The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Württemberg shows an impalement of the three black

antler Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) Family (biology), family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally fo ...

s that represent

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...

on the dexter (viewer's left) side, and the three black lions passant of medieval Swabia on the sinister (viewer's right) side, both on a gold field.

History

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was formally adopted by King William I of Württemberg on 30 December 1817,Flags of the World
Kingdom of Württemberg. Accessed 2009-04-12. lasting between 1817 and 1922, and occasionally seen on state

flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

s of this period. This version derived from the escutcheon found in the centre of the much larger and more elaborate coat of arms that was used when the

Electorate of Württemberg The Electorate of Württemberg was a short-lived state of the Holy Roman Empire on the right bank of the Rhine. In 1803, the Imperial diet raised the Duchy of Württemberg to an Electorate, the highest form of a princedom in the Holy Roman Empire. ...

was elevated to the status of a kingdom in 1806. Württemberg had recently acquired several territories under the mediatisation system and incorporated their heraldries into its arms, resulting in a complicated design. This caused the need to choose something much simpler, and the 1817 arms had the two essential elements – three lions for the whole region of Swabia, and three antlers for its largest ruling dynasty. By 26 December 1816, the kingdom had also settled on the colours red and black for its flag; gold and black being too similar to the ruling

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

dynasty of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

, and red and gold being the colours of

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

, their allies in the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

. From 1949 the insignia has formed part of the present-day coat of arms of Baden-Württemberg.

Ducal arms (1495−1803)

The

motif had been used for centuries previously by the Counts of Württemberg. From 1495, the

Duchy of Württemberg The Duchy of Württemberg () was a duchy located in the south-western part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was a Imperial Estate, state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1495 to 1803. The dukedom's long survival for over three centuries was mainly du ...

's coat of arms included the four quarters shown below. Their symbolism is:

Quarters

* First: on a field of gold, three black stag's antlers of four branches - the County/Duchy of

, whose seat was in the original Württemberg castle on a hilltop near

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

. It is based on the arms of their cousins, the Counts of Nellenburg (three blue antlers on a field of gold), which was in turn based on the arms of their cousins, the Counts of Veringen (three red antlers on a field of gold). * Second: ''lozengy'' (a geometric field of lozenges - or wide diamond shapes) ''in bend'' (shown angled from the top right to lower left) of black and gold – the County of Teck, acquired in 1381. The later morganatic Dukes of Teck (1871−1918) differenced the arms as ''lozengy'' ''in bend sinister'' (shown angled from the top left to lower right). * Third: on a blue field, a standard ''flying'' (a flag shown waving in the breeze) a black eagle on a field of gold – "Reichssturmfahne" given to the Swabian nobility for their merit in battle and proclaiming the right of first contact with the enemy, when campaigning with armies of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. * Fourth: on a red field, two gold fishes ''addorsed'' (depicted back-to-back), ''haurient'' ("breathing" − a fish shown ''palewise'' (vertical) and head upwards), and ''embowed'' (shown bent, flexed, or curved) – County of Mömpelgard, an

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

property that passed by marriage to the Württemberg family in 1397; now modern-day Montbéliard,

Franche-Comté Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou dialect, Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; ; also ; ; all ) is a cultural and Provinces of France, historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of France, departments of Doub ...

, France. File:Württemberg 1495.gif, Württemberg ducal coat of arms, dated 1495 File:Coat of arms of Frederick I, Duke of Württemberg, KG.png, Arms of Frederick I as a Knight of the Garter, 1604 File:Wappen Württemberg 1703.jpg, The ducal arms in 1703

Crests

*The ''dexter'' (right-hand side) crest atop the ducal arms [a red hunting horn ''stringed'' (having a rope sling of a different color) gold, ''enguiché'' (a bugle with a mouth of a different color) black, and from the mouthpiece ''issuant'' (coming up from) three ''plumes'' (feathers): red, black, and yellow] represents Bad Urach, acquired in 1260. Bad Urach's arms were [a red hunting horn with a blue baldrick (leather strap) and ''enguiché'' (a bugle with a mouth of a different color) white, and from the mouthpiece ''issuant'' (coming up from) three ''plumes'' (feathers): red, white, and blue] *The center crest [a ''demi-Maiden'' (a female bust) ''couped'' (shown cut off with a clean edge) at the waist or thighs, ''crined'' (having hair or mane of a different color) gold and ''crowned'' (wearing a crown on the head) ''habited in'' (wearing clothes) a red gown, with fish for arms shown ''naiant'' ("swimming" - a fish shown ''fesswise'' (horizontal) with the head facing the left-hand side) and ''reflexed'' (bent in an "s" shape) gold] represents Montbéliard, Mömpelgard. *The ''sinister'' (left-hand side) crest [a dog's head ''erased'' (shown cut off with a ragged edge with three flaps of skin hanging from the base) ''lozengy'' black and gold] represents Burg Teck, Teck. Other quarterings were added in the 18th century.

Arms used after 1918

After the abdication of the last king in 1918, the

Free People's State of Württemberg The Free People's State of Württemberg () was a state which existed in the Weimar Republic and from 1933 in Nazi Germany. History Revolution in Württemberg With the German revolution near the end of World War I, the Kingdom of Württembe ...

in the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

continued to use the three antlers motif and the former kingdom's flag on its coat of arms. Today, the larger version of the Coat of arms of Baden-Württemberg includes the three Swabian lions and a small shield on top with the three antlers of Württemberg. The arms can also be seen in the

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...

, a local car firm. During the Nazi era, the state of Württemberg became virtually defunct due to the de facto transformation of Germany from a federal to a

unitary state A unitary state is a (Sovereign state, sovereign) State (polity), state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the supreme authority. The central government may create or abolish administrative divisions (sub-national or ...

. Yet the new " Gau Württemberg-Hohenzollern" adopted a new coat of arms which was only a slightly modified version of the Republican arms. After the defeat of Nazi Germany in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Württemberg was split into two successor states along the borders of the occupation zones:

Württemberg-Baden Württemberg-Baden was a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It was created in 1945 by the United States occupation forces, after the previous states of Baden and Württemberg had been split up between the US and French occupation zones. ...

in American-administered Germany, which also included the northern part of

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Ba ...

, and

Württemberg-Hohenzollern Württemberg-Hohenzollern was a West Germany, West German state created in 1945 as part of the French Allied Occupation Zones in Germany, post-World War II occupation zone. Its capital was Tübingen. In 1952, it was merged into the newly founded ...

in the French occupation zone, which also included the Prussian territory of Hohenzollern. Both states adopted their own flags and coat of arms. They joined the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...

in 1949 and were subsequently merged with South Baden into the present-day state of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

in 1952. File:Wappen Volksstaat Württemberg (Farbe).svg, Weimar-era arms File:Wappen Württemberg 1933.svg, 1933 coat of arms File:Wappen Wuerttemberg-Baden.svg, Württemberg-Baden File:Wappen Wuerttemberg-Hohenzollern.svg, Württemberg-Hohenzollern

Gallery

File:Henry 7 of Germany.jpg, Seal of Henry II of Swabia (dated 1216) with ''three leopards'' (''three lions passant guardant'') File:Siegel Ulrich I Wuerttemberg 1259.jpg, Seal of Ulrich I with three antlers, 1259 File:Wappen des Herzogs von Urach.svg, Variant arms granted to the Dukes of Urach in 1867 File:Francis Duke of Teck Arms.svg, Arms of the Dukes of Teck 1871−1917 File:Coat of Arms of Mary of Teck.svg, Arms of

Mary of Teck Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes; 26 May 186724 March 1953) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 6 May 1910 until 20 Janua ...

Queen consort A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...

of the

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into one sovereign state, established by the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801. It continued in this form until ...

File:Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Württemberg 1817-1921.svg, 1817 arms File:Coat of arms of the 1st Earl of Athlone.svg, Coat of arms of the

1st First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

Earl of Athlone File:Coat of Arms of Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge.svg, Coat of arms of the

Marquess of Cambridge File:Coat of Arms of George Cambridge, 2nd Marquess of Cambridge.svg, Coat of arms of the

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds, The Second, or (The) 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Minute and second of arc, ...

Marquess of Cambridge

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coat Of Arms Of Wurttemberg Wurttemberg House of Württemberg Kingdom of Württemberg Culture of Baden-Württemberg Wurttemberg Wurttemberg Wurttemberg