The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden is the arms of dominion of the King of Sweden. It has a greater and a lesser version. The shield displays the "Three Crowns of Sweden" quartering the "Lion of Bjelbo", with an inescutcheon overall of the House of Vasa impaling the House of Bernadotte.
Arms adorning the stern of HSwMS Gustaf V
Arms of Margaret I of Denmark, which includes the three crowns and the house of Bjelbo
The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises courage, nobility, royalty, strength, stateliness and valour, because historically the lion has been regarded as the "king of beasts". The lion also carries Judeo-Christian symbolism. The Lion of Judah stands in the coat of arms of Jerusalem. Similar-looking lions can be found elsewhere, such as in the coat of arms of the Swedish royal House of Bjelbo, from there in turn derived into the coat of arms of Finland, formerly belonging to Sweden.
A Lion of Saint Mark, from the Echternach Gospels (late 7th century).
Enamel from the tomb of Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou (c. 1160).
The shield of Conrad of Thuringia (c. 1230s), a rare example of a preserved 13th-century knightly shield, displaying the Ludovingian lion barry.
The coat of arms of the Landgrave of Hesse in the Wernigerode Armorial (late 15th century), shown as combining the lions of Hesse, Katzenelnbogen and Diez)
