Coat of arms of King Imre of Hungary

Coat of arms

The lions on the coat of arms of King Imre of Hungary were probably added to distinguish him from his father, Béla III. This is a heraldic custom known as a coat of arms, where a minor modification of the coat of arms is used to mark someone within the family. Although this practice was widespread in Western Europe, it did not become common in Hungary. The lions resemble the lions on the head of the coronation scepter. The crystal head of the scepter probably dates back to the time of Saint Stephen and became part of the royal regalia during the reign of Béla III. It is possible that these lions were considered symbols of Saint Stephen, which is why they appeared on murals, coins, and the coats of arms of Imre and later Andrew II.

Redrawing of Imre’s coat of arms, based on the gold seal.

King Imre of Hungary

(Croatian: Emerik), (Székesfehérvár, 1174 – Esztergom, 30 November 1204) King of Hungary from 1196, King of Serbia from 1201 until his death in 1204. The firstborn son of King Béla III and Queen Anna of Châtillon, Princess of Antioch. His father crowned him as a junior king during his lifetime to secure the throne for him, but Imre nevertheless came into conflict with his brother, the later Andrew II, several times, as the prince constantly rebelled against his rule. Like his father, King Imre crowned the five-year-old child as a junior king in order to secure the succession of his son, Ladislaus, and then made Andrew swear to stand by Ladislaus in everything. After Imre’s death, his son ascended the throne, but the young king died at the age of six, so the crown finally fell on Andrew’s head.

Original image source:
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Text source: ChatGPT, Wikipedia