Armorial of Plantagenet - Family Chief

Azure, six lions rampant or

That Geoffrey used this coat is inferred from his memorial enamel, which shows four lions on half of his shield, arranged in a manner to suggest that this was the same as the six-lion shield borne by his grandson William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury (c. 1176 † 1226; illegitimate son of Geoffrey's son Henry II of England) and by William's son William II Longespée (c. 1212 † 1250).

• John Lackland (1166 † 1216; later King John) as Lord of Ireland and Count of Mortain also used such a coat

By later tradition, Henry II is said to have used the arms that later came to designate the Duchy of Normandy:

gules, two lions passant guardant in pale or

This coat was used by:

• Richard FitzRoy, (c. 1190 † 1246), baron of Chilham, illegitimate son of king John.

In French blazoning, the lion passant guardant was often termed a léopard. However, this usage was never widespread in England, and is long obsolete.

Richard I the Lionheart (1157 † 1199), son of previous, king of England, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, count of Anjou and Poitiers

His arms are only known from two armorial seals, and hence the tinctures can not be determined. His First Great Seal showed one lion on half of the shield. It is debated whether this was meant to represent two lions combattant or a single lion, and if the latter, whether the direction in which the lion is facing is relevant or simply an artistic liberty. A simple lion rampant is most likely.

At the end of his life, his second seal showed three lions, clearly the three-lion coat used by his successors.

• Richard I the Lionheart (1157 † 1199)
• John Lackland (1166 † 1216)
• Henry III (1207 † 1272)
• Edward I Longshanks (1237 † 1307)
• Edward II (1284 † 1327)
• Edward III (1312 † 1377)

gules, three lions passant guardant in pale or.

• Edward III (1312 † 1377)
• Richard II (1367 † 1399), who impaled his coats of arms with Edward the Confessor's mythical blazon (see below)
• Henry IV (1367 † 1413)

In 1340, Edward III claimed the throne of France as an inheritance from his mother, Isabella, da. of King Philip IV of France, and adopted new arms, Quarterly France and England. Such arms are termed "Arms of Pretension", where a sovereign adopts arms illustrative of a claim de jure (by right) to the throne of another kingdom.

• Henry IV (1367 † 1413)
• Henry V (1387 † 1422)
• Henry VI (1421 † 1471)
• Edward IV (1442 † 1483)
• Edward V (1470 † 1483)
• Richard III (1452 † 1485)

In 1376, the kings of France altered the royal coat of arms, replacing the field semé-de-lis with three fleurs-de-lis, alluding to the Trinity. This new design is referred to as France Moderne, the previous one being France Ancien. From about 1400 the kings of England imitated this change. As modified, the monarchs of England continued to bear arms in this form until the crown union with Scotland in 1603.