Empire and a Hand of Justice and a sceptre in
saltire. Mantle: Gules with a bordure chequy of
two rows Argent and Vert, fringed Or and lined ermine (but usually painted
blue with the row red and white) |
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The new achievement contained some innovations. 1. The Mermaids. The mermaids were first used as supporters for the arms of the Kingdom of Naples at the beginning of the 17th century. 2. The Triquetra For the Island of Sicily a new emblem was introduced. It was a silver triquetra on a golden field. It was inspired by the triquetra associated with Sicily in ancient times. (see also Sicily-Trinacria: Triquetra) 3. The Unbridled
Horse For the City and Province of Naples a black unbridled horse on a golden field was introduced. |
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Of the arms of the provinces twelve are at least known from the 17th century but some of them might be cosiderably older. The Dutch geographer Blaeu depicts them on his map of South Italy of 1640, based on an Italian map of 1620:
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The blue mantle with a bordure chequy of white and red was inspired on the apocryphal arms of the Hauteville family which was tghought to have been Azure, a bend chequy Argent and Gules. Such a coat of arms is in Monreale Cathedral and probably dates from the early 15th century. It is not known whose blason it actually was. The mantle, which should remind the Norman kings, in any case was not to the liking of Napoleon who wanted the colours to be of the Kingdom of Italy: the mantle red, the bordure green and white.
Photo H.d.V. 1998 Hauteville arms on the tomb
of William II (166-’89), 1575 Shortly before the departure of Joseph for Spain the achievement was changed by replacing the Collar of the Legion d’Honneur by the collar of the Order of the Two Sicilies, founded by Joseph on 24 February 1808. At the same time the collar of the Legion d’Honneur came around the arms in nombril point. |
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6. The Order of the Two Sicilies
The Collar of the Order of the Two Sicilies, 24 February 1808. The collar consists of sixteen medallions surrounded by a garland and separated by golden pairs of mermaids. Thirteen medallions are of the arms of the provinces, two medallions are of the arms of the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily and a last medallion is of the cypher of Joseph Napoleon, “J.N.”. This medallion was replaced by Joachim Murat by a blue medallion bearing his portrait in gold and surrounded by his name JOACHIM NAPOLEON and the words TERTIO REGNI ANNO. Pending from the collar is a red star crested with a crowned imperial eagle and charged with another medallion of a golden horse unbridled (rearing to the dexter or the sinister) surrounded by a blue bordure with the legend PRO RENOVATA PATRIA. There are several versions of the collar, one collar for example has the medallions separated by pairs of mermaids and imperial eagles alternating. The collar illustrated is the version of Joachim Murat. [6] |
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1816-1860 |
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1816-1860 |
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The 2nd Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was formed by uniting the Bonapartist and the Bourbon parts. On Sicily the Bourbons continued their former rule and on the mainland the Bonapartist constitution was suspended and Bourbon rule restored. As an illustration of the complete restoration of the Bourbons the royal arms were augmented by the addition of the collars of the Order of the Holy Spirit (Du St Esprit, France) and of Charles II or The Immaculate Conception (Spain 1771). [7] |
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Decree n° 592 bis,
prescibing the uniform desigsn of the arms and seals, dated Naples 21
December 1816 and published as a Supplimento della Collezione delle leggi reads
as follows: “Sul
rapporto del nostro Segretario di Stato Ministro degli affari esteri; Abbiamo
decretato e decretiamo quanto siegue: Art. 1. I nostri
stemmi saranno fregiati non solamente de’ nostri reali ordini cavallereschi
di S. Gennaro, di S. Ferdinando e del merito, e Costantiniano di S.Giorgio,
ma benanche del Toson d’oro, della Concezione e del Santo Spirito. 2. I suggelli reali
non porteranno intorno allo stemma l’indicazione di alcun dipartimento; ma
soltanto il nostro nome ed il titolo da Noi preso, cioè: Ferdinando I Re del
Regno delle Due Sicilie, ec. 3. Tutti i nostri
Segretarj di Stato e Ministri sono incaricati della esecuzione del presente
decreto”. The royal arms, adopted by decree n° 4069 of
21 December 1816 are: A.: ½ I. 1|2 1. ¼ of Castilia and Leon
enté en point of Granada; 2. 1|2 of Aragon and Sicilia-Trinacria; II. ¼ of
Austria, Valois, Burgundy and Brabant enté en point of Flanders and Tirol;
and a base 1|2 of Anjou-Naples and Jeruzalem; in Fess Point Bourbon. With a
dexter flank of Parma: ½. I. 1|3 of Farnese, Austria and bendy Or and Azure
for Burgundy; II. 1|3 of Austria, Burgundy as before and Farnese; in fess
point Portugal. And a sinister flank the arms of Medici for Tuscany. Crown: A royal crown with five hoops. Orders: 1. Order of St. Januarius; 2. Order
of the Fleece; 3. Order of St. Ferdinand; 4. Order of St. Constantin; 5.
Order of the Holy Spirit (France); 6 Order of King Charles III or the
Immaticulate Conception (Spain 1771). |
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Ferdinand I (1816-1825) |
Francis I (1825-1830) |
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Ferdinand II (1830-1859) |
Francis II (1859-1861) |
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Pictures from: www.sigilli.blogspot.com |
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The arms were a reduction of the Royal arms of Naples. They were:
Arms: ¼ of Valois, Sicily, Jeruzalem and Anjou-Naples and on an escutcheon Bourbon. Crown: A royal crown of five hoops These arma can be qualified as the National Arms. They succeeded the national arms of Joachim Murat and probably the adaptation of these arms after 1816 (see below). |
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The achievement is a continuation of the achievement of the Kingdom of Naples, the number of quarters reduced to four.It was probably adopted by king Ferdinand II but for most purposes the royal arms and seals were used. It is: Arms: ¼ of Valois, Sicily, Jeruzalem and Anjou-Naples and on an escutcheon Bourbon. Crown: A royal crown of five hoops Orders: Of Francis I (Sicilies, 1829); Military Order of St Constantin; of St. Ferdinand (Sicilies, 1800), of St Januarius (Sicilies 1738). Supporters: Two lions proper. Æ See illustration in the head of this essay. [8] |
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Besides these arms there were other arms which continued the tradition of the arms of Murat but were adapted to the Bourbon regime by replacing the imperial eagle by the three fleurs de lys of Bourbon. Probably these arms were used 1816-’30. They were: Arms: Per fess, the chief impaled of the horse unbridled of Naples and the triquetra of Sicily, the base Azure, three fleurs de lys Or, for Bourbon. |
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Seal of the Banco delle
Due Sicilie Founded by Joachim Murat
in 1808 and renamed in 1849 |
Stamp with
horse-triquetra-fleurs de lys emblem The emblem was used on
stamps 1858-‘60 |
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Arms
of the Sicilies on the Torre
Maggiore in Terlizzi (Puglia) Said
to be put there in honour of Ferdinand IV (1815). |
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© Hubert de Vries 2012-09-25
Heraldry of the World