Coat of arms of Durland

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

Princely family

Members of the Princely Family are granted their own personal arms. The arms of the monarch are those of the state (arms of dominion). Children of the monarch are able to bear their own arms, which are usually granted on their twenty first birthday unless eligibility precedes this age, which consist of the monarch's arms differenced with a white label. Other members of the princely family may be granted arms at the direction of the monarch. In accordance with rules established by Farnar II, the arms of the monarch's children are differenced with a three-point label, whilst those of grandchildren are differenced with a five-point label. The labels are always white and include individual marks to form the particular difference.

Princess consorts and the wives of the monarch's sons also have their own personal arms, which consists of the arms of their husbands impaled with either their own or their father's arms. Males who marry into the princely family display their own arms as an inescutcheon.

Currently the following members of the princely family have their own arms based on the royal arms:

Coat of arms	Bearer Relation to the monarch	Description
	Prince Olar, Prince Consort Spouse	The arms of the monarch differenced with an inescutcheon bearing Prince Olar's personal arms granted prior to marriage. The crown is that of a Prince in Durland. Surrounding the shield is the circlet of the Grand Cordon of the Order of Prince Jora.
	Hereditary Princess Ingdil, Marquise of Crara Daughter	The arms of the monarch differenced with a white label of three points. The crown is that of the heir to the throne. Surrounding the shield is the circlet of the Grand Cordon of the Order of Prince Jora.
	Prince Rardan, Marquis of Crara Son-in-law; husband of Hereditary Princess Ingdil	The arms of Hereditary Princess Ingdil differenced with an inescutcheon bearing Prince Rardan's personal arms granted prior to marriage. The crown is that of a Prince in Durland. Surrounding the shield is the circlet of the Grand Cordon of the Order of Prince Jora.
	Helana, Marquise of Geillen Daughter-in-law; wife of Prince Helana	The arms of Prince Rardan impaled with those of her father, Enajar Nejede. The crown is that of a Prince in Durland. Surrounding the shield is the circlet of a Grand Commander of the Order of Prince Jora.
	Princess Theyra, Princess Dowager of Durland Mother; widow of Garmaanas II	The arms of the monarch impaled with those of her father, Count Ermerlat Ganna. The crown is that of the monarch of Durland. Surrounding the shield is the circlet of the Grand Cordon of the Order of Prince Jora.
	Prince Sarnar, Marquis of Mardan Son	The arms of the monarch differenced with a white label of three points, the middle bearing a red crescent. The crown is that of a Prince in Durland. Surrounding the shield is the circlet of the Grand Cordon of the Order of Prince Jora.
	Maithlen, Marquise of Mardan Daughter; wife of Prince Sarnar	The arms of Prince Sarnar impaled with those of her father, Piertar Dayrel. The crown is that of a Prince in Durland. Surrounding the shield is the circlet of a Grand Commander of the Order of Prince Jora.
	Prince Eirmar Grandson; son of the Marquis of Mardan	The arms of the monarch differenced with a label of five points, the second and fourth bearing blue lozenges. The crown is that of a Prince of Leps. Surrounding the shield is the circlet of a Grand Commander of the Princely Leppian Order.
	Johamara, Princess Eirmar Granddaughter-in-law; wife of Prince Eirmar	The arms of Prince Eirmar impaled with those of her father, Freedal Kelhite. The crown is that of a Prince of Leps.
	Arms of a member of the Princely Family	The arms of the monarch differenced with a border of ermine. The crown is that of the monarch.