The three lions of England are the royal arms of England: three lions walking, each with its head turned outward, arranged one above another on a red field. They date from the twelfth century, which puts them roughly eight hundred years ahead of the football team most people associate them with.
An English royal emblem, not a sporting badge
The lions arrived through the Norman and Angevin kings. Heraldry in that period was practical: a man in full armour is unidentifiable, so you put a distinctive design on his shield and the problem is solved.
Richard I is the king most associated with fixing the design in its familiar form — three lions passant guardant, in the heraldic phrasing.
Lions or leopards?
Here is the detail that catches people out. In medieval heraldic language, a lion shown walking with its head turned outward was often called a leopard.
The French referred to the English arms as leopards, and not always kindly. The animals are lions; the terminology was simply more precise than ours.
Why a lion at all?
Because it was the most useful animal available. In medieval symbolism the lion stood for courage, strength and rule.
A king wanted an animal that said something about him before he had said a word. Three of them, stacked, made the design legible at a distance — the entire point of a coat of arms.
From battlefield to shirt
The route from royal arms to national symbol runs through the same process as the cross of St George: use.
English armies fought under it, English kings ruled under it, and by the time anyone thought to ask permission it was simply English. The football association came late, when the Football Association adopted a version of the royal arms as its crest.
England's two great symbols
They do different work. The cross of St George is plain, austere and immediately legible — a soldier's sign. The three lions are ornate, royal and heraldic — a ruler's sign.
Both were adopted rather than invented, which is worth remembering the next time someone tells you English identity was assembled recently.
Frequently asked questions
What do the three lions represent?
They are the royal arms of England, representing English royal authority and, by extension, England itself.
Why does England have three lions and not one?
The three-lion arrangement was fixed under the Angevin kings and made the design distinctive at a distance. The number is heraldic convention rather than symbolism.
Are they lions or leopards?
Lions. Medieval heralds sometimes called a walking, outward-facing lion a leopard, which is where the confusion comes from.
How old are the three lions?
The design dates to the twelfth century, making it one of the oldest continuously used national emblems in Europe.
Wearing English symbols
If you want the symbols without the tournament merchandise, that is roughly the whole reason our England range exists.
The t-shirts and hoodies carry English detailing at a scale that reads as clothing rather than kit. Our styling guide covers how to wear it, and our story explains why we started.
About the author
Written by The Englishman Editorial Team — a small clothing brand based in Broadstairs, Kent, writing about English history, symbols and dress. Everything published here is researched and checked in-house. More about who writes this.