Coat of arms of Durland

Coat of arms of Durland
Greater (royal) version
Versions
Middle version
Lesser (state) version
Armiger	Carilla, Princess of Durland
Adopted	Initially adopted on 14 August 1876. Modified 1877. Readopted 9 April 1928.
Torse	tasseled strings Or
Blazon	Quarterly, I and IV Per pale Azure and Or btween three leopard heads caboshed all countercharged. II and III Argent a lion rampant Gules within a bordure Sable impaling Or, an eagle displayed sable beaked and membered Gules and Crowned Or.
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. The shield quarters the attributed arms of Prince Jora and the House of Leps, representing the state and the ruling house respectively.

The coat of arms is used to represent the authority of the state; the monarch, government, and Supreme Court all use versions of the arms to assert their legitimate authority. The government uses a variation of the arms without mantle or order, which is known as the state arms. Members of the Princely Family maintain their own arms for use in a private capacity.

History

The coat of arms was designed by Prince Farnar II. Farnar, 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 a blue and yellow shield bearing three countercharged leopard heads, as well as the arms of the House of Leps, reflects the pre-colonial monarchy and the new princely house respectively.

The coat of arms were formally registered with the Court of Arms in 1876, but were de facto used from their creation a year prior. On the creation of the Order of Prince Jora in 1877, 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 only the arms of Prince Jora 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 readopted. In 1967, new regulations established a new state coat of arms consisting solely of the arms of Prince Jora, redesignating the quartered arms as the arms of the princely house. Nonetheless, the greater arms continues to be the arms of the state as a symbol of the Crown's role as embodiment of the state.

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: Quarterly, I and IV Per pale Azure and Or btween three leopard heads caboshed all countercharged. II and III Argent a lion rampant Gules within a bordure Sable impaling Or, an eagle displayed sable beaked and membered Gules and Crowned Or. 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 Farnar 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 state 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 Reigning Prince(ss) and also of the state. It is used to represent the Crown and the nation. The quartered shield, when used in a state capacity, represents the Crown as the embodiment of the nation.
• The lesser coat of arms is the crowned arms of Prince Jora, and is used by the government and other state authorities.
• 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. The great coat of arms generally represents the monarch and non-executive state institutions (e.g., Parliament, the courts, the armed forces etc.), whereas the state coat of arms represents the government and state. The Durlish passport, as government property, uses the state 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, Marquise of Crara

• 

  Coat of arms of Prince Rardan, Marquis of Crara

• 

  Coat of arms of Prince Ludan, Marquis of Geillen

• 

  Coat of arms of Helana, Marquise of Geilen

• 

  Coat of arms of Princess Theyra, Princess Dowager of Durland

• 

  Coat of arms of Prince Sarnar, Marquis of Mardan

• 

  Coat of arms of Maithlen, Marquise 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 Princely Family and other variants

• 

  Coat of arms of Prince Eirmar of Mardan

• 

  Coat of arms of Johamara, Princess Eirmar of Mardan

• 

  Coat of arms of Count Willith of Harline

• 

  Coat of arms of Countess Emelyina of Harline

Historical coat of arms

• 

  Coat of arms of the Principality of Durland (1877-1922)

• 

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

See also

• Flag of Durland
• Durland