Well, actually

 

An usurper flashing three crowns!

So I decided to look into the origins and meaning of the three crowns shown in the Swedish coat of arms. Or coats of arms (in the plural). The reason? Denmark recently dropped the three crowns from *its* royal coat of arms. See an earlier blog post!

Finding out the symbolism of the three crowns turned out to be more difficult than I expected. In middle school, I heard a "folk interpretation" of the three crowns: they supposedly stand for Svealand, Götaland and Norrland. That is, the three geographical regions of Sweden. However, this can´t be the original meaning, since Sweden had a different territorial extension before 1809. Nor is is the official meaning even today. Indeed, the three crowns doesn´t seem to have any particular legal meaning. They are simply the traditional symbol of the Swedish kingdom, period.

Diving into the matter, it turns out that the 13th century king Erik Eriksson (later mockingly known as Erik the Lisping and Limping) used a royal coat of arms showing three crowned lions. This was obviously inspired by the Danish coat of arms. Of course, it doesn´t explain why there are exactly three lions (and hence crowns) rather than two or just one. I mean, only one man can be king! Erik Eriksson (king 1234-1250) was succeeded by Valdemar Birgersson (king 1250-1275) whose royal coat of arms shows three crowned leopards. Don´t even ask about the distinction between "lion" and "leopard" in heraldry!

Next in line is Magnus Ladulås (king 1275-1290), who used a crowned lion surrounded by three crowns on his seal. Then, it becomes more interesting. During the long reign of king Magnus Eriksson (1319-1364), the three crowns themselves became an emblem for...something. Apparently, there is a fresco in France (!) showing the coats of arms of various rulers and kingdoms represented at a 1336 summit in the papal enclave of Avignon to discuss the calling of a new crusade. The Swedish coat of arms is evidently a shield with three crowns. This could be the earliest evidence for its usage as a "national" symbol. 

We also have coins minted by Magnus Eriksson´s government from 1350, showing a ring with three crowns. However, there is *some* confusion over the exact meaning of the crowns. At the height of his power, Magnus Eriksson was king of three kingdoms (Sweden, Norway and Scania). Is it possible that *this* is the meaning of the three crowns? By all accounts, there was nothing wrong with Magnus Eriksson´s self-confidence. He un-ironically believed himself to be born under a lucky star, claimed to be "God´s favorite", compared himself to king Solomon, etc. Together, his three kingdoms comprised the largest territory in Europe (nominally even including Greenland). Sounds like just the kind of person who would want to flash his success on coinage! 

The first definitive evidence of the three crowns being used as a "national" symbol for Sweden (rather than as a personal symbol) comes from the reign of Albrekt of Mecklenburg (1364-1389). This is somewhat ironic, since Albrekt is universally seen as perhaps the worst monarch in Swedish history, an usurper whose German mercenaries plundered the country in the aftermath of the Great Plague. Albrekt was also supported by a brotherhood of Baltic pirates! However, it may have been precisely due to his somewhat shaky legal status that Albrekt wanted to become associated with the three crowns. It was royal propaganda to prop up his "legitimate" claim to the Swedish crown.

During the 15th century Kalmar Union, both Margareta and Erik of Pomerania used three crowns on their seals. However, I´m not sure if this is supposed to be a seal only used in Sweden or whether it was an informal symbol for the entire union, which did indeed comprise three realms: Sweden, Norway and Denmark (with the latter being strongest). In Sweden, the three crowns were certainly seen as a symbol for Sweden only. They were used that way by notorious on-off king and regent Karl Knutsson Bonde.

After the dissolution of the Kalmar Union in 1523, Denmark kept the three crowns in its greater coat of arms. The usual interpretation is that the three crowns in this context do symbolize the halcyon days of the Union. But that sounds unlikely, since both Denmark and Norway had their own fields in the coat of arms. So it probably does symbolize Sweden specifically and could therefore be interpreted as a veiled Danish claim on the Swedish throne!

Meanwhile, Sweden continued using the three crowns as a symbol for the Swedish kingdom. But - once again - why on earth are there *three* crowns in the coat of arms? There have been all kinds of weird speculations about this, my "favorite" being a 17th century claim that they stand for the Norse gods Odin, Thor and Frey, whose idols in the Uppsala pagan temple were supposedly crowned...yeah, whatever! 

The most likely explanation I´ve come across is that the crowns stand for the three Magi, who were seen as three holy kings during the Middle Ages. The German town of Cologne (Köln) was an important place of pilgrimage during the High Middle Ages and supposedly housed the relics of the Magi. This could explain the obsession with *three* royal symbols: three lions, three leopards, three crowns. King Richard Lionheart had three lions in his coat of arms, and the mythological king Arthur was said to have had a blue shield adorned with three golden crowns.

So there you (probably) have it. It´s actually a symbol for Mesopotamian astrologers mentioned in a holy scripture of some obscure Jewish sect 2000 years ago. You know, the Gospel of Luke...

Everything is well in the world.