Big cats

The coats of arms of both England and Scotland date back to the very earliest days of heraldry, the later 12th century. King William I of Scotland chose to have a red lion on a yellow ground in about 1180. The double border of red lines was added later. This lion is
shown in a position known as ‘rampant’, chosen as this allows a single lion to fit easily on to a triangular shield.

The kings of England had been using two yellow lions as a symbol since the 11th century. This was before formal heraldry evolved, so the lions were shown in all sorts of poses. It was Richard I who produced the modern arms in the 1190s. His mother was Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, who used arms of a single yellow lion on a red field. The lion was shown looking at the viewer while walking to the left – a pose known as passant-guardant. The two English lions were added to the single one of Aquitaine to produce the arms of England we know today.