Coat of arms of Durland

Coat of arms of Durland
Greater (royal) version
Versions
Lesser (state) version
Armiger	Carilla, Sovereign Princess of Durland
Adopted	9 April 1928
Torse	tasseled strings Or
Blazon	Per pale Azure and Or two lions rampant all counterchanged within a bordure argent.
Orders	Order of Prince Jora
Other elements	The monarch places this coat of arms on a mantle gules lined with Ermine. Above the mantle is a pavilion gules again topped with the royal crown.

The coat of arms of Durland is the arms of dominion of Princess Carilla of Durland, and is used to represent both the monarch and the state. It depicts two lions countercharged onto a vertically-divided shield of blue and gold, within a white border (Per pale Azure and Or two lions rampant all counterchanged within a bordure argent.)

The coat of arms is used by the monarch, Parliament, and the Supreme Court. Members of the Princely Family use the arms charged with a label of difference and a crown of rank. The government uses a variation of the arms, without the mantle and with the shield crowned, which is known as the state arms.

History

The first coat of arms used by the Principality of Durland, from its establishment in 1878 until the abolition of the monarchy in 1922, was designed by Prince Fernilar II. Fernilar, an amateur herald and artist, designed the coat of arms originally on the back of an envelope whilst travelling from Nelin to Alduar en route to Herran. The arms were inspired by those of Prince Jora, Grand Prince of the Durlish Principalities, who reigned from 1527 until 1561. The arms, consisting of golden lions on a blue shield, were then countercharged to represent what the prince called "the two Durlands," those being the early modern state of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and the modern state of the nineteenth century. The inclusion of a white border (bordure argent) was another creation of the prince. In early modern Durlish heraldry, a bordure represented an adopted son. The prince outlined the meaning of the border in the Durlish coat of arms in a letter to Usror Sode:

Coat of arms attributed to Prince Jora.

My family come from afar. I am, in many ways, a stranger to this country. I know its customs and its people, its cities and towns and landscapes, yet I feel that I will always be an outsider. Nonetheless, I remain so very thankful that Durland adopted me. In these arms, which I now possess, I wanted to show my awareness of my alienness - that my blood may not be like yours - but also my dedication to this great country and to its people.

The coat of arms were formally registered with the Court of Arms in 1879, but were de facto used from their creation a year prior.

On the creation of the Order of Prince Jora in 1880, the coat of arms was amended to include the order as a circlet around the escutcheon.

In 1922, following the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the Second Durlish Republic, the coat of arms was amended to remove references to the Crown. The new arms featured the escutcheon between two golden laurel branches, crowned with a mural crown. Proposals for a wholly new emblem severing all connection with the previous regime were initially made, but never carried through.

On the restoration of the monarchy in 1928, the coat of arms used from 1879-1922 were briefly revised. In the 1928 constitution, a new coat of arms was established that made small modifications to Fernilar's design. The crown was redesigned with more dipped arches. The two lion supporters were removed to simplify the design. Provision was also made for a new system of cadency, further elaborated on in the National Symbols (Coat of Arms) Act 1930.

Description

The current coat of arms was adopted in 1928 following the re-establishment of the monarchy. It is closely modelled on the coat of arms previously used from 1878 until 1922. As per the registration with the Court of Arms, the escutcheon is blazoned: Per pale Azure and Or two lions rampant all counterchanged within a bordure argent. The shield is surrounded by the insignia of the Order of Prince Jura, and all surrounded by mantling Gules doubled ermine, crowned with the royal crown and tied up with tassled strings Or.

The rules outlining the design and use of the coat of arms, including variations and eligibility, continue to be based on those made by Fernilar II.

Usage

The proper use of the Durlish coat of arms is regulated by law. The National Sybols Act 2003, which updated and consolidated existing legislation relating to the coat of arms, identifies three types of arms used in Durland: the great coat of arms, the state coat of arms, and the shield of arms (or escutcheon).

The great coat of arms as it appears on the Durlish passport.

• The great coat of arms is the arms of dominion of the Durlish monarch, and subsequently serves as the coat of arms of the Sovereign Prince(ss) and also of the state. It is used to represent the Crown and the nation.
• The state coat of arms is the arms used by the government and government entities. It is used to denote a relationship with the state and, in a broader sense, ownership and oversight by the government.
• The shield of arms is the general design of the escutcheon, as used in either the great or state coat of arms or as part of the personal arms of individuals.

The distinction between the great coat of arms and the state coat of arms is not clearly made. In general, outside of the monarchy the great coat of arms is a symbol of the nation itself, whereas the state coat of arms is a symbol of its government. The Durlish passport, for example, uses the great coat of arms, whilst the logos of government ministries uses the state coat of arms.

Variants

Royal versions

Gallery

Coats of arms of the Monarch

• 

  Coat of arms of Carilla, Sovereign Princess of Durland

Coats of arms of members of the Princely House

• 

  Coat of arms of the Prince Olar, Prince Consort

• 

  Coat of arms of Princess Ingdil, Hereditary Princess of Durland, Duchess of Crara

• 

  Coat of arms of Prince Rardan, Duke of Crara

• 

  Coat of arms of Prince Ludan, Duke of Geillen

• 

  Coat of arms of Helana, Duchess of Geilen

• 

  Coat of arms of Princess Theyra, Princess Dowager of Durland

• 

  Coat of arms of Prince Sarnar, Duke of Mardan

• 

  Coat of arms of Maithlen, Duchess of Mardan

• 

  Coat of arms of a member of the Royal House who bears no arms in their own right

Coat of arms of members of the Royal Family and other variants

• 

  Coat of arms of Count Willith of Harline

• 

  Coat of arms of Count Emelyina of Harline

Historical coat of arms

• 

  Coat of arms of the Second Durlish Republc (1922-1928)

See also

• Flag of Durland
• Durland