Among the most impressive displays of heraldic heritage in the British Isles stands the Stowe Armorial—a testament to the grandeur, ambition, and genealogical complexity of the British aristocracy. Housed in the Gothic Library at Stowe House, the armorial serves not only as a decorative centrepiece but also as a visual chronicle of centuries of strategic alliances, chiefly through marriage to heraldic heiresses.
Commissioned by George Nugent-Temple-Grenville, 1st Marquess of Buckingham, the armorial reflects the prodigious legacy of the Grenville family of Buckinghamshire. Over time, the family acquired an extraordinary five-barrelled surname—Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville—and a correspondingly elaborate ducal title: Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. The Stowe Armorial records a staggering 719 (or 726, according to some sources) quarterings, amassed through generations of marital unions with heiress families.
The armorial at Stowe House. From YouTube.
At its core, the armorial features the paternal arms of Grenville in the first quarter, from which the subsequent quarterings unfold in meticulous succession. Each shield represents a marriage into another noble line, provided the bride brought armigerous descent and no surviving male siblings—thus qualifying as a heraldic heiress. Through this process, the family’s armorial display absorbed the bearings of such illustrious houses as de Clare, de Valence, Mowbray, Mortimer, de Grey, and Spencer. Even the Royal Arms of Henry VIII appear within the composition, a reflection of the family’s descent from royal blood.
The sheer number of quarterings is illustrative not only of genealogical ambition but also of the highly intermarried nature of the British aristocracy. Many arms recur or bear marked similarity to others, revealing a tightly woven web of familial interconnections.
Despite its heraldic magnificence, the family’s fortunes did not endure. The Dukes of Buckingham and Chandos suffered financial collapse on two notable occasions and ultimately became extinct in the male line by the close of the 19th century. Their ancestral seat, Stowe House, is today the home of Stowe School, a prestigious independent institution. Yet the armorial remains, a silent witness to a family’s rise, glory, and eventual fall—and a masterclass in the heraldic tradition of quartering.
One of the earliest illustrated chronicles of Inca and early colonial history is the Historia general del Piru, written before 1616 by the Mercedarian friar Martín de Muruá. While readers of this blog may recall Guaman Poma de Ayala’s imaginative attribution of arms to the Incan Empire—explored in a previous post—de Muruá went a step further: he assigned individual coats of arms to the Incan emperors themselves, the Sapa Inca. These heraldic inventions offer a fascinating glimpse into how European traditions were projected onto the legacy of a powerful indigenous dynasty.
From left to right: Maco Capac (1200–1230), Sinchi Roca (1230–1260), Lloque Yupanqui (1260–1290), Mayta Capac (1290–1320), Capac Yupanqui (1320–1350) and Inca Roca (1350–1380).
Interestingly, all shields are parted per fess (divided horizontally).
Historia General del Piru has been digitalized and is available through Google Books.
In the early seventeenth century, a series of heraldic representations purporting to depict the arms of the Incan Empire were presented to the Spanish crown. While their authenticity as official or historical emblems remains doubtful—more mythological than factual—their iconography powerfully evokes the grandeur, spiritual depth, and imperial majesty of the Inca civilization. These attributed arms of the Incan Empire, constructed in the European heraldic tradition but imbued with Andean cosmology and symbolism, serve as a compelling window into an idealized vision of a vanished empire, where royal imagery and sacred myth converge.
The First Coat of Arms: As Depicted by Guaman Poma de Ayala
The first known rendering of Incan heraldry appears in the El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno (1615) by the Quechua nobleman and chronicler Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala. This coat of arms is quartered, with each field reflecting a key aspect of Incan cosmology and royal symbolism:
First Quarter: This field depicts Inti, the sun god, in reference to Inti Raymi, the winter solstice festival and Incan New Year. As the Sapa Inca was regarded as a direct descendant of Inti, this symbol represents divine rulership and solar authority.
Second Quarter: Here appears Quilla, the moon goddess and sister of Inti, symbolizing Coya Raymi, the Festival of the Queen. This celebration, dedicated to women and fertility, was central to purification rites and affirmed the cosmic balance between the sun and the moon.
Third Quarter: This field contains imagery associated with Illapa, the god of lightning, rain, and war. This deity represents both agricultural fertility and martial power, central concerns of Incan governance.
Fourth Quarter: The mythic landscape of Wanakawri and Paqariq Tampu dominates this field. According to legend, it was from the caves of Tambotoco, beneath this hill, that the ancestors of the Inca—most notably the the first Sapa Inca Manco Cápac—first emerged, linking this image to origin myths and dynastic legitimacy.
The Second Coat of Arms: Additional Symbolic Layers
A second, more elaborate version of the arms introduces further symbols rooted in Incan lore. It is likewise quartered:
First Quarter: The Curi Quinquitica, a golden hummingbird, symbolizes agility, spiritual guidance, and the connection between earth and sky. In Incan thought, hummingbirds were revered as messengers between worlds.
Second Quarter: This field features a jaguar—Otorongo Achachi Ynga—beneath a chunta (palm tree). The jaguar, associated with transformation and martial prowess, alludes to a legendary son of Inca Roca, said to have turned into a jaguar in battle. The palm signifies resilience and nobility.
Third Quarter: Depicted here is the Masca Paycha, the royal tassel or fringe worn by the Sapa Inca, marking imperial dignity and command. Its inclusion affirms the sacred investiture of power.
Fourth Quarter: This quarter bears the Amaro Ynga, or Incan serpent, a potent mythological creature linked to wisdom, fertility, and the Uku Pacha (the underworld). The serpent forms part of the Incan cosmological triad along with the puma and the condor.
This coat of arms was later reinterpreted and re-published by the chronicler Martín de Murúa in his Historia General del Perú (1616), albeit with some discrepancies—most notably the swapping of the first and third quarters, for reasons that remain unknown.
The Final Arms: Representing the Four Suyu
A third and final version of the arms, also featured in Murúa’s chronicle, continues the quartered format. Each field is believed to symbolize one of the four great territorial divisions (suyu) of the Inca Empire:
Chinchaysuyu (North)
Antisuyu (East; encompassing the Amazonian regions)
Qullasuyu (South)
Kuntisuyu (West)
Using most of the symbols from previous arms, this coat of arms reflects a political and geographical representation of the empire’s structure.
While these heraldic compositions are largely products of colonial-era imagination, filtered through both indigenous memory and Spanish conventions, they remain invaluable in our understanding of how Andean identity was rearticulated under imperial rule. These arms are not merely curiosities of artistic hybridization; they offer a symbolic testimony to the enduring legacy of the Inca, long after their political fall, in the language of European heraldry.
In a forthcoming article, we shall examine the attributed heraldic arms of the Incan emperors—the Sapa Inca—and consider how these symbolic constructions reflect notions of divine kingship and imperial authority within both indigenous and colonial frameworks.
Sources: Det kongelige bibliotek; Bauer, B. S. (1991). Pacariqtambo and the Mythical Origins of the Inca. Latin American Antiquity, 2(1), 7–26; Inca mythology
Sweden remains the only country in the world to still uphold the institution of fideikommiss—entitled estates, a system in which standard inheritance laws do not apply, and where estates have traditionally been passed down exclusively to the eldest son. Why has this archaic form of inheritance persisted here, long after being abolished elsewhere in Europe? Historians at Lund University offer some compelling explanations to fideikommiss in Sweden.
In their article “Between Deplorable Anachronism and Valuable Heritage: The Persistence of the Swedish Fideikommiss Institution, 1810–1964“, Magnus Bergman and Martin Dackling explore the enduring presence of the fideikommiss in Sweden, long after similar institutions were abolished across Europe. Fideikommiss refers to entailed estates that are inherited by a single heir, typically male, and are restricted from being sold or divided. In Sweden, most fideikommiss were established during the 18th century.
The authors analyze parliamentary debates and legislative actions over approximately 150 years to understand this persistence. In 1810, Sweden prohibited the creation of new fideikommiss but allowed existing ones to continue, framing them as matters of individual property rights rather than feudal remnants. This perspective contrasted with other European countries, where such estates were often viewed as outdated feudal structures subject to expropriation.
Nils Segerstråle’s book Svenska fideikommiss has been digitalized and is available on Project Runeberg.
Efforts to abolish fideikommiss gained momentum in the early 20th century, particularly around 1914, with intentions to implement land reforms favoring small-scale farming. However, shifting agricultural trends and economic considerations led to the postponement of these reforms. By the 1950s, many fideikommiss estates were recognized for their efficient management and cultural significance, leading to a nuanced approach in the 1964 abolition law. This legislation aimed to dissolve the fideikommiss system while preserving the estates’ cultural and economic contributions.
Bergman and Dackling’s study highlights the complex interplay between legal frameworks, economic shifts, and cultural perceptions that contributed to the prolonged existence of fideikommiss in Sweden, offering insights into how historical institutions can persist amid evolving societal values.
Boo. From Wikimedia Commons.Sturefors. From Wikimedia Commons.Övedskloster. From Wikimedia Commons.
Remaining fideikommiss in Sweden
Thirteen fideikommiss remain in Sweden:
Mindre Ankarcronska, Danderydsgatan 8
Björnstorp and Svenstorp
Boo
Christinehof, Högestad
Erstavik, Munkbron
Fullerö
Heby
Koberg and Gåsevadholm
Näsbyholm
Refvelsta, Göksbo
Sturefors
Trolle-Ljungby and Årup
Övedskloster
Are you curious to learn more about the remaining fideikommiss in Sweden? Visit fidiekommiss.se! Behind the website stands Fideikommissariernas Intresseorganisation—the Interest Organization of the Fideikommiss Holders. It serves as a representative body for the remaining Swedish fideikommiss estates and fideikommiss-based limited companies, working to safeguard their interests and promote awareness of this unique heritage.
I also recommend reading Nils Segerstråle’s book “Svenska fideikommiss” from 1974, available on Project Runeberg.
Did you know that Donald Trump has a coat of arms? On Reddit’s r/heraldry, an image of Donald Trump’s challenge coin recently surfaced. Firstly, what is a challenge coin? Traditionally, challenge coins have been used to prove membership, boost morale, and recognize special achievements. Historically, they were presented by commanders for notable accomplishments or exchanged during visits to an organization. As Commander in Chief, the President of the United States participates in this somewhat unique custom—exchanging a special challenge coin to a soldier through a “secret handshake”, a moment captured in the featured image below.
Trump’s challenge coin. From Reddit.
Joseph Edward Davies’ coat of arms
Anyhow, Trump’s challenge coin features the seal of the president of the United States on one side, and Trump’s appropriated – or usurped – coat of arms on the other side. But why appropriated? As the BBC has previously reported on in an article aptly named “Right to bear arms?”, the Trump coat of arms closely mirrors one originally granted by the College of Arms in London to Joseph Edward Davies in 1939. Davies was an American diplomat of Welsh decent and third husband to socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post—who built the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida now owned by Trump.
It was presumably after his purchase of Mar-a-Lago in the 80’s where Trump first saw the coat of arms. Trump has since appropriated it as his personal emblem and for use by the Trump Organisation. While the original featured the motto “Integritas”, the Trump coat of arms simply displays the name “Trump”. Lost integrity? Unfortunately, it is strikingly on brand.
Trump’s appropriated arms. From Wikimedia Commons.The arms of Davies. From Wikimedia Commons.
The apparent arms theft was noticed by Davies’ grandson, former U.S. Senator for Maryland, Joseph Tydings, during a visit to the Mar-a-Lago estate. Tydings told the press at the time that Davies had not given the Trump Organization permission to use the coat of arms. However, due to the U.S.’s less stringent heraldry laws, no legal action was taken. Tydings has since spoken out, remarking that his grandfather “would be turning in his grave”.
Problems in Europe
However, Trump’s blatant “borrowing” did actually caught the attention of the Lord Lyon King of Arms when he later attempted to use it to brand a new golf course in Scotland. Scottish officials observed that Trump had not registered the arms with the Court of the Lord Lyon, the public body responsible for all matters relating to Scottish heraldry.
Additionally, an application sent to the College of Arms, the authority for the rest of the United Kingdom, was also rejected after the college pointed out that the design had been copied from an existing coat of arms. The motto – changed from “Integritas” to “Trump” – does not technically form part of the arms, making the two identical in the eyes of the authorities. The change in the colors was also deemed insufficient. Ultimately, the Trump Organization modified the design it had taken from Davies and was granted the arms below by the Lord Lyon.
The modified arms for Trump’s golf course in Scotland. From Wikimedia Commons.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., Trump simply trademarked the original Davies family design and prominently displays it across golf resorts, various merchandise, bits and pieces – now including his challenge coin.
Many U.S. presidents have had personal coats of arms, often through inheritance, assumption, or grants from heraldic authorities of foreign countries. For example, Eisenhower received his coat of arms in Denmark after being made a Knight of the Order of the Elephant. A full list can be found here.
