Coat of arms of Slovakia

The coat of arms of Slovakia is composed of a silver (argent) double cross, elevated on the middle peak of a dark blue mountain consisting of three peaks. It is situated on a red (gules) early gothic shield. Extremities of the cross are amplificated, and its ends are concaved. Image File history File links Coat_of_Arms_of_Slovakia. ... Image File history File links Coat_of_Arms_of_Slovakia. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Atomic mass 107. ... Patriarchal cross Websters 1913 dictionary defines the patriarchial cross as a cross, the shaft of which is intersected by two transverse beams, the upper one being the smaller. ...

Similar symbol (with other colours and minor changes) is in the right portion of the Hungarian coat of arms. Coat of Arms of Hungary The Coat of Arms of Hungary was adopted in July 1990, after the end of the Socialist regime, although it has been used before, both with and without the crown, sometimes as part of a larger, more complex coat of arms, and many of its...

The double cross

One of the modern interpretations of the double is that it represents Slovakia as an heir and guardian of Christian tradition, brought to the region 12 centuries ago by St. Cyril and St. Methodius, two missionaries from the Byzantine Empire. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Christianity. ... See Saint Cyril (disambiguation) for other persons with this name. ... Saint Methodius was a bishop of Great Moravia (Moravia) (born Thessaloniki, Greece, 826; he died in the (unknown) capital of Great Moravia, April 6, 885). ... Motto: Βασιλεύς Βασιλέων Βασιλεύων Βασιλευόντων (Greek: King of Kings Ruling Over Rulers)[] Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ...

The double cross in the Slovak coat of arms originated in the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire. The symbol, the so-called patriarchal cross, appeared in the Byzantine Empire in huge numbers in the 9th century. While the interpretation of a simple Christian cross is quite unambiguous, there are many explanations for the meaning of the double cross. One of them says that the first horizontal line symbolized the secular power and the other horizontal line the ecclesiastic power of Byzantine emperors. The first cross represents the death and the second cross the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the Byzantine Empire of the 9th century, the double cross was not a religious, but a political symbol used by Byzantine clerks and missionaries. Patriarchal cross Websters 1913 dictionary defines the patriarchial cross as a cross, the shaft of which is intersected by two transverse beams, the upper one being the smaller. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

The double cross arrived in the territory of current-day Slovakia probably not later than during the 9th century mission of Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia. ^{[citation needed]} This traditional Slovak view has been recently disputed. Though used frequently in Great Moravia, it was not a state symbol at that time, because there were no state symbols in the modern sense in Europe at that time yet. It is however possible that it was used as a symbol of the king (analogously to the eagle of the Frankish kings). By means of Zwentibold (the ruler of Lorraine, son of the German emperor Arnulf of Carinthia and godchild of the Great Moravian king Svatopluk I), this symbol got to Lorraine and is called the cross of Lorraine there.^{[citation needed]} Cyril and Methodius were two Eastern Orthodox missionaries; for the separate articles, see: Saint Cyril Saint Methodius This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Great Moravia (Old Church Slavonic approximately Велья Морава, Czech Velká Morava, Slovak Veľká Morava, Latin Magna Moravia) was a Slav state existing on the territory of present-day Moravia and Slovakia between 833 and the early 10th century. ... Zwentibold (870 – August 13, 900) was the illegimate son of the Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia. ... Lorraine coat of arms location of the Lorraine province Lorraine (French: Lorraine; German: Lothringen) is a historical area in present-day northeast France. ... Svatopluk (-modern Czech name; modern Slovak name: Svätopluk; Old Slavic Свѧтопълкъ; reconstructed name: Sventopluk; some names in Latin texts: Suentopolcus, Zventopluk, Suatopluk, Zwentibald) (around 830 - 894) from the Mojmírs dynasty was the prince of the Nitrian principality (850s - 871) and then the king of Great Moravia (871 - 894). ... Cross of Lorraine The Cross of Lorraine, ‡, is a heraldic cross, the double cross, consists of a vertical line, crossed by two smaller horizontal bars. ...

The double cross symbol appeared again in rudimentary features on the first coins that Stephen I, the first king of the Kingdom of Hungary (part of which Slovakia was from the 10/11th century), had minted at an unknown place. Before he became king in 1000, he was the prince of the Principality of Nitra in present-day Slovakia and was living there with his Bavarian wife Gisella in the old Christian center Nitra. Moreover, at the beginning of his rule, they lived in Bratislava, a town in which coins of Stephan were provably minted at that time. The frequent opinion that the double cross was a cross that the Pope granted to Stephen I. around 1000 is wrong. The opinion arose only in the 15th century based on a legend from the 12th century, which in addition only says that Stephen received an apostolic cross (i.e. a normal, not a double cross). Stephen the Great raising the double cross: equestrian sculpture by Alajos Stróbl, 1906, crowns the Fishermens Bastion, Budapest. ... The Kingdom of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyar Királyság) is the name of a multiethnic kingdom that existed in Central Europe from 1000 to 1918. ... // Events World Population 300 million. ... The Principality of Nitra or Nitrian Principality ( Slovak: Nitrianske kniežatstvo, Nitriansko, Nitrava) was a principality in what is today Slovakia and some adjacent territories in present-day Hungary in the Middle Ages. ... Nitra - City Center Nitra (German: ( ); Hungarian: / Nyitria [archaic]) is a city in western Slovakia (and the fourth largest urban settlement in Slovakia) situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the Nitra River valley. ... The current Pope is Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger), who was elected at the age of 78 on 19 April 2005. ... (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. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ...

The direct predecessor of the current coat of arms of Slovakia can be found in the coat of arms used by Béla, the prince of the Nitrian frontier principality (1046-1060) and later the king of the Kingdom of Hungary. Béla was a member of the house of Árpáds and was named after the Prague bishop Adalbert, who had baptized King Stephen, the cousin of Béla's father, some decades ago. Béla conducted his own internal and international policy in his Nitrian frontier principality. The Byzantine emperor, involved in a quarrel with the Hungarian king, even sent Béla a prince's crown to Nitra. Furthermore, Béla had own coins minted in 1050 in Nitra, the capital of his principality – coins which deliberately differed from those of the Hungarian king and which beared the double cross symbol. Béla I (Hungarian: , Slovak: Belo I), was the king of Hungary between 1061 and 1063. ... The Árpáds (Hungarian: Árpádok, Slovak: Arpádovci, Croatian: Arpadovići) were a dynasty ruling in historic Hungary from the late 9th century to 1301 (with some interruptions, e. ... Adalbert (Czech: Vojtěch, Polish: Wojciech, Germanic equivalent Adalbert - the joy of warrior) was a 10th century bishop of Prague who was martyred in his efforts to convert the Baltic Prussians. ...

The appearance of the double cross in coins before Béla III is highly disputed. According to recent view It is a simple misinterpretation of two normal crosses.^[1] Béla III of Hungary (Hungarian , Slovak: Belo III), born in 1148, was King of Kingdom of Hungary circa 1172-1196. ...

It was only 100 years later, around 1189, that the double cross is known to have been used again – it was used during a crusade of the Hungarian king Béla III as his royal symbol. The three hills seen in the modern Slovak and Hungarian coats of arms were still not present in the standard. This time, the symbol was already used as a coat of arms, because coats of arms became fashionable in Europe at that time. He chose the symbol, because it was a Christian symbol and because it was the oldest symbol used in his kingdom. Béla III of Hungary (Hungarian , Slovak: Belo III), born in 1148, was King of Kingdom of Hungary circa 1172-1196. ... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

Béla's successors Emeric and Andrew II, however, did not use anymore the double cross, which was associated with the Nitrian frontier principality situated in the northern part of the kingdom and dissolved in 1107, as their symbol, but they used a red-and-white-stripes symbol associated with the new frontier principality created in Croatia and Dalmatia in the end of the 11th century (see the Coat of Arms of Hungary for a picture). Emeric (or Imre) was a Hungarian king (1174–1204), who ruled from 1196 to 1204. ... Andrew II (Hungarian: András or Endre, Slovak: Ondrej) (c. ... Coat of Arms of Hungary The Coat of Arms of Hungary was adopted in July 1990, after the end of the Socialist regime, although it has been used before, both with and without the crown, sometimes as part of a larger, more complex coat of arms, and many of its...

King Béla IV used the patriarchal cross again – the reasons for this decision are unknown. Some historians suggest that he simply copied Béla III, his ideal, though this is only an assumption. At the time of his rule, the patriarchal cross also became the symbol of the Pozsony (Pressburg) county, although in a slightly modified form. When the Kingdom of Hungary was split in two parts temporarily in 1262, the double cross was used as the symbol for the northern and western part (encompassing present-day Slovakia) and the stripes as the symbol for the other part of the kingdom. Béla IV (1206-1270) was the king of Hungary between 1235 and 1270. ... Bratislava county is a historic administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. ...

The last Árpád king, Andrew III (1290–1301), used only the patriarchal cross. The Árpáds (Hungarian: Árpádok, Slovak: Arpádovci, Croatian: Arpadovići) were a dynasty ruling in historic Hungary from the late 9th century to 1301 (with some interruptions, e. ... Andrew III (Endre) of the Arpad dynasty was king of Hungary 1290-1301 and the last male of Arpads to hold the throne. ...

During the throne struggles after 1301, Ladislaus used the double cross as his symbol (see chapter "Three hills" for details), while Charles Robert of Anjou (1307–1342) used a bipartite coat of arms consisting of the Angevin symbol and the above mentioned stripes symbol of King Stephen V, whose daughter Maria Charles Robert had married. Events February 7 - Edward of Caernarvon (later King Edward II of England) becomes the first Prince of Wales End of the reign of Emperor Go-Fushimi, emperor of Japan Emperor Go-Nijō ascends to the throne of Japan Dante was sent into Exile in Florence. ... Wenceslaus III Wenceslaus III Premyslid (Czech and Slovak Václav, Hungarian Vencel, Polish WacÅ‚aw), (October 6, 1289 – August 4, 1306) was the King of Hungary (1301 - 1305) and King of Bohemia (1305 - 1306). ... Charles I of Hungary (Anjou France 1288 or 1291 - Hungary July 16, 1342), also called Charles Robert, Carobert and Charles I Robert, was the king of Hungary from August 27, 1310. ... Angevin (IPA: ) is the name applied to the residents of Anjou, a former province of the Kingdom of France, as well as to the residents of Angers. ... King Stephen V of Hungary (Hungarian: , Slovak: Å tefan V) (1239 or 1240 – August 6, 1272), was the son of Bela IV of Hungary, whom he succeeded in 1270. ...

After the Mongol invasion in 1241-1242 many of the newly founded towns in the Kingdom of Hungary received the right to use the royal double cross as their coat of arms. The first, biggest and most towns of the kingdom arose in present-day Slovakia - the part of the kingdom that was characterized by German settlers, extensive mining activities and thus the most advanced economy at that time. It was probably partly due to this use in municipal coats of arm that the double cross became a clear symbol of the northern part of the kingdom again from the 15th century onwards – that part that is known to have been also called Slovakia from the 15th century and Upper Hungary from the 18th century. The Mongol Invasion of Russia was an invasion of the medieval state of Kievan Rus by a large army of nomadic Mongols, starting in 1223. ... // Events April 5 - During a battle on the ice of Chudskoye Lake, Russian forces rebuff an invasion attempt by the Teutonic Knights. ... The northern part of the Kingdom of Hungary. ...

From the late 14th century onwards (according to other sorces from the 13th century), the double cross symbol was used both as a symbol for northern parts of the Kingdom ("partes Danubii septentrionales, partes regni superiores", i.e approximately the territory of present-day Slovakia and northeastern Hungary) and as a symbol of kings of the Kingdom of Hungary. For example, the state symbol of Louis the Great (1342–1382) was a quartered coat of arms containing among other symbols the symbol of Charles Rober of Anjou (containing in turn the stripes symbol) as the symbol for the southern parts of the kingdom ("partes regni inferiores") and the symbol for northern parts of the Kingdom (the doable cross symbol). A good example of the double meaning of the double cross symbol is the great seal of King Sigismund of Luxembourg (1387-1437): This seal contains the double cross symbol in the middle, surroounded by a circle of smaller coats of arms of territories under his rule. These smaller coats of arms include the double cross symbol (for a second time!) as the symbol of what is today Slovakia and the stripes symbol as the symbol for Pannonia. Louis the Great Louis I (the Great), I. (Nagy) Lajos, Ludwik WÄ™gierski (1326 - 1382) became king of Hungary in 1342 at the death of his father. ... Sigismund (February 14/15, 1368 - December 9, 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 to 1437. ...

Since 1526, when the Habsburgs became kings of the Kingdom of Hungary, the current "combined" coat of arms of Hungary including the double cross symbol and the stripes symbol was used as the symbol of the Kingdom of Hungary (except that the small crown below the double cross was added only in the 17th century).

Three hills

The three mountains/hills represent the three "little mountains" (actually mountain ranges) Tatra, Fatra and Mátra (the last one in Hungary now), which symbolized the northern mountainous part of the Kingdom of Hungary. This interpretation is probably the oldest and most frequent one – it can be traced back to the 16th century, but stems probably from the 15th century. Tatra mountains - a mountain range, part of the Carpathian Mountains, between Poland and Slovakia. ... Fatra is the old and/or imprecise name of two mountain ranges in Slovakia: Greater Fatra Lesser Fatra This is a disambiguation page — a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... KékestetÅ‘ (1014 m) Mátra is a mountain range in northern Hungary, between to the towns Gyöngyös and Eger. ...

The three mountains below the double cross were used by King Ladislaus (1301-1305), who was king of Hungary, but was a Czech from the house of the Přemyslids. Since this king was recognized basically only in what is today Burgenland and Slovakia, the three mountains symbolized mountainous present-day Slovakia. Otto of Bavaria (1305-1307), Ladislaus's successor, used this symbol as well – for the same reasons as Ladislaus. Wenceslaus III Wenceslaus III Premyslid (Czech and Slovak Václav, Hungarian Vencel, Polish WacÅ‚aw), (October 6, 1289 – August 4, 1306) was the King of Hungary (1301 - 1305) and King of Bohemia (1305 - 1306). ... PÅ™emyslid coat of arms. ... Burgenland (Hungarian Várvidék, Őrvidék or FelsÅ‘Å‘rvidék, Croatian Gradišće, Slovenian Gradiščansko) is the easternmost state or Land of Austria. ... Postcard photograph from 1916 of King Ottos body in repose. ...

Symbol of the Slovaks

Origins and colors

Not later than in the 16th century, the Slovaks regarded the double cross also as a symbol of their nation. This fact manifested itself during the Revolution of 1848/1849, when the Slovaks were fighting along with the Austrians against the Magyars (Hungarians). A "Slovak National Council" was established for this purpose in August 1848 in Vienna. The present-day coat of arms was used on the seal of this Slovak National Council for the first time officially as the national symbol of the Slovaks (instead of being the official symbol of Upper Hungary only). From that time onwards, the symbol has been used very frequently. —Alexis de Tocqueville, Recollections The European Revolutions of 1848, in some countries known as the Spring of Nations, were the bloody consequences of a variety of changes that had been taking place in Europe in the first half of the 19th century. ... The National Council of the Slovak Republic (in Slovak: Národná rada Slovenskej republiky, often just: Národná rada) (NR SR) has been the name of the parliament of Slovakia since 1993 (more precisely since 1 October 1992). ...

As for the colors, the colors are supposed to be the three "Slavic" colors red-white-blue (Slavic tricolor). Since the Slovak coat of arms was already part of the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Hungary at that time, only the color of the three mountains had to be changed (it happened on the Slovak flag for the first time) from green to "blue" to receive the desired red-white-blue combination. Coat of Arms of Hungary The Coat of Arms of Hungary was adopted in July 1990, after the end of the Socialist regime, although it has been used before, both with and without the crown, sometimes as part of a larger, more complex coat of arms, and many of its... Flag ratio: 2:3 When flown vertically the coat of arms is rotated. ...

As for the origin if the red color (in the Slovak and in the Hungarian coat of arms), the coat of arms has often had the red color as an almost inseparable attendant of the double cross in the coats of many Slovak towns since the Middle Ages. Also, the coat of arms of Béla III. is thought to have had red background. In general, red background color was used frequently for coats of arms in the late 12th and early 13th century in central Europe. One of the modern (not historical) interpretations of the color is that it represents the bloody lining and symbolizes the Slovak martyrdom during the time of Magyarisation (19th century). Magyarisation was the official effort of the Hungarian government and institutions to linguistically and nationally unify the Kingdom of Hungary in 19th century. ...

The color of the three mountains was originally (from the 14th century) golden and silver, only later it became green, and in 1848, as mentioned above, blue.

20th century

In 1914 (officially in 1920) the Slovak coat of arms became part of the state coat of arms of Czechoslovakia.

Between 1939 and 1945, it was the state symbol of the WWII Slovak Republic. The Slovak Republic (Slovak: Slovenská republika) was an independent national Slovak state and ally of Nazi Germany during World War II on the territory of present-day Slovakia with the exception of the southern and eastern parts of present-day Slovakia. ...

Symbol of Slovakia from 1960 to 1990

In 1945, it became part of Czechoslovakia's coat of arms again. From 1960 to 1990 the symbol was officially forbidden, because it was (wrongly) interpreted by the Communists as the symbol of the "fascist Slovak State". The old coat of arms was replaced in the Czechoslovak coat of arms by an artificial symbol consisting of Mt. Kriváň and three flames. The three flames were supposed to symbolize the Slovak National Uprising of 1944. Image File history File links Coat_of_arms_of_Slovakia_(1960-1990). ... Image File history File links Coat_of_arms_of_Slovakia_(1960-1990). ... The Slovak Republic (Slovak: Slovenská republika) was an independent national Slovak state during World War II on the territory of present-day Slovakia with the exception of the southern and eastern parts of present-day Slovakia. ... Kriváň can refer to: Kriváň (peak), a peak in Slovakia, see Kriváň (village), a village in Slovakia in the Detva District Kriváň (brigade), a resistance brigade during WWII in Eastern Slovakia the surname of Juraj Kriváň, a Slovak parachuter This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with... Combatants Nazi Germany Slovakia Commanders Heinrich Himmler Ferdinand ÄŒatloÅ¡ Ján Golian† Rudolf Viest† Strength 40,000, later increased to 83,000 18,000 initially, later increased to 78,000 Casualties ≈10,000 ≈10,000 + 5,304 captured and executed Memorial of the Slovak National Uprising in Banska Bystrica The...

After the Velvet Revolution, more exactly on 1 March 1990, the old coat of arms became the official symbol of the "Slovak Republic", which was still part of Czechoslovakia. Based on the Constitution of the Slovak Republic of September 3, 1992, the same coat of arms became the symbol of independent Slovakia, which arose on January 1, 1993. A law of February 18, 1993 precised the details of the coat of arms. Non-violent protesters are fighting with flowers against armored policemen The Velvet Revolution (Czech: sametová revoluce, Slovak: nežná revolúcia) (November 16 – December 29, 1989) refers to a bloodless revolution in Czechoslovakia that saw the overthrow of the communist government there. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

Since 1992 the coat of arms is also placed on the Slovak flag. Flag ratio: 2:3 When flown vertically the coat of arms is rotated. ...

Part of other symbols

For the cross of Lorraine see above. Cross of Lorraine The Cross of Lorraine, ‡, is a heraldic cross, the double cross, consists of a vertical line, crossed by two smaller horizontal bars. ...

In the 13th century King Béla III declared the double cross (ex post) a symbol of Saint Ladislaus (King Ladislaus I of Hungary). In the 14th century it became part of the coat of arms of the house of Jagiello, because King Ladislaus Jagiello took over the alleged coat of arms of Saint Ladislaus when being baptized. By means of the Jagiellons, the symbol also got into the coat of arms of Lithuania. Béla III of Hungary (Hungarian , Slovak: Belo III), born in 1148, was King of Kingdom of Hungary circa 1172-1196. ... Modern bust of the Saint-King Ladislaus I, (Hungarian: I. Szent László, Slovak: Saint Ladislav I) (June 27, 1040 – July 29, 1095) was a king of the Kingdom of Hungary (1077–1095). ... The Jagiellons were a royal dynasty originating in Lithuania, which reigned in some Central European countries between the 14th and 16th century. ... Wladislaus II on Jan Matejkos painting Wladislaus II Jagiello (Polish Władysław II Jagiełło, Lithuanian Jogaila, and in Belarusian as Jahajla (Ягайла)) (c. ...

Notes

1. ^ Kolník: Byzantské korene ikonografie a symboliky štátneho znaku Slovenskej republiky Historický Zborník, 1999. 9. 13–32. p.

See also

• Flag of Slovakia
• Slovak euro coins

Flag ratio: 2:3 When flown vertically the coat of arms is rotated. ... Slovak euro coins are euro coins supposed to represent Slovakia when the country adopts the euro in 2009. ...

External link

• Heraldry and Genealogy Society of Slovakia