The earliest known blazon from this period states that the arms of Finland represents "A crowned lion of gold holding a sword in the right forepaw and trampling with both hindpaws on a Russian sabre ("ryssesabel"), surrounded by nine silver roses in a red field, over the shield a golden crown with a red cap". As both King Gustavus I and his son, John III, were involved in lengthy wars with Russia, it should come as no surprise that this was a central element in the arms of both the Grand Duchy of Finland, and in that of the coat of arms of the Finnish province of Karelia ("Figure 6"), which symbolizes the struggle between East and West.