Jump to content
- WG143, Part 1. James III, Kings of Scots, 1452-88. Contributions include the first Royal Motto, the first Unicorn Collar, the first Imperial Crown, the Thistle as a national Plant Badge and the first realistic royal coin portrait in Britain.
- WG144, Part 2. James IV, King of Scots, 1473-1513. New elements are added to the Royal Arms. The border includes the full royal motto, along with a thistle and marguerite flower to symbolize James and his queen, Margaret Tudor. Further changes and embellishments were added to the shield and to the Royal Crest consisting of an arched crown and a seated lion with a saltire flag.
- WG145, Part 3. The Scottish Crown Jewels are the oldest crown jewels in the UK, known as the Honours of Scotland. Two of the Honours were presented by popes, a silver-gilt sceptre by Pope Alexander VI and a Consecrated hat and Blessed sword by Pope Julius II. James V ordered the sceptre to be remade, longer and more ornate. The finial contains the figures of The Virgin Mary, St. Andrew and St. James the Pilgrim, topped by a globe of rock crystal. The sword, along with scabbard, were made in the High Renaissance style. James V also ordered the crown to be refashioned. The new crown incorporated jewels and arches from the old crown, but was greatly enhanced with many additional jewels, gold, silver and enamel work. It was completed with a new purple velvet bonnet lined with ermine.
- WG146, Part 4. James V, King of Scots, 1512-42. During the reign of James V, the royal arms evolved with the circumstances. The Royal Arms from 1541, show the crest lion seated on a crown, carrying the Honours of Scotland, the shield is surrounded by a collar of thistles and the unicorn supporters carry a banner of royal arms and a banner with the saltire. Also shown are the emblems of the orders of knighthood presented to James V which include the Knight of the Golden Fleece and the English Order of the Garter and the arms of Madeline and Mary of Guise.
- WG147, Part 5. Mary, Queen of Scots, 1542-87. Mary’s signet ring, early in her life, bore the Royal Arms of Scotland very similar to the Royal Arms in the time of her Father, James V, with M and R for Maria Regina. After her marriage to the French Dauphin, her Royal Arms show her as heir to the French throne, Queen of Scots and heir to the throne of England. When Mary returned to Scotland, her banner was changed to reflect the religious conflicts between the Protestants of Scotland and Mary’s Catholic household. The supporters of the shield are holding plain saltire banners. Mary’s Great Seal, however, shows the supporters with the Regal Saltire of Scotland in which saltire is encircled the open crown at the crossing.
- Part 1. (1) Royal Arms of Scotland from 1244, Wikipedia; (2) Royal Arms with unicorn supporters, pre-1454. Manuscript of Virgil’s ‘Aeneid’ by Florius Infortunatus. Copyright: The University of Edinburgh; (3) Royal Arms on Bridge of Dee, Aberdeen; (4) Gold unicorn coin of 1482; (5) Groat of 1840 showing first use of thistles; (6) Earliest version of thistles with Royal Arms; (7) Silver portrait coin of James III, Copyright: Trustees of the British Museum; (8)Impression of the Scottish arched crown. Illustrations 3-6, 8 supplied by author.
- Part 2. (1) Crowned monogram of James and Margaret; (2) Royal Arms of James IV at Holyroodhouse; (3) Marriage chest of James and Margaret with initials on left door, Copyright: G. Wade; (4) Detail of armorial panel on west face of tower, King's College chapel, Aberdeen, Copyright: Crown Copyright: Historic Environment Scotland. (5) Royal Arms of James IV; (6) portrait of James praying at and alter that has a frontal bearing of the Arms of his father, James III. Illustrations 5 and 6 , Vienna Books of Hours, Austrian National Library.
- Part 3. Title Image: The Regalia of Scotland, 1835, after Andrew Geddes. Copyright: Trustees of the British Museum; (1) The original sceptre in 1496; (2) Additional shaft with engraving; (3) The lengthened sceptre, 1538; (4) Sceptre, head, showing figure of Virgin Mary; (5) Consecrated hat; (6) Container with Papal Arms; (7) Arms of Pope Julius II; (8) The Blessed Sword of 1507; (9) The massive buckle with enamel decoration; (10) John Mosman's house on Edinburgh Royal Mile; (11) Crown as worn by James IV; (12) Crown after the 1540 remodelling; (13) The crown of Scotland with red velvet bonnet, four pearl ornaments and ermine trim; (14) Royal Arms of Scotland pre-1540; (15) New royal crest and supporters with banners. Illustrations 1-3, 5-7, 11, 12, 14 & 15 supplied by author. Illustrations 4, 8, 9 and 13 Crown copyright: Historic Environment Scotland. Illustration 10 Kim Traynor.
- Part 4. Title Image: Portrait of James V and Mary of Guise and Lorraine. Credit: from the collection of Blair Castle, Perthshire; (1) The only pre-Reformation version of the Royal Arms in stained glass, Magdalen Chapel, Edinburgh; (2) The Beaton panels, c. 1530; (3) Aberdeen heraldic panel, c. 1530; (4) Stall plate, 1532; (5) James received the English Order of the Garter 21 Feb 1535; (6 & 7) The Arms of Madeleine and Mary of Guise; (8) Royal Arms in 1541; (9) Impaled Arms of James V and Mary of Guise. Illustrations 1, 2, 4-9 supplied by author. Illustration3 credit: University of Aberdeen.
- Part 5. Title Image: Mary, Queen of Scots, unknown artist, c. 1560-1592. NPG 1766, Copyright: National Portrait Gallery, London; (1) Mary’s signet ring. Copyright: The Trustees of the British Museum; (2) The royal saltire banner; (3) Scottish coin struck in 1558; (4) Mary’s Royal Arms located in Leith; (5) The Great Seal of Scotland; (6) Mary as Queen of Scots, Dauphine and heir to the crown of England. Illustrations 2-4 supplied by author. Illustration 6 courtesy of Mark D. Dennis.
- Part 4. Death of Jame IV; took power in 1528 at age 16; marriages to first Madeleine of Guise the Mary of Guise; birth of daughter Mary in 1542.
- Part 5. Death of James V; marriage of Mary to the Dauphin of France; return to Scotland; marriages to Lord Darnley and the Earl of Bothwell; escape to England and execution by Elizabeth I.
