Alexander I of Scotland, Equestrian Great Seal - 1107–1124 - Historical Wax Seal Stamp

Alexander I of Scotland, Equestrian Great Seal - 1107–1124 - Historical Wax Seal Stamp

Wax seal stamp based on the equestrian face of the Great Seal of Alexander I, King of Scots from 1107 until 1124.

Alexander I was the son of Malcolm III and Margaret of Wessex, later Saint Margaret of Scotland. He succeeded his elder brother Edgar in 1107 and belonged to the royal house generally known today as the House of Dunkeld. His reign formed an important period in the development of medieval Scottish kingship and royal administration.

Remembered by the epithet “the Fierce”, Alexander was also a significant patron of the medieval Church. He established an Augustinian community at Scone and was associated with the foundation of Inchcolm Abbey, while maintaining close political and dynastic connections with England through his marriage to Sybilla, a daughter of Henry I.

Alexander’s Great Seal is particularly significant in the history of Scottish royal seals. It introduced the double-sided format that would become characteristic of the Great Seals of later Scottish monarchs. One face presented the king enthroned in majesty, while the other portrayed him mounted as a medieval ruler and military leader.

The equestrian design shows Alexander riding to the right, dressed in a mail hauberk and wearing a conical helmet with a nasal guard. In his right hand he carries a gonfanon with three streamers, while his left holds a large kite-shaped shield. The horse is fitted with an early medieval saddle, stirrups and decorative breast-band.

Unlike the later Great Seals of Scottish kings, Alexander’s shield does not yet display the familiar lion rampant of Scotland. The seal belongs to an earlier stage in the development of Scottish royal heraldry, making it a particularly interesting surviving image of kingship from the early 12th century.

Around the seal appears the Latin legend:

ALEXANDER DEO RECTORE REX SCOTTORUM

“Alexander, with God as ruler, King of Scots.”

Each stamp is made of solid brass, supplied with a handle, and presented in a velvet pouch.

Design: Equestrian Great Seal of Alexander I
Monarch: Alexander I of Scotland
Dynasty: House of Dunkeld
Date: 1107–1124
Period: Early 12th-century Scotland
Stamp Size: 50 mm
Material: Solid brass
Type: Wax seal stamp / sealing stamp

Suitable for letters, envelopes, historical collections, medieval displays, genealogy projects, traditional stationery and decorative sealing.

The Legend reads:
“ALEXANDER DEO RECTORE REX SCOTTORV.”
“Alexander, with God as ruler, King of Scots.”