Royal Crowns
Royal titles have come and gone throughout the years as different kingdoms gained and lost power and independence. Kaiser Rotbart, before his demise in the year 1190, held the titles of Holy Roman Emperor, King of Germany, King of Italy, and King of Burgundy. Bavaria even had their own kings from the demise of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 until the end of WWI. More commonly, however, Bavaria was ruled as either a duchy or an electorate.
It’s this relationship to royalty that results in crowns appearing in many of the pre-19th century coats of arms. Sometimes there is a crown resting atop the entire coat of arms, and sometimes it sits on the heads of various noble animals, such as the lions. In this respect, the crowned animals can be situated within the shield, or they can be the two supporting animals which bear the coat of arms; sometimes all animals have crowns.
This begs the question, if the crown represents royalty, then why does the modern Bavarian coat of arms still have a crown? The answer is that it is now known as the People’s Crown and it symbolizes the people’s right to rule themselves. Why they didn’t reject the crown in its entirety is by itself a question worthy of debate.
Next: King Ludwig I and His Redesign