<P> Royal emblems depicting lions were first used by the Norman dynasty, later a formal and consistent English heraldry system emerged at the end of the 12th century . The earliest surviving representation of an escutcheon, or shield, displaying three lions is that on the Great Seal of King Richard I (1189 - 1199), which initially displayed one or two lions rampant, but in 1198 was permanently altered to depict three lions passant, perhaps representing Richard I's principal three positions as King of the English, Duke of the Normans, and Duke of the Aquitanians . In 1340, Edward III laid claim to the throne of France, and thus adopted the Royal arms of France which he quartered with his paternal arms, the Royal Arms of England . Significantly he placed the French arms in the 1st and 4th quarters of greatest honour, signifying the feudal superiority of France over England (The King of France was the feudal overlord of the Duke of Aquitaine). This quartering was adjusted, abandoned and restored intermittently throughout the Middle Ages as the relationship between England and France changed . When the French king altered his arms from semée of fleur - de-lys, to only three, the English quartering eventually followed suit . After the Union of the Crowns in 1603, when the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland entered a personal union, the arms of England and Scotland were marshalled (combined) in what has now become the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom . It appears in a similar capacity to represent England in the Arms of Canada and on the Queen's Personal Canadian Flag . The coat of three lions continues to represent England on several coins of the pound sterling, forms the basis of several emblems of English national sports teams (although with altered tinctures) and endures as one of the most recognisable national symbols of England . </P> <P> When the Royal Arms are in the format of an heraldic flag, it is variously known as the Royal Banner of England, the Banner of the Royal Arms, the Banner of the King (Queen) of England, or by the misnomer the Royal Standard of England . This Royal Banner differs from England's national flag, the St George's Cross, in that it does not represent any particular area or land, but rather symbolises the sovereignty vested in the rulers thereof . </P> <P> The first documented use of royal arms dates from the reign of Richard I (1189 - 1199). Lions had previously been used by the Norman dynasty as royal emblems, and much later, Attributed arms were retrospectively invented for kings who pre-dated the systematisation of hereditary English heraldry that occurred in the second half of the 12th century . Henry II (1133--1189) used a lion as his emblem, and may have used a coat of arms with a single lion or two lions, but no documentation of this survives . His children experimented with different combinations of lions on their arms . Richard I (1189--1199) used a single lion rampant, or perhaps two lions affrontés, on his first seal, but later used three lions passant in his 1198 Great Seal of England, and thus established the lasting design of the Royal Arms of England . In 1177, his brother John had used a seal depicting a shield with two lions passant guardant, but when he succeeded his brother on the English throne he would adopt arms with three lions passant or on a field gules, and these were used as the Royal Arms (or King's Arms) by John (1199--1216), Henry III (1216--1272), Edward I (1272--1307), and Edward II (1307--1327). </P> <P> In 1340, following the extinction of the House of Capet, Edward III claimed the French throne . In addition to initiating the Hundred Years' War, Edward III expressed his claim in heraldic form by quartering the royal arms of England with the Arms of France . This quartering continued until 1801, with intervals in 1360--1369 and 1420--1422 . </P>

Where does england's 3 lions come from
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