Over its long history, the Holy Roman Empire used many different heraldic forms, representing its numerous internal divisions.
The Reichsadler ("Imperial Eagle") was the heraldic eagle, derived from the Roman eagle standard, used by the Holy Roman Emperors and in modern coats of arms of Germany, including those of the Second German Empire (1871–1918), the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) and the "Third Reich" (Nazi Germany, 1933–1945). The same design has remained in use by the Federal Republic of Germany since 1945, but under a different name, now called Bundesadler ("Union Eagle" or "Federal Eagle", from German "Bund", genitive form "Bundes" meaning 'Union' or 'Federation', and "Adler" meaning 'Eagle').
See main article: Quaternion Eagle. One rendition of the coat of the empire was the "Quaternion Eagle" (so named after the imperial quaternions) printed by David de Negker of Augsburg, after a 1510 woodcut by Hans Burgkmair. It showed a selection of 56 shields of various Imperial States in groups of four on the feathers of a double-headed eagle supporting, in place of a shield, Christ on the Cross. The top, larger shields, are those of the seven Prince Electors, the ecclesiastical: Trier, Cologne and Mainz as well as of the titular "Prefect of Rome" on the right wing; the secular: Bohemia, Electorate of the Palatinate, Saxony and Brandenburg on the left. The depiction also appeared on the Imperial Eagle beaker.
Direct attestations of imperial coats of arms become available in the later 13th century. Past emperors are given attributed arms in 13th-century sources. Thus, Otto IV is given the first known depiction of a double-headed Reichsadler in the Chronica Majora . Henry VI is given a (single-headed) Reichsadler in the Codex Manesse .
Frederick II of Hohenstaufen (Emperor 1220–1250) did not use coats of arms in any of his seals. He did use the imperial eagle on some of his coins, but not displayed as a heraldic charge in a heraldic shield. Frederick's son and co-ruler Henry did have an equestrian seal with the Hohenstaufen coat of arms of three leopards, and this coat of arms is later attributed to Frederick II as well.
From the reign of Albert II (reigned 1438–39, was never crowned emperor), each Emperor bore the old Imperial arms (Or, an eagle displayed sable beaked and membered gules) with an inescutcheon of pretence of his personal family arms. This appears therefore as a black eagle with an escutcheon on his breast. Before 1438 the Emperors used separate personal and an imperial coat of arms. The arms of the High Offices of the Empire were borne as an augmentation to the office-holder's personal arms.
| Arms | Office and Blazon | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| align=center | Arch-Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Empire | ||
| align=center | Arch-Steward of the Holy Roman Empire | ||
| align=center | Arch-Treasurer of the Holy Roman Empire Gules, the imperial crown proper. | ||
| align=center | Arch-Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire |
See main article: Prince-elector. The seven Electors named in the Golden Bull of 1356 were: the Prince-Bishops of Cologne, Mainz and Trier, the King of Bohemia, the Count Palatine of the Rhine, the Duke of Saxony and the Margrave of Brandenburg.
The Count Palatine was replaced by the Duke of Bavaria in 1623, as the Elector Palatine, Frederick V, came under the imperial ban after participating in the Bohemian Revolt. The Count Palatine was granted a new electorate in 1648. Saxony was held by a Protestant elector from 1525 (John), the Palatinate from 1541 (Otto Henry). In 1685, a Catholic branch of the Wittelsbach family inherited the Palatinate and a new Protestant electorate was created in 1692 for the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, who became known as the Elector of Hanover (officially confirmed by the Imperial Diet in 1708). The Elector of Saxony (Augustus II) converted to Catholicism in 1697 so that he could become King of Poland, but no additional Protestant electors were created, and the Electorate itself remained officially Protestant.
| Arms | Electorate/Blazon | |
| Cologne | ||
| MainzGules, a wheel with six spokes argent.[2] | ||
| TrierArgent a cross gules. |
See also: List of states in the Holy Roman Empire, List of Free Imperial Cities and List of Imperial abbeys. Entries are listed by Imperial Circle (introduced 1500, 1512) even for territories that ceased to exist prior to 1500.
| Arms | Location/Blazon | ||
| align=center | Archduchy of Austria | ||
| align=center | Duchy of Carinthia Or three lions passant Sable armed and langued Gules impaling Gules a fess Argent. | ||
| align=center | Duchy of Carniola Argent an eagle displayed Azure, crowned of the Imperial Crown Proper, armed, beaked, and langued Gules, charged with a crescent chequy Gules and Or. | ||
| align=center | Patria del Friuli Azure an eagle displayed Or, armed, langued and beaked Gules, the wings charged with a trefoil Gules. | ||
| align=center | Duchy of Styria Vert, a panther rampant Argent incensed proper. | ||
| align=center | County of Tyrol Argent an eagle displayed Gules, armed, beaked, and langued Or, the wings charged with a trefoil Or. |
| Arms | Location/Blazon | ||
| align=center | County of Burgundy
| ||
| align=center | Brabant
| ||
| align=center | Flanders Or a lion rampant Sable, armed and langued Gules. | ||
| align=center | | Guelders
| |
| align=center | | County of Hainaut
| |
| align=center | Holland Or a lion rampant gules, armed and langued azure. | ||
| align=center | Duchy of Limburg
| ||
| align=center | | County of Loon (County of Chiny)
| |
| align=center | Duchy of Luxembourg
See main article: Coat of arms of Luxembourg. | ||
| align=center | County of Namur Or, a lion rampant Sable, armed and langued Gules, a bend overall of the same. |
| Arms | Location/Blazon | ||
| align=center | Duchy of Cleves
| ||
| align=center | Berg Argent a lion rampant Gules, queue fourchée crossed in saltire, armed, langued, and crowned Or. | ||
| align=center | Duchy of Jülich Or a lion rampant sable, armed and langued gules. | ||
| align=center | Prince-Bishopric of Liège Quarterly: I: gules a fess argent; II: Argent, three lions rampant Vert, crowned Or, armed and langued Gules; III: Barry Gules and Or; IV: Or, three hunting horns Gules, hooped and belted Argent. Overall an inescutcheon Gules, a perron, supported by three lions, surmounted by a pineapple and a cross pattée, with the letters L to the dexter and G to the sinister, all Or. | ||
| align=center | County of Mark
| ||
| align=center | County of Ravensberg Argent three chevrons Gules. |
| Arms | Location/Blazon | ||
| align=center | Landgraviate of Hesse Azure a lion rampant barry Argent and Gules, armed and crowned Or. | ||
| align=center | | Lorraine
| |
| align=center | Duchy of Savoy Gules a cross argent. | ||
| align=center | | Vaudémont
|
| Arms | Location | ||
| align=center | Holstein Gules, a nettle leaf Argent. |
| Arms | Location/Blazon | ||
| align=center | Margraviate of Brandenburg Argent an eagle displayed Gules crowned with an electoral hat Proper, armed and beaked Or, langued Gules, the wings charged with a trefoil Or, in his dexter claw grasping a sceptre Or tipped Gules thereupon an eagle displayed Argent, armed, langued, beaked and crowned Or, on his chest a torteux Gules, in his dexter claw grasping a sceptre and orb Or and in his sinister claw grasping a sword Or; and in his sinister claw graping a sword Argent hilted Or; overall and on his chest an inescutcheon Azure, a sceptre finished with a fleur-de-lys Or. | ||
| align=center | Duchy of Pomerania Quarterly of nine; I Azure a griffin segreant sinister Gules armed and beaked Or (for Pomerania-Stettin); II Argent a griffin segreant Gules armed and beaked Or (for Pomerania); III Or a griffin segreant Sable armed, langued and beaked Gules (for Cassubia); IV Argent a griffin segreant sinister bendy Vert and Gules (for Wenden); V Or a demi-lion Sable, crowned, langued and armed Gules issuant from a wall of bricks throughout Azure therein a chevron of bricks Gules (for Rügen); VI Gules a sea-griffin segreant Argent, armed, beaked and langued Or (for Usedom); VII Gules a griffin segreant sinister Sable, armed, langued and beaked Gules, under his wings, feathers of Argent (for Pomerania-Barth); VIII Or two batons in saltire Gules between four roses Gules barbed and seeded Or; IX a demi-griffin segreant Argent, armed, langued and beaked Or issuant from a wall of bricks alternately Azure and Or (for Pomerania-Wolgast.) | ||
| align=center | Duchy of Saxony Barry Sable and Or, overall a crancelin Vert. |
| Arms | Location/Blazon | ||
| align=center | Augsburg Party per pale Gules and Argent, a chapiter Or thereupon a cedar cone Vert. | ||
| align=center | Baden Or a bend Gules. |
| Arms | Location/Blazon | ||
| align=center | Kingdom of Bohemia Argent, a lion rampant queue forchée, armed, langued and crowned Or. | ||
| align=center | Margraviate of Moravia Azure an eagle displayed chequy Argent and Gules, armed, langued, beaked and crowned Or. | ||
| align=center | Görlitz Party per fess, chief gules a lion rampant Argent, armed, langued, and crowned Or; base Argent. | ||
| align=center | Lusatia
| ||
| align=center | Silesia
|
| Arms | Location/Blazon | ||
| align=center | Geneva (before 1401) Or a cross quarter-pierced Azure. | ||
| align=center | Nice (as part of the Duchy of Savoy from 1046) Argent, in base wavy of Azure and Argent issuing therefrom three rocks Vert thereupon an eagle displayed crowned Gules. | ||
| align=center | Provence (before 1481)
| ||
| align=center | Prussia (after 1701) Argent, an eagle displayed sable crowned with the Royal Crown Proper, the wings charged with a trefoil Or, in his dexter claw grasping a sceptre Or tipped Gules thereupon an eagle displayed Argent, armed, langued, beaked and crowned Or, on his chest a torteux Gules, in his dexter claw grasping a sceptre Or and in his sinister claw grasping a sword Or on his chest an R Or. See main article: Coat of arms of Prussia. | ||
| align=center | Teutonic Knights (1224 - 1525)
Argent, on a cross Sable a cross floretty Or and overall on an inescutcheon Or an eagle displayed sable, armed, langued and beaked Gules, the wings charged with a trefoil Gules. | ||
| align=center | Viennois (before 1349) Or, a dolphin haurient azure finned Gules. |