Armorial of Spanish monarchs in Italy explained

The Spanish monarchs of the House of Habsburg and Philip V used separate versions of their royal arms as sovereigns of the Kingdom of Naples-Sicily, Sardinia and the Duchy of Milan with the arms of these territories.

Introduction

The Kingdom of Sicily was ruled as an independent kingdom by relatives or cadet branch of the house of Aragon until 1409 and thence as part of the Crown of Aragon. The Kingdom of Naples was ruled by the Angevin ruler René of Anjou until the two thrones were reunited by Alfonso V of Aragon, after the successful siege of Naples and the defeat of René on 6 June 1443.^[1] Eventually, Alfonso of Aragon divided the two kingdoms during his rule. He gave the rule of Naples to his illegitimate son Ferdinand I of Naples, who ruled from 1458 to 1494, and Aragon and Sicilyto Alfonso's brother John II of Aragon. Eventually the Kingdom of Naples was reunited with the Aragonese Kingdom.The titles were held by the Aragonese kings of the AragoneseCrown until 1516, followed by the Kings of Spain until the end of the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg in 1700.

When Francesco II Sforza, duke of Milan died without heirs in 1535, emperor Charles V got the Duchy. The Emperor held the Duchy throughout, eventually investing it on his son prince Philip. The possession of the Duchy by Spain was finally recognized by the French in the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis in 1559.

• The Royal Arms of Sicily after 1282 were blazoned Per saltire Aragon and Hohenstaufen: 1/4 are the arms of Aragon (Or, four pales Gules), and 2/3 are the arms of the House of Hohenstaufen (Argent, an eagle Sable).
• The Royal Arms of Naples used by the monarchs of the House of Trastámara were borne by Charles III of Naples as his heirs: the arms of Hungary (Barry of eight Gules and Argent), the arms of the Kingdom of Jerusalem (Argent, the Jerusalem Cross Or) and the ancient arms of Anjou (Azure semé-de-lys Or charged with a label of three points Gules). In 1504 Ferdinand II of Aragon became monarch of Naples and added the arms of Charles III in his heraldry but he removed the arms of Anjou.^[2]
• The Ducal Arms of Milan (used at the time of the House of Sforza) were the biscione, a heraldic charge showing on Argent an Azure serpent in the act of consuming a human quartering, with the Imperial eagle (the earlier single-headed).

The Kingdom of Naples-Sicily and the Duchy of Milan remained in Spanish hands until the War of the Spanish Succession in the early 18th century, when Milan was conquered by the Austrians and Naples-Sicily passed to the House of Savoy.

Gallery

Italian version of the arms of Charles I of Spain (Charles V as Holy Roman Emperor)
Coat of Arms	Dates	Details
	Charles I Charles V as King of the Romans, of Aragon and Both Sicilies 1516–1519	Other elements The Royal open crown of the Kingdom of Aragon
	Charles I Charles V as Holy Roman Emperor 1520–1556	Other elements The double-headed eagle of the Holy Roman Empire, the heraldic imperial crown

Versions of the Spanish Royal Arms used by the Monarch as Sovereign of Naples and Sicily
Coat of Arms	Dates and Monarch	Details
	Philip of Spain Prince of Asturias and Girona 1554–1556 Philip II 1556–1598	Heraldic Ornaments The open royal crown of Naples and Sicily, the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece
	Philip III 1598–1621 Philip IV 1621–1665	Heraldic Ornaments Open royal crown of Naples and Sicily
	Charles II 1665–1700	Heraldic Ornaments The closed royal crown of Naples and Sicily, the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece
	Philip V 1700–1713	Heraldic Ornaments The closed royal crown of Naples and Sicily, the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece

Version of the Spanish Royal Arms used by the Monarch as Sovereign of Sicily
Coat of Arms	Dates	Details
	Philip II 1580–1598 Philip I, as King of Portugal 1580–1598 Philip III/II 1598–1621 Philip IV 1621–1665 Philip III as King of Portugal 1621–1640 Charles II 1665–1700	Other elements An heraldic eagle as supporter, the open royal crown of Naples and Sicily and the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece
	Philip V 1700–1713	Other elements An heraldic eagle as supporter, the open royal crown of Naples and Sicily, the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece and the badge of the Order of the Holy Spirit

Versions of the Spanish Royal Arms used by the Monarch as Sovereign of Milan
Coat of Arms	Dates and Monarch	Details
	Philip of Spain Prince of Asturias and Girona 1554–1556 Philip II 1556–1558 King jure uxoris of England and Ireland 1554–1558	Sinister (To viewer's right) Kingdom of England Kingdom of France (Modern)^[5] Heraldic Ornaments The open ducal crown of Milan, the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece
	Philip II 1558–1580	Sinister (To viewer's right) Duchy of Milan Heraldic Ornaments The open ducal crown of Milan, the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece
	Philip II 1580–1598 Philip I, as King of Portugal 1580–1598 Philip III/II 1598–1621 Philip IV 1621–1665 Philip III as King of Portugal 1621–1640 Charles II 1665–1700	Heraldic Ornaments The closed ducal crown of Milan, the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece
	Philip V 1700–1706/1713	Heraldic Ornaments The closed ducal crown of Milan, the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece

Versions of the Spanish Royal Arms used by the Monarch as Sovereign of Sardinia
Coat of Arms	Dates and Monarch	Details
	Philip I, II, III and Charles II as King of Sardinia 1580–1700	Heraldic Ornaments The closed royal crown of Aragon, the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece

See also

• Historical Spanish coats of arms
• Duchy of Milan
• Kingdom of Naples
• Kingdom of Sicily
• Monarchs of Spain
• Italian heraldry
• Spanish heraldry

References

• Francisco Olmos, José María de. «Las primeras acuñaciones del príncipe Felipe de España (1554–1556): Soberano de Milán Nápoles e Inglaterra». «The First Coins of Prince Felipe of Spain (1554–1556): Sovereign of Milan, Naples and England», pp. 165–166. Documenta & Instrumenta, 3 (2005). Madrid, Universidad Complutense. PP. 155–186.
• Menéndez-Pidal De Navascués, Faustino; «El escudo»; Menéndez Pidal y Navascués, Faustino; O´Donnell, Hugo; Lolo, Begoña (1999). Símbolos de España. Madrid: Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales. .
• Web site: Lo stemma di re Filippo III . Capodicasa . Antonello . Forte di Capopassero . Italian . The coat of arms of Philip III . April 5, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140831061556/http://www.fortedicapopassero.it/pagine/stemma.htm . August 31, 2014 . dead .

Notes and References

1. Book: Allan W. Atlas . Music at the Aragonese court of Naples . 1985 . . 1 . 0-521-24828-0 .
2. Francisco Olmos, José María de. «La moneda napolitana de Fernando el Católico, documento propagandístico de la unidad de las coronas», pp.141–162. Revista General de Información y Documentación, 3 (2001). Madrid, Universidad Complutense. PP. 155–186, ISSN 1132-1873.
3. Web site: Le monete delle due Sicilie: Coniate nella zecca di Napoli. The coin of the Two Sicilies, Mint of Naples coins. Italian . Rauso . Francesco di . Brigantino - Il Portale del Sud. 26 July 2014.
4. Web site: Sicily-Trinacria. hubert-herald.nl. 23 July 2014.
5. The order in what are presented the English and French arms is altered respect the usual in England.
6. Web site: Filippo V di Borbone, 1700-1713. Philip V of Bourbon, 1700-1713 . Rhinocoin. 23 July 2014.