king-of-arms

Banners of the arms of office of the three current English Kings of Arms. Visible are the banners of Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, Clarenceux King of Arms, and Garter Principal King of Arms.

King of Arms is the senior rank of an officer of arms. In many heraldic traditions, only a king of arms has the authority to grant armorial bearings. In other traditions, the power has been delegated to other officers of similar rank.

Heraldic duties

In England, the authority to grant a coat of arms is subject to the formal approval of the Earl Marshal in the form of a warrant. In jurisdictions such as the Republic of Ireland 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 also has a chief herald, though this officer grants arms on the authority of the Governor General as the Queen's representative. In the Kingdom of Spain, the power to certify coats of arms has been given to the Cronistas de Armas (Chroniclers of Arms).

The English and Scottish kings of arms are the only officers of arms to have a distinctive coronet of office, used for ceremonial purposes such as coronations. At the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the kings of arms used a coronet trimmed with sixteen acanthus leaves alternating in height, and inscribed with the words Miserere mei Deus secundum magnum misericordiam tuam (Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy great mercy.). When this coronet is shown in pictorial representations, only nine leaves and the first three words are shown. Recently, a new coronet modeled on the Scottish Royal crown among the Honours of Scotland has been made for the Lord Lyon. This crown, also, will only be worn at coronations.

Kings of Arms and Heraldic Authorities

Thomas Hawley, Clarenceux King of Arms

English Kings of Arms

• Garter Principal King of Arms
• Clarenceux King of Arms
• Norroy and Ulster King of Arms

Scottish King of Arms

• Lord Lyon King of Arms

Chief or State Heralds

• The Chief Herald of Canada
• The Chief Herald of Ireland
• The National Herald (formerly State Herald) of South Africa
• The State Herald (Statsheraldiker) of Sweden is the head of a branch of the National Archives of Sweden

Spanish Cronistas de Armas

• Cronistas Reyes de Armas

Other Kings of Arms

• King of Arms Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies (Appointed by H.R.H. The Duke of Castro)
• Rei de Armas Portugal or Portugal Rei de Armas (with Rei de Armas Algarve and Rei de Armas Goa)
• The Society for Creative Anachronism has an extensive internal system of heraldry, based upon mediaeval precedents, which is presided over by Laurel King of Arms; Wreath King of Arms; and Pelican King of Arms.^[1]

See also

• Bureau of Heraldry
• The College of Arms
• The Court of the Lord Lyon
• The Canadian Heraldic Authority
• Heraldic authority
• State Ceremonial

References

External links

• The Court of the Lord Lyon
• The College of Arms
• The Canadian Heraldic Authority
• The Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland
• Genealogy & Heraldry Bill, 2006 [1] - new legislation on heraldry before the Irish Senate
• King of Arms Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies (Appointed by H.R.H. The Duke of Castro)