Danish Coats of Arms

Last modified: 2025-08-23 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: denmark | coat of arms |
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• National Coat of Arms
• Royal Coats of Arms general Information
• Royal Coat of Arms of King Frederik 10 (since 2025)
• Historical Royal Coats of Arms
• Royal Coat of Arms (1559 - 1699)
• Royal Coat of Arms (1699 - 1819)
• Royal Coat of Arms (1819 - 1903)
• Royal Coat of Arms (1903 - 1948)
• Royal Coat of Arms of King Frederik 9 (1948 - 1972)
• Royal Coat of Arms of Queen Margrethe 2 (1972 - 2024)

See also:

• Denmark
• Denmark: Index of all page
• Héraldique européenne website

National Coat of Arms

There are two versions of the Danish coat of arms (see image at top), the lesser one now called the National Coat of Arms and the greater one now called the Royal Coat of Arms.
The two coats of arms are used by the royal house and state authorities as a national symbol denoting sovereignty.
The National Arms are in principle the coat of arms known from the time of the Valdemars, three lions surrounded by hearts.
The Royal Arms with quarterings in one shield held by savages in a pavilion and surrounded by collars of orders of chivalry, has been altered on various occasions, most recently by a royal decree in 1972. In 1959 it was decided that the Royal Arms are used by the monarch, the royal house and the court, and by the Life Guards, while other authorities are to use the National Arms. The Danish coat of arms is ensigned by a crown, which was originally open, but since 1624 has been reproduced with arches and an orb with a cross above. The crown symbolises both, the royal and national authority. With reproductions of the national arms in seals and on coins, and in connection with the exercise of authority, rights of succession are asserted and sovereignty of the monarch and the state as well. The national arms and the crown are legally protected against misuse. When the designation is indicated, a purveyor to the Royal Court is allowed to use the crown and a Royal Court purveyor the royal coat of arms or the crown alone.
Nils G. Bartholdy, 10 May 2003

The "hearts" have officially been called "søblade" (= sea leaves)in Denmark for several decades. Indeed, in Friesland we call them water lily leaves, though on our lion arms they have actually been replaced by small golden blocks.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 1 Aug 2007

Through the ages they have very often been interpreted as hearts in Denmark too, and even, if the present official view is that they were originally this kind of leaves and therefore should be so now, I think it is still not 100 % settled that it really were leaves originally.
Elias Grandqvist, 1 Aug 2007

Royal Coats of Arms general Information

The Royal Coat of Arms looks rather modern and minimalist; I would put a little question mark on the so called "Scandinavian cross" in the centre. I am more used to a center cross like the one on this image (from this webpage)

The contents of the monarch´s coat of arms have varied over the years (see Héraldique européenne for details). The escutcheon originally contained quarterings for areas, over which the king actually reigned at various periods or to which he laid claim. In the Middle Ages the king´s younger sons bore one or two lions to denote their status as vassals. The two Slesvig lionsSlesvig lions are known from 1245 and in 1460 became part of the king´s coat of arms together with the Holstein nettle leaf, which was originally the family coat of arms of the Schauenburgers. In the 13th century, the Counts of Halland, one of the bastard lines of the royal family, bore a lion above a number of hearts. In 1449 Christian I added a lion surmounting nine hearts to his coat of arms for the title of "the Goths", presumably as part of his efforts to dominate Sweden, where the patriotic myth of the Swedes as the descendants of the victorious Goths greatly contributed to a sense of national understanding. In 1440, the dragon-like wyvern representing the title of "the Wends" was added; it can symbolise heathendom and thus refer to the earlier victory over the heathen Wends. The two Oldenborg bars were introduced by Christian I, and in the king´s coat of arms from the time of Frederik I we find the fitchy Delmenhorst cross. The swan of Stormarn with a coronet around its neck is known from 1476. The Dannebrog cross was incorporated into the king´s coat of arms from the time of Erik VII of Pomerania, as were the axe-bearing lion of Norway and the Swedish coats of arms. The three crowns were actually the Swedish coat of arms, but became a symbol of the Kalmar Union´s three Scandinavian realms. After the break-up of the Union Christian III, from 1546, used the three crowns as arms of pretence, and in this way Danish-Norwegian kings betokened a political will also to rule Sweden. The use of the three crowns was opposed by Sweden, especially in the 16th century. Quarterings for Bavaria and Pomerania were found under the kings, who hailed from those countries. The conquest of the Ditmarshes in 1559 was marked by a quartering with a horseman. From the 16th century Iceland was represented by a crowned stockfish, but from 1903 by a falcon. The ancient arms of the Faroe Islands, the ram, were from 1668 combined with that of the king, and the Greenlandic bear is known from 1665. In 1819 a horse´s head was added for Lauenburg.
Furthermore, the following arms have been used: the , the eagle of Oesel, the crown of Fehmarn and the dragon of Bornholm. Buffalo horns, sometimes clad in ermine, with peacock feathers, was the royal crest from the end of the 13th century to the 1420s.
Nils G. Bartholdy, 10 May 2003

The Dannebrog cross was changed, when Queen Margrethe ascended, from being inspired by the Order of Dannebrog to being inspired by the flag.
Ole Andersen, 10 May 2003

Royal Coat of Arms of King Frederik 10

The Royal Coat of Arms of Denmark has been officially updated, effective from 20 December 2024. The King has established a new Royal Coat of Arms by royal resolution of 20 December 2024. The King wishes, with changes to the royal coat of arms established in 1972, to create a contemporary royal coat of arms that both reflects the Commonwealth and considers history and heraldic tradition.
The shield is quartered by a silver cross bordured in red. The first quarter represents Denmark with three crowned lions passant accompanied by nine hearts, the second quarter represents the Faroe Islands with a silver ram on blue, the third quarter represents Greenland with a silver polar bear on blue, and the fourth quarter contains two lions passant representing Southern Jutland, the northern part of former Schleswig.
The centre escutcheon, two red bars on a golden shield, represents the House of Oldenburg, the former royal dynasty that ruled Denmark and Norway from the middle of the 15th century. When the senior branch of this dynasty became extinct in 1863, the crown passed to Prince Christian of the cadet branch Glücksburg, whose descendants have reigned in Denmark ever since. The House of Glücksburg continues the use of the arms of the old Oldenburg dynasty, and the symbol is still officially referred to by its old association.
Two savages (Danish: vildmænd) act as supporters; this element can be traced back to the early reign of the Oldenburg dynasty. Similar supporters were used in the former arms of Prussia. The shield features the insignias of the Order of the Dannebrog and the Order of the Elephant around it.
The shield and supporters are framed by a royal ermine robe, surmounted by a royal crown.
Source: royal house webpage
Zoltan Horvath, 1 Jan 2025

Historical Royal Coat of Arms

Royal Coat of Arms (1559 - 1699)

According to source German WIKIPEDIAthis shield and the next one are "typical royal arms".
If we assume the dates given (1559 and 1699) this shield (model 1559) displayed the royal arms of the following kings:
Frederik 2 (1559 - 1588)
Christian 4 (1588 - 1648)
Frederik 3 (1648 - 1670)
Christian 5 (1670 - 1699)

Shield quartered by a Dannebrog cross (white with red fimbriation), 1st quarter Or semi of nine heartlets Gules three lions passant Azure in pale, crowned and armed Or; 2nd quarter Gules a lion rampant Or crowned of the same and holding a halberd embowed of the same; 3rd quarter parted per fess, above Azure three coronets Or ordered 2:1, beneath Gules a crowned wyvern Or (front half); 4th quarter parted per fess, above Or a lion passant Azure on chief and eight visible heartlets Gules ordered 3:3:2 in base, beneath Gules a crowned wyvern Or (rear half); escutcheon quartered as follows: 1st quarter Or two lions passant Azure in pale, armed Or and tongued Gules, 2nd quarter Gules an inescutcheon parted per fess of Argent and Gules superimposing a nettle leaf Argent and three nails of the same in pall reversed, 3rd quarter Gules a swan passant Argent gorged by a coronet Or, 4th quarter Gules a knight Or with a sword Argent on a horse forcene Argent bridled Or; inescutcheon parted per pale, at dexter Or two bars Gules, at sinister Azure a cross fitchy Or.
Meaning:
The 1st quarter displays the arms of Denmark, the 2nd quarter displays the arms of Norway, the upper half of the 3rd quarter is representing the Kalmar Union, the upper half of the 4th quarter stresses the claim for the title of the "King of Goths", the lower halves of the 3rd and 4th quarter stress the claim for the title of the "King of Wends". The 1st quarter of the escutcheon displays the arms of Slesvig, the 2nd quarter those of Holstein, the 3rd quarter those of Stormarn and the 4th quarter those of Dithmarschen. The inescutcheon displays the family arms of the Oldenburg kin, displaying the arms of Oldenburg at dexter and those of Delmenhorst at sinister.
Source: this image
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 16 Aug 2025

Royal Coat of Arms (1699 - 1819)

This shield (model 1609) displays the arms of the following kings:
Frederik 4 (1699 - 1730)
Christian 6 (1730 - 1746)
Frederik 5 (1746 -1766)
Christian 7 (1766 - 1808)
Frederik 6 (1808 - 1839)

Shield quartered by a Dannebrog cross (white with red fimbriation), 1st quarter Or semi of nine heartlets Gules three lions passant Azure in pale, 2nd quarter Gules a lion rampant Or crowned of the same and holding a halberd embowed of the same; 3rd quarter parted per fess, above Azure three coronets Or ordered 2:1, beneath Or two lions passant Azure in pale, armed Or and tongued Gules; 4th quarter parted per fess, above Or a lion passant Azure and beneath eight visible heartlets Gules ordered 3:3:2, beneath Gules a crowned wyvern Or; escutcheon parted per pall reversed as follows: 1st quarter Gules an inescutcheon parted per fess of Argent and Gules superimposing a nettle leaf Argent and three nails of the same in pall reversed, 2nd quarter Gules a swan passant Argent gorged by a coronet Or, 3rd quarter Gules a knight Or with a sword Argent on a horse forcene Argent bridled Or; inescutcheon parted per pale, at dexter Or two bars Gules, at sinister Azure a cross fitchy Or.
Meaning:
The 1st quarter displays the arms of Denmark, the 2nd quarter displays the arms of Norway, the upper half of the 3rd quarter is representing the Kalmar Union, the lower half displays the arms of Slesvig, which became an upgrade of importance in the new arms, the 4th quarter stresses the claim for the title of the "King of Goths" (above) and "Wends" (below). The inescutcheon displays the arms of Holstein (above right), Stormarn (above left) and Dithmarschen (below). The inescutcheon displays the family arms of the Oldenburg kin, displaying the arms of Oldenburg at dexter and those of Delmenhorst at sinister.
Source: this image
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 16 Aug 2025

Royal Coat of Arms (1819 - 1903)

If we assume the date given this shield displayed the royal arms of the following kings:
Frederik 6 (1808 - 1839) since 1819
Christian 8 (1839 - 1848)
Frederik 7 (1848 - 1863)
Christian 9 (1863 - 1906) until 1903

In comparison with its predecessor this version had the same basic pattern and the 1st and 4th quarter of the main shield remained the same. 2nd quarter Or two lions passant Azure in pale, armed Or and tongued Gules; 3rd quarter parted per fess, above Azure three coronets Or ordered 2:1, beneath parted per pale, at dexter Gules a stockfish Argent in pale under a coronet Or, at sinister parted per pale, above Azure a ram statant Argent, beneath Azure a polar bear rampant Argent. The inescutcheon remained the same but the surrounding escutcheon changed. It was red and quartered charged with an inescutcheon parted per fess of Argent and Gules superimposing a nettle leaf Argent all under a coronet Argent, 2nd quarter charged with a swan stating Argent gorged by a golden coronet, 3rd quarter charged with a knight Or mounted on a horse forcene Argent, 4th quarter charged with a horse head Or. Meaning: The lions of Slesvig moved from the 4th to the 2nd quarter replacing the lion with halberd of Norway, which was ceded in 1814 to Sweden by the Treaty of Kiel. The stockfish in the 3rd quarter displayed the arms of Iceland; the three coronets, ram and polar bear those of the Kalmar Union, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The escutcheon displayed the arms of Holstein in 1st quarter, Stormarn in 2nd quarter, Dithmarschen in 3rd quarter and as a new element the horse head of Lauenburg in the 4th quarter.
Source:
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 16 Aug 2025

Royal Coat of Arms (1903 - 1948)

If we assume the date given this shield displayed the royal arms of the following kings:
Christian 9 (1863 - 1906) since 1903
Frederik 8 (1906 - 1912)
Christian 10 (1912 - 1947)
Frederik 9 (1947 - 1972)

In comparison with its predecessor this version had precisely the same pattern with one exception: The stockfish under a coronet representing Iceland was replaced by a silver falcon in blue field.
Meaning:
The reason for the change were the circumstances in Iceland, which was granted autonomy or self government (Danish: Hjemmestyre) by the Danish Crown and gained independence due to a referendum on 1 December 1918. Christian 10 ruled Denmark and Iceland in personal union until the latter was transformed to a republic on 17 June 1944.
Source:
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 16 Aug 2025

Royal Coat of Arms of King Frederik 9 (1948 - 1972)

The arms basically were the same as the preceding ones. There was only one change. The 3rd quarter of the main shield was parted per fess, above Azure three coronets Or ordered 2:1, beneath parted per pale, at dexter Azure a ram statant Argent armed Or and at sinister Azure a polar bear rampant Argent armed Or.
Meaning:
Frederik 9 ascended the throne in 1947. One year later he changed the arms and removed the falcon, which had represented Iceland, due to the dissolution of the personal union of Denmark and the island in 1944. The fields for the Faroe Islands (ram) and Greenland (polar bear) now filled completely the lower half of the 3rd quarter.
Source:
Source: Herzog(Wolf 1967, p.27
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 17 Aug 2025

Royal Coat of Arms of Queen Margrethe 2 (1972 - 2024)

Shield quartered by a Dannebrog cross (in shape of a Greek cross), 1st and 4th quarter Or semi of nine heartlets Gules three lions passant Azure in pale, armed and crowned Or; 2nd quarter Or two lions passant Azure in pale, armed and crowned Or; 3rd quarter parted per fess, above Azure three coronets Or ordered 2:1, beneath parted per pale, at dexter Azure a ram salient Argent armed Or, at sinister Azure a polar bear salient Argent armed Or, on heart point an inescutcheon Or two bars Gules.
1st and 4th quarter are representing Denmark, 2nd quarter is representing Slesvig, particularly in Danish terms South Jutland (Sønderjylland), 3rd quarter is representing the Kalmar Union (coronets) the Faroe Islands (ram) and Greenland (polar bear).
In 1972 Queen Margrethe 2 abolished completely the surrounding escutcheon ot the preceding arms, due to the fact that Slesvig, Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarschen and Lauenburg were finally ceded to Prussia in 1865 and Iceland meanwhile had gained independence. The lions of Slesvig got a new meaning now representing North Slesvig, which was regained as South Jutland in 1920.
Source: Héraldique européenne
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 16 Aug 2025

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