Croatian Coat of Arms
during centuries
Darko Zubrinic, Zagreb, 2005
- until 1600
- 1600-1800
- 1800-1900
- 1900 until today
- References
Stone
Choir Screen
Panel, Split, 11th century,
probably Croatian Coats of Arms on wings of three falcons,
(information by Adam Eterovic, USA; see also [Grakalic,
p. 32])
Croatian Coat of Arms in The Senj
Cathedral, 1491,
which belonged to the family of Perovich in Lika,
mentioned in the accompaning Latin text
(at that time the Turkish
Empire is near
immediate vicinity of the towns of Senj, Karlovac and Sisak)
Croatian Coat of Arms, not later than 1494,
and probably much older (a remain of an unknown church),
Church
of St. Lucija, Jurandvor near
Baska, island of Krk
Croatian
coats of arms can be seen on the
ceiling of the Stadtrichter Zeller Haus (Herzog Friedrichstr. 35)
of the city magistrate (Stadtrichter) in Innsbruck, Austria, dating
from 1495/96.
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Another Croatian coat of arms from 1499
was in former
Wappenturm,
in Hofburg - the Imperial Palace in Innsbruck, Austria.
Wappenturm
(i.e. the Coat of Arms Tower) of
Hofburg is on the left on the above photo.
Unfortunately, since the 1770 renovation the Wappenturm was changed:
Luckily, the 18th century painting of the old Wappenturm has been made
for the Hofburg sacristy,
where Croatian coat of arms can still be seen:
See also Ramski Zbornik, Zagreb, 2001.
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Many thanks to Ivan and Aleksandar Szabo for kind help.
How
the original Wappenturm of King Maximilain
I looked like.
By the courtesy of Josip Sersic and Mijo Juric, Vienna, 2009.
Croatian
and Bosnian Coat of Arms on teh
Wappenturm in Insbruck, 1499.
By the courtesy of Josip Sersic and Mijo Juric, Vienna, 2009.
From
the bell in Schwaz near Innsbruck, 1503,
diameter 189 cm, weight 4.2 tons, 60 coats of arms in three lines
Dalmatian and Croatian coats of arms occupy the first two places in the
first line (!)
(Ivan Bosilj: Zvona,
Graphis, Zagreb, 2000, p. 53; with
permission of prof.dr. Zvonko Bencic)
Dalmatie
and Croacie on the top, from a bell in
Schwaz near Innsbruck, Austria, 1503
In the church of Sainte-Waudru in Monsu, Belgium, there is a Croatian Coat of Arms dating from 1511, see [Claus]
Croatian
coats of arms (Dalmatien, Croatien)
drawn by Albercht
Dürer (1427-1528),
kept in Albertina (a famous graphic art collection) in Vienna
Since his election in 1519 Charles V predominantly used the following title in official documents: "Carl der fünffte, von Gottes Gnaden Römischer Kayser, zu allen Zeiten Mehrer des Reichs, König in Germanien, zu Castilien, Aragon, Leon, beyder Sicilien, Hierusalem, Hungarn, Dalmatien, Croatien, Navarra, Granaten, Tolleten, Valentz, Gallicien, Majorca, Hispalis, Sardinien, Corduba, Corsica, Murcien, Giennis, Algarbien, Algeziren, Gibraltar, der Canarischen und Indianischen Insulen und der Terrae firmae des Oceanischen Meeres etc, Ertz-Hertzog zu Oesterreich, Hertzog zu Burgundi, zu Lotterich, zu Braband, zu Steyer, zu Kerndten, zu Krain, zu Limburg, zu Lützenburg, zu Geldern, zu Calabrien, zu Athen, zu Neopatrien und Würtenberg etc."
Kingdom
of Croatia (Austrian-Hungarian Imperial
civic heraldry)
photo from www.ngw.nl/int/oos/ooshong/croatia.htm
The
artist Hans Burgkmair (1473-1531) included
Croatian and Dalmatian coats of arms
in his painting of King (Ludovik I) Louis (1516-1526) and in his
genealogy of the Habsburgs.
A
glass by King Maximilian II (1527-1576), a
part of "Frauenpreissgarnitur", with Croatian Coat of Arms,
kept within
the permanent exhibition in the Neue Hoffburg Royal Palace in Vienna.
The
coat of arms owned by the Swedish
noble family Kristiernsson from Östergötland in
Sweden.
During the fifteenth century, this family served the Scandinavian king
Erik VII of Pomerania and his governor in
Östergötland, count
Ivan VI. Anž Frankopan (in Sweden known as Johan Franke or Johan Vale).
The central part of Kristiernsson’s seal corresponds to the
traditional chequered Croatian coat of arms, known since the eleventh
century. During the king Erik of Pomerania’s travel through
Croatia on his way to the Holy Land, his followers and king’s
shield-bearer Hindrik Kristiernsson made a longer break in
Frankopan’s city of Senj. The coat of arms very similar to
that
of Kristiernsson’s, belonged to the noble family
Perović
from Senj. For more details see dr. Mladen Ibler (Denmark): THE CROATIAN COAT OF ARMS -
FROM
FRANKOPAN´S SENJ TO SWEDEN?
In January 2016, Mr. Peter Turkalj living in Sweden, in the city of Örebro, sent us another evidence
of Croatian Coats of Arms in Sweden, dating probably from the 16th century.
Many thanks to Mr. Peter Turkalj.
Blasons
des Royaumes &
Principautés d'Europe en l'an de grâce 1519.
Croatian
coat of arms on the right-most column, third from the bottom.
The
same map as above, but in German. Croatian
Kingdom is also represented.
Croatian Coat of Arms on a talir by Ludovicus II, king of Hvngarie,
Dalmacia, Croacia (see on the left), from 1525.
Source of the photo Vjekoslav Klaić, Povijest
Hrvata, Vol. II.2.
The seems to be the first known Croatian Coat of Arms appearing on a
coin.
The Coat of Arms of Dalmatia (with three leopard's heads) can be seen
just on the right of the crown.
(HVNGARIE) DALMACIA
CROACIA E(T) C(ETERA) REX
Two
clearly visible Croatian Coats of Arms of
Croatian troups at the 1526 battle at the Mohac field (Hungary) against
the Turks (the second flag in the left column and the fourth flag in
the right column). By the courtesy of Josip Sersic and Mijo Juric,
Vienna, 2009.
January
1st, 1527, Croatian legal document kept in the State Archive in Vienna
(Staatsarchiv), with the first known official appearance of Croatian
Coat of Arms.
Source Croatian
Encyclopaedia (see under
Cetingrad)
Text in original Latin and in Croatian translation.
Sigillum
regni with Croatian coat of arms,
Cetingrad 1527
In
Vienna there are old Croatian coats of arms
on several places,
on the Grabe square (around 1760), and in Schönbrun
Vienna
in 1529, during the first Turkish siege of the city. Stephanusdome, the
famous Vienna Cathedral, is in the
center.
A
detail from the above map: Croatian Coat of
Arms is in the middle top, to the left of the Cathedral.
Croatian
defensive forces under their Croatian
flag in Vienna in 1529, during the first Turkish siege of the city.
A
picture postcard from Freiburg
im Breisgau,
Württemberg, Germany
(Münsterplatz 24, 79098 Freiburg)
The decorations of the building are from 1530-32.
The building itself is from 1525.
Many thanks to Dr. Siniša Miličić, University of Zagreb, for his
kind information.
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Description on the reverse side of the postcard:
(in German) Erker des historischen Kaufhauses am Müsterplatz,
(in English) Bay of the former „Kaufhaus“ at the
Muenster
Square,
(in French) Pièce avancée de l'ancien
„Kaufhaus“ sur la Place de la cathédrale
(many thanks to Mr Vlatko Bilic, Zagreb)
In the church of Sainte Michel in Bruxelles, Belgium, there is a Croatian Coat of Arms dating from 1538, see [Claus]. According Jean-Pierre Claus, Belgium has about 40 (fourty) various old Croatian Coats of Arms throughout this country (from Istria, Rijeka, Dubrovnik, Ilok, etc.), mostly of exceptional beauty!
Faust Vrančić, distinguished
Croatian lexicographer, was at the court of the Roman-German Emperor
and
Croatian-Hungarian King Rudolph II, who was crowned by Antun Vrančić,
Faust's uncle. Now doubt, these are some of the reasons why in the
chruch of st. Vitus in Hradčani Cathedral in the Prague, we can see
fantastic Croatian Coats of Arms. Karl of the Stier (Karlo
Štajerski),
brother-in-law of King Rudolph II, was in charge of the Croatian
Military Frontier, where in 1578 he made the foundations of the new
very strong fortress of Karlovac, which was important in the struggle
of Croatia against the Turkish Ottoman Empire onslaughts. Among
numerous great artists and scientists at the Royal Court in Hradčani,
Faust Vrančić, the Royal Secretary, was in close contact with Tyho de
Brahe and Johannes Kepler.
Lit.: Vladimir Muljević: Hrvatski znanstvenici Faust i Antun Vrančić, Encyclopaedia Moderna, 2(42) (1993), pp.122-136.
The presence of very beautiful Croatian Coats of Arms in the Cathedral of St Vitus in Hradčani, Prague, Czechia, is related to the fact that Rudloph II was the then King of Croatia (among other countries).
16th
century Croatian coats of arms in the
Cathedral of St Vitus in Hradcany, Prague, Czechia:
Regnum Sclavoniae,
Croatiae, Dalmatiae, on the
left from the main altar.
They appear together with several dozens of other old European coats of
arms.
These drawings seem to be unknown in Croatian heraldic literature.
Re.
Sclavoniae, Croatiae, Dalmatiae
(Kingdom of Slavonia, Croatia, and Dalmatia)
Note that here the coat of arms of Sclavonia is the same as that of
Bosnia.
For
very interesting traces of Croatian
Glagolitic Script in Prague see here
(in
Croatian)
See
also Moravian coat of arms in contemporary
Czechia:
The
Moravian coat of arms (Moravia is a region
of Czechia, capital - Brno)
is obviously related to Croatian coat of arms.
See some basic facts about the White Croats,
which seem to indicate the connection.
Moravian coat of arms is a part of the contemporary coat of arms of the
Czech Republic:
Drawn in 1565 by Lucas Cranach the Younger, for his book Deutsches Stammbuch.
Many thanks to Mr. Marijan Ožanić, Zagreb, for this information.
Under
the roof of Hungarian Parliament in
Budapest there are several coat of arms,
among them also Croatian.
Amblem
of Confraternity
of St. Jerome in Rome from 1585,
with coats of arms of Dalmatia and Croatia on the top, and Slavonia and
Bosnia at the bottom
- until 1600
- 1600-1800
- 1800-1900
- 1900 until today
- References
Croatia - its History, Culture and Science