What is the orrigin of the England emblem of 3 lions?
The origin of the three lions goes something like this. King Henry I (1100-1135) was known as the ‘Lion of Justice’, and kept a small zoo which included lions. He either used two lions on his shield (as Duke of Normandy, a state whose flag has two lions) to start with, or used one from his nickname then added the other upon his second marriage to Adeliza of Louvain (1121), whose symbol was also a lion. The two-lion shield was thus a personal one for the king, not the country as a whole. Henry’s grandson later came to the throne as Henry II (1154-1189), and married the doughty Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose symbol was yet another lion. By the year 1195 their son, Richard I, had combined his parents’ arms (having shoved his father off the throne) to form three lions.
These three lions appear on the Royal Coat of Arms of England. The coat of arms is red and bears three lions, in its various forms. The one that you may be thinking of dates from 1198-1340. The coat of arms initially began with 2 golden lions. Following the Norman conquest of England after 1066, the arms of the House of Normandy were used in England, two golden lions on a red field. The succession of King Henry II of the House of Plantagenet in 1158 saw the first known arms of an English monarch used, a golden lion on a red field. When King Richard I (“The Lionheart”) came to the throne he adopted his personal arms as three golden lions on a red field. The origin of these arms is thought to be based on the earlier Norman arms. According to one tradition, the extra lion was added to two existing Norman lions to represent the combined Anglo-Norman realm. According to another tradition the two leopards were combined with the single leopard of Aquitaine on the acquisition of these continen
Following the Norman conquest of England after 1066, the arms of the House of Normandy were used in England, two golden lions on a red field. The succession of King Henry II of the House of Plantagenet in 1158 saw the first known arms of an English monarch used, a golden lion on a red field. When King Richard I (“The Lionheart”) came to the throne he adopted his personal arms as three golden lions on a red field. The origin of these arms is thought to be based on the earlier Norman arms.
“Three Lions” was the official anthem of the England football team for the 1996 European Championships, held that year in England. The music was written by The Lightning Seeds, with comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner providing the lyrics. The song was a much bigger success than most football songs, and was said to capture the Zeitgeist perfectly. The title comes from the emblem of the England football team, which is in turn derived from the Coat of Arms of England.
