Family tree

Ferdinand III, invention of quartering

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Gules, a castle triple towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable; 2 and 3 Argent, a lion rampant Purpure, armed and langued Gules.

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de gules, un castillo de oro, aclarado de azur, mazonado de sable; 2^o y 3^o de plata, un león rampante de púrpura, armado y lampasado de gules.

A symbolic image representing, through 3 coats of arms, the creation of the coat of arms of the King Ferdinand III the Saint from the arms of Alfonso IX, King of León, and Berenguela, Queen of Castile. The shapes of all three shields are rounded; all their components are illuminated; and the whole composition features a watercolor finish.

Ferdinand III the Saint was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of Castile. During his reign, the crowns of Castile and León were united forever. When, in 1230, Ferdinand III succeeded his father, he adopted a quarterly coat of arms, placing his mother's arms, the castle, in the 1^st and 4^th quarters, and his father's arms, the lion, in the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters. His goal was likely to achieve balance between the two kingdoms and to give his coat of arms a greater sense of continuity over time compared to impaled arms. The coat of arms of Ferdinand III the Saint was the first quarterly shield in history, and the idea spread into the heraldry of Spain and other kingdoms, such as Aragon-Sicily, Brabant, England, Navarre, and Bohemia.