The

Coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of Balearic Islands ( es, Escudo de las islas Baleares) is described in the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

Law 7 of November 21, 1984, the ''Law of the coat of arms of the Autonomous Community of Balearic Islands.'' Previously, by Decree of the Interinsular General Council of August 7 and 16, 1978, adopted the coat of arms as official symbol of the Balearic Islands. The

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vi ...

of the arms is: ''Or, four pallets of gules differenced by a

bendlet In heraldry, a bend is a band or strap running from the upper dexter (the bearer's right side and the viewer's left) corner of the shield to the lower sinister (the bearer's left side, and the viewer's right). Authorities differ as to how muc ...

azure''. The shape of the shield is traditional Iberian or curved and it is embellished with lambrequins ''Or''. The historians Faustino Menéndez-Pidal and Juan José Sánchez Badiola find the first references to it in two

rolls of arms Roll or Rolls may refer to: Movement about the longitudinal axis * Roll angle (or roll rotation), one of the 3 angular degrees of freedom of any stiff body (for example a vehicle), describing motion about the longitudinal axis ** Roll (aviation), ...

from the latter half of the late 13th century – in ''Wijnbergen'' and in the ''Lord Marshal's Roll'' – which attributed the coat of arms to the

king of Majorca The Kingdom of Majorca (1231–1715) was created by James I of Aragon following his conquest in 1229 and the subsequent surrender of sovereignty by the Muslim rulers of the Balearic Islands in 1231. It was ruled in conjunction with the Crown ...

. Other roll of arms, ''Hérault Vermandois'', attributed the

royal arms of Aragon The so-called Bars of Aragon, Royal sign of Aragon, Royal arms of Aragon, Four Bars, Red Bars or Coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon, which bear four red pallets on gold background, depicts the familiar coat of the Kings of Aragon." Léon Jé ...

and, in the late 14th century, ''

Gelre Armorial The Gelre Armorial ( nl, Wapenboek Gelre) is a medieval armorial. History The armorial was compiled before 1396 by one Claes Heinenzoon (or Heynen, fl. 1345−1414) who was a herald in the service of the Duke of Guelders and also the creator ...

'' shows it with same colors reversed, blazoned: '' Gules, four pallets of Or''. The bendlet ''azure'' was the

mark of cadency In heraldry, cadency is any systematic way to distinguish arms displayed by descendants of the holder of a coat of arms when those family members have not been granted arms in their own right. Cadency is necessary in heraldic systems in which ...

of the

cadet branch In history and heraldry, a cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets— realm, tit ...

of the

House of Aragon House of Aragon may refer to: *the branch of the Jiménez dynasty that ruled Aragon as kings between 1035 and 1162 *the House of Barcelona, which ruled Aragon between 1137 and 1410, united Aragon and Catalonia and ruled Sicily from 1282 until 1409 ...

that ruled the Kingdom of Majorca. It was only used abroad until the 16th century. The King James III's will (1349) depicts these arms. Later the arms were used by some members of the royal family of Majorca, the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of ...

and the

Monarchy of Spain , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...

. Cartography in the 17th and 18th centuries often shown the royal arms of Majorca. In the 19th century, is documented a marginal use as administrative symbol of the Balearic Islands. It was topped with the former royal crown (without

arches An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vault ...

). The crown has been removed from the present model.

References

*F. MENÉNDEZ PIDAL, ''El origen inglés de las armas de Galicia'', ''Galicia en la Edad Media'', Madrid, 1990. *J. J. SÁNCHEZ BADIOLA, ''Desmontando España'', Madrid, 2005. {{Spanish coats of arms Balearic culture Balearic Islands Balearic Islands Balearic Islands

See also

References