King of Arms is the senior rank of an

officer of arms An officer of arms is a person appointed by a sovereign or state with authority to perform one or more of the following functions: * to control and initiate armorial matters; * to arrange and participate in ceremonies of state; * to conserve a ...

. In many

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

traditions, only a king of arms has the authority to grant

armorial bearings 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 it ...

and sometimes certify genealogies and noble titles. In other traditions, the power has been delegated to other officers of similar rank.

Heraldic duties

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, the authority to grant a

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 ...

is subject to the formal approval of the

Earl Marshal Earl marshal (alternatively marschal or marischal) is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England (then, following the Act of Union 1800, in the U ...

in the form of a warrant. In jurisdictions such as the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

the authority to grant armorial bearings has been delegated to a chief herald that serves the same purpose as the traditional king of arms.

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

also has a chief herald, though this officer grants arms on the authority of the

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

as the Queen's representative through the

Herald Chancellor The Herald Chancellor (''Chancelier d'armes'' in French) is an officer at the Canadian Heraldic Authority. The office is always filled by the Secretary to the Governor General. The Herald Chancellor is responsible for the administration of the en ...

's direct remit. Scotland's only king of arms, the Lord Lyon, exercises the royal prerogative by direct delegation from the Crown and like the Chief Herald of Ireland and the old Ulster King of Arms needs no warrant from any other office bearer. In the

Kingdom of Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, the power to certify coats of arms has been given to the '' Cronistas de Armas'' (Chroniclers of Arms). The

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and Scottish kings of arms are the only officers of arms to have a distinctive

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 ...

of office, used for ceremonial purposes such as at

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

s (as opposed to peers, who instead wear a

coronet A coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. A coronet differs from other kinds of crowns in that a coronet never has arches, and from a tiara in that a coronet completely encircles the head, while a tiara does ...

). At the

coronation of Queen Elizabeth II The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...

, the kings of arms used a crown trimmed with sixteen

acanthus leaves The acanthus ( grc, ἄκανθος) is one of the most common plant forms to make foliage ornament and decoration, and even as the leaf distinguishing the heraldic coronet of a manorial lord from other coronets of royalty or nobility, which us ...

alternating in height, and inscribed with the words ''Miserere mei Deus secundum magnam misericordiam tuam'' (Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy great mercy;

Psalm 51 Psalm 51, one of the penitential psalms, is the 51st psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Have mercy upon me, O God". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vu ...

). When this crown is shown in pictorial representations, nine leaves and the first three words are shown. Recently, a new crown has been made for the Lord Lyon, modelled on the Scottish Royal crown among the Honours of Scotland. This crown has removable arches (like one of the late Queen Mother's crowns) which will be removed at coronations to avoid any hint of lèse majesté.

Kings of arms and heraldic authorities of the United Kingdom

Kings of arms of
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
and
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

Garter Principal King of Arms The Garter Principal King of Arms (also Garter King of Arms or simply Garter) is the senior King of Arms, and the senior Officer of Arms of the College of Arms, the heraldic authority with jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland. ...

Clarenceux King of Arms Clarenceux King of Arms, historically often spelled Clarencieux (both pronounced ), is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Clarenceux is the senior of the two provincial kings of arms and his jurisdiction is that part of Engla ...

(England and Wales south of the

Trent Trent may refer to: Places Italy * Trento in northern Italy, site of the Council of Trent United Kingdom * Trent, Dorset, England, United Kingdom Germany * Trent, Germany, a municipality on the island of Rügen United States * Trent, California, ...

) * Norroy and Ulster King of Arms (England north of the Trent and Northern Ireland)

Scottish King of Arms

Lord Lyon King of Arms The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grant ...

Orders of chivalry

Garter King of Arms is the herald of the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George C ...

as is in Scotland Lord Lyon King of Arms the herald of the

Order of the Thistle The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland, who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order. The ...

. The Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is the herald of the (now dormant)

Order of St Patrick The Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick is a dormant British order of chivalry associated with Ireland. The Order was created in 1783 by King George III at the request of the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, The 3rd Earl Temple (later cre ...

. Other British orders of chivalry have their own kings of arms: *

Bath King of Arms The King of Arms of the Order of the Bath, or Bath King of Arms, is the herald of the Order of the Bath. He is not a member of the Heralds College, but takes precedence next after the Garter King of Arms. He wears a crown A crown is a ...

, for the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

King of Arms of the Order of St Michael and St George The King of Arms of the Order of St Michael and St George is the herald of the Order of St Michael and St George. Kings of Arms References *Galloway, Peter ''The Order of St Michael and St George'' (London, Third Millennium Publishing, 2000) pp 3 ...

King of Arms of the Order of the British Empire The King of Arms of the Order of the British Empire is the herald of the Order of the British Empire, established in 1917 and effective since 1918. Kings of Arms Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire ...

Chief or state heralds of Ireland and the Commonwealth

* The Chief Herald of Canada * The Chief Herald of Ireland *

The National Herald ''The National Herald'' is an English-language weekly newspaper, based in New York City, focusing on the Greek-American community. It was founded in 1997 and added a website in 2004. Its headquarters are in the Long Island City neighborhood of t ...

(formerly State Herald) of South Africa *

New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary is the officer of arms responsible for the regulation of heraldry in New Zealand. Although affiliated with the College of Arms in London, the New Zealand Herald lives and works in New Zealand, and is not ...

The Herald of Arms of New Zealand

State Herald of Sweden

*The State Herald (''Statsheraldiker'') of Sweden is the head of a branch of the

National Archives of Sweden , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , seal = Riksarkivet_myndighetsvapen_-_Riksarkivet_Sverige.png , seal_width = 150 , seal_caption = , logo = , logo_width = , logo_caption = , picture ...

Cronistas de Armas of Spain

* Cronistas Reyes de Armas

Former kings of arms of Portugal

Rei de Armas Portugal ''Portugal Rei de Armas'' or ''Rei de Armas Portugal'' (Portuguese for "Portugal King of Arms") was the title of the main officer of arms of the Kingdom of Portugal. The office was established by King John I of Portugal, with its first holder be ...

or Portugal Rei de Armas (''Portugal King of Arms'') * Rei de Armas Algarve (''Algarve King of Arms'') * Rei de Armas Índia (''India King of Arms'')

King of Arms of the Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies

* King of Arms Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies ( Fernando Muñoz Altea, first appointed by the

Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro , title = Duke of Castro , image = Raniero.jpg , image_size = , caption = Portrayed with a cavalry uniform of the Spanish Army and the Order of Alcántara, c. 1914 , succession = Head of the House of B ...

)

References

External links

The Court of the Lord LyonThe College of Arms
*

* Genealogy & Heraldry Bill, 200

- new legislation on heraldry before the Irish Senate
King of Arms Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies (Appointed by the Duke of Castro)
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