Charles V, Holy Roman Emperorknown as Charles I in Spain and Austria, Charles II in Burgundy and Sicily, Charles III in Flanders, Charles IV in Naples was the heir of several of Europe's leading royal houses. In 1506, he inherited the Burgundian Netherlands, which came from his paternal grandmother, Mary of Burgundy. In 1516, Charles became the king of Spain, inheriting the kingdoms first united by his maternal grandparents, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon (the Catholic Monarchs). Finally, on the death of his paternal grandfather in 1519, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, he inherited the Habsburg lands in central Europe and was elected Holy Roman Emperor.
Blazon Shield
His "Greater Coat of Arms", the most expansive and formal representation of the lands and titles he inherited, is blazoned as follows (here placed in paragraphs for clarity): Quarterly: I and IV: Grand-quarterly i and iv: Great-grand-quarterly 1 and 4: Gules, a castle triple-towered or masoned sable and ajouré azure (Castile); 2 and 3: Argent, a lion rampant purpure crowned or langued and armed gules (Leon); ii: per pale: Dexter: per fess: in chief: Or, four pallets gules (Aragon); in base: Gules, a cross saltire and orle of chains linked together or and a centre point vert (Navarre); Sinister: per pale: Dexter: Argent, a cross potent and four crosslets or (Jerusalem); Sinister: Barry of eight gules and argent (Hungary); iii: per pale: Dexter: per fess: in chief: Or, four pallets gules (Aragon); in base: Gules, a cross saltire and orle of chains linked together or and a centre point vert (Navarre); Sinister: per saltire: 1 and 4: Or, four pallets gules (Aragon); 2 and 3: Argent, an eagle displayed sable (Sicily); II and III: Quarterly: i: Gules, a fess argent (Austria (Habsburg (modern) / Babenberg)), ii: Azure semy-de-lis or, a bordure compony argent and gules (Burgundy (modern)); iii: Bendy of six or and azure, a bordure gules (Burgundy (ancient)); iv: Sable, a lion rampant or langued and armed gules (Brabant); Overall at the fess point of the quarter an inescutcheon: Or, a lion rampant sable armed and langued gules (Flanders); impaling: Argent, an eagle displayed gules armed beaked and langued or (Tyrol); Enté en point: Argent, a pomegranate proper seeded gules supported sculpted and slipped vert (Granada).
Other elements Supporters: An eagle with two heads displayed sable imperially crowned proper in front of a saltire ragulée gules the whole between two columns argent issuing from the sea proper in base the one to dexter crowned imperially proper the one to sinister crowned with the Royal Crown of Spain proper; Motto: PLUS ULTRA (or PLUS OULTRE) wraps around the columns.
Personal arms
The first and fourth quarters represents holdings derived from the Spanish crowns: that is, the quartered arms of Castile and Leon themselves quartered with the quartered arms of Aragon and Sicily. After 1520 the Aragon/Sicily quartering also incorporated the arms of Jerusalem, Naples, and Navarre.
The second and third quarters represents holdings derived from Charles's Austrian and Burgundian inheritance: these quarters shows further quartering of Austria, Duchy of Burgundy, House of Valois-Burgundy, and the Duchy of Brabant, with the escutcheon in the middle showing Flanders on the left and Tyrol on the right.
The Granada pomegranate is represented at the bottom between the two.
Features First and Fourth QuartersFirst and Fourth Grand-quartersSecond Grand-quarterArmsMeaningDetails Kingdom of Castile1st and 4th great-grand-quartersGules, a three towered castle Or, masoned sable and ajouré azure Kingdom of León2nd and 3rd great-grand-quartersArgent, a lion rampant purpure(sometimes blazoned gules) crowned Or, langued and armed gulesThird Grand-quarter Crown of AragonDexter chiefOr, four pallets gules Kingdom of NavarreDexter baseGules, a cross, saltire and orle of chains linked together Or, a centre point vert Kingdom of SicilySinister sideParty per Saltire, Or four pallets gules and Argent an eagle displayed sable (Manfred of Sicily)ArmsMeaningDetails Crown of AragonDexter chiefOr, four pallets gules Kingdom of NavarreDexter baseGules, a cross, saltire and orle of chains linked together Or, a centre point vert Kingdoms of Jerusalem and HungarySinister sideParty per pale Argent, a cross potent and four crosslets Or (Kingdom of Jerusalem) andBarry of eight Gules and Argent (Kingdom of Hungary), the whole representing the arms of the Kingdom of Naples, as show in the arms of his grandfather Ferdinand II of Aragon as King of Naples. Kingdom of Naples arms in the heraldry of Ferdinand II of Aragon as King of Naples, De Francisco Olmos, José María, La moneda napolitana de Fernando el Católico, documento porpagandístico de la unidad de las coronas; . Madrid (2001), p.156. Second and Third QuartersArmsMeaningDetails Austria (Habsburg (modern) / Babenberg)1st grand-quarterGules a fess Argent Second Capetian house of Burgundy(Burgundy "modern")2nd grand-quarterazure semy de lis or, a bordure compony gules and argent Duchy of Burgundy(Burgundy "ancient")3rd grand-quarterbendy of six or and azure a bordure gulesArmsMeaningDetails Duchy of Brabant4th grand-quarterSable, a lion rampant Or, langued and armed gulesEscutcheon County of FlandersDexterOr, a lion rampant of Sable, langued and armed gules County of TyrolSinisterArgent an eagle displayed gules, armed, beaked, and langued Or
Enté en pointArmsMeaningDetails Kingdom of Granadaenté en pointArgent, a pomegranate proper seeded gules, supported, sculpted and leafed in two leaves vert.
External ornamentsArmsMeaningDetails Double-headed eagle( of the Holy Roman Empire)Imperial EagleDouble-headed eagle displayed Sable Cross of Burgundy(Duchy of Burgundy)Mantlingblazoned Argent, a saltire ragulée gules.ArmsMeaningDetails Pillars of HerculesSupportersan ancient name given to the Strait of Gibraltar. The personal motto of the Monarch was Plus oultre, in French, translated as plus ultra in Latin especially for the Spanish areas, and means 'further beyond'. A German version, Noch Weiterer, was rarely used. Imperial crown of the Holy Roman EmpireCrownCharles's crown as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Golden FleeceCollarOrder of chivalry founded in 1430 by Duke Philip III of Burgundy to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Isabel of Aviz.
The Burgundian Inheritance and the Order of the Golden Fleece In 1477, the territory of the Duchy of Burgundy had been conquered and annexed by France. In the same year, Mary "the Rich", the last Burgundian duke's only child, had married Charles' grandfather Maximilian, giving the Habsburgs control of the remainder of the Burgundian Inheritance: although the territory of the Duchy of Burgundy itself remained in the hands of France, the Habsburgs remained in control of the title of Duke of Burgundy and the other parts of the Burgundian inheritance, notably the Low Countries and the Free County of Burgundy in the Holy Roman Empire. They often used the term Burgundy to refer to it until the late 18th century, when the Austrian Netherlands were lost to the French Republic. Although Charles V had inherited the grand mastership of numerous orders, the only order which he habitually wore and awarded was that of the Burgundian Order of the Golden Fleece.
Gallery Coat of Arms of Charles when he was Duke of Burgundy and King of Navarre, Castile and Aragon (Version with motto and supporters)Alternative design for the Greater Coat of Arms (1530-1556)Or shield versionVariant used as Monarch of Naples
References Gavira Ignacio, Origins and history of the Spanish coat of arms.