Armorial of the Holy Roman Empire

Since the Holy Roman Empire was big, old and very divided internally, it had many coats.

The Quaternion Eagle

One rendition of the coat of the country was the "Quaternion Eagle" printed by David de Negker, Augsburg, after a 1510 woodcut by Hans Burgkmair. It showed the shields of the various parts of the empire in groups of four on the feathers of a double-headed eagle supporting, in place of a shield, Christ on the Cross. The top, larger shields, are those of the seven Prince Electors, as well as one for the titular "Prefect of Rome".In this image below, the individual shields link to the articles on their states.
600px|The_Holy_Roman_Quaterionenadlerrect_372_52_409_93Margraviate of Brandenburgrect 356 88 400 133 Electorate of Saxonyrect 412 84 441 107 Archbishopric of Magdeburgdesc top-right

= Holy Roman Emperor and princes-electors =

Starting with Albert II (reigned 1438–39), the arms of the Emperor were borne with an inescutcheon of the emperor's personal arms on the torso of the eagle. Prior, the Emperors would have both a personal and an imperial coat of arms. The arms of the High Offices of the Empire were borne as an augmentation to the office-holder's personal arms.

Bavarian Circle

Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle

Lower Saxon Circle

Bohemia

References