The State

The Achievement

Secret Seal of Erik, 1403-‘36

Arms:  [Azure] three crowns [Or] 2&1.

Supporter: Square cross

L.: secretu erici dei gra regnor dacie suecIe norwegie sclavor gothor q regis et duc pomarii [1]

Riksklämman (Greater State Seal), 1436-1523

St. Erik with spear and shield of three crowns. L.: Sanctus Ericus Sveorum Gothorum rex Sigillum regni svecie.

The "Riksklämman" or great national seal, was introduced in 1436 following the rebellion of Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson, which saw the deposition of Erik of Pomerania two years prior. Engelbrektsson was appointed to a military office as a Rikshövitsman in 1435, though his efforts to advance the cause of the working poor were exploited by the Swedish nobility, and his position within the Estates of Sweden was diminished in favor of Karl Knutsson Bonde in 1436. Assassinated later that year, he became a martyr and national hero, and decades later was viewed as a civil protector against the nobility, as indicated by the reverse of the medal above.

The obverse as well as the central element in the Riksklämman , is the depiction of Erik den helige (1156-’60). As no written records survived pertaining to his rule, information about him was based upon subsequent legends aimed at establishing his sainthood. According to some of these tales, he did a great deal to consolidate and spread Christianity throughout the realm, as well as codify the laws of the kingdom. Other miraculous legends surround his death, which has been portrayed through art as having occurred during Mass with Bishop Henry of Uppsala, such as the appearance of a fountain springing forth from his head after its decapitation.

This Riksklämman was used until the accession of Gustav Vasa in 1523.

Chistian I

King of Denmark 1448-1481

King of Sweden 1457-1464

Secret seal of  Christian I, 1457-‘60

Gustav  I        

1523-1560

Achievement of Gustavus I

In the Vasa Bible, 1541  (Royal Library, Stockholm)

Arms: ¼ Sweden and Götaland and a cross over all. In nombril point: Vasa (ancient).

Crown: O fieve leaves.

Supporters: A male and a female savage.

Erik XIV

*1533-†1577

1560-1568

crowned 25.06.1561

John III

1568-1592

The achievement of John III on his tomb in Uppsala Cathedral

Sigismund

King of Poland 1587-1623

1592-1599

Gustav II

1611-1632

Achievement from the stern of the Vasa 1628

Christina

1632-1654

The achievement of Queen Christina in Bleau’s Atlas

House of the Palatinate

Charles X Gustavus

1654-1660

The achievement of  Charles X Gustav in Blaeu’s Atlas.

I

n het wapen dat koning Charles van het Huis Vasa overnam, is het gouden kruis vervallen en het hartschild vervangen door het persoonlijk wapen van Charles Gustav: Gekwartileerd van Wittelsbach, Gulik, Kleef en Berg met hartschild Palts. Het met een gesloten kroon gekroonde schild wordt gehouden doot twee omziende leeuwen. Het kleine wapen onderaan is dat van Stade: blauw, een zilveren sleutel en twee gouden griffioenen als schildhouders.

Charles XI

*1655-†1697

1660-1697

Hedwig Eleonora. Regent 1660-1672

Charles X Gustav's will and testament left the administration of the Swedish Empire during Charles XI's minority to a regency led by Queen Dowager Hedwig Eleonora as both formal regent and chair of a six-member Regency Council with two votes and a final say over the rest of the council.

The  achievement of this Regency Council is given by Erik Dahlberg.

Achievement with the Three-crowns arms supported by two lions

From: Erik Dahlberg’s Atlas of Sweden, 1700 ca. [2]

Around the shield is a representation of an early version of the Order of the Seraphim, which was officially re-established in 1748.

In the same atlas the arms with the crowns are surrounded by the collar of the order and since then the arms usually are surrounded by it.

Photo H.d.V.

Achievement of Charles XI Gustavus

on facade of the city hall of Stade (Niedersachsen).

The city of Stade was a Swedish posession. Its city hall was built 1667. During the war between Sweden and Brandenburg (1675-’76) the city became Danish but after it Stade became Swedish again.

Charles XII

1697-1718

A Swedish man-of-war stern cabin decoration

depicting the Swedish royal achievement of King Charles XII (1697-1718).

Early 18th century. Painted and gilt wood. W.:  ca 140 cm.

Sold at Lundgrens Antikhandel

Ulrika Eleonora

1718-1720

Arms: ¼ of Sweden an Götaland and a cross patée Or over all, charged with the arms of Hesse.

Crown: A royal crown

Motto: GUD MITT HOPP (My Hope is in God)

House of Hesse

Frederick I

1720-1751

The kings of the House of Hesse replaced the central escutcheon of Vasa by the arms of Hesse being:

Arms: ¹/₆: 1. Hersfeld; 2. Ziegenhain; 3. Katzenellnbogen; 4. Dietz; 5. Nidda; 6. Schaumburg. And in nombril point: Hesse.

Arms: ¼ Sweden and Folkunge and a cross patée over all Or, charged with an escutcheon of Hesse

Crown: A royal cown of five leaves and five hoops.

Supporters: Two lions reguardant.

Motto: GUD MIT HOPP (My Hope is in God)

House of Holstein Gottorp

Adolf-Frederik

1751-1771

In the arms of kings of the House of Holstein-Gottorp the escutcheon of Hesse in the middle of the usual quartered shield was replaced by the arms of Holstein-Gottorp.

Achievement of the House of Holstein-Gottorp,

From the former Court of Justice installed in Greifswald 1664, abolished 1815.

Lime wood , H.125´W.124 cm. Inscribed: Christian Benjamin / Grunwald / Fecit 1758

Coll. Pommersches Landesmuseum, Greifswald

Arms: ¼ Sweden and Götaland. In nombril point:: ¼ 1. Norway; 2. Schleswig; 3. Holstein; 4. Stormarn; enté en point of Ditmarschen and in nombril point ¼ of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst.

Crown: A royal crown of five leaves and five hoops

Order: Order of the Seraphim

Supporters: Two lions reguardant Or

Gustav III

1771-1792

Achievement: The same as before, the collar of the Order of the Seraphim omitted.

Achievement of Gustav III

From an Austrian Armorial, 1830.

Gustav IV

1792-1809

This achievement in Von Hefner’s Wappen aller Souveränen Staaten shows the usual arms  but with the arms of the mother of Gustav IV in nombril point. Sophia Magdalena was from the House of Denmark-Oldenburg and accordingly the arms are of Denmark Oldenburg  which were: Per fess, the chief per pale of Holstein, Stormarn and Ditmarschen the escutcheon per pale of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst. It is true that Sophia Magdalena was prevented to see her son when he was deposed and went into exile but this can hardly explain this achievement.

Charles XIII

1809-1818

Silver Throne and Baldachin

decorated with the royal achievement of Charles XIII.

In the Hall of State, Stockholm

First seal of CharlesXIII (1811-’15)

Arms: ¼ Sweden and Götaland. In nombril point:: ¼: 1. Norway; 2. Schleswig; 3. Holstein; 4. Stormarn; enté en point of Ditmarschen and in nombril point ¼ of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst.

Crown: A royal crown of five leaves and five hoops.

Order: Order of Charles XIII (1811); Order of the Northern Star (1748); Order of the Sword (1522/1748); Order of the Seraphim (1748).

Supporters: Two crowned lions reguardant Or

L.: CAROLUS XIII D. G. SUECORUM GOTHORUM VANDAL. O. REX. 

After the Union of Sweden and Norway by the Treaty of Kiel (14.01.1814), and the conditions of the Union as laid down in the Convention of Moss, the revised Norwegian constitution, and the Act of Union the only institutions common to both countries were the king and the foreign service.

Accordingly the royal arms were common for both Sweden and Norway. To express the union the royal arms of king Charles XIII were changed in that the arms of Sweden and Norway were united, the escutcheon with the arms of the royal dynasty added as before. Initially the arms were tierced per chevron inversed, the main part of the shield occupied by the swedish quarters. In fact this division was inspired by the former smaller arms of the Danish Monarchy which showed per pale of Danmark and Norway and the arms of the Union of Kalmar in base.

Achievement of the Union of Sweden and Norway

Arms: Parted per chevron inversed the base per pale, in chief Sweden, the dexter of Norway and the sinister of Götaland, and a pall patée reversed Or over all charged with the adapted arms of Holstein Gottorp.

Crown: A royal crown offive leaves and hoops.

Supporters: Two lions reguardant  Or, royally crowned

Orders:  Order of Charles XIII (1811); Order of the Northern Star (1748); Order of the Sword (1522/1748); Order of the Seraphim (1748).

Charles XIV Johan

1818-1844

Karl XIV Johanns Rikssigill

(Riksarkivet, Stockholm)

Arms: Parted per chevron inversed the base per pale, in chief Sweden, the dexter of Norway and the sinister of Götaland, and a pall patée reversed Or over all charged with the arms of Wasa Bernadotte.

Crown: A royal crown offive leaves and hoops.

Supporters: Two lions reguardant  Or, royally crowned

Orders: Order of Charles XIII (1811); Order of the Northern Star (1748); Order of the Sword (1522/1748); Order of the Seraphim (1748)

L.: carolus xiv – ioh(an) – svecor(um) – norve(gum) – goth(orum) – vandal(orum) – Q (uae) – rex –

Achievement of Karl XIV Johann

Crowned arms with orders and supporters as on the seal, a crowned baldachin and mantle Gules, strewn with crowns and lined ermine added.

Oscar I

1844-1859

Norwegians regarded it offensive that the arms were also displayed in Sweden on Swedish coins and government documents, implying that Norway was an integral part of Sweden. All of these questions were resolved after the accession of King Oscar I in 1844. The proposals of a joint committee with regard to flags and arms were enacted for both countries. A union mark was placed in the canton of all flags in both nations, combining the flag colours of both countries, equally distributed. The two countries obtained separate, but parallel flag systems, clearly manifesting their equality. Norwegians were pleased to find the former common war flag and naval ensign replaced by separate flags. The Norwegian arms were removed from the greater arms of Sweden, and common Union and royal arms were created to be used exclusively by the royal family, by the foreign service, and on documents pertaining to both countries. A significant detail of the Union arms is that two royal crowns were placed above the escutcheon to show that it was a union between two sovereign kingdoms.

í However, it must be noted that in fact the spaces for Norway and Sweden were nevertheless equal. The three crowns were the arms of the Union of 1388 but were maintained in Sweden and Danmark, both pretending to be the legal heir of the Union and both pretending that the other had left it. This may well be compared with the Holy Roman Empire the emblem of which is only borne by Danmark and the Swiss Federation now, all other parts having left the Empire.

For that reason the royal arms were changed by King Oscar I by resolution of 20 June 1844 by placing the swedish quarters in the dexter half and the Norse lion-and-axe in the sinister half. To make the equality of both parts even more visible the shield was crowned by both the swedish and the norse crown, as follows:

Charles XV

1859-1872

Oscar II

1872-1907

Cast of the seal of Oscar II

Livrustkammaren  N° 18540

Motto: BRÖDRAFOLKENS VÄL (The Wellbeing of the Fraternal People)

Gustav V

1907-1950

From: Sveriges Rikskalender, 1908

Gustaf VI Adolf

1950-1973

Carl XVI Gustaf

1973-present

The new version of the national coat of arms has been produced by the National Archives in association with the Office of the Marshal of the Realm. Graphic design: Henrik Dahlström, 2013

Æ See illustration in the head of this essay

The statutory emblem is one of Sweden's symbols of state, and is also The King's personal coat of arms. 
  
The national coat of arms is used mainly by The King, the Royal Family, the Riksdag and the Government, and for foreign service. 

To Æ Ranges of Authority