SVERIGE
Part3
|
|
||
|
||||
In medieval swedish society an important role seems to have been played by three officials reminding us of the archontate created in Athens in about 750 BC.. There the institutions of state were distributed over three archonts: one giving his name to the year (έπωνυμος), one being the head of the church (βασιλευς) and one being the commander of the army (πολεμαρχος). These archonts had their counterparts in the mythical world in the Gorgon sisters Euryale (the far wanderer), Medusa (the ruler) and Stheno (the powerful). In iconography there is a symbol representing such a trinity. It is the triquetra which appeared in the realm of Athens not long after the institution of the archontate. It consists of three bended legs conjoined at the thights. A more abstract form of this triquetra consists of a whirl of three parts. This symbol has a wider range of distribution, apparently being an ancient celtic symbol of trinity. The oldest way a trinity was symbolized in Sweden was also a triquetra. It is on a runic stone from the 5th-6th century, found in Gotland. This shows a triquetra composed of three snakes and a sitting man supporting two other snakes. We may suppose that the stone actually symbolizes the three institutions of the swedish state, the man below ruling two of the state institutions, probably a combination of religious and armed authority or of administrative and armed authority or two of the instititutions of state as they were in Sweden of the time. Triquetra from Rune Stone G181 |
||||
Swedish Archonts |
||||
Odin, Thor
and Freyr. On a detail from Gotland runestone G 181, Viking Age (800-1050 ca) Swedish Museum of National Antiquities in Stockholm. The inscription
reads (in latin script): roþuisl : aug : farborn : auk : kunborn :
(Hróðvisl and Farbjôrn and Gunnbjôrn). About
this very interesting stone several hypothesis’ have been proposed. One of
them states that the Odin, Thor and Freyr trinity is represented. In the
upper register is a scene of an appointment, the man in the middle receiving
a spear from a seated man on the right. On the left is another seated person
being a woman or another man pointing at his nose (or having an enormous
erection?). On the left side of the scene is a bird of uncertain species but
on the right side is another version of the triquetra, this time composed of a threepointed endless line.
This symbol links the picture to the swedish state of the time. The
inscription may be taken literally and may apply to the three men of the
second register who should be Hróðvisl, Farbjôrn and Gunnbjôrn then. The first is bearing
the spear which was presented to him in the upper register. This spear is the
symbol of armed authority. The two other men bear a mace and a sickle, which
are the symbols of governance (or justice) and fertility. In that case the
three men represented are holding the offices of a swedish 11th century archont
or they are the priests of Odin Thor and Freyr as documented by Adam of
Bremen who may have been identical anyhow. |
||||
The first known
attempts to Christianize Sweden were made by Ansgar in 830,
invited by the Swedish king Björn at Haugi.
Setting up a church at Birka
he met with little Swedish interest. A century later Unni,
archbishop of Hamburg, made
another unsuccessful attempt. In the 10th century
English missionaries made inroads in Västergötland. In about the
middle of the 12th century when Christianity was
almost established in Sweden, the swedish archonts
were represented somewhat different, probably to appease criticism of the
church. An example of a representation of such archonts is on the Tapestry in Skog Church (Hälsingland). Terje I. Leiren writes about the iconographic program of
the tapestry: “Scandinavian/Viking
kings could easily be depicted as representions of the earlier pagan deities
without the authorities of the Roman Church being any the wiser. In the same way that an anonymous woodcarver craftsman working on
the Borgund Stave Church in western Norway could put a representation of the
one-eyed Odin on the top of a column in the dark upper reaches of the
sanctuary, so too could an artisan represent the pagan gods as medieval kings
and/or saints. Consequently, with his axe, St. Olaf came to be associated
with Thor and his hammer.” The three
‘Gods’ of Skog Tapestry In the tapestry,
however, there seems to be a mixing of deities, as St. Olaf with his axe
represents not Thor, but the one-eyed Odin who is
placed next to a representation of a tree, perhaps the Yggdrasil from which
he had hung. In addition, King Knud, killed at the alter of St. Albans Priory
in Odense, Denmark, is placed in the middle, holding a Thor-like hammer (the
crucifix?), while King Erik (the fertility diety, Frey) flanks him on his
right holding an ear of corn. This arrangement, with Thor in the middle, is
similar to Adam of Bremen's description of the idols in the great temple at
Uppsala where Thor is said to be flanked by Odin and Frey.” [1] Taking into
account what I have remarked before, it is likely that not
deities but the swedish archonts or
commissioners are represented, each with his badge of office. These are an
axe for armed autority, a sword (not a Thor-like
hammer) for judicial and administrative authority and an ear of wheat for
religious authority. |
||||
The three Lions |
||||
Initially the
administrative and armed authority of the king were symbolized by two lions,
it taken for granted that the religious authority was vested in the Pope or
his archbishop of Uppsala. This can be seen on the seal of Erik X Knutsson 1210-1216 7. Samma Konung Eriks kontrasigill. Med inskrift på Peringskjölds ritning: X clipevs . erici. d.g. regis . sveorvm). Två mot hvarandra gående, krönta lejon med framvända hufvud. Sv. Dipl. N. 137, på baksidan af No 6. Om detta gäller allt hvad vid N. 6 blifvit anmärkt. Den teckning Jph. Schefferus bifogat sin afhandling De antiquis verisque Regni Sveciæ Insignibus, Tab. G. N. XXVIII, visar tydligt att redan då detta arbete utgafs (1678) endast funnits ett obetydligt fragment af detta sigill. |
||||
Later the
religious, armed and administrative authorities of the king were symbolized
by three lions. These are on the royal seal of King
Erik Eriksson (1222-’29). Counterseal, 1224 Three crowned lions passant guardant. L.: X clipevs
. erici . dei . gracia . regis sveorvm . (n° 11) |
||||
This idea was also adopted by King Waldemar (1250-’75) who, however placed the lions on a shield, thus stressing his armed authority. His shield is also strewn with hearts. These were the symbols of a Byzantine proedros and primikērios who was the head of an administrative department also the president of the Senate (ὁ πρόεδρος τῆς συγκλήτου). Heraldic Seal of King
Waldemar, 1252 Arms: Strewn with
hearts, three crowned lions passant guardant. L. .X............[SVEOR]VM (n° 15) |
||||
The Council of the Realm and The Head
of State |
||||
The
Riksrådet, (Council of the
Realm, or simply The Council, sometimes: Senatus Regni Sueciae) was a cabinet of medieval origin, consisting of magnates
(stormän) which
advised, and at times co-ruled, with the King of Sweden. The arms
with the three crowns Fresco in the Hall of Arms of the Gozzoburg in Krems
(Austria), ca 1276 These arms are on the Frescoes in the Gozzoburg
in Krems which were discovered in 2006-’07. These
show the arms of Przemysl Otakar of Bohemia when King of Bohemia, margrave of
Moravia and duke of Austria and Stiria which was the case between 1261 and
1276. The arms with the
three crowns may be of the Swedish Riksrådet, in the time between the ousting of King Waldemar
in 1275 and the election of Magnus Ladulås in 1276. During the reign of Magnus III between 1275 and 1290, the meetings of the council
became a permanent institution having the offices of Steward/prime minister (Riksdrots), Marshal (Riksmarsk) and Chancellor (Rikskansler). Of these Magnus Ragvaldsson is known to have been a steward from 1276.
Torgils Knutsson was a marshal from 1282-1306. In 1277 the brother of Magnus,
Birger Birgersson became Chancellor of his brother in 1277 until 1280. [2] He was succeeded by Peter Algotsson bishop
of Linköping Particularly from
the reign of King Gustav Vasa, with his efforts of creating a
centralised State, the members of the Council (Riksråd) gradually became more of courtiers and state officials rather than the semi-autonomous warlords
they once were. In 1634 Sweden's first written constitution in the modern sense stipulated
that the King must have a council, but he was free to choose whomever he
might find suitable for the job, as long as they were of Swedish birth. At
the introduction of absolutism, Charles XI had the equivalent organ named as Royal Council (Kungligt råd). In the Age of Liberty, the medieval name was reused, but after
the bloodless revolution of Gustav III, the old organ was practically abolished,
and he established in its place the Council of State (Statsrådet), a similar organ which circumvented the constitution in force. The 1809
Constitution, created a new Council of State, also known as the King in Council (Konungen i Statsrådet) which became the constitutionally
mandated cabinet where the King had to make all
state decisions in the presence of cabinet ministers (Statsråd). Throughout the 19th
century and reaching its culmination with the enactment of the 1974
Constitution, this new Council
gradually transformed into an executive
cabinet of ministers chaired by a Prime Minister that governs the Realm independently of a ceremonial
monarch. The Council of the
Realm of Magnus Eriksson was symbolized on his seal by three crowns. It has
long been a matter of discussion why these crowns
were chosen and what they actually were imitating. A long and learned article
about the origins of the three crowns has been written in the middle of the
20th century by
Heribert Seitz who mainly concentrates on the arms with the three
crowns of Albrecht of Mecklenburg. He has pointed out that a coat of arms
Azure, three crowns Or was in no way unknown in the 13th
and 14th centuries, they often being attributed to the legendary king Arthur.
[3] Œ At the beginning of the 13th century the three crowns were connected with the Three
Magicians of who the relics were in Cologne Cathedral, brought there by
Frederick Barbarossa from Milan. The veneration was so popular that in 1200
king Otto of Brunswick presented “three crowns for the heads of the Kings” to
Cologne Cathedral. Not long afterwards the crowns appeared in the arms of
Cologne. Later in the century the three crowns became the arms of the early
English kings in pafrticular St. Edmund and King Arthur. This was founded on
the legend of St. Helen, told by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his "Historia Regnum Brittanniae"
written about 1137. Helen was the daughter of the British king Coel of Colchester
and married with the Roman emperor Constantius I Chlorus (305-306).Helen was
supposed to have transmitted the Relics of the Three Magicians from the Hagia
Sophia in Constantinople to Milan where they were put down in the Chapel of
the Three Magicians in the church of St. Eustorgio. Here Frederick Barbarossa
took them away after the devastation of the city in 1162. The connection of
an English princess with the Three Magicians and therefore with the three
crowns, seems to have been enough to make the same
connection with the other popular English kings of the thirteenth century. A coat of arms with
three crowns occurs frequently at the end of the thirteenth century in
manuscripts of the Adventures of Arthur. The number of crowns and the
tinctures differ initially but stabilize at the beginning of the 14th century of thee golden crowns on a blue field. Thes
arms though are not supported by the text of the
adventures. [4] At the same time the arms of St. Edmund of East Anglia (855-871) was developed. In theSiege
of Caerlavarock is written in vs. 945 et seq: Puis fist li rois porter amont Sa baniere
e la Seint Eymont, La Seint
George, e la Saint Edwart, (...) This banner of St.
Edmund was, according to later sources Azure, three crowns Or. [5] Three crowns are
also on a seal of King Edwad II (1307-’27) from 1319 from which there also
exists a representation in color. At the same time
they are on an Irish coin. The three crowns were later used as a coat of arms for Ireland by
the romantic King Richard II (1377-’99)
a contemporary of Albrecht.. It may of course
be true that the three crowns are meant to symbolize the three magicians from
the east. Another possibility however is that they symbolize the three
officials of the Council of the Realm, the Steward, the Marshal and the
Chancellor. The Steward of Magnus III was Magnus Ragvaldsson, his Marshal
Torgils Knutsson. The office of Chancellor was usually performed by the
bishop of Linköping, in the time of Magnus by his brother Bengt. The arms of Magnus were strewn with hearts, symbolizing the
Byzantine office of Primikerios or Head of the
Administration. This he already bore when he only was a Jarl serving king Waldemar (1266-’75). This makes him the the
president of the Council, i.c. head of State. |
||||
The first time
three crowns occurred in connection with the arms of the King of Sweden was
in 1275 when they were accompanying the arms of Magnus Ladulås. Here they
clearly symbolize the state
and in this meaning they were the foundation of the arms with
the three crowns which are the arms of state of Sweden. The three crowns
are comparable with other European emblems of state. In the first place the
arms with the patriarchal cross of Byzantium and Hungary but also with the
arms of Aragon, dating from 1281. The combination of
the royal arms and the three crowns symbolizes the king being head of state. When the arms with
the three crowns were made the arms of a person, for example by adding a
helmet and crest or, later,
the collar of an order, i.c. the collar of the order of the
Seraphim, the arms are the emblem of the head of state regardless by whom
this office is occupied. The combination of
the royal dynastic arms and the arms of state which we notice here was also
adopted in other kingdoms, for example in Hungary in the late 14th century, transitory in England in the time of Richard
II and much later in Germany in the time of Maximilian I. Where it was not done was in France where the king was considered to be
the personalisation of the state (the l’état
c’est moi of Louis XIV). Nor was it done in Aragon where the arms of
state and the royal arms remained separated until the abolition of the
kingdom in the 18th century. In Sweden the
innovation of Magnus Ladulås was followed by Albrecht of Mecklenburg who,
besides bearing the arms of the head of state with the three crowns also bore
his personal arms quartered with the arms of state. This configuration has
been continued until the present day. 25. Samma Konung Magnus’s kontrasigill. Inskriften borta. Ett uprest krönt lejon gâende öfver tre ginbalkar. Skölden, beströdd met hjertan, omgifves af tre kronor. Sv. Dipl. N. 586, 593, 621, 631, 638, 640, på
baksidan af N. 24. Peringskjölds teckning har inskriften: clipevs magni dei gracia regis sweorvm, med hvilken torde vara samma förhållande, som blifvit anmärkt, vid N. 24. De
tre kronorna förekomma här första gången i ett Svenskt konungasigill. När de
sedermera insattes inom skölden, blefvo de blott,
till följd af sköldens form, satta i annan ordning, 2 och 1. Jfr dock
anmärkningen vid Johan Sverkerssons kontrasigill här ofvan, N. 9. Apart from the
fact that a crown is the badge of administrative rank, the three crowns are supposed to
symbolize the Swedish council of the realm consisting of the Drots (head of the Royal Household)
the Marsk (Keeper of the horses)
and the Kansler
(Chancellor/secretary) who were court officials with administrative
authority. As they had no religious or armed authority, these
resting with the archbishop and the king, they may be considered to be an
administrative board. This is confirmed by a runic calendar (probably from
the 15th-16th. century) representing two drinking horns signyfying the
beginning and the end of Christmas, but also a sword symbolizing (Swedish)
armed authority, a mitre symbolizing religious authority and three crowns on the
same level symbolizing administrative authority. Runic
Calendar Coll. Nordic Museum, Stockholm. The seal of former king Valdemar has only two crowns, suggesting that his council consisted of only two officials: Secret
seal, 1286 Image: Two crowns. L.: X
SECRETVM WOLDEMARI PRIMI REGIS SWEOV (N° 38) |
||||
Waldemar After
the death of King Magnus Ladulås in 1290 the three crowns of the council of
the realm disappeared during the rule of his son Birger Magnusson. His
pennies and half-pennies show a single crown implying that the regency was
reduced to one single person. During his
minority (1290-’98) the regent of the kingdom was marshal Torgils Knutsson
whose arms were his arms of office of
Marshal of Sweden: Per bend sinister Gules and Azure a lion rampant
Or. Seal of Torgils Knutsson L.: SIGILLVM THVRGILLI
KANVTI FILII After the
deposition of Birger Magnusson in 1318 his sister in law Ingeborg
Haakomsdotter was made a member of the regency council of her son Magnus VII
of Norway, who at the age of three, was elcted king of Sweden by the Swedish
nobility. Ingeborg was made nominal regent of Sweden and given a seat and
vote in the Swedish government and the title: Ingeborg, by the Grace of
God, daughter of Haakon, Duchess in the Kingdom of Sweden. The exact
position of Ingeborg in the regency council is hard to define properly due to
the shortage of documentation. Mats Kettilmundsson, her ally, presided over
the Swedish regency council "alongside" the two "Duchesses
Ingeborg"; Ingeborg Håkansdotter and her cousin and sister-in-law
Ingeborg Eriksdottir. Magnus, already King of Norway, was elected King of
Sweden with the approval of the Norwegian council in her presence. Ingeborg
was the only one with a seat in both the Swedish and the Norwegian minor
regency and council of state. Regardless her
position it proves from the fact that she shared her regency with Mats
Kettilmundsson and her sister-in-law Ingeborg Eriksdottir, that the regency
consisted of three officials, which may have had the authorities of the
steward, constable and chancellor. The council
manifested itself apparently on coins struck by Magnus Eriksson, representing
three crowns around his initial M Penning of Magnus Eriksson, 1340-‘58 Kungl. Myntkabinett, Statens
Historiska Museum Three crowns
surrounding the letter M [agnus]. On
the reverse the lion of Bjelbo. (Swedish Numismatic Society) The Council of
the Realm came into open conflict with King Magnus Eriksson in 1363 when he
tried to check the power of the Swedish nobles to which he had been forced to
make considerable concessions. In 1363
Magnus’ remaining son, Haakon, king of Norway, was forced to honor an
agreement with his father’s ally, king Valdemar. Before the troubles began,
he was betrothed to Valdemar’s daughter Margareta with whom he married in
1363. When Valdemar waged war on
Sweden, Haakon broke the agreement and made a new one: he betrothed Elisabeth
of Holstein, in 1361. In late winter
1362 she was sailing to Sweden with her escort to marry Haakon, but a storm
drove the ship to Bornholm, which was controlled by the archbishop of Lund –
loyal to king Valdemar. The archbishop declared that no marriage could take
place between Haakon and Elisabeth, as this was against canonic law; from the
archbishop’s point of view Håkan was still to marry Margareta. They tied the
knot in 1363. The
Swedish nobles seethed with fury. Their arch enemy Valdemar was now bound to
Sweden, which could well mean that a son born by his daughter could be king
of Sweden – and run his grandfather’s errands. Meanwhile, the counts of
Holstein were disappointed as their possibility of an important alliance was
made impossible. The Hanseatic league worried about which consequences this
new alliance could have when it came to their influence in Sweden and at the
market of Skanör and Falsterbo. The Swedish nobles acted first. Some of them, including the powerful Bo Jonsson Grip, went to Mecklenburg to offer duke Albrecht the crown of Sweden. His son, Albrecht the younger, was appointed the task. The Swedish cities joined the two Albrechts when they and the Swedish nobles arrived in Stockholm with a fleet and about 1 500 soldiers the 29th of November 1363. The same day the burghers of Stockholm swore allegiance to Albrecht the younger and promised to “live and die” with him. This marks the beginning of a civil war between Magnus and his son Haakon on the one side and the Nobility-party and Albrecht on the other side. On 18 february 1364 Albrecht the younger was really elected king and crowned on the Stones of Mor. By july Haakon and Magnus were forced to negotiations after losing the castle at Örebro and the newly erected Svaneholm. A truce was signed by both parts but in the autumn the hostilities continued, and Albrecht himself lead the siege of Åbo castle in Finnland. Immediately after his election and coronation on 18
February 1364 a coat of arms with three crowns appears. It is on the seal of
Albrecht used from 1364 to 1368. It makes him King of the Swedish nobility
represented by the Council of the Realm. Secret seal of Albrecht of Mecklenburg, 1364-‘68 Arms: Three crowns 2 &1. Crest:
Two horns set with little pennons. In
the field two bearded heads resembling Albrecht himself. L.: SECRETUM ALBERTI
DEI GRACIA SUEOR GOTORVM REGIS On
this seal Albrecht presents himself as a Head of the Administration. |
||||
Albrecht of Mecklenburg and his Father Albrecht
II of Mecklenburg In: Ernst
von Kirchberg’s Reimchronik, 4. fol.1v., 1378 (Landeshauptarchiv
Schwerin). |
||||
Albrecht of Mecklenburg on a tapestry, last quarter of 14th cent. Probably by Nicolas Bataille of
Paris. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
||||
After
the siege of Stockholm in 1371 Albert secured
the Swedish crown, but was also forced to make a belated coronation oath in
which he agreed to extensive concessions to the Swedish nobility ceding most
of his power to the regency council and de
facto to Bo Jonsson (Grip). As a result his seal with the
arms with the three crowns disappeared. A new coat of arms appeared in Bellenville Armorial
(compiled 1355-1380) marshalling the arms with the three crowns with the
quarters of Mecklenburg.
Bellenville Armorial fol. 27 (upper half). 1371ca. [6] On this leaf the
hearts symbolizing the presidency are removed from
the arms of Magnus Eriksson. Instead a quarter with three crowns symbolizing
Swedish administration are added to the arms of Albrecht. A candidate for the
arms Or strewn with hearts, three bendlets sinister a lion Azure, is Haakon
(VI) being the second son of Magnus Eriksson. The same
arms but without the hearts may have been intended for his son Olaf (*1370) before his coronation of a King of
Denmark in 1375 (at the age of four). For the arms Azure,
three bendlets sinister Argent and a lion Or no owner could be found
(Euphemia Eriksdotter, sister of Magnus? †1370). |
||||
Margaret |
Queen of Denmark and Norway 1387-1396 Queen of Sweden 1389-1396 |
|||
Secret seal of Queen Margaretha used 1391-‘93 L: X secretum X secretum X secretum X secretum X secretum
[7] |
||||
Eric XIII/VII |
†1459 King of Denmark and Sweden 1396-1439 |
|||
The arms with the crowns of Eric XIII were supported by a square cross
which is the symbol of administrative authority. 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 [8] |
||||
Charles VIII
Knutsson |
Regent of Sweden 1438-1441 King of Sweden 1448-1457 King of Norway 1449-1450 |
|||
In the time of the regency of Carl Knutsson (Bonde) 1438-‘41 the use of
the arms with the three crowns of King Albrecht was continued, the crest
however changed. It consists of two arms vested in blue sleeves lined ermine
and upholding a plumed crown which we may suppose was the crown of the regent
himself. Crested arms of Sweden From the
Armorial Bergshammer
fol. 222. v°. [9] Arms: Azure, three crowns Or
2&1. Crest: On a helmet lambrequined Or two
arms vestedAzure lined Ermine, upholding a crown Or plumed Argent. L.: die coninc van sweden These arms are the arms of Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson who was appointed Rikshövitsman,
(Commander in chief), at the Riksdag in Arboga of 1435 that is often considered the first Riksdag in Sweden. After his victory over Eric of Pomerania the national seal (Riksklämman) was introduced, alsoshopwing the arms of the realm. Rikshövitsman was a military office in late medieval Sweden,
especially during the Swedish freedom struggle against the Danish union kings
at the time of the Kalmar Union. Rikshövitsmannen was
then commander in chief of the national Swedish army. Board stood near
riksföreståndarämbetet, but had a clearer military profile. Riksföreståndarämbetet = Regent is a temporary or deputy
head of state in a state with monarchical form of government. Sometimes the
term as a synonym regent regent. The title was introduced in the Scandinavian
countries in the 1400s as a translation of the German title Reichsverweser. The Swedish
kings were inaugurated near the Stones of Mora at 10 km S.E. of Uppsala. The origin of the tradition is
unknown. On one of the stones are the
arms with the three crowns in the style of the beginning of the 15th century. The stones were severely damaged in the the
beginning of the 16th century but the stone with the
arms seems to have been damaged later. |
||||
|
|
|||
Stones of Mora by Johann Schefferus (17th cent.) |
Damaged Stones of Mora |
|||
Mannequin
wearig the coat of arms of Sweden From: Grand Armorial Equestre de la Toison d’Or. (1419-’61). Bibliothèque
de l'Arsenal Ms.4790 No younger
representations of a knight vested in the coat of arms of the regent are known. |
||||
The use of the arms of the
Swedish Administration alias the
arms of the Swedish Head of State was continued by the later Kings of Sweden Arms of Sweden on the seal of King John of
Denmark, 1500 [10]
Swedish Örtug (½ öre), 1530 of King Gustav Vasa
(1523-’60) |
||||
Arms of Sweden supported by an angel on the seal
of King Christian III of Denmark, 1546 [11] These arms
were a stumbling block for Gustav I and Erik XIV who claimed the use of it
for the Kingdom of Sweden. Örtug, of
King Erik (1560-‘68) Stockholm Æ 19 mm. Weight 1.070 g. Silverpercentage 31.3% Obv.: SERICVC REX SVE Rev.: MONETA
STOCHO On this coin the arms supported with a square cross of Erik XIII are restored. In fact this symbolizes the Swedish administration, the cross symbolizing the administration of the personal union of Denmark, Sweden and Norway (The Union of Kalmar). Indeed the arms of Denmark were sometimes also supported by a square cross, symbolizing the administration of Denmark. The Swedish square cross, to avoid any confusion with the Danish cross was soon tinctured Or instead of the Danish Argent. Also, it lost its function as a supporter of the arms with the crowns but was inserted into the royal arms of Gustav Vasa (1523). It has remained a part of the royal arms until the present day. The arms with the three crowns in Sweden was also used during the reign of king John III. Probably to make a proposal for the arms for the independent kingdom of Sweden or to make a difference with the arms of the Union of Kalmar as usurped by Denmark, the field was tinctured red instead of blue. For supporter the golden square cross, introduced in 1523, was taken. This ‘proposal’ however was not followed. The arms
of King Erik In: Fru Margareta Grips Bok, 1570. (Trolleholms slott, Skane.) Arms: Gules, three crowns Or, 2&1. Supporter: A square cross Or. Instead
the arms with the crowns were royally crowned and the square cross left out. These arms symbolize the royal administration of Sweden.
The three crowns which occur at the same time still
represent the council of the realm |
||||
Seal of
Majesty of John III, 1571 The king seated, crowned and with sceptre and orb between the crowned arms of Sweden and Götaland. L.: IOHANNES III D.G.
SWEORVM GOTHORVM WANDALORVM ETC REX. ANNO MDLXXI. The crowned arms of
Sweden are the arms of the king in his quality of the Head of State of
Sweden. |
||||
Arms of
Sweden on a coin of John III, 1585 Sweden's first
constitution was adopted on 29 July 1634. It regulated some of the
administration, judiciary and the military. It was never accepted by the
monarch but was nonetheless in use until Charles XI formally established an
absolute monarchy in Sweden. The Riksdag of the Estates confirmed his power
in 1693 by officially proclaiming that the king was the sole ruler of Sweden
effectively nullifying the constitution. |
||||
Öre of King Charles II, 1698 Some time afterwards the arms with the three crowns were surrounded by the Collar of the Grand Master of the Order of the Seraphim thus re-creating a difference between the arms of the realm of Sweden and the arms of its Head of State, being the king. The office of Head of State, separated from the office of King was only created in 1876. Its first officeholder was Louis De Geer, the architect behind the new bicameral Riksdag of 1866 that replaced the centuries old Riksdag of the Estates. No heraldic consequences seem to have been taken from this creation, the arms with and without the collar both being called ‘the lesser arms of the realm’ (Lille Riksvapen). |
||||
|
|
|||
Frederick I
1720-‘51 |
Adolpus Frederick 1751-‘71 |
|||
|
|
|||
Gustavus III 1771-1792 |
Gustavus IV 1792-1809 |
|||
|
|
|||
Charles XIII 1809-‘18 |
Charles XIV John 1818-‘44 |
|||
In the law about the Arms of the Realm the arms with the three crown alias the arms of state are described as follows: Lag om rikets vapen den 15 maj 1908 3 §. Lilla riksvapnet utgöres af en blå sköld med tre kronor af guld, ställda två öfver den tredje. Skölden är täckt af en kunglig krona och omgifven af serafimerordens insignier. Vapnet må dock brukas äfven utan dessa insignier. Lag (1982:268)
om Sveriges riksvapen
3 §
Lilla riksvapnet består av en med kunglig krona krönt blå sköld med tre öppna
kronor av guld, ordnade två över en. Skölden får omges av
Serafimerordens insignier. Såsom lilla riksvapnet skall också
anses tre öppna kronor av guld, ordnade två över en, utan sköld och kunglig
krona. Myndigheter som använder lilla
riksvapnet får till vapnet foga emblem som
symboliserar deras verksamhet. Innan ett vapen med sådant tillägg tas i bruk,
bör yttrande inhämtas från statens heraldiska nämnd. Thus making no difference between the royal arms of the
head of state and the arms of the state, a difference which can be deducted
from earlier swedish heraldic configurations of the royal arms and the arms
of state. This also matches the trend in other countries where the different coats of arms are all called the arms of the kingdom/realm of which there
are only smaller, lesser and larger versions. |
||||
|
|
|||
|
||||
© Hubert de Vries 2015-04-24.
Updated 2017-10-26
[1]
Leiren, Terje I: From Pagan to Christian: The Story in the
12th-Century Tapestry of the Skog Church, Hälsingland, Sweden. http://faculty.washington.edu/leiren/skog.html
[2] Line, Philip: Kingship and stateformation in Sweden 1130-1290
https://books.google.nl/books?id=du4gbrqq-xQC&pg=PA195&lpg=PA195&dq=magnus+birgerssons+kansler&source=bl&ots=CeM9nULcHb&sig=mWG91EGdmULzxZgyVx7hDqP9IpU&hl=nl&sa=X&ei=yFIdVYDLHJDjatnrgdgB&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=magnus%20birgerssons%20kansler&f=false
[3] Seitz, Heribert: De Tre Kronorna. Det Svenska Riks vapnet i Sitt Europeiska Sammanhang. P.A. Norstedt & Sönersförlag. Stockholm, 1961.
[4] Brault, G.J.: Early Blazon. Heraldic
Termminology in the XII and XIII centuries with special reference to Arthurian
literature. Oxford, 1972 i.h.b. pp. 44-45. The color of the crowns is most of
the time silver, and varies between two and four. The field is red or blue.
[5] The banner with the arms of St. Edmund is also mentioned in the "Wardrobe account for
1299-1300" (Liber Quotidianus Contratulatoris Garderobae ... A.D.MCCXCIX
& MCCC, London 1787, p. 64).
[6] Source: Gallica bnf fr/Bibliotèque Nationale de France.
[7] Petersen, Henry: Danske Kongelige Sigiller samt Sonderjydske Hertugers, 1185-1559. Kjobenhavn, 1917. N° 55
[8]
Petersen op. cit N° 62
[9]
Raneke, Jan: Bergshammar Vapenboken - En
Medeltidsheraldisk Studie. Lund, 1975
[10] Ibid. N°89
[11] Ibid. N° 122