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The question is: «Does Spain have a heraldic badge similar to how the British Isles have heraldic badges? I’ve found nothing so far for Spain except the Yoke and Arrows from the Catholic Monarchs»

Spain does not have badges, national insignias, equivalent to the badges of the British Isles, and this is not an absence or a gap, but rather the result of a different historical tradition.

In England and in the Anglo-British world, the badge developed as a personal and later territorial symbol, detached from the full coat of arms and easily reproducible. In the Hispanic Monarchy, by contrast, symbolic weight almost always rested on the coat of arms and on standards, not on simplified badges.

That said, if we accept badges in a functional sense, as a simple symbol that immediately refers to Spain, then the following can be stated:

• Indeed, the yoke and the arrows is a very characteristic symbol. It originates with the Catholic Monarchs and is derived from a crossed use of the initials of their names: the yoke with the Y of Ysabel (a contemporary spelling), and the arrows ~ «Flechas» with the F of Fernando. It is also commonly interpreted as symbolizing strength (the yoke) and unity (the bundle of arrows). The Gordian knot and the yoke are associated with Ferdinand; the Yoke uses the Y of Ysabel, his wife, and the arrows ~ «Flechas» are the symbol of Ysabel, using the F of her husband Ferdinand. It is a badge based on crossed symbolism.
• Ferdinand the Catholic also used the symbol of the Gordian knot cut with a sword, derived from the legend of Alexander the Great. This emblem is sometimes represented alongside the yoke and the arrows, although it was less widely used and less central, and it does not refer to Spain as strongly as the previous symbols.
• Later, Philip the Handsome, who was married to our Queen Joanna of Castile, daughter of the Catholic Monarchs, introduced the Cross of Burgundy into the Spanish monarchy. It was used on military flags, for example by the Tercios. The Cross of Burgundy refers to Spain more clearly than the Gordian knot, but less so than the yoke and the arrows.
• Following the chronological order, we can consider the two Pillars of Hercules with their motto «Plus Ultra», introduced by the grandson of the Catholic Monarchs, Emperor Charles. These two separate columns serve as the supporters of the coat of arms of Spain, and when they are joined and linked by the scroll bearing the motto «Plus Ultra», they appear, for example, in decorations and on the coins known as «Reales de a Ocho» ~ «Spanish Dollars», which circulated across the globe and became the world monetary standard, functioning as the planet’s reserve currency during their period of predominance, occupying the position later held by the pound sterling and today by the United States dollar. These columns, interlaced with a scroll bearing the motto «Plus Ultra», immediately evoke Spain, and would be the most generally accepted badge.
• Finally, outside the royal and historical sphere, any badge featuring a black fighting bull ~ «toro bravo» in a defiant or noble stance will immediately refer to Spain for whoever sees it.

Other possibilities that come to mind are the Order of the Golden Fleece and the Cross of Santiago, both associated with their respective orders of chivalry, which could also function as a badge ~ «insignia». If one had to choose between them, I would undoubtedly choose the Cross of Santiago.

In summary:

• Formally, Spain does not have a badge ~ «insignia» in the British sense.
• Historically, it did have clear dynastic insignias, such as the yoke and the arrows of the Catholic Monarchs, but today they are scarcely usable.
• Functionally, I believe that the Pillars of Hercules, with or without crowns, entirely in silver, as I personally prefer, or with silver shafts and gold bases and capitals, preferably with water at the base to enhance the symbolism of the motto and linked by a scroll bearing that motto, are the best possible answer.
• At present, a newly created insignia incorporating a fighting bull refers to Spain, from anywhere in the world, in an almost unbeatable way.

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Categories: Inquiry, Badge, Column, Scroll and Motto.

Party per fess: 1 party per pale: 1 quarterly: 1 and 4 Gules, a castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable [for Castile]; 2 and 3 Argent, a lion rampant Purpure, armed and langued Gules, crowned Or [for Leon]. 2 quarterly: 1 Or, four pallets Gules [for Aragon]; 2 quarterly per saltire: 1 and 4 Or, four pallets Gules; 2 and 3 Argent, an eagle displayed Sable [for Aragon-Sicily]. 3 Argent, a cross potent cantoned of four crosslets Or [for Jerusalem]. 4 Gules, a chain orlewise, crosswise, and saltirewise Or, charged in the fess point with an emerald Vert [for Navarre]. Enté en point Argent, a pomegranate proper, seeded Gules, slipped and leaved Vert [for Granada]. 2 quarterly: 1 Gules, a fess Argent [for Austria]; 2 Azure semé of fleurs de lis Or within a bordure compony Argent and Gules [for Burgundy modern]; 3 bendy Or and Azure within a bordure Gules [for Burgundy ancient]; 4 Sable, a lion rampant Or, armed and langued Gules [for Brabant]; overall an inescutcheon party per pale: 1 Or, a lion rampant Sable, armed and langued Gules [for Flanders]; 2 Argent, an eagle displayed Gules, crowned, armed, beaked, langued and membered Or, charged on the wings with two trefoiled stems Or [for Tyrol]. Crest: An imperial crown with two fanons Argent, fringed Or. Behind the shield a double-headed eagle displayed Sable, nimbed, beaked and armed Or, langued and membered Gules, enfiled by an open royal crown above the shield. Supporters: two columns Argent between in base waves Azure, in chief an imperial crown the dexter and a closed royal crown the sinister. Moto environing the columns: «Plus Ultra» Or over a scroll Gules. The shield is surrounded by the Golden Fleece.

The illustration brings together two different aspects. On the one hand, the photograph captures the moment in which I explain the coat of arms of Charles, Holy Roman Emperor, during one of my heraldic art exhibitions, pointing directly to its components while the audience observes. On the other hand, it shows the coat of arms of Charles V as painted by me. All the works visible in the image have been created by me. In this exhibition, I combined the presentation of my coats of arms with a live music concert featuring works by Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Komitas, and Carlos Gardel.

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Blazon keywords: Gules, Azure, Sable, Argent, Purpure, Or, Vert, One, Two, Four, Party per fess, Party per pale, Quarterly, Castle, Triple-towered, Port and windows, Masoned, Lion, Rampant, Armed, Langued, Crowned, Pale, Quarterly per saltire, Eagle, Displayed, Cross potent, Cross couped, Cantoned, Crosslet, Chain, Orlewise, Crosswise, Saltirewise, Charged, In the fess point, Emerald, Enté en point, Pomegranate, Proper, Seeded, Slipped, Leaved, Fess, Semé, Fleur de lis, Bordure, Compony, Bendy, Overall, Inescutcheon, Beaked, Membered, Wing, Trefoiled, Stem, Crest, Imperial crown, Crown, Fanon, Fringed, Behind the shield, Double-headed, Nimbed, Enfiled, Open royal crown, Above the shield, Supporter (thing), Supporter, Column, Shafted, Between, In base, Wave, In chief, Dexter, Closed royal crown, Sinister, Motto, Environed, Scroll, Surrounded and Collar.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated and Semi-circular.

Classification: Civic, Interpreted, Boa, Collage and Photographic.

Bearer: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

Quarterly: 1 Gules, a castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable [for Castile]; 2 Argent, a lion rampant Purpure, armed and langued Gules, crowned Or [for Leon]; 3 Or, four pallets Gules [for Aragon]; 4 Gules, a chain orlewise, crosswise, and saltirewise Or, charged in the fess point with an emerald Vert [for Navarre]; enté en point Argent, a pomegranate proper, seeded Gules, slipped and leaved Vert [for Granada]; an inescutcheon Azure, three fleurs de lis Or, 2 and 1, a bordure Gules [for Bourbon]. Crest: A closed royal crown. Supporters: two columns Argent, capital and base Or, between in base waves Azure, in chief an imperial crown the dexter and a closed royal crown the sinister. Motto environing the columns and behind the shield: «Plus Ultra» Or over a scroll Gules.

Arms painted by me, highlighted with lights and shadows, outlined in Sable, with a semi-circular external shape and with a iridescent finish.

Arms of the Kingdom of Spain emblazoned by me. On the arrangement of the crowns: a) Royal Decree 1511/1977, of 21 January, enacted during the so-called Transition and approving the Regulations on Flags and Standards, Guidons, Insignia and Distinctive Signs, states: «Rule No. 2. Coat of Arms of Spain… Accompanied by two columns Argent, with base and capital Or, set upon waves Azure or blue and Argent», «superado» «by an imperial crown on the dexter one and by a royal crown on the sinister one…». b) The subsequent Law 33/1981, of 5 October, regulating the current coat of arms of Spain, likewise states: «…Accompanied by two columns Argent, with base and capital Or, set upon waves Azure or blue and Argent», «superado» «by an imperial crown on the dexter one and by a royal crown on the sinister one». c) The term «superado» in the heraldic dictionaries in which it appears refers, as a synonym, to «surmontado». d) The definitions of «surmontado» include: «a charge which, at its upper part, has another above it but without touching it», «also said of superado», and «a figure that bears another above it, but without touching it». In light of a), b), c) and d), the two crowns should therefore be painted not touching the columns. However, in the illustrative drawing contained in Royal Decree 1511/1977 the crowns do touch the columns, contradicting its own wording, although in heraldry, when in doubt, the written blazon always prevails; and in most official representations the crowns do indeed touch the columns. Nevertheless, this personal interpretation of both the coat of arms of Spain and of the proper way to write its blazon, where the lateral crowns do not touch the columns, and then I decide that, following the same criterion, the central crown should not touch the shield either, so the result differs from the official version. The expression «waves Azure or blue and Argent», which appears both in the 1977 official definition and in the 1981 one, presents a double peculiarity: it combines the heraldic term «Azure» with the everyday term «blue», and it is also offered as an optional blazon, giving two alternatives, that the waves be only Azure, as I have painted them, or Azure and Argent; optional blazons are extremely rare and, in my view, perhaps not very advisable.

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Blazon keywords: Gules, Azure, Purpure, Vert, Or, Argent, One, Two, Three, Four, Quarterly, Castle, Triple-towered, Port and windows, Masoned, Lion, Rampant, Crowned, Pallet, Chain, Orlewise, Crosswise, Saltirewise, Charged, In the fess point, Emerald, Enté en point, Pomegranate, Proper, Slipped, Leaved, Inescutcheon, Fleur de lis, Ordered, Bordure, Closed royal crown, Crown, Supporter (thing), Supporter, Column, Shafted, Between, In base, Wave, In chief, Imperial crown, Dexter, Sinister, Motto, Environed, Behind the shield and Scroll.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Iridescent.

Classification: Civic, Kingdom of Spain, Interpreted, Boa and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Spain, Kingdom of.

Quarterly: 1 Gules, a castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable; 2 Argent, a lion rampant Purpure, armed and langued Gules, crowned Or; 3 Or, four pallets Gules; 4 Gules, a chain orlewise, crosswise, and saltirewise Or, charged in the fess point with an emerald Vert; enté en point Argent, a pomegranate proper, seeded Gules, slipped and leaved Vert; an inescutcheon Azure, three fleurs de lis Or, 2 and 1, a bordure Gules. Crest: A closed royal crown. Supporters: two columns Argent, capital and base Or, between in base waves Azure, in chief an imperial crown the dexter and a closed royal crown the sinister. Motto environing the columns and behind the shield: «Plus Ultra» Or over a scroll Gules.

Arms of the Kingdom of Spain. This image combines three photographs of this coat of arms on the façade of the Ministry of Defence building on the Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, just a few metres from my office, together with my own artistic interpretation of the same arms. In the version on the façade of the Ministry of Defence, the crowns above the columns do not touch the columns, which I believe is the correct way to depict them, although the central crown does appear to rest upon the shield of Spain. There are more interpretations that place the crowns resting on the columns than those that do not, and I photographed this particular version from the Ministry of Defence because it is especially relevant due to its size and institutional significance. On the arrangement of the crowns: a) Royal Decree 1511/1977, of 21 January, enacted during the so-called Transition and approving the Regulations on Flags and Standards, Guidons, Insignia and Distinctive Signs, states: «Rule No. 2. Coat of Arms of Spain… Accompanied by two columns Argent, with base and capital Or, set upon waves Azure or blue and Argent», «superado» «by an imperial crown on the dexter one and by a royal crown on the sinister one…». b) The subsequent Law 33/1981, of 5 October, regulating the current coat of arms of Spain, likewise states: «…Accompanied by two columns Argent, with base and capital Or, set upon waves Azure or blue and Argent», «superado» «by an imperial crown on the dexter one and by a royal crown on the sinister one». c) The term «superado» in the heraldic dictionaries in which it appears refers, as a synonym, to «surmontado». d) The definitions of «surmontado» include: «a charge which, at its upper part, has another above it but without touching it», «also said of superado», and «a figure that bears another above it, but without touching it». In light of a), b), c) and d), the two crowns should therefore be painted not touching the columns. However, in the illustrative drawing contained in Royal Decree 1511/1977 the crowns do touch the columns, contradicting its own wording, although in heraldry, when in doubt, the written blazon always prevails; and in most official representations the crowns do indeed touch the columns. Nevertheless, this personal interpretation of both the coat of arms of Spain and of the proper way to write its blazon, where the lateral crowns do not touch the columns, and then I decide that, following the same criterion, the central crown should not touch the shield either, so the result differs from the official version.

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Blazon keywords: Gules, Azure, Purpure, Vert, Or, Argent, One, Two, Three, Four, Quarterly, Castle, Triple-towered, Port and windows, Masoned, Lion, Rampant, Crowned, Pallet, Chain, Orlewise, Crosswise, Saltirewise, Charged, In the fess point, Emerald, Enté en point, Pomegranate, Proper, Slipped, Leaved, Inescutcheon, Fleur de lis, Ordered, Bordure, Closed royal crown, Crown, Supporter (thing), Supporter, Column, Shafted, Between, In base, Wave, In chief, Imperial crown, Dexter, Sinister, Motto, Environed, Behind the shield and Scroll.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated and Semi-circular.

Classification: Civic, Kingdom of Spain, Interpreted, Boa, Photographic and Collage.

Bearer: Spain, Kingdom of.

Party per fess: 1 party per pale: 1 quarterly: 1 and 4 Gules, a castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable [for Castile]; 2 and 3 Argent, a lion rampant Purpure, armed and langued Gules, crowned Or [for Leon]. 2 quarterly: 1 Or, four pallets Gules [for Aragon]; 2 quarterly per saltire: 1 and 4 Or, four pallets Gules; 2 and 3 Argent, an eagle displayed Sable [for Aragon-Sicily]. 3 Argent, a cross potent cantoned of four crosslets Or [for Jerusalem]. 4 Gules, a chain orlewise, crosswise, and saltirewise Or, charged in the fess point with an emerald Vert [for Navarre]. Enté en point Argent, a pomegranate proper, seeded Gules, slipped and leaved Vert [for Granada]. 2 quarterly: 1 Gules, a fess Argent [for Austria]; 2 Azure semé of fleurs de lis Or within a bordure compony Argent and Gules [for Burgundy modern]; 3 bendy Or and Azure within a bordure Gules [for Burgundy ancient]; 4 Sable, a lion rampant Or, armed and langued Gules [for Brabant]; overall an inescutcheon party per pale: 1 Or, a lion rampant Sable, armed and langued Gules [for Flanders]; 2 Argent, an eagle displayed Gules, crowned, armed, beaked, langued and membered Or, charged on the wings with two trefoiled stems Or [for Tyrol]. Crest: An imperial crown with two fanons Argent, fringed Or. Behind the shield a double-headed eagle displayed Sable, nimbed, beaked and armed Or, langued and membered Gules, enfiled by an open royal crown above the shield. Supporters: two columns Argent between in base waves Azure, in chief an imperial crown the dexter and a closed royal crown the sinister. Moto environing the columns: «Plus Ultra» Or over a scroll Gules. The shield is surrounded by the Golden Fleece.

Coat of arms depicted by me, illuminated with lights and shadows, outlined in Sable, with a semi-circular external shape and with a freehand finishing.

Arms of Charles, Holy Roman Emperor, emblazoned by me.

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Blazon keywords: Gules, Azure, Sable, Argent, Purpure, Or, Vert, One, Two, Four, Party per fess, Party per pale, Quarterly, Castle, Triple-towered, Port and windows, Masoned, Lion, Rampant, Armed, Langued, Crowned, Pale, Quarterly per saltire, Eagle, Displayed, Cross potent, Cross couped, Cantoned, Crosslet, Chain, Orlewise, Crosswise, Saltirewise, Charged, In the fess point, Emerald, Enté en point, Pomegranate, Proper, Seeded, Slipped, Leaved, Fess, Semé, Fleur de lis, Bordure, Compony, Bendy, Overall, Inescutcheon, Beaked, Membered, Wing, Trefoiled, Stem, Crest, Imperial crown, Crown, Fanon, Fringed, Behind the shield, Double-headed, Nimbed, Enfiled, Open royal crown, Above the shield, Supporter (thing), Supporter, Column, Shafted, Between, In base, Wave, In chief, Dexter, Closed royal crown, Sinister, Motto, Environed, Scroll, Surrounded and Collar.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Freehand.

Classification: Civic, Interpreted, Boa and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

Two columns Argent, capital and base Or, above waves Azure. Moto environing the columns: «Plus Ultra» Or over a scroll Gules.

It has been painted by me, illuminated with lights and shadows, outlined in Sable, with a semi-circular external shape and with a metal beaten finish.

The Pillars of Hercules of the arms of Charles, Holy Roman Emperor, emblazoned by me. Esta composición ha sido diseñada deliberadamente para que el conjunto completo pueda inscribirse en un cuadrado perfecto, facilitando así su equilibrio visual y su uso como emblema o signo autónomo.

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Blazon keywords: Gules, Azure, Argent, Or, One, Two, Column, Shafted, Above, Wave, Motto, Environed and Scroll.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Metal beaten.

Classification: Civic, Interpreted and Boa.

Bearer: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.