The Coat of Arms of Portugal was officially adopted in 30 June 1911, along with the Republican Flag of Portugal. Image File history File links Portugal_coa. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... Flag Ratio: 2:3 The flag of the Portuguese Republic is a 2:3 green and red rectangle divided vertically into green at the hoist (2/5 of the flag’s length) and red at the fly (3/5). ...

History and Meaning

The Portuguese coat of arms is the result of almost a millennium of modifications and alterations. Starting with Henry of Burgundy blue on silver cross, successive elements were added or taken, culminating with the beautiful and complex heraldic element that was officialised in 1911. The two stripes bear the colours of the Portuguese flag: red and green. Henry of Burgundy (1035 – ca. ...

Eschuteons and Bezants

After the official recognition of the Kingdom of Portugal as an independent country in 1143, silver bezants were added to the Burgundian flag, symbolising coins and the right the monarch had to issue currency, as leader of a sovereign state. Eventually, and given the enormous dynamism of medieval heraldry, it is believed that the shield degraded and lost some elements in battle, eventually losing the cross format. This is how King Sancho I inherited the shield from his father, Afonso Henriques, with no cross and five eschuteons (quinas), which stood where the silver bezants had been placed. Later, the number of silver bezants in each eschuteon would be reduced from 11 to 5 by King Sebastian I, and modern explanations interpret them as the five wounds of Christ, although this is highly unprobable. Events Celestine II is elected pope. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... Heraldry is the art and science of designing, displaying, describing and recording coats-of-arms (also referred to as armorial bearings or simply as arms). Its origins lie in the need to distinguish participants in battles or jousts, whose faces were hidden by steel helmets. ... Sancho I can refer to either: Sancho I of Portugal Sancho I of Aragon This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Alfonso I Henriques of Portugal (Guimarães, 1109, traditionally July 25, – 1185), also known as the Conqueror, was the first king of Portugal, declaring his independence from Leon_Castile, a deed often identifying the Condado Portucalense as the first nation_based state of Europe. ... Sebastian I the Desired (in Portuguese, Sebastião I o Desejado; born in Lisbon, January 20, 1554; died at Alcazarquivir, August 4, 1578) was the sixteenth king of Portugal. ...

Castles

It was during the reign of Afonso III that the red border with golden castles (not towers, as some sources state) was added. Although the number of castles could vary between eight to twelve, Afonso IV would define them as twelve and Sebastian I would finally fix them as seven. They supposedly represent the Moorish castle conquered by the Kingdom of Portugal during the Reconquista. Their origin is probably Castillian, but unlike Spanish castles, which usually have their gates opened (and blue), Portuguese castles were always depicted with gold gates (hence closed). Afonso III of Portugal (the Burgundian), fifth king of Portugal, was born in Coimbra in May 5, 1210 and died in February 16, 1279, in the same city. ... Afonso IV of Portugal (February 8, 1291 _ May 28, 1357), known as the Brave, was the seventh king of Portugal from 1325 until his death. ... Sebastian I the Desired (in Portuguese, Sebastião I o Desejado; born in Lisbon, January 20, 1554; died at Alcazarquivir, August 4, 1578) was the sixteenth king of Portugal. ... For the terrain type see Moor Moors is used in this article to describe the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus and the Maghreb, whose culture is often called Moorish. For other meanings look at Moors (Meaning) or Blackamoors. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Castilian is a noun and adjective that refers to the region and former kingdom of Spain; in particular, it refers to the language of this region, and is therefore considered by many to be a synonym of Spanish, though with different nuances. ...

Armillary Sphere

An important element of Portuguese heraldry since the 15th century, the armillary sphere was many times used in Portuguese colonial flags, mainly in Brazil. It was a navigation instrument used to calculate distances and represents the importance of Portugal during the Age of Discovery, as well as the vastness of its colonial empire when the First Republic was implemented. (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... The so-called Age of Discovery or Age of Exploration was a period from the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century, during which European ships traveled around the world to search for new trading routes and partners to feed burgeoning capitalism in Europe. ...

Although it is commonly used as a "republican" element, as opposed to the monarchist crown in the blue/white flag (see Flag of Portugal), some monarchist flags, such as the flag of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Algarve and Brazil, already depicted armillary spheres. Flag Ratio: 2:3 The flag of the Portuguese Republic is a 2:3 green and red rectangle divided vertically into green at the hoist (2/5 of the flag’s length) and red at the fly (3/5). ...

See also

• Flag of Portugal
• History of Portugal