From: velde2@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Velde Francois)
Subject: Re: Sp. heraldry & Columbus
Organization: HAC - Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 21:31:56 GMT


Definitive answers on the coat of arms, and some information on the 
descendants (with references!).

On May 20, 1493 the Spanish monarchs granted Cristobal Colon a 
coat of arms, described as follows:

"el Castillo de color dorado en campo verde, en el cuadro del escudo de
vuestras armas en lo alto a la mano derecha; y en el otro cuadro alto a 
la mano izquierda un Leon de purpura en campo blanco rampando de verde, 
y en el otro cuadrao bajo a la mano derecha unas islas doradas en ondas 
de mar, y en el otro cuadro bajo a la mano izquierda las armas vuestras
que soliades tener, las cuales armas sean conocidas por vuestras, e de
vuestros fijos e descendientes para siempre jamas."

which translates roughly into: a quartered shield 1) sinople, a castle
Or 2) Argent, a lion Purple [tongued] Sinople 3) islands Or on waves of
sea 4) the arms that Colon used to bear.  Note that 1 and 2 recall the 
royal arms of Castille and Leon, but with marks of difference.

As it turned out, the Admiral of the Ocean Sea decided to modify his 
arms; in 1502, he composed a manuscript compilation of official documents
to support his various claims, called "the Book of Privileges" for 
his use and that of his descendants. The manuscript (of which several
copies were made, one is in Paris) is decorated with a modified coat
of arms, which remains the arms of the Colon family to this day. 

The following description thereof comes from a Spanish Armorial
called "Elencos de Grandezas y Titulos Nobiliares Espanoles", 1991:

Don Cristobal Colon de Carvajal y Gorosabel, duque de Veragua, duque de
la Vega, Marquis de La Jamaica, Almirante de la Mar Oceana, etc (Grande
de Espana)

escudo cuartelado: 1) en campo de gules, un castillo de oro 2) en campo
de plata un leon rampante de gules, coronado de oro 3) en campo de azur
unas islas de oro 4) en campo de azur cinco ancoras de oro, puestas en aspa.
Entado en punta de oro con una banda de azur y el jefe de gules. Lema: 
A Castilla y a Leon Nuevo Mundo dio Colon.

roughly: 1) Gules, a castle or 2) Argent, a lion gules, a crown Or 3)
Azure, several islands Or 4) Azure, five anchors Or, the tip a dexter
and in the base point (the same way Granada enters in the arms of Spain)
Or, a bend Azure, the chief Gules. 

The fourth qurter is Colon's 1502 addition. Moreover, in the manuscript
dpiction, the islands of the third quarter are placed above a piece
of "mainland": but that does not enter into the official blazon. It can
be surmised that Or a bend Azure, chief Gules were the arms that Colon
had when he was still Colombo.

As for the descendance/title issue: it appears that the descendant of
Colon is called "Admiral of the Ocean Sea", the title bestowed on the
discoverer, but that may be a curtesy title, and not denote any real
rank in the Spanish navy.  The title is apparently transmitted, along
with other titles (duke of Veragua, created in 1537) from generation
to generation.  The current holder of the title descends from Cristobal's
brother Diego, but not in male line (at least two female transmissions).

Reference: John Boyd Thacher: "Christopher Colombus." 1903. New York, 
London; Puttnam's. vol. II, p.535 for the arms, vol. III for a genealogical
table of the descendants (to 1903, of course).

Newsgroups: rec.heraldry