The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Greece

Kingdom of Greece

The Kingdom of Greece was a state established in 1832 in the Convention of London by the Great Powers...

was the official symbol of the Greek

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 state during the period of the monarchy

Monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...

 (1832–1924 and 1935–1973).

Description of the coat of arms of the Wittelsbach dynasty

The coat of arms was based on that of the Kingdom of Bavaria

Kingdom of Bavaria

The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...

, and consisted of a shield bearing the Greek national emblem of a white cross on a blue background, topped by a royal crown and supported by two crowned lions

Lion (heraldry)

The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises bravery, valour, strength, and royalty, since traditionally, it is regarded as the king of beasts.-Attitudes:...

 rampant. At the centre of the cross lay an escutcheon bearing the characteristic lozenge pattern of Bavaria, as a symbol of the House of Wittelsbach.

This emblem was used during the reign of King Otto I, from 1832 to his exile in 1862.

Description of the coat of arms of the Glücksburg dynasty

After Otto's fall, the young Prince William

George I of Greece

George I was King of Greece from 1863 to 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, which had deposed the former king Otto. His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers...

 of Denmark was chosen as king, and the new coat of arms bears a strong resemblance to that of the Danish Royal Family

Danish Royal Family

The Danish Royal Family includes the Queen of Denmark and her family. All members except the Queen hold the title of Prince/Princess of Denmark with the style of His/Her Royal Highness or His/Her Highness. The Queen is styled Her Majesty. The Queen and her siblings belong to the House of...

. The central feature of the coat of arms remained a shield bearing the Greek national emblem of a white cross on a blue background. At the centre of the cross lies a shield with the dynastic arms of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg , known as the House of Glücksburg for short, is a German ducal house, junior branches of which include the royal houses of Denmark and Norway, the deposed royal house of Greece, and the heir to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms The House...

 family. The shield is topped with a crown and supported by two male figures, depicting the legendary Hercules

Hercules

Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...

. The ribbon and medal of the Order of the Redeemer

Order of the Redeemer

The Order of the Redeemer , also known as the Order of the Savior, is an order of Greece. The Order of the Redeemer is the oldest and highest decoration awarded by the modern Greek state.- History :...

 are suspended from the shield. The banner at the bottom bears the dynasty's motto

Royal mottos of Danish monarchs

The use of a royal motto is an old tradition among Danish monarchs, dating back at least 500 years. The use of such a motto was a way for a monarch to emphasize values or beliefs he / she held dear...

, Ἰσχύς μου ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ λαοῦ ("People's love, my strength").

This emblem appeared on coins of the Kingdom, and official documents from at least 1880 until 1973, except for the period of the Second Hellenic Republic

Second Hellenic Republic

The Second Hellenic Republic is the term used to describe the political regime of Greece from 1924 to 1935. It followed from the period of the constitutional monarchy under the monarchs of the House of Glücksburg, and lasted until its overthrow in a military coup d'état which restored the monarchy...

 (1924–1935), and continues to be used by the former Greek Royal Family

Greek Royal Family

The Greek Royal Family was a branch of the House of Glücksburg that reigned in Greece from 1863 to 1924 and again from 1935 to 1973. Its first monarch was George I. He and his successors styled themselves "Kings of the Hellenes"...

.

Variants

Coat of Arms	Date	Description
	1863–1924	The coat of arms under the Glücksburg dynasty, created in 1863, used in the kingdom until 1924, when King George II was exiled.
	1863–1973	Also created in 1863, used as a simplified version of the main royal coat of arms. Features the light blue cross couped of Greece, without the arms of the Glücksburg dynasty.
	1936–1973	Created in 1936, after the restoration of the monarchy, in use until 1967, when King Constantine II Constantine II of Greece |align=right|Constantine II was King of Greece from 1964 until the abolition of the monarchy in 1973, the sixth and last monarch of the Greek Royal Family....  was exiled, and then nominally until 1973 when the kingdom was replaced by the Hellenic "Republic" Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... . The arms remains in use by the former Greek Royal Family.