COAT OF ARMS OF FRANCE: the history of creation and formation

It is known that at the end of the 5th century, three toads were depicted on the white banner of the founder of the Frankish state Clovis.

In 496, Clovis converted to Christianity and changed the white cloth to blue - the symbol of St. Martin, who was considered the patron saint of France. Bishop Martin of Tours, who lived in the 4th century and was subsequently declared a saint, according to legend, once meeting a ragged beggar on the road, cut off with a sword and gave him half of his blue cloak. For a long time, the Franks had a banner in the form of a blue banner, reinforced with a red cord on a cross. In 800, Charlemagne proclaimed the Frankish Empire. His banner was a three-tailed red flag with the image of six blue-red-yellow roses. However, the Kingdom of France, which arose in 843 after the collapse of the empire, returned to the former blue flag. In the first quarter of the 12th century, under King Louis VI Tolstoy (according to other sources, this happened a little later, under King Louis VII or Philip II), a lot of golden fleurs-de-lis appeared on the blue flag, and it became officially called the "Flag of France". A shield with such an image on the azure field and became at the beginning of the XIII century the first French coat of arms .

fleur-de-lis - This is a stylized image of a yellow iris flower, which symbolized the Blessed Virgin in the Middle Ages. Since the 10th century, lilies have been considered the emblem of the royal Capetian dynasty, which ruled France until 1328. At the end of the 14th century, under Charles V or Charles VI (from the Valois dynasty), only three lilies remained on the blue flag, which, most likely, was associated with the dogma of the trinity of the Christian deity - the Trinity.

In the first stage of the Hundred Years' War, the French suffered several crushing defeats from England. In the battle of Poitiers in 1356, the color of the French knighthood, who fought under the blue flag, was destroyed and King John the Good was captured. In the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French army was again defeated, after which a significant part of the territory of France was captured by the British. Later, under the leadership of the peasant girl Joan of Arc, the French achieved a turning point in the war. The banner of the patriots was a white cloth with traditional lilies, on one side of which was depicted french coat of arms , and on the other - God and two angels, the inscriptions "Jesus Christ" and "Mary".

Supporters of Joan of Arc widely used white scarves, headbands, feathers, pennants as their hallmarks. The white color spoke of holiness and purity and was a symbol of the Blessed Virgin. During the liberation struggle, this color acquired the meaning of a symbol of national independence. However, after liberation France from foreigners, the blue flag with three golden lilies again became the flag of the French kings.But when the new Orleans dynasty of kings came to power in 1498, for which white was considered a family color, it acquired national significance.In 1589, the Bourbons came to the throne. dynasty of Henry of Navarre french coat of arms next to the traditional blue shield with lilies, a red Navarre shield with a chain appeared. Both shields, placed on the same mantle, were crowned with a knight's helmet with a crown, and all this was surrounded by the coats of arms of the twelve largest French provinces: Picardy, Normandy, Brittany, Lyonne, Ile-de-France, Orleans, Guyenne, Languedoc, Provence, Dauphine, Burgundy, and Champagne. Gradually, Lower Navarre turned into an ordinary French province, and in coat of arms of France only a crowned shield with lilies remained. He was surrounded by chains of the orders of the Holy Spirit and St. Michael, and supported by two angels. Sometimes the coat of arms was accompanied by the motto: "Saint Denis is with us!" family coat of arms of the Bourbons there was a blue shield with lilies, divided by a red diagonal. At the same time, the Bourbons legalized the former white flag as the state flag. In the center of the flag there was then a coat of arms without a motto and a mantle, and the cloth was dotted with golden lilies.

Royal Arms of the Kingdom of France, under Philip V (1305-1328)

Royal Coat of Arms of France in 1376-1515.

Royal Coat of Arms of France in 1515-1589.

Royal Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of France (became the coat of arms of France under Henry IV of Navarre) 1589-1789.

The Great French Revolution swept away the monarchical symbolism. In the July days of 1789, the rebellious Parisians sewed cockades corresponding to the colors of the city's Parisian banner. For some time the monarchy was still preserved, and a white monarchical ribbon was added to the blue-red banner of Paris. Since then, three colors have been combined on the banners of the revolutionary national guard, which marked the beginning of the modern French tricolor: in the blue and red rectangles located at the corners of the panel, the sailing ships of the coat of arms of Paris, adopted in 1385, were depicted, as well as the new republican emblem of ancient Roman origin - "lictor bunch” (the so-called ax in a bunch of rods, which was a symbol of the power of officials in ancient Rome).

However national emblem of France became a golden eagle with a beam of lightning in its paws against the background of a blue disk surrounded by a chain of the Order of the Legion of Honor established in 1802. The disk was placed against the background of crossed scepters and a mantle with a crown dotted with bees (Napoleon's personal emblem).

After the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in 1814, pre-revolutionary royal flag and coat of arms. This coat of arms slightly different from the old one: the shield became oval, the shield holders were removed.

And again, the royal symbolism was swept away by the revolution of 1830. It was held under the republican tricolor flag, which again became official. Nevertheless, the monarchy in France was preserved, only the Bourbons were replaced by the Orleans dynasty related to them. Therefore, new The family coat of arms of the Orleans became the state emblem . However, a year later it was replaced by a blue shield with the text of the 1830 constitution.

In 1832, republican uprisings broke out in Paris and two years later in Lyon. They marched under red banners. The people also raised the red banners in the revolution of 1848. The emblem of the Republic of 1848-1852 became a popular image among the people - the Gallic rooster, the carved figure of which adorned the staff of official flags from 1830.

After the restoration of the monarchy, Napoleon II was on the throne, and this led to the return of the already forgotten Napoleonic coat of arms . The only difference was that the eagle was no longer depicted on the disk, but on the shield. Such a coat of arms lasted until the next fall of the monarchy.

In 1871, the Paris Commune was proclaimed. For two months, a red banner fluttered over the capital of France. After the fall of the Commune, these flags were again replaced with tricolors. In the seventies there appeared new emblem of the French Republic : gold letters of her name on a blue oval surrounded by a laurel wreath, the Legion of Honor, two national flags, an announcer's bunch and olive and oak branches. In the twenties of the 20th century, the emblem was modified. Instead of an oval, a shield was adopted in the colors of the French flag, on which the same letters, an announcer's beam, branches of olive and oak were placed.

During the Second World War, France was occupied by Nazi Germany. In the southern part of the country, a puppet French state of Marshal A.F. Pétain was formed with its capital in the city of Vichy. Hitler's henchman chose an ax with two blades, the handle of which was a marshal's baton, as his emblem. The flag remained the same. To distinguish themselves from the Vi-Chists, the French patriots, united in the Free French movement (since 1942, Fighting France), led by General de Gaulle, placed a red Lorraine cross in the center of the tricolor flag. Placed on a shield of the colors of the French flag, it was the emblem of the Free France. After the liberation of France, the tri-color again became the state and national flag, and in 1953 a modified emblem of the 1929 model was officially approved.

It is known that modern France does not have its own national emblem as such. This circumstance, of course, does not mean that one of the largest European powers does not have sovereignty. If you ask a Frenchman about the national symbol, then, after a little thought, he will remember Marianne, a symbolic female image personifying France. A similar image first appeared during the years of the French Revolution, and today it is often used instead of the official seal on various official documents. But still, it is more correct to call Marianne a national symbol, not a coat of arms . The French proudly renounced the heraldic coat of arms whenever monarchical rule was destroyed in the country and a republic was established. The change of the political system in the history of France took place more than once, therefore it is not difficult to understand why the people, who honor revolutionary traditions and republican freedoms, today do not express a desire to accept official state emblem . However, it would be a mistake to think that French heraldry has remained only a legacy of the past.

current coat of arms of france became a symbol of France after 1953, although it does not have any legal status as an official coat of arms.

The emblem consists of:
- pelts with a lion's head and the monogram "RF", meaning Republique Francaise (French Republic);
- olive branches, symbolizing the world;
- an oak branch symbolizing wisdom;
- fascia, which is a symbol of justice.

Heraldic lily, also royal (Bourbon) lily or fleur-de-lis (French fleur de lys / lis; “lily flower”) is an armorial figure, one of the most popular, along with a cross, an eagle and a lion. Refers to the number of non-heraldic natural figures. The stylized image of a flower served as an ornamental pattern or an emblem of belonging to numerous societies of the Old and New Worlds. It is found on cylinder seals of Mesopotamia, on ancient Egyptian bas-reliefs and Mycenaean ceramics, on Gaulish coins and Sasanian textiles, on Indian robes and in Japanese heraldry. The symbolic meaning of the image is not unambiguous in different cultures: it was revered as a sign of purity (chastity), fruitfulness and served as a distinction of the ruling monarchs.

According to French legend, the Frankish king Clovis I converted to Christianity in 496, after which an angel gave him a golden lily as a sign of purification. In another version of the legend, it is stated that Clovis took the lily as his emblem after the water lilies in the Rhine told him a safe place to ford the river, thanks to which he won the battle.

The very first surviving color image of the Capetian coat of arms with lilies is a stained glass window of Chartres Cathedral (baie 107c; ​​c. 1215-1216).

Lily of the Capetians

Until the first half of the 12th century, emblematic symbols are not found anywhere in Europe. And until the beginning of the 13th century, the image of golden (yellow) lilies in an azure (blue, blue) field was not yet a symbol of the French royal house. Through the efforts of the royal adviser Suger (served 1108-1137), Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153), King Louis VI and especially Louis VII, the most pious of the first French Capetians (rulers of France in 987-1328), the cult of the Immaculate Virgin found its place in the symbolism French monarchy, which began to use the lily of the Virgin for ideological purposes more often than any other Christian sovereign.

Subsequently, the royal, heraldic shield with lilies (écu aux fleurs de lis) first appears in 1211 on the personal seal of Prince Louis, the future Louis VIII (reigned 1223-1226) and around 1215-1216 on the stained glass window of Chartres Cathedral (baie 107c) depicting the same prince in full battle dress.

Lily Bourbonov

Originally a symbol of the Virgin Mary, the lily became the emblem of royalty in France by the end of the Middle Ages. Louis VII used it on his shield, inherited by other French kings from the Bourbon family, many of whom were also called Louis (fr. Louis); so it was said that the French word lys was short for Louis.

In an era of revolutionary terror, wearing the lily mark could lead to the guillotine.

At least one ship of the Gaullist navy was called Fleur de Lys. The name Fleur-de-Lys was also used by V. Hugo for one of the characters in the novel Notre Dame Cathedral.

The new hypothesis of a number of historians, art historians and botanists is that the fleur-de-lis, the emblem of the French royal court, is not a lily, but an iris.

three lilies

Already on the miniature of the middle of the 9th century, the throne of the sovereign of the West Frankish kingdom, Charles II, is decorated with three gold finials, similar to truncated heraldic lilies. On another, somewhat later, image of him, two similar lilies rise obliquely at the corners of the throne (the third, in the center, is most likely closed and not visible). On the sovereign here is a crown with three tops, vaguely resembling these flowers. On the miniature of the 10th century with Charles I the Great on it is a conical crown with three finials, the same as on the throne of Charles II. On the seal of the end of the 10th century of the Frankish king Hugo Capet, the last one has a crown with three teeth in the form of truncated fleur-de-lis. The same is on the royal seal of his son, Robert II. On the obverse of the Bourges denier of the middle of the XII century - Louis VII in a three-topped crown of schematically depicted lilies, on the reverse - a cross with wonderful three-petal flowers on its three tops. Then, in the reign of Louis VII, the phrase fleur de lys (“armorial lily”; lit. “lily flower”) appears in French. At the end of the 12th century, these golden flowers in a light blue field become the French royal emblem. On the stained-glass windows of the Chartres Cathedral of the early 13th century, they are also shown three times, and more than once. In the middle of this century, under Louis IX, their three petals were explained as a sign of divine patronage granted to France. Finally, under Charles V of Valois (1376), only three flowers remain (which was associated with the Holy Trinity), and the azure cloth with three stylized yellow lilies becomes the flag of France.

Taking into account the phonetic and semantic characteristics of aram. qrynwn "lily", other Greek. κρίνον "lily" (λείριον - "white lily"), lat. crinon "(red) lily", German. Grünlilie "green lily, chlorophytum)", rum. crin "lily", Russian. golden root "forest lily, saranka", st.-glory. krin "lily", Yakut. khorun "forest lily, saranka" and English. crown "crown", Bret. kurunenn "crown", lat. corōna "crown", lit. karūna "crown, crown", German. Krone "crown", Niderl. kroon "crown", fr. couronne "crown", it can be assumed that the close phonetic structure of those words that conveyed these concepts uniquely combined them with a third meaning indirectly transmitted through them, namely chosenness. As for tripling, it gave the words or images associated with such things the meaning of "divinely chosen, by God's grace, most chosen."

Non-royal coats of arms

Since the end of the 12th century, the lily sign has stood out as a special emblem and is found quite often almost everywhere in Western Europe. More often, only the figures of a lion, an eagle, and a couple of geometric figures were used for lilies. Geographical areas where the sign of the lily was especially popular: Northern and Southern Netherlands, Brittany, Poitou, Bavaria and Tuscany.

coat of arms

The sign of the lily is part of the symbolism of the Spanish Bourbons; many coats of arms of the nobility, such as Poles Gozdava and Russian Khrapovitsky; Eton College and Scouting.

From the explanation of the coat of arms of the Khrapovitskys, evidence of the meaning attached to the lily:

She is revered especially as a sign of good hope and a blameless life, and this flower is similar not only in appearance, a pure and fair color; but according to its internal property, it has a pleasant smell, has some useful power, for the sake of which those who use lilies in their coats of arms have to be kind, fair and honest.

The invention and use of all kinds of signs and symbols is characteristic of man. The custom of choosing for oneself or for one's kind and tribe a special distinguishing sign has very deep roots and is widespread throughout the world. It comes from the tribal system and a special worldview, characteristic of all peoples in the primitive period of their history.

Generic signs and symbols are called totems; they are the closest relatives of coats of arms. The term "totem" comes from North America, and in the language of the Ojibwe Indians, the word "ototem" means the concept of "his kind." The custom of totemism consists in the election by a clan or tribe of some animal or plant as the progenitor and patron, from which all members of the tribe are descended. This custom existed among ancient peoples, however, even today it is accepted among tribes leading a primitive way of life. The ancient Slavs also had totems - sacred animals, trees, plants - from the names of which some modern Russian surnames are supposed to come. Among the Asian peoples of Turkic and Mongolian origin, there is a similar custom "tamga". Tamga is a sign of tribal affiliation, an image of an animal, bird or weapon, accepted by each tribe as a symbol, which is depicted on banners, emblems, burned on the skin of animals, and even applied to the body. There is a legend among the Kirghiz that tamgas were assigned to individual clans by Genghis Khan himself, along with "uraniums" - battle cries (which were also used by European knights, which is why they then ended up on coats of arms in the form of mottos).

The prototypes of coats of arms - various symbolic images placed on military armor, banners, rings and personal items - were used in antiquity. In the works of Homer, Virgil, Pliny and other ancient authors, there is evidence of the use of such signs. Both legendary heroes and real historical figures, such as kings and generals, often had personal emblems. So, the helmet of Alexander the Great was decorated with a sea horse (hippocampus), the helmet of Achilles - an eagle, the helmet of the king of Numibia Masinissa - a dog, the helmet of the Roman emperor Caracalla - an eagle. The shields were also decorated with various emblems, for example, the image of the severed head of the Gorgon Medusa. But these signs were used as decoration, arbitrarily changed owners, were not inherited and were not subject to any rules. Only some emblems of the islands and cities of the ancient world were constantly used - on coins, medals and seals. The emblem of Athens was an owl, Corinth - Pegasus, Samosa - a peacock, the islands of Rhodes - a rose. In this one can already see the beginnings of state heraldry. Most ancient civilizations had some elements of heraldry in their culture, for example, a system of seals or stamps, which in the future will be inextricably linked with heraldry. In Assyria, the Babylonian Empire and in ancient Egypt, seals were used in the same way as in medieval Europe - to certify documents. These signs were extruded in clay, carved in stone and imprinted on papyrus. Already in the third millennium BC, there was a "coat of arms" of the Sumerian states - an eagle with a lion's head. The emblem of Egypt was a snake, Armenia - a crowned lion, Persia - an eagle. Subsequently, the eagle will become the coat of arms of Rome. The "coat of arms" of Byzantium was actually a double-headed eagle, later borrowed by some European states, including Russia.

The ancient Germans painted their shields in different colors. Roman legionnaires had emblems on their shields, by which it was possible to determine their belonging to a certain cohort. Roman banners - vexilla (hence the name of the science of flags - vexillology) were decorated with special images. To distinguish between legions and cohorts, the troops also used badges - signa - in the form of various animals - an eagle, a boar, a lion, a minotaur, a horse, a she-wolf and others, which rushed ahead of the troops on long poles. From these figures, often related to the history of the city of Rome, military units were sometimes named.

So, various systems of insignia and emblems existed always and everywhere, but heraldry proper as a special form of symbolism arose in the process of the development of the feudal system in Western Europe.

The bright and colorful art of heraldry developed in the gloomy times of the decline of culture and economy, which came in Europe with the death of the Roman Empire and the establishment of the Christian religion, when feudalism arose and a system of hereditary aristocracy developed. Several factors contributed to the appearance of coats of arms. First of all - feudalism and the crusades, but they gave birth to the destroying and life-giving fire of war. It is believed that the coats of arms appeared in the 10th century, but it is difficult to find out the exact date. The first coats of arms depicted on the seals attached to documents date back to the 11th century. The oldest official seals are placed on the marriage contract of 1000, concluded by Sancho, Infante of Castile, with Wilhelmina, daughter of Gaston II, Viscount of Bearn. It should be borne in mind that in the era of total illiteracy, the use of a coat of arms for signature and for denoting ownership was the only way for many to certify a document with their name. Such an identification mark was understandable even to an illiterate person (it is quite possible that coats of arms appeared first on seals, and only then on weapons and clothes).

Undoubted evidence of the existence of heraldry appears only after the Crusades. The earliest such evidence is a French enamel drawing from the grave of Geoffroy Plantagenet (died 1151), Count of Anjou and Maine, depicting Geoffroy himself with a coat of arms, where on an azure field there are supposedly four rearing golden lions (the exact number of lions is difficult to determine due to the position , in which the shield is drawn). The earl was the son-in-law of Henry I, King of England, who ruled from 1100-1135, who, according to the chronicle, granted him this coat of arms.

The first English king to have a personal coat of arms was Richard I the Lionheart (1157-1199). His three golden leopards have been used since then by all the royal dynasties of England.

"WHO HERE IS SORRY AND POOR WILL BE RICH THERE!"

The Crusades, which lasted from 1096 to 1291, constituted an entire era in European history. The beginning of this two-hundred-year war was provoked by the Turks, who had established themselves in Palestine - fanatical Muslims, who, armed with their irreconcilable religion, began to desecrate the shrines of Christianity and put obstacles in the way of Christians who wanted to make a pilgrimage to Palestine and Jerusalem. But the true reasons lay deeper and consisted in the centuries-old confrontation between Europe and Asia, which continues to this day. The Asian tribes, united under the banner of Islam, began a grandiose expansion, as a result of which they conquered Syria, Palestine, Egypt, North Africa, Spain, threatened Constantinople and were already approaching the very heart of Europe. In 711, an Arab army of 7,000 men led by Tariq ibn Ziyad crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to the European continent. Thus began the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula (the rock on the Spanish coast has since been called Mount Tariq, or in Arabic - Jabal-Tariq, which in Spanish pronunciation turned into Gibraltar). By 715, almost the entire Iberian Peninsula was in Muslim hands. In 721, the Umayyads, who ruled a vast caliphate from 661-750, crossed the Pyrenees, invaded Spain, and began their conquest of southern France. They captured the cities of Narbonne and Carcassonne. Thus, new strongholds arose for attacks on Aquitaine and Burgundy. The ruler of the Franks, Charles from the Carolingian family (689-741), defeated the Arabs when they reached the Loire. This happened in 732 at the Battle of Poitiers. The victory earned him the nickname Martell - "hammer", because he stopped the advance of Muslims in Western Europe. But the Arabs held power in Provence for several decades. The military expansion of the Muslim conquerors contributed to the penetration of Arab art and philosophy into Europe in a short period of their heyday. Arab culture gave impetus to the development of medicine and natural sciences in Western Europe. In Byzantium, the Muslims were smashed by Emperor Leo III the Isaurian. The further spread of Islam was stopped by the beginning political disintegration of the Muslim world, until then strong and terrible by its unity. The caliphate was divided into parts that were at enmity with each other. But in the XI century, the Seljuk Turks launched a new offensive to the West, stopping under the very walls of Constantinople.

By that time, the lands of Western Europe were divided between secular and church feudal lords. The feudal system was strengthened, replacing the communal one with its military democracy. The oppression and impoverishment of the people intensified - there were practically no free tillers left, the peasants were enslaved and taxed. The feudal lords invented more and more taxes, competing in extortions with the church - the largest feudal owner, whose greed knew no bounds. Life became unbearable, which is why the population of Europe, impatiently awaiting the end of their torment in connection with the end of the world promised by the Church and the onset of paradise on Earth, was in a state of religious exaltation, expressed in the desire for all kinds of spiritual exploits and in readiness for Christian self-sacrifice. The flow of pilgrims increased. If the Arabs in the past treated them tolerantly, now the Turks began to attack pilgrims and destroy Christian churches. The Roman Catholic Church decided to take advantage of this, hatching plans for world domination, for which, first of all, it was necessary to subjugate the breakaway eastern - Byzantine - church and increase its income by acquiring new feudal possessions - dioceses. In the latter, the interests of the church and the feudal lords completely coincided, since there were no more free lands and peasants sitting on them, and according to the rule of "majorate" the land was inherited from the father only to the eldest son. So the call of Pope Urban II to protect the Holy Sepulcher fell on fertile ground: the oppressive socio-economic conditions in Europe led to the emergence of many desperate people who had nothing to lose and who were ready to go on a risky journey to the ends of the world in search of adventure, wealth and the glory of the "warriors of Christ." In addition to large feudal lords driven by aggressive urges, the idea of ​​​​a campaign to the East was taken up by numerous small feudal knights (junior members of feudal families who could not count on receiving an inheritance), as well as merchants of many trading cities, hoping to destroy their main competitor in trade with the rich East - Byzantium . But the greatest enthusiasm was, of course, experienced by the common people, brought to despair by poverty and deprivation. Huge masses of people were inspired by the speech of Pope Urban in Clermont on November 24, 1095 and vowed to go to war against the infidels for the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher and the Holy Land. They sewed crosses on their clothes, cut out of matter (often taken from the clothes of the priests themselves, who called the masses to the feat), which is why they got the name "crusaders". To the cries of "So God wants!" many set out straight from the Plain of Clermont, following the pope's propaganda call: "The land you inhabit has become cramped with your numbers. Hence it comes that you bite each other and fight with each other ... Now your hatred, enmity will cease and internecine strife will slumber. Take the path to the holy tomb, uproot that land from the wicked people and subdue it to yourself. ... Whoever is sorrowful and poor here will become rich!".

The first crusade took place in 1096, but coats of arms could well have appeared a little earlier. The problem is that the first documentary evidence of coats of arms appeared at least two hundred years after their appearance. Perhaps the close connection between the crusades and the birth of heraldry is explained by the fact that it was during this period that the use of emblems became widespread. This required the creation of an ordered system of symbolic images as a means of communication, because the coat of arms served as an identification mark that carried some information about the owner and was clearly distinguishable from a distance.

Since the 12th century, armor has become more and more complex, the helmet covers the entire face of the knight, he himself is dressed in armor entirely, from head to toe. In addition, with some differences, all the armor was of the same type, so it became impossible to identify the knight not only from a distance, but also close up. This situation gave impetus to the mass use of the coat of arms as an identification mark. In addition to the coat of arms depicted on the shield, additional emblems gradually appeared, which were designed to help the knights recognize each other at a distance and in the heat of battle: the pommel (kleinod) - an ornament from animal horns and bird feathers fixed on the top of the helmet (this element received development during knightly tournaments), as well as heraldic pennants and standards. The combination of two types of generic signs - a shield and a pommel - later formed the material basis of the coat of arms.

But back to the crusades. Much in heraldry indicates that it took shape during the conquest of the East by the crusaders. Here are the signs. The term enamel, which denotes heraldic colors, is of Eastern origin. The word comes from the Persian "mina", meaning the blue color of the sky (the first enamels were blue). The unique technique of enamel painting came to Europe from Persia, Arabia and Byzantium. It was in this way - by applying enamel - that steel armor, shields and special armorial boards were painted, which the heralds exhibited at tournaments. The blue color or azure - "azur" - was brought to Europe from the East - its very modern name ultramarine (overseas blue) reminds of this. The heraldic name "azur" comes from the Persian "azurk" - blue. From here comes the name of lapis lazuli (lapis lazuli), a stone found mainly in Afghanistan, from which this paint is obtained. The name of the red color - "gyulz" (gueulez) - came from the purple-dyed furs with which the crusaders sheathed their marching clothes around the neck and sleeves (in the "Rules of Heraldry" section, it will be said that heraldic figures were often made from pieces of fur stuffed on the shield). The name comes from the word "gul" - red, in Persian, denoting the color of a rose. The origin of the green color - "vert", also called "sinople", probably comes from dyes produced in the East. The orange color more commonly found in English heraldry is called "tenne" - from the Arabic "henne". This was the name of the vegetable yellow-red dye, known to us as henna. It is an ancient custom among Asiatic and Arab chieftains to henna the mane, tail, and belly of their war horses, and the right hand that holds the weapon. In general, the inhabitants of the East dye their hair and nails with henna. Eastern origin has the name of a shield with a special semicircular cutout from one or both edges, where a spear is inserted. This shield is called "tarch" - just like its Arabic prototype.

The crusades owe their origin to two important details of the heraldic design - the baptism and the burlet. In the first crusade, dozens of knights died every day from the heat, as their steel armor became red-hot in the sun. The Crestons had to borrow from the Arabs a method used by the inhabitants of the desert to this day: in order to escape from the hot sun and prevent the helmet from heating up, the Arab and Persian warriors used a piece of cloth thrown over the head and shoulders and fixed on the head with a hoop of woven camel hair intertwined with silk threads. The so-called kufya is still an integral part of the Arab costume. It is from her that the lambrequin or lambrequin ("lambrequin", from the Latin "lambellum" - a piece or piece of matter), as well as the burlete (from the French "burrelet" - a wreath) comes from. The namet is an obligatory part of the coat of arms, and is depicted as a cape with fluttering ends, attached to the helmet with a burlet or crown. The basting is either whole, with an ornamentally carved edge (especially in early coats of arms) or excised, with long, whimsically intertwined flaps (probably, the basting cut with saber blows indicated the courage of the owner of the coat of arms - a participant in the hottest fights).

During the crusades, European feudal lords, who were well known to everyone in their homeland, joined a huge international army and, against the general background, lost their usually pronounced external individuality, which is why they had the need to somehow distinguish themselves from the mass of the same knights , demonstrate their national, tribal and military affiliation. The conquests of the crusaders were always accompanied by terrible robbery and robbery, so the rule was established according to which the knight who first broke into any house of the city taken was declared the owner of everything that was in it. The knights had to somehow mark the loot in order to protect it from the encroachments of comrades-in-arms. With the advent of coats of arms, this problem was solved by nailing a shield with the coat of arms of its new owner to the door of the house. Not only individual crusaders, but also major military leaders had such a need: the inhabitants of the houses and quarters taken by their detachments hung out the banners of these troops in order not to be plundered by other feudal lords. It should be noted here that conflicts over the division of booty, skirmishes and disputes over the honor of taking this or that city arose among the crusaders constantly. You can also add that all the crusades were very poorly organized. In the preparation of military operations, complete confusion reigned, and during the battles there was a general dump. All their strife, greed, deceit and cruelty, from which Europe groaned, the secular and church feudal lords brought with them to the East. Later, this (as well as the traditionally treacherous policy of Byzantium) will lead to the collapse of the crusader movement and the expulsion of Europeans from the occupied territories, but for now there is a need to somehow streamline the situation. An example was before my eyes: Arab warriors used shield emblems, usually consisting of inscriptions or drawings of flowers and fruits. This custom, like many others, was adopted by the crusaders and became one of the foundation stones of the emerging heraldry.

The consequence of the crusades was the extinction of many noble families in Europe, all male representatives of which died during the campaigns. Noble families, whose roots go back to the era of the conquest of Rome by barbarian tribes, simply disappeared. As a result, European monarchs for the first time were forced to favor the nobility, creating a new aristocracy. Coats of arms played the most important role in this, since often the only basis for claiming nobility and documentary evidence of noble origin was a coat of arms brought from the Holy Land.

So, the accumulation in one place of many feudal lords from different countries (an unusual situation for Europe), the international nature of the crusader army, the need to identify each other and (in conditions of illiteracy and language barriers) to assert their own name, as well as the characteristics of weapons, the method of warfare and borrowing many inventions of Eastern civilization - all this became the reason for the emergence and design of heraldry.

The coat of arms owes to knightly tournaments no less than to the crusades. Tournaments appeared before the Crusades. In any case, there is a mention of military games that took place in 842 in Strasbourg during the negotiations between Charles the Bald and Louis the German. Tournaments probably took shape in France in the middle of the 12th century and then spread to England and Germany. In some chronicles, the French baron G. de Prelly is called the inventor of tournaments, but most likely he only developed the first rules for tournaments.

Tournaments have long become an integral part of Western European life. Only knights with an impeccable reputation were allowed to participate in them. Violation of the knightly code threatened with terrible shame. Around 1292, new, safer rules for tournaments were introduced - "Statutum Armorum". Only blunt weapons could be used. Each knight was allowed only three squires. In duels, special spears were now used, which easily break on impact. It was forbidden to fight out of turn, to injure the enemy's horse, to strike otherwise than in the face or chest, to continue the fight after the enemy raised his visor, to act as a group against one. Violators were deprived of weapons, horses and imprisoned for up to three years. Special tournament armor appeared so massive that the knight and his horse could hardly bear their weight. The horses themselves from the 13th century also dressed in armor. Just like the shields of the knights, horse blankets had heraldic coloring. Two more important details should be mentioned. The knight had to be clearly visible from above, from the stands, especially during the general fight. That is why the already mentioned pommel appeared (or at least became widespread) - figures fixed on the top of the helmet, made of light wood, leather and even papier-mâché (later - from more expensive materials). The famous German errant knight of the 14th century, Ulrich von Liechtenstein, who took part in several tournaments dressed as the legendary King Arthur, introduced the fashion for complex pommel: he wore a helmet decorated with the figure of Venus, holding a torch in one hand, and an arrow in the other. Tents or tents in which the knights prepared for competitions, stored weapons and rested between battles (the crusaders used the same tents on campaigns), will also be reflected in the art of heraldry in the future - they will turn into a heraldic mantle and a canopy tent.

Tournaments have evolved from wild bloody battles into colorful theatrical performances, where formalities have become increasingly important, and the fight itself has become less important and more conventional. For example, in the "Tournament of the World", held in Windsor Park in England in 1278, swords made of parchment-covered whalebone and silver plated, boiled leather helmets and light wood shields were used. For certain achievements in the competition, the knight received points (for example, bonus points were awarded for a knocked down pommel). The winner was determined by the crowned persons, the oldest knights or specially appointed judges (often heralds), sometimes the issue of the winner was decided by the ladies in whose honor the knights fought. Tournaments were traditionally imbued with an emphatically reverent attitude towards women, which was almost the basis of the knightly code. The award to the winner in the tournament was given from the hands of the lady. The knights performed adorned with some kind of badge received from their ladies. Sometimes the ladies brought their knights tied with a chain - the chain was considered a symbol of special honor and only the chosen ones got it. In every contest, the last blow was delivered in honor of the lady, and here the knights especially tried to distinguish themselves. After the tournament, the ladies led the winner to the palace, where they disarmed him and arranged a feast in his honor, where the hero occupied the most honorable place. The names of the winners were entered into special lists, their exploits were passed on to their descendants in the songs of the minstrels. The victory in the tournament also brought material benefits: sometimes the victor took away the horse and weapons from the enemy, took him prisoner and demanded a ransom. For many poor knights, this was the only way to earn a living.

From Friday to Sunday, when tournaments were allowed by the church, there were fights every day, and in the evenings dances and festivities were held. There were several types of competitions: horse races, when the knight had to knock the enemy out of the saddle with a blow of a spear; sword fight; throwing spears and arrows; the siege of wooden castles built specifically for tournaments. Another way to show courage besides the tournament was to "protect the passages". A group of knights announced that in honor of their ladies they would defend a place from everyone. So, in 1434, at Orbigo, in Spain, ten knights defended the bridge from sixty-eight rivals for a month, having spent more than seven hundred fights. In the 16th century foot fights with short spears, maces and axes became popular. In Europe, only persons of noble birth were allowed to participate in tournaments. In Germany, the requirements were more liberal: sometimes, in order to get permission, it was enough to refer to an ancestor who took part in a jousting tournament. We can say that the main pass to the tournament was the coat of arms, proving the high origin of the owner and his position in the tribal hierarchy. For connoisseurs, such as the heralds, the presented coat of arms contained all the necessary information. That is why emblems were the most important part of tournament etiquette, which became so numerous that it was time to put things in order in this area.

The heralds systematized knowledge about coats of arms, developed general principles and rules for their compilation and recognition, and ultimately created the science of "coat of arms" or "heraldry"
There are two options for the origin of the terms "heraldry" and "herald": from the late Latin heraldica (from heraldus - herald), or from the German Herald - spoiled Heeralt - a veteran, as they called people in Germany in the Middle Ages who had a reputation as valiant and brave warriors who were invited as guests of honor and judges at various celebrations, and, in particular, at tournaments. These veterans were supposed to preserve the customs of chivalry, develop the rules of tournaments, and also monitor their observance.
The predecessors of heralds were representatives of several related professions, whose duties were combined and specified, which led to the appearance of heralds in the classical sense of the word - heralds, courtiers and wandering minstrels, as well as the veterans mentioned above.
Heralds or parliamentarians were used even in ancient armies, as they are still used today - for negotiations with the enemy, for the announcement of decrees and various kinds of announcements.

Minstrels (French menestrel, from medieval Latin ministerialis) are called medieval singers and poets. In any case, this term acquired such a meaning in France and England at the end of the Middle Ages. Initially, in all feudal states, ministerials were people who were in the service of a lord and performed some special duty (ministerium) with him. Among them were poets-singers, unlike their wandering brothers in the craft, who were constantly at the court or a high-ranking person. In France in the 12th century, minstrels were sometimes called the servants of the king in general, and sometimes his court poets and singers. The function of court minstrels was to sing and glorify the exploits of their feudal lords. And from here it’s not far to the function of stewards of court ceremonies and, in particular, knightly tournaments. It is likely that the wandering minstrels, whose art was in demand at the courts of European feudal lords, gained experience in recognizing the coats of arms that constantly surrounded them. The oldest known herald poet was Konrad of Würzburg, who lived in the 13th century. The functions of veterans, who by the nature of their activities were directly related to the coats of arms, have already been said.

It is possible that representatives of all three professions were called at a certain historical moment by one common term - heralds. One way or another, but the spread of knightly tournaments contributed to the emergence of special officials who were supposed to announce the opening of the tournament, develop and observe the ceremonial of its holding, and also announce all the fights and the names of their participants. This required special knowledge - the herald had to know well the genealogy of the noble families, whose representatives took part in the battles, and be able to recognize the coats of arms of the knights who had come to the tournament. So gradually the profession of heralds acquires a purely heraldic character, and heraldry itself is born at tournaments.

The French name of heraldry - "blason" - comes from the German "blasen" - "blow the horn" and is explained by the fact that when the knight drove up to the barrier that protected the tournament venue, he blew the horn to announce his arrival. Then the herald came out and, at the request of the tournament judges, described the coat of arms of the knight aloud as proof of his right to take part in the tournament. From the word "blasen" comes the French "blasonner", the German "blasoniren", the English "blazon", the Spanish "blasonar" and the Russian word "blazon" - that is, to describe the coat of arms. The heralds created a special jargon to describe coats of arms (and today used by specialists in heraldry), based on Old French and medieval Latin, since chivalry itself, like many things connected with it - the chivalric code, weapons developments, tournaments and, finally, heraldry - originates from France, or rather from the empire of Charlemagne (747-814), inhabited by Franco-Germanic tribes. Much of the heraldic terminology is denoted by quasi-French, obsolete words. In the Middle Ages, French was used by the ruling classes in most of Western Europe, so the rules of heraldry had to be drawn up in that language. However, some heraldic terms are so ornate that they seem deliberately designed to puzzle the uninitiated. The special terms developed by the heralds will be discussed below.

It is assumed that the Russian word "coat of arms" is borrowed from the Polish "herb" and is found in many Slavic and German dialects (herb, erb, irb) in the meaning of heir or inheritance. The Slavic name of this identification mark directly indicates its hereditary character. The English term "coat of arms", denoting the coat of arms, comes from the name of a special item of clothing "surcoat" - a linen or silk cape that protects the knight's armor from the sun and rain (the word "knight" comes from the German "ritter" - rider).

So, coats of arms are becoming increasingly important in the countries of Western Europe. In England, since the 12th century, heralds have been held in high esteem at the court of kings. Edward III (1312-1377) established a heraldic college that functions to this day (this institution - "The College of Arms" - is located in London on Queen Victoria Street). In France, Louis VII (1120-1180) established the duties of heralds and ordered all royal regalia to be decorated with fleur-de-lis. Under the French king Philip II Augustus (1165-1223), heralds begin to dress in a knight's dress with the coat of arms of the owner and entrust them with some duties in tournaments. The duties of the heralds are precisely formulated by the middle of the 14th century. The title of herald becomes honorary, it is raised only after any battle, tournament or ceremony. To do this, the sovereign poured a goblet of wine (sometimes water) on the head of the initiate and gave him the name of the city or fortress associated with the initiation ceremony, which the herald kept until he received the next highest degree - the title of armory king (fr. "roi d" armes ", German. "Wappenkoenig") The duties of the herald were divided into three main groups: 1) they were charged with declaring war, making peace, offering to surrender the fortress, and the like, as well as counting those killed and wounded during a battle or tournament and assessing the valor of knights; 2) they were required to be present at all solemn ceremonies - at the coronation or burial of the sovereign, at the elevation to knighthood, ceremonial receptions, etc. 3) they were assigned purely heraldic duties - the compilation of coats of arms and genealogies.
The work of the heralds was paid very well, there was a tradition not to let the sent herald go without a gift, so as not to show disrespect to the sovereign who sent him.

Each state was divided into several heraldic brands, which were under the supervision of one "arms king" and several heralds. For example, France in 1396 was divided into eighteen such marks. In Germany in the 14th century, individual provinces also had their own heralds.
True, from the 18th century, heralds lose their medieval significance, but do not disappear without a trace, and are still used at solemn ceremonies - coronations, marriages, etc.

Centuries after the appearance of coats of arms, the first scientific works on heraldry and coats of arms proper begin to appear, the earliest of which, apparently, is the Zuricher Wappenrolle, compiled in Zurich in 1320.

In France, Jacob Bretex at the end of the 13th century describes tournaments and the coats of arms of their participants. But the earliest work outlining the rules of heraldry is considered to be the monograph of the Italian jurist Bartolo, whose "Tractatus de insigniis et armis" was published in 1356.
Berry, chief herald of France at the court of Charles VII (1403-1461), traveled all over the country on the instructions of the king, visiting castles, abbeys and cemeteries, studying images of coats of arms and compiling genealogies of ancient noble families. Based on his research, he compiled the work "Le registre de noblesse". After him, the French heralds began to keep regular genealogical records. A similar task was received from the kings in the period from Henry VIII (1491-1547) to James II (1566-1625) by English heralds, who carried out the so-called "heraldic visits" - inspection trips around the country in order to census noble families, register coats of arms and verify their eligibility . It turned out that most of the old coats of arms that appeared before 1500 were appropriated by the owners without permission, and not granted by the king. It was not difficult to invent a simple coat of arms. The situation in which three unrelated nobles had the same emblems was not uncommon, but only proved that these emblems were adopted by them arbitrarily. When a dispute arose between the owners of identical coats of arms on this basis, each appealed to the king as the last resort. It is noteworthy that when the dispute was resolved, the nobleman, forced as a result to abandon his coat of arms, took comfort in the fact that he independently invented a new one for himself.
The materials collected during the "heraldic visits" formed the basis of English genealogy and heraldry.

CITY ARMS

At the heart of the city and state emblems are the seals of the feudal lords, which certify the authenticity of the documents sent by them from their possessions. The family coat of arms of the feudal lord, therefore, passed first to the seal of the castle, and then to the seal of the lands belonging to him. With the emergence of new cities and the formation of new states, the requirements of the time and legal norms led to the creation of coats of arms, either completely new, not borrowed from the family coats of arms of the nobility, but bearing symbolic images indicating local attractions, historical events, the economic profile of the city, or mixed. An example is the coat of arms of Paris, in which a ship and an azure field with golden lilies adjoin. The ship symbolizes, on the one hand, the island de la Cité on the Seine River, which lies in the very center of the city, in the form of a ship, and on the other hand, trade and trading companies, the main component of the urban economy. An azure field with golden lilies is an old emblem of the Capetian dynasty, under whose patronage Paris was.

From the end of the 13th and during the 14th centuries, heraldry penetrated into all areas of public life, and heraldic terminology became commonly used in the cultural strata of society. Heraldry is becoming fashionable in literature, art, and everyday life. Coats of arms appear everywhere, from knightly armor to the collars of your favorite dogs. The knights who returned from the crusades began, imitating the luxurious clothes of the eastern rulers, to wear special coats of arms, matching the colors of their coats of arms and decorated with embroidered coats of arms and mottos. Servants and squires receive clothes with the coat of arms of their masters, ordinary nobles put on a dress with the coats of arms of their seniors, noble ladies begin to wear dresses with images of two coats of arms: on the right - the coat of arms of their husband, on the left - their own. Under the French king Charles V the Wise (1338-1380), clothes came into fashion, painted half in one, half in another color. From the nobles and their squires, this fashion passed to the representatives of the urban estates. Thus, heraldry becomes an important component of the culture of Western Europe.

Along with individual heraldry, in the Middle Ages, other areas of heraldry were developed - urban and corporate, including church. City artisans and merchants created guilds, registered as "legal entities" and supplied with coats of arms, respectively. It was customary for the members of the guild to wear the heraldic colors of their association - special liveries. So, for example, members of the London Butcher's Company wore white and blue liveries, bakers wore olive green and chestnut colors, wax candle merchants wore blue and white liveries. The Furriers Company of London was allowed to use ermine fur in its coat of arms, although according to medieval norms, this heraldic color could only be used by royal and noble families as a sign of their exclusivity and superiority. On corporate coats of arms were placed mainly tools.

Similar coats of arms, called vowels - "armes parlantes", in which the name of the craft was conveyed by heraldic symbols, are received by many workshops and guilds. For example, here is how the coats of arms of the workshops of Ghent, one of the largest craft centers of the Middle Ages, looked like: coopers depicted a working tool and a tub on the shield of their coat of arms, butchers - a bull, fruit merchants - a fruit tree, barbers - a razor and scissors, shoemakers - a boot, fishmongers - fish, shipbuilders - a ship under construction. The goldsmiths' workshop of Paris received from King Philip VI (1293-1350) a coat of arms depicting royal golden lilies, combined with a golden cross and the emblems of their craft - golden sacral vessels and crowns, with the motto "In sacra inque coronas". Apothecaries depict scales and a lancet on their coats of arms, nailers - hammer and nails, charioteers - wheels, playing card makers - symbols of card suits. In addition, images of the patron saints of the respective crafts were found in corporate emblems. The French king Louis XIII, wishing to raise the importance of the merchants, granted coats of arms to six merchant guilds of Paris, in which the ship from the Parisian city coat of arms was adjacent to the symbols of the corresponding crafts and mottos.

Wishing to imitate the aristocracy, wealthy citizens used family signs like coats of arms, although they were not official. But the French government, in need of money, decided to turn the spreading fashion to its advantage and allowed everyone to acquire coats of arms, but for a fee. Moreover, greedy officials even obliged the townspeople to acquire coats of arms. As a result of the introduction in 1696 of a tax on the right to have a personal coat of arms, the treasury began to receive significant income, since a huge number of coats of arms were registered. But as a result of this, the value of coats of arms in France has fallen dramatically - the incredibly prolific coats of arms have depreciated.

Educational institutions have also used coats of arms for centuries. Universities often received the coats of arms of their founders, such as Christ's College, Cambridge, founded by Lady Margaret Beaufort. Eton College received its coat of arms in 1449 from its founder, King Henry VI (1421-1471), a devout hermit whose failure to rule was one of the causes of the Wars of the Scarlet and White Roses. The three white lilies on this coat of arms symbolize the Virgin Mary, in whose honor the college was founded. Many private and commercial firms today strive to obtain a coat of arms, since the presence of such a coat of arms gives the company solidity and reliability. For example, the well-known English trading company Herrods received a coat of arms relatively recently.

From the first days of its existence, the church claimed the highest and absolute power in this world, therefore it appropriated all the attributes of secular power, including coats of arms. The coat of arms of the papacy in the 14th century was the crossed gold and silver keys of the Apostle Peter - "allowing" and "binding", tied with a gold cord, on a scarlet shield under the papal tiara. These symbols have received various interpretations, which we will not dwell on here. Let's just say that the coat of arms indicates the rights received by Peter to "decide" and "bind" all the affairs of the church and that these rights were inherited from him by his successors - the popes. This coat of arms is today the official coat of arms of the Vatican, but each pope receives his own coat of arms, in which the keys and tiara frame the shield. For example, the current Pope John Paul II has a coat of arms that he received when he was Archbishop of Krakow from the hands of Archbishop Bruno Haim, a specialist in heraldry. The cross and the letter "M" on the coat of arms symbolize Christ and the Virgin Mary. It should be said that placing any inscriptions in the coat of arms, except for mottos, is considered bad form, but the author of the coat of arms is justified, referring to the traditions of Polish heraldry (which will be discussed later), where runic letters were originally used. Indeed, the letter "M" resembles a rune of a similar design.

The flag of the Vatican depicts the small coat of arms of the city-state, in which there is no scarlet shield, but this color is transferred to the cord that binds the keys. Obviously, the colors of the keys are chosen for the flag - gold and silver.

The church, which was the largest feudal lord of the Middle Ages, early began to use coats of arms for practical purposes - to identify and demonstrate the territorial affiliation of church organizations. Coats of arms have been found on the seals of abbeys and bishops since the 12th century. The most common symbols of church heraldry are the keys of St. Peter, the eagle of St. John and other signs symbolizing various saints, details of church life, and a wide variety of crosses. In the UK, there are certain rules for the coats of arms of church leaders, showing their status in the church hierarchy. For example, the coats of arms of archbishops and bishops are decorated with miters (the coat of arms of the Pope is crowned with a tiara), and on the coats of arms of priests of a lower rank, special hats of different colors are placed, in accordance with their status, equipped with multi-colored cords and tassels. A dean, for example, might have a black hat with two purple single cords with three red tassels on each. The priests of the Roman Catholic Church are not under the jurisdiction of the official heraldic authorities, but the coats of arms they use have been regulated by a special decree since 1967. For example, the coat of arms of a Catholic archbishop may contain a green hat with two green single cords, each with ten green tassels.

At the heart of all the state emblems of European countries lay the family emblems of the ruling dynasties. On many modern European state emblems, in one form or another, there are lions and eagles - traditional symbols of power and statehood.

On the coat of arms of Denmark - three azure leopards on a golden field decorated with scarlet hearts - this is how the coat of arms of King Knud VI Valdemarsson looked around 1190. Along with the English, this emblem can be considered the oldest European national emblem. On the large royal coat of arms of Sweden, lions support the shield and are also present in the second and third quarters of the shield. Around 1200, the ruler of Norway got his own coat of arms, which depicts a crowned lion of St. Olaf holding a battle ax in his front paws. The lion of the Finnish coat of arms was gradually formed by the 16th century. On the arms of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, a lion also settled - the old emblem of the Dukes of Burgundy. On the coat of arms of the Netherlands - a golden lion with a silver sword and a bunch of arrows in its paws. This is the union emblem of the Republic of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, which gained independence in 1609. The republican coat of arms as a whole survived after the creation of the kingdom in 1815. The coat of arms took its modern form in 1917, when, at the initiative of Prince Consort Heinrich of Mecklenburg (1876-1934), the royal crown on the head of a lion was replaced with a regular one, a mantle with a canopy and shield-holder lions appeared. By decision of the Congress of Vienna, which established a new European order after the collapse of the Napoleonic empire, the Netherlands gained independence. The son of the last stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, William VI of Orange, became King of the Netherlands under the name of William I. But the southern provinces of the Netherlands decided to defend their own independence. In 1830, an uprising took place in Brabant, and since then the Brabantian golden lion in a black field has been perceived as a symbol of the independence of the union of the southern provinces. In 1831, the Kingdom of Belgium was proclaimed, the coat of arms of which was the coat of arms of Brabant. The coat of arms of Luxembourg was approved by King William I of the Netherlands in 1815, since he was also the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. The lion can also be seen on other state emblems. In international state heraldry, the lion is adjacent to another symbol of supreme power - the eagle. It can be seen on the emblems of Austria, Albania, Bolivia, Germany, Indonesia, Iraq, Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Poland, Syria, USA, Chile and many other countries. Unfortunately, the volume of this article does not allow us to pay attention to each of them, so here we will consider only some examples.

The Austrian three-stripe (red-white-red) shield was the coat of arms of the Dukes of Babenberg, who ruled this country until 1246. His image appeared on the seals of the dukes in the 20-30s of the XIII century. Earlier, in the second half of the 12th century, the image of a black eagle, a very common heraldic emblem, first appeared on the seal of the first Austrian Duke Henry II of Babenberg. The Austrian knights, led by Duke Leopold V, set off on the third crusade under a flag with a black eagle. Soon, in 1282, Austria came under the rule of the new Habsburg dynasty, whose family coat of arms was a red lion in a golden field. From 1438 to 1806, the Habsburgs almost continuously occupied the throne of the Holy Roman Empire, whose emblem was traditionally a double-headed eagle. He became the coat of arms of Austria, and later the Austrian Empire (1804) and the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1868). The same eagle can be seen on the shield of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.

Plants can be seen at the base of the coat of arms of Great Britain. These are unspoken (silent) mottos or symbols of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. In different versions of the coat of arms, they can be depicted both separately and collected in one fantastic plant, a kind of hybrid consisting of the Tudor rose, the Caledonian thistle of Scotland, the Irish clover shamrock and the Welsh onion.

The Tudor rose was formed from the scarlet rose of the Lancasters and the white rose of the Yorks, who fought among themselves for the English throne. After the "War of the Scarlet and White Roses", which lasted from 1455 to 1485, the founder of the new dynasty, Henry VII (1457-1509), united the emblems of the warring houses into one. Shamrock joined the "hybrid" rose and thistle in 1801 with the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

The rose, thistle, shamrock, and bow illustrate another area of ​​heraldry. A variety of badges attached to clothes that could symbolize a particular person, country or some concept appeared even before the coats of arms, in antiquity, and in the Middle Ages gained great popularity. With the development of heraldry, these badges began to acquire a heraldic character. The badge, as a rule, represented one main emblem of the family coat of arms, many of which were very complex and consisted of many details. These badges were designed to show that their owners belong to the environment of a person or to a whole family. During the War of the Scarlet and White Rose, many soldiers, especially foreign mercenaries, dressed in the heraldic colors of their master. For example, at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, the soldiers of the Earl of Richmond's army wore white and green jackets, the soldiers of Sir William Stanley's army wore red, and so on. In addition, they wore the personal badges of their commanders. It was the prototype of a military uniform. In all modern armies, along with elements of heraldry, there are special badges. The owner of the coat of arms could have several badges, as well as arbitrarily change them at will.

Apart from Western Europe, only Japan by the 12th century had developed a similar heraldic system called "mon". In some European languages, this is erroneously translated as "coat of arms", although it is not a coat of arms in the European sense of the word. As an example, we can consider the emblem of the imperial family - a 16-petal chrysanthemum. Similar signs were also placed on helmets, shields and breastplates of armor, but unlike coats of arms, they were never depicted so large that they could be recognized from a distance. If such identification was required, "mon" was displayed on the flags. Just like the European coat of arms, "mon" is used in art - for decorating clothes, furniture, and interiors. Just like in European royal families, the younger members of the Japanese imperial family had a chrysanthemum image modified according to certain rules. Just like in Europe, in Japan, "mon" was required to be legalized. Both hereditary heraldic systems arose independently of each other, but their similarity is not surprising, since feudal societies developed along the same lines. Like European, Japanese heraldry survived the era of chivalry and is widely used in our time.

SOME CONSIDERATIONS

In Europe, as well as in the USA and other former colonies, heraldry continues to live, despite the fact that feudalism is a thing of the past, and the coats of arms themselves play a purely decorative role. But in these countries, heraldry, which has a long history, has become a good tradition and has largely been democratized. Many people who have no relation to the nobility for a long time, having found the owner of the coat of arms among their ancestors, are in a hurry to decorate their homes with a coat of arms with a certificate in a beautiful frame. As a result, new coats of arms are constantly appearing. In many countries there are official heraldic societies involved in the development and approval of coats of arms, genealogical research. The large number and solid status of these organizations testifies to the real need of society for heraldry, which today is not a mossy fragment of history, but a part of modern culture. Obviously, while there are people who are interested in the past of their kind, interest in coats of arms will also remain - witnesses of cruel wars, heroic crusades and luxurious jousting tournaments (to be convinced of this, it is enough to familiarize yourself with the short and, of course, incomplete list of national and international heraldic organizations, which you can not even read, but just skim through your eyes).

Unfortunately, the present and future of heraldry is not so optimistic in Russia, where there is practically no ground for its existence. In addition, the old Russian heraldry is not very rich in material: it includes several thousand noble and several hundred provincial and city coats of arms, most of which appeared at about the same time and in one place - in the corresponding administrative institution, that is, in the Senate department of heraldry. The "General Armorial of the Noble Families of the All-Russian Empire", which by 1917 amounted to 20 volumes, contained only about 6 thousand coats of arms, with a total number of noble families of about 50 thousand. Of course, this is a drop in the bucket compared to the resources of European heraldry. Although various kinds of emblems were used by the Slavs in antiquity, real emblems appeared in Russia five hundred years later than in Europe, and not because of practical necessity, but as a beautiful toy from the West. Therefore, not having time to take root, Russian heraldry was carried away by the whirlwinds of history.

In the process of creating site materials, the question sometimes arose - how detailed should they be? What to talk about in general terms, and what to consider in detail? The degree of detail was determined by common sense, because the purpose of the site is to give the reader only a general idea of ​​heraldry, which is to some extent reflected in its title. "Excursion to Heraldry", of course, cannot claim to be a complete coverage of this vast area, since only the basic principles are stated here, illustrated by some examples. Nevertheless, the authors believe that these materials may be of interest to those who have just begun to be interested in heraldry and are in need of basic information on this topic.
The efforts of modern heraldry as an auxiliary scientific discipline are aimed at studying coats of arms, namely, at identifying their owners, clarifying the history of their origin and establishing the time of their creation. For serious historical research, of course, more detailed information and more reliable sources will be required than the Excursus to Heraldry. But in order to understand what a coat of arms is, what it consists of, what its main elements mean and what its main elements are called, and, finally, in order to try to create a coat of arms on your own, guided by the principles outlined and focusing on the examples given, you can successfully use our review. In any case, the authors hope that they have mentioned here all the main points necessary for the first steps towards the practical study of heraldry.

List of some foreign heraldic organizations:

• AUSTRALIA: The Heraldry Council of Australia; The Heraldry Society (Australian ranch); The Heraldry Society of Australia Heraldry Australia Inc.
• AUSTRIA: Heraldisch-Genealogische Gesellschaft.
• ENGLAND & WALES: The College of Arms; The Heraldry Society; Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies.
• BELGIUM: Heraldique et Genealogique de Belgique; Musees Royaux d "Art et d" Histoire; L "Office Genealogique et Heraldique de Belgigue.
• HUNGARY: Magyar Heraldikai es Geneologiai Tarsasag.
• GERMANY: Der Herold; Genealogisch-Heraldische Gesellschaft; Wappen Herold; Deutsche Heraldische Gesellschaft.
• DENMARK: Heraldisk Selskab, Koebenhavn; Dansk Genealogisk Institute;Nordisk Flaggskrift.
• IRELAND: The Chief Herald of Ireland's Office; The Heraldry Scoiety of Ireland.
• ITALY: Aradico Collegio; Instituteo Italiano di Genealogia ed Araldica.
• CANADA: Canadian Heraldic Authority; Heraldry Society of Canada.
• LUXEMBOURG: Conseil Heraldique de Luxembourg.
• NETHERLANDS: Koninklijk Nederlands Genootschap voor Geslact en Wapenkunde; Central Bureau voor Genealogy.
• NORWAY: Heraldisk Forening Norsk; Norsk Vapenring; Norsk Slekthistorik Forening; Kunstindustrimuseet i Oslo; middelalderforum; Universitetet i Oslo, Historisk Institute; Universitetet i Oslo Ethnografisk Museum.
• NEW ZEALAND: The Heraldry Society of New Zealand; The Heraldry Society (New Zealand Branch).
• POLAND: Heraldic Records Archive.
• PORTUGAL: Institutio Portuges de Heraldica.
• SCANDINAVIAN SOCIETY: Societas Heraldica Scandanavica.
• USA: New England Historic Genealogical Society; North American Institute of Heraldic and Flag Studies; American College of Heraldry; The Augustan Society Inc.; Genealogical and Heraldic Institute of America; National Genealogical Society.
• FINLAND: Heraldica Scandanavia; Suomen Heraldinen Seura; Finlands National Committe for Genealogi och Heraldik; Genealogiska Samfundet and Finland; Heraliske Sallskapet and Finland.
• FRANCE: Federation des Societes de Genealogie, d "Heraldique et de Sigillographie; La Societe Franeaise D" Heraldique et de Sigillographie; La Societe du Grand Armorial de France.
• SCOTLAND: Lord Lyon King of Arms, and the Court of Lord Lyon; The Heraldry Society of Scotland; The Scottish Genealogical Society.
• SWITZERLAND: Heraldische Schweizersche Gesellschaft.
• SWEDEN: Swedish state herald: Clara Neveous, Riksarkivet - Heraldiska sektionen; Svenska Heraldiska Foreningen (Heraldry Society of Sweden); Heraldiska Samfundet; Skandinavisk Vapenrulla (SVR); Svenska Nationalkommitten for Genealogi och Heraldik; Voestra Sveriges Heraldiska Saellskap; Riddarhuset; Genealogiska Foereningen Genealogical Society).
• South Africa: The State Herald; Bureau of Heraldry; The Heraldry Society of Southern Africa.
• JAPAN: The Heraldry Society of Japan.
• INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS: Academie Internationale d "Heraldique; Confederation Internationale de Genealogie et d" Heraldique; International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Studies; International Fellowship of Armorists (Heraldry International); International Genealogical Institute; Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints.

The emblem of "United Russia" was copied from the 370th division of the Wehrmacht, and from Italian - United Russia, literally,
fascist Russia. " Fash» - Unity, unity. Source:

The State Duma of the Russian Federation banned the bear of "United Russia"?

The United Russia bear is in danger. For a flag or a badge with a bear, it will be quite possible to thunder for 15 days. And all because the State Duma, at the suggestion of Zheleznyak, is already famously in the second reading.

But this is so, by the way. From the text of the bill it follows that 15 days of arrest will be punished.

The idea is not new. Back in 2006, the deputies of the Moscow City Duma proposed amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses that would increase the penalties for the same thing, for which the deputies of the State Duma decided to toughen the punishment. Even then, observant people noticed that, for example, they would have to be fined for the coat of arms of Moscow.

Here is the coat of arms of Moscow:

And this is the emblem of the 29th (1st Russian) Grenadier Division of the SS "RONA":

There is also a problem with the Russian flag. Because it is "confusingly ..." similar to a chevron, which consisted of Russian emigrants and prisoners of war and fought on the side of Nazi Germany.

A very popular symbol in the army of Nazi Germany was the bear. He was depicted on combat vehicles of the 3rd Panzer and 68th Infantry Divisions of the Wehrmacht. But in these divisions the bear was standing on two legs. But the bear on the emblem of the 370th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht, which is called "confusingly ..." is similar to the bear of "United Russia". Any expert will confirm this for you.

Here are the bears EP:

And this is a fascist bear, from the emblem of the 370th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht:

But the bears of the EP and the 370th infantry division of the Wehrmacht together:

Irek MURTAZIN

Extremism will cost dearly
They begin to fight with increased fines

The deputies of the Moscow City Duma proposed amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses that would increase the fines for propaganda and public display of Nazi symbols by several times. However, there is no clear definition of what such symbols are in the legislation. This is up to the forensic experts to determine. The Security Council of the Russian Federation has already ordered the adoption of anti-extremist measures, in particular, to "strengthen" institutions that will supply their expertise to law enforcement agencies and courts.

Amendments to Article 20.3 of the Federal Code of Administrative Offenses were proposed at a meeting of the commission on interethnic and interfaith relations of the Moscow City Duma. They provide for an increase in fines for propaganda and public display of Nazi symbols to 2.5 thousand rubles. (now 500-1000 rubles), as well as the introduction of liability for this offense for legal entities (a fine of up to 100 thousand rubles). "The existing punishments have long since lost their force," Igor Yeleferenko, head of the Moscow City Duma Commission on Interethnic and Interfaith Relations, explained to Kommersant. Mr. Yeleferenko also proposes to impose additional restrictions on booksellers, obliging them to distribute books with fascist symbols in opaque packaging.

In legal proceedings, both the accuser and the accused may file a petition for an expert examination. If we are talking, for example, about the propaganda of fascism, then these can be petitions for conducting so-called psycholinguistic or identification examinations, studying, respectively, the statements of the accused or the symbols used by him. Such studies in Russia can be carried out by the Federal Center for Forensic Expertise under the Ministry of Justice, the Institute of Forensic Science of the Center for Special Equipment of the FSB, the Forensic Expert Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, as well as independent experts. The decision on the choice of the place for the examination is made by the judge. Tatyana Sekirazh, head of the laboratory of forensic psychological examination of the Federal Center for Forensic Examinations of the Ministry of Justice, explained to Kommersant the technology of identification examination, during which it will be established whether the symbols are Nazi. According to her, the work is carried out by analogy with the study of two similar trademarks to the so-called degree of confusion. "We will involve political scientists and historians who will look and compare how significantly one symbolism differs from another and whether the average person can take one for another," explained Mrs. Sekirazh. It should be noted that according to this technology, the flags of the National Bolsheviks (hammer and sickle in a white circle on a red background) and the Russian National Unity (a white cross similar to a swastika) can be recognized as "confusingly similar" to the Nazi one (a swastika in a white circle on a red background). , on a red background). True, Ms. Sekirazh admitted that the center of the Ministry of Justice had not yet conducted such examinations, while specifying that the cost of such an examination would be about $1,000.

Unlike Russia, the legal definitions of Nazi symbols are clearly spelled out abroad. For example, the German criminal code prohibits the public display of the swastika turned to the right and left, the flag and emblem of the Nazi Party, the SS and SA signs, the verses and music of the Horst Wessel party anthem. In Hungary, the demonstration of the swastika, the cross with arrows, etc. is also prohibited.

It should be noted that with its initiative the Moscow City Duma joined the campaign of the Russian authorities to tighten legislation in the field of countering extremism. As Kommersant has already reported, the Security Council of the Russian Federation has developed an action plan to combat extremism. It instructs law enforcement agencies to put legal proceedings on cases of extremism on stream, for which purpose to develop by January 1, 2007 a set of measures to strengthen the institution of forensic specialists who supply expertise to law enforcement agencies and courts.

Lawyers believe that it will not be easy to fulfill this order. "Most likely, no expert base will be developed," lawyer Dmitry Agranovsky is convinced. "The authorities will simply continue their practice when the law is applied selectively."

Alexander Kommersant-Voronov

In the official symbols of the United Russia party (left), if you wish, you can find a certain similarity with the emblem of the 370th infantry division of the Wehrmacht (right)