Croatian Coat of Arms

during centuries

 

Darko Zubrinic, Zagreb, 2005

 


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])
 

Senj Cathedral, 1491
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

 


 

Stadtrichter Zeller Haus, Innsbruck (photo by Ivan Szabo)
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.

Stadtrichter Zeller Haus, Innsbruck (photo by Ivan Szabo)

 

 

Stadtrichter Zeller Haus, Innsbruck (photo by Ivan Szabo)

 

Stadtrichter Zeller Haus, Innsbruck (photo by Ivan Szabo)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stadtrichter Zeller Haus, Innsbruck (photo by Ivan Szabo)


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:

Wappenturm (photo by Ivan Szabo)

Wappenturm (photo by Ivan Szabo)

Wappenturm (photo by Ivan Szabo)


See also Ramski Zbornik, Zagreb, 2001.

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.


Many thanks to Dr. Siniša Miličić, University of Zagreb, for his kind information.


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).

photo by Darko Zubrinic
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.

photo by Darko Zubrinic

 

Croatian coat of arms above the main altar in Cathedral of St Vitus, Hradcani, Prague

 

Cathedral of St Vitus, Hradcani, Prague (photo by dr. Kresimir Malaric)
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.

 

Croatian coat of arms, Cathedral of St. Vitus, Hradcani, Prague (photo by dr. Kresimir Malaric)
For very interesting traces of Croatian Glagolitic Script in Prague see here (in Croatian)

 

Croatian coat of arms, Cathedral of St. Vitus, Hradcani, Prague (photo by dr. Kresimir Malaric)
See also Moravian coat of arms in contemporary Czechia:

 

Moravia coat of arms, source: www.czechusa.com
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:

Source: www.texasczechs.homestead.com


 


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