The coat of arms of the Region of Murcia is described in the article 4 of 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, Cana ...

Organic Law 4 of 9 June 1982, the ''Statute of Autonomy of the

Region of Murcia The Region of Murcia (, ; es, Región de Murcia ), is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain located in the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. The region is in ...

'' and further regulated by Decree 34 of 8 June 1983, ''approving the official design and use of the coat of arms of the Region of Murcia''.

Shield

The first official description of the coat of arms remits to the elements of the flag and is composed as follows: Given the lack of precision to define a correct

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 vis ...

, was approved a decree on 8 June 1983 blazoned the shield of the region as follows: The four castles evoke the region's history as a frontier zone caught between 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 B ...

and 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 ...

, and the Nasrid

Kingdom of Granada ) , common_languages = Official language:Classical ArabicOther languages: Andalusi Arabic, Mozarabic, Berber, Ladino , capital = Granada , religion = Majority religion:Sunni IslamMinority religions:Roman C ...

and the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

: four territories of land and sea, Christians and Muslims, adventurers and warriors, all of which created a distinct Murcian culture. The four castles also can refer to the four lordships that initially carved up the area after it was conquered by

Alfonso X of Castile Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, es, el Sabio; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 30 May 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Germ ...

. The seven crowns were granted to the Kingdom of Murcia by the Castilian Crown. The first five crowns were granted by Alfonso X on 14 May 1281, when he granted the standard and municipal seal to the capital city of

Murcia Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...

. The sixth crown was granted by

Peter of Castile Peter ( es, Pedro; 30 August 133423 March 1369), called the Cruel () or the Just (), was King of Castile and León from 1350 to 1369. Peter was the last ruler of the main branch of the House of Ivrea. He was excommunicated by Pope Urban V for ...

on 4 May 1361, in honour of the loyalty of Murcia shown to Peter's cause during the

War of the Two Peters The War of the Two Peters ( es, La Guerra de los Dos Pedros, ca, Guerra dels dos Peres) was fought from 1356 to 1375 between the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Its name refers to the rulers of the countries, Peter of Castile and Peter IV of ...

. The seventh crown was granted by

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 ...

on 16 September 1709 in honour of the loyalty of Murcia shown to Philip's cause during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

Official design

* The official design is commonly used by the autonomous institutions of Murcia, although it coexists with a simplified design of it (a logo). * According to the official blazon, the official design is not designed to conform to traditional heraldic rules. * The blazon does not specify that the castles not specify that they are open or they must have voided gates and windows, usually '' Azure'', and their design should include at least two windows. * Proportions of the charges in relation to the dimensions of the shield are wrong, according to the blazon, they are inscribed in the dexter canton and the sinister base, so each group of charges should equal the ninth part of the escutcheon. Coat of Arms of the Former Province of Murcia

Coat of Arms of the Former Province of Murcia

* The shield shape is rectangular with convex corners at the bottom and the Spanish style, with an almost semicircular bottom edge. The official design has 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'' not blazoned. * The Spanish Royal Crown has not a

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

''Gules'', an element commonly represented in Spanish heraldry. * The escutcheon of the official logo, approved in 2008, best fits to the official blazon.

Former Provincial Council

Shortly before the establishment of the

self-government __NOTOC__ Self-governance, self-government, or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any form of ...

, the Council of the Province of Murcia officially approved a coat of arms, that was used previously since 12 July 1976 (the

Spanish monarchy , 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 ...

was restored in November 1975). The provincial coat of arms appeared in the center of a

cobalt blue Cobalt blue is a blue pigment made by sintering cobalt(II) oxide with aluminum(III) oxide (alumina) at 1200 °C. Chemically, cobalt blue pigment is cobalt(II) oxide-aluminium oxide, or cobalt(II) aluminate, CoAl2O4. Cobalt blue is lighter ...

flag. The Murcia Province quarterings and a central inescutcheon were standing for:

Caravaca de la Cruz Caravaca de la Cruz, often shortened to Caravaca, is a town and municipality of southeastern Spain in the region of Murcia, near the left bank of the River Argos, a tributary of the Segura. It is the capital of the northwest Region of Murcia. I ...

, Cartagena, Cieza, Lorca, Mula,

Totana Totana is a municipality in the Region of Murcia in Spain. It has a population of 32008. The local economy is largely dependent on agriculture and related industries. It has a railway station providing a service on the Cercanías Murcia/Alicante c ...

, La Unión,

Yecla Yecla () is a town and municipality in eastern Spain, in the extreme north of the autonomous community of Murcia, located 96 km from the capital of the region, Murcia. Toponymy The origin of the term Yecla comes from the Arabic Yakka, which wa ...

and the City of Murcia (inescutcheon). The crest was the

Spanish Royal Crown The Spanish Royal Crown may refer to either the heraldic crown, which does not exist physically, or the crown known as the ''corona tumular'', a physical crown used during Spanish royal proclamation ceremonies since the 18th century. It is neve ...

. Its usage ended with the adoption of the current symbols of the autonomous community on 9 August 1982.

References

External links

''Coat of arms of Murcia''. Heraldry of the World
Retrieved 18 July 2018.
''Institutional image''
Government of the Region of Murcia website. *
''Coat of arms of the former Provincial Council of Murcia''.
Murcia: Provincial Council of Murcia. panish Virtual Library of Bibliographic Heritage {{Spanish coat of arms Region of Murcia

Murcia Region The Region of Murcia (, ; es, Región de Murcia ), is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Mediterranean coast. The region is in area and had a population of 1,511,251 as at the st ...

Shield

Official design

Former Provincial Council

See also

References

External links