Mane attraction King of the jungle first became associated with English crown 900 years ago
The exact origin of the Three Lions in the Royal Arms of England is still disputed by scholars, but most agree that the symbol came on to the heraldic scene some 800 years ago during the reign of Richard the Lionheart, right.
The first is thought to have arrived with Henry I – known as the Lion of England – who had a lion on his standard upon taking power in 1100. The new king married his second wife, Adeliza of Louvain, whose father had a lion on his shield. To commemorate the marriage, Henry is thought to have added a second lion to his standard.
The third lion is believed by some scholars to have arrived in 1152, when Henry II married Eleanor Duchess of Aquitaine.
Later that century, Richard the Lionheart used the three golden lions on a scarlet background as a symbol of the English throne, and the “three lions passant guardant” have endured ever since.
For around 200 years, however, the Three Lions were technically Three Leopards. A lion rampant – standing erect with forepaws raised – was considered to be a lion, while a lion walking with head turned full-face – was a leopard.
The exotic creature was thought to be the result of a union between a lion and a mythical beast called a pard, hence leo-pard.
The English referred to the side-on heraldic creatures as leopards until the late 1300s when they started calling them lions. During the Hundred Years’ War, the French often referred to the English as “the leopards”.