The coat of arms of Gibraltar was first granted by a
Royal Warrant passed in
Toledo on 10 July 1502 by
Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as List of Aragonese royal consorts, Queen consort ...
during Gibraltar's
Spanish period.
The arms consists of an
escutcheon and features a three-towered red castle under which hangs a golden key.
Heraldic description
![Original coat of arms of Gibraltar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Original_coat_of_arms_of_Gibraltar.jpg)
The arms were described in the Royal Warrant as consisting of:
The arms consist of a shield parted ''per
fess
In heraldry, a fess or fesse (from Middle English ''fesse'', from Old French ''faisse'', from Latin ''fascia'', "band") is a charge on a coat of arms (or flag) that takes the form of a band running horizontally across the centre of the shield.Wo ...
'':
* 1st Division: Two thirds
Argent
In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...
, a triple-towered castle of
Gules
In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple).
In engraving, it is sometimes depict ...
, masoned and ajouré of
Sable
The sable (''Martes zibellina'') is a species of marten, a small omnivorous mammal primarily inhabiting the forest environments of Russia, from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, and northern Mongolia. Its habitat also borders eastern Kaza ...
.
* 2nd Division: One third Gules, a key of
Or hanging by a chain also of Or from the castle.
The castle has its roots in the heraldry of the
Kingdom of Castile
The Kingdom of Castile (; es, Reino de Castilla, la, Regnum Castellae) was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th centu ...
, the largest and most important medieval Spanish kingdom, of which Isabella was Queen. The preamble to the warrant granting the coat of arms to Gibraltar said:
The idea of Gibraltar being the key to Spain or the Mediterranean originated well before the Spanish conquest. The followers of
Tariq ibn Ziyad
Ṭāriq ibn Ziyād ( ar, طارق بن زياد), also known simply as Tarik in English, was a Berber commander who served the Umayyad Caliphate and initiated the Muslim Umayyad conquest of Visigothic Hispania (present-day Spain and Portugal) ...
, who invaded Spain via Gibraltar in 711, are said to have adopted the symbol of the key when they settled in
Granada
Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
. The coat of arms was accompanied by the inscription "Seal of the noble city of Gibraltar, the Key of Spain".
Use
![Coat of Arms of the Government of Gibraltar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Coat_of_Arms_of_the_Government_of_Gibraltar.svg)
Today, the official coat of arms as used by the
government of Gibraltar
His Majesty's Government of Gibraltar is the democratically elected government of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The head of state is King Charles III who is represented by the Governor. Elections in Gibraltar are held every four ...
consists of the original coat of arms with the addition of the
motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
''Montis Insignia Calpe'' ("Insignia of the Mountain of Calpe"; ''
Mons Calpe
The Rock of Gibraltar (from the Arabic name Jabel-al-Tariq) is a monolithic limestone promontory located in the British territory of Gibraltar, near the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, and near the entrance to the Mediter ...
'' was the Latin name of the Rock of Gibraltar), which was granted by the
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...
in 1836 to commemorate the 1779–83
Great Siege of Gibraltar
The Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Spain and France to capture Gibraltar from the British during the War of the American Revolution. It was the largest battle in the war by number of combatants. The American war had end ...
. It is the oldest coat of arms in use in an
overseas territory
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...
of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and is unique in that it is the only armorial insignia that dates from before the period of
British colonial
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
administration.
The arms differ from the
seal of Gibraltar
Seal may refer to any of the following:
Common uses
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, or "true seal"
** Fur seal
* Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...
, which is an image of the Rock of Gibraltar with a
sailing ship
A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships c ...
in the forefront. There is no evidence available as to when this image was created. From 1982, a banner of the arms has been used as the
flag of Gibraltar
The flag of Gibraltar is an elongated banner of arms based on the coat of arms of Gibraltar, granted by Royal Warrant from Queen Isabella I of Castile on 10 July 1502. The flag of Gibraltar is unique as it is the only British Overseas Territory w ...
. The arms also appear in the flag of the
governor of Gibraltar
The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the ...
. The arms of the government of Gibraltar are the same as the
royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, or the royal arms for short, is the arms of dominion of the British monarch, currently King Charles III. These arms are used by the King in his official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom. Varian ...
combined with a badge featuring the coat of arms of Gibraltar.
Variations
![Coat of Arms of San Roque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Coat_of_Arms_of_San_Roque.svg)
A very similar coat of arms is in use by the nearby Spanish municipality of
San Roque, using a slightly different version of the same main heraldic elements (the escutcheon with the castle and key), with the addition of the old Spanish Royal
Crown
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
above the escutcheon.
When Gibraltar was
captured by an Anglo-Dutch force on behalf of the pretender to the Spanish Throne, the
Archduke Charles
Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius of Austria, Duke of Teschen (german: link=no, Erzherzog Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz von Österreich, Herzog von Teschen; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field-marshal, the third s ...
, in 1704, the
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
and much of the population established a new town near the existing chapel of
Saint Roch
Roch (lived c. 1348 – 15/16 August 1376/79 (traditionally c. 1295 – 16 August 1327, also called Rock in English, is a Catholic saint, a confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August and 9 September in Italy; he is especially invoked a ...
to the west of Gibraltar,
![Coat of Arms of the Gibraltar Countryside Commonwealth](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Coat_of_Arms_of_the_Gibraltar_Countryside_Commonwealth.svg)
The Royal Warrant of 1502 which granted the coat of arms was taken by the city council to San Roque along with Gibraltar's standard and records, and is now in the San Roque municipal archives. The establishment became a new town in 1706, addressed by King
Philip V of Spain
Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mon ...
as "My city of Gibraltar resident in its Campo", and becoming the ''Spanish Gibraltar''. Therefore, they kept the old coat of arms granted to Gibraltar in 1502.
In 2015, the Commonwealth of the Municipalities of the
Campo de Gibraltar
Campo de Gibraltar (, "Gibraltar Countryside") is a comarca (county) in the province of Cádiz, Spain, in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia, the southernmost part of mainland Europe. It comprises the municipalities of ...
(
Cádiz
Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia.
Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...
) adopted a coat of arms and a flag. This new coat of arms shows the elements of the coat of arms of Gibraltar with seven green stars that represent the municipalities of the Commonwealth, two equal horizontal stripes (green and
purple
Purple is any of a variety of colors with hue between red and blue. In the RGB color model used in computer and television screens, purples are produced by mixing red and blue light. In the RYB color model historically used by painters, pu ...
) with the colors of this organisation, and a
bordure
In heraldry, a bordure is a band of contrasting tincture forming a border around the edge of a shield, traditionally one-sixth as wide as the shield itself. It is sometimes reckoned as an ordinary and sometimes as a subordinary.
A bordure encl ...
''
Or'' with its motto ''PRO GEOGRAPHIA, HISTORIA ET VOLUNTATE CONIVNCTI'' (
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
: United by geography, history, and will). The modern Spanish Royal Crown is used as
heraldic crest
A crest is a component of a heraldic display, consisting of the device borne on top of the helm. Originating in the decorative sculptures worn by knights in tournaments and, to a lesser extent, battles, crests became solely pictorial after the ...
.
See also
*
Armorial of Gibraltar
*
List of coats of arms of the United Kingdom and dependencies
This is a list of coats of arms of the United Kingdom, constituent parts, Crown Dependencies and its Overseas Territories.
United Kingdom
File:Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (2022).svg, Coat of arms of the United Kingdom, for use in En ...
*
History of Gibraltar
The history of Gibraltar, a small peninsula on the southern Iberian coast near the entrance of the Mediterranean Sea, spans over 2,900 years. The peninsula has evolved from a place of reverence in ancient times into "one of the most densely ...
*
Spanish heraldry
The tradition and art of heraldry first appeared in Spain at about the beginning of the eleventh century AD and its origin was similar to other European countries: the need for knights and nobles to distinguish themselves from one another on the ...
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibraltar
National symbols of Gibraltar
British Overseas Territories coats of arms
National coats of arms
Coats of arms with buildings
Coats of arms with keys