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 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.

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.

Many thanks to Ivan and Aleksandar Szabo for kind help.

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.

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

A picture postcard from Freiburg im Breisgau, Württemberg, Germany
(Münsterplatz 24, 79098 Freiburg)
The decorations of the building are from 1530-32.

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!

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.
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:

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

Croatia - its History, Culture and Science