The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Grb Republike Hrvatske) consists of one main shield and five smaller shields which form a crown over the main shield. The main coat of arms is a checkerboard (

chequy In heraldry, variations of the field are any of a number of ways that a field (or a charge) may be covered with a pattern, rather than a flat tincture or a simple division of the field. Blazoning of French adjectives Variations of the field pre ...

) that consists of 13 red and 12 white fields. It is also informally known in Croatian as '' šahovnica'' ("chessboard", from ''šah'', "chess"). The five smaller shields represent five different historical regions within Croatia.

Official description

Croatian law describes the coat of arms as follows: ''The coat of arms of the Republic of Croatia is the historical Croatian coat of arms in the form of a shield twice divided horizontally and vertically into twenty-five red and white (silver) fields, so that the first field in the upper left corner is red. Above the shield lies a crown with five spikes, slightly arched with its ends conjoined with upper left and right parts of the shield. Within the crown, five lesser shields with historical Croatian coats of arms, lined from left to right in the following order: the oldest known Croatian coat of arms, coats of arms of the Dubrovnik Republic, Dalmatia, Istria and Slavonia. The ratio of height of the field of the main shield to the height of the smaller shields in the crown is 1:2.5, and of the width of the field of the main shield to the width of the smaller shields in the crown is 1:1. The oldest known coat of arms of Croatia contains in a shield on a light blue field a yellow (golden) six-pointed star with a white (silver) crescent. Coat of arms of the Republic of Dubrovnik contains in a shield on a blue field two red bars. The Dalmatian arms contain in a shield on a light blue field three yellow (golden) crowned lion heads. The Istrian arms contain in a shield on a blue field a yellow (golden) goat facing left with red hooves and horns. The Slavonian arms contain on a light blue field two horizontal white (silver) bars, between bars a red field, on which sneaks a weasel to the left. In the upper light blue field is a yellow (golden) six-pointed star. The coat of arms is lined red.''

History

The checkerboard coat of arms (''šahovnica'') is first attested as an official symbol of the Kingdom of Croatia on an Innsbruck tower depicting the emblem of Maximilian I, Archduke of Austria in 1495.Karl-Heinz Hesmer: ''Chronik griffbereit: Flaggen und Wappen der Welt''. Wissen Media Verlag GmbH, 2008. .Ottfried Neubecker: ''Wappen – ihr Ursprung, Sinn und Wert'', It appeared on a seal from the

Cetingrad Charter The 1527 election in Cetin ( hr, Cetinski / Cetingradski sabor, meaning Parliament on Cetin(grad) or Parliament of Cetin(grad), or ) was an assembly of the Croatian Parliament in the Cetin Castle in 1527. It followed a succession crisis in the Ki ...

that confirmed the 1527 election of Ferdinand I, Archduke of Austria as king of Croatia in Cetin.Robert Stallaerts: ''Historical dictionary of Croatia''. Scarecrow Press, Inc. 2010. The origin of the design has often been purported as being medieval. Historic tradition states it to be the arms of Stephen Držislav in the 10th century. A

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertai ...

stone baptistry from the time of Peter Krešimir IV (r. 1058–1074/5) has engraved falcons that carry something that resembles a chequy on their wings, and the bell tower of the medieval Church of St. Lucy, Jurandvor has a checkerboard pattern carved onto it. The size of the checkerboard ranges from 3×3 to 8×8, but most commonly 5×5, like in the current design. It was traditionally conjectured that the colours originally represented Red Croatia and

White Croatia White Croatia (also Great Croatia or Chrobatia; hr, Bijela Hrvatska, also ) is the region from which part of the White Croats emigrated to the Western Balkans. Some historians believe that, after the migration of the White Croats in the 7th cent ...

, but there is no historical evidence to support this. Towards the

Late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...

the distinction for the three crown lands (

Croatia proper Croatia proper ( hr, Hrvatska) is one of the four historical regions of the Republic of Croatia, together with Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia. It is located between Slavonia in the east, the Adriatic Sea in the west, and Dalmatia to the south ...

, Dalmatia,

Slavonia Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baran ...

) was made. The ''šahovnica'' was used as the coat of arms of Croatia proper & together with the shields of Slavonia and Dalmatia was often used to represent the whole of Croatia in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. It was used as an unofficial coat of arms of the Kingdom of Croatia adopted in 1848 and as an official coat of arms of the post-1868 Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (both unofficially known as

Triune Kingdom The Triune Kingdom ( hr, Trojedna kraljevina) or Triune Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia ( hr, Trojedna Kraljevina Hrvatske, Slavonije i Dalmacije) was the concept—advocated by the leaders of the 19th-century Croatian national revival ...

). The two are the same except for the position of the ''šahovnica'' and Dalmatian coat of arms which are switched around & with different crowns used above the shield – the later employing St Stephen's crown (associated with Hungarian kings). By late 19th century ''šahovnica'' had come to be considered a generally recognized symbol for Croats and Croatia and in 1919, it was included in the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 ...

) to represent Croats. When the Banovina of Croatia was formed, the ''šahovnica'' (chequy gules and argent) was retained as the official symbol. The

Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionary Move ...

regime which had ruled Croatia during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

superimposed their ideological symbol, the letter "U" above or around the ''šahovnica'' (upper left square white) as the official national symbol during their rule. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the new Socialist Republic of Croatia became a part of the federal Second Yugoslavia. The ''šahovnica'' was included in the new socialist coat of arms.Jonas Frykman, Jonas Frykman Gösta Arvastson: ''Ethnologia Europaea'', Volume 26, 1995. It was designed in the socialist tradition, including symbols like wheat for peasants and an anvil for workers, as well as a rising sun to symbolize a new morning and a red star for

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...

. During the change to multiparty elections in Croatia (as part of the collapse of Communist rule in Eastern Europe from the late 1980s), and prior to the establishment of the current design, the ''šahovnica'', shedding the communist symbols that were the hallmark of Croatia in the second Yugoslavia, reappeared as a stand-alone symbol as both the 'upper left square red' and 'upper left square white' variants. The choice of 'upper left square red' or 'upper left square white' was often dictated by heraldic laws and aesthetic requirements. The first-field-white variant was adopted by the Republic of Croatia and used briefly in 1990. According to constitutional changes which came into effect on 26 June 1990 the red star in the flag of

SR Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), or SR Croatia, was a constituent republic and federated state of the Sociali ...

was to be replaced by the "historical Croatian coat of arms with 25 red and white fields", without specifying order of fields. The first-field-white variant was used at the official flag hoisting ceremony on 25 July and was later occasionally used on par with the first-field-red variant until 21 December 1990 when the current coat of arms was officially adopted.

Current design

On 21 December 1990, the post-socialist government of Croatia, passed a law prescribing the design created by the painter and graphic artist

Miroslav Šutej Miroslav Šutej (29 April 1936 – 13 May 2005) was a Croatian avant-garde painter and graphic artist. Šutej was born in Duga Resa in 1936. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts Zagreb and was an associate in Krsto Hegedušić's maste ...

, under the aegis of a commission chaired by Nikša Stančić, then head of the Department of Croatian History at the Faculty of Philosophy,

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...

. The new design added the five crowning shields which represent the

regions of Croatia The Republic of Croatia is administratively organised into twenty counties, and is also traditionally divided into four historical and cultural regions: Croatia Proper, Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia. These are further divided into other, smal ...

. They are, from left to right: Some of the more traditional heraldic pundits have criticized the latest design for various design solutions, such as adding a crown to the coat, varying shades of blue in its even fields, adding the red border around the coat, and using red and blue together. The government has accepted their criticism insofar as not accepting further non-traditional designs for the

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

coats of arms, but the national symbol has remained intact. Unlike in many countries, Croatian design more commonly uses symbolism from the coat of arms, rather than from the Croatian flag. This is partly due to the geometric design of the shield which makes it appropriate for use in many graphic contexts (e.g. the insignia of

Croatia Airlines Croatia Airlines Ltd. is the state-owned flag carrier airline of Croatia. Its headquarters are in Buzin near Zagreb and operates domestic and international services mainly to European destinations. Its main hub is Zagreb International Airport ...

or the design of the shirt for the

Croatia national football team The Croatia national football team ( hr, Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija) represents Croatia in international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a ...

), and partly because the Pan-Slavic colors are present in many European flags.

Historical versions of the crown arms

Most coats of arms used in the crown on the modern-day coat of arms differ slightly from historically accurate versions.

File:Coat of arms of Illyria (yellow star).svg, "Illyrian" coat of arms
(considered oldest known symbol of Croatia) File:Coat of arms of Dubrovnik.svg, Coat of arms of Dubrovnik File:HRV Dalmatia COA langued gules.svg,

Coat of arms of Dalmatia The coat of arms of Dalmatia is the heraldic symbol used for the historical region of Dalmatia on the eastern coast of Adriatic Sea. It is also featured on the ''crest'' of the coat of arms of Croatia. History The arms first appeared in 14th ce ...

File:Coat of arms of Istria.svg, Coat of arms of Istria File:HRV Slavonia COA.svg, Coat of arms of

Kingdom of Slavonia The Kingdom of Slavonia ( hr, Kraljevina Slavonija, la, Regnum Sclavoniae, hu, Szlavón Királyság, german: Königreich Slawonien, sr-Cyrl, Краљевина Славонија) was a kingdom of the Habsburg monarchy and the Austrian Empi ...

Gallery

File:Croatian Coat of Arms 1495.JPG, First known example of Croatian chequy as depicted in Innsbruck,

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

(1495) File:Croatian coa 1527.png, Coat of arms of Croatia used in 1527 as part of a seal on the

File:Coat of Arms of Kingdom of Croatia.svg, Kingdom of Croatia (1525–1868) File:Wappen Königreich Croatien.jpg, Coat of arms of Croatian Crown land (until 1868) File:Coa Croatia Country History (with crown) (1868-1918).svg, Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (1868–1918). The official version had St. Stephen's crown due to Croatia being part of

Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen The Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen ( hu, a Szent Korona Országai), informally Transleithania (meaning the lands or region "beyond" the Leitha River) were the Hungarian territories of Austria-Hungary, throughout the latter's entire exis ...

. File:Coa Hungary Country History Mid (1867).svg, Coat of arms of

Transleithania The Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen ( hu, a Szent Korona Országai), informally Transleithania (meaning the lands or region "beyond" the Leitha River) were the Hungarian territories of Austria-Hungary, throughout the latter's entire exis ...

(1868–1915) File:Domoljubna značka 1914.jpg, Patriotic badge from 1914 File:Coa Hungary Country History (1916).svg, Lesser Coat of arms of

(1915–1918) File:Austro-hungarian coat of arms 1914.svg, Common coat of arms of

(1915–1918) File:Wappen Österreich-Ungarn 1916 (Klein).png, Austria-Hungary, lesser version (1916–1918) File:Coat of arms of Croatia (State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs).svg, Coat of arms of Croatia (

State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs The State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs ( sh, Država Slovenaca, Hrvata i Srba / ; sl, Država Slovencev, Hrvatov in Srbov) was a political entity that was constituted in October 1918, at the end of World War I, by Slovenes, Croats and Serbs ( ...

period) File:Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.svg,

(1918–1943) File:Coat of Arms of the Banate of Croatia.svg, Banovina of Croatia (1939–1943) File:Greater coat of arms of the Banate of Croatia.svg, Banovina of Croatia greater version (1939–1943) File:Coat of arms of the Independent State of Croatia.svg,

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It was established in p ...

(1941–1945) File:Emblem of the State Anti-fascist Council for the National Liberation of Croatia.svg, ZAVNOH & Federal State of Croatia (1943) File:CoA of the Federal State of Croatia.svg, ZAVNOH & Federal State of Croatia (1943–1947) File:Coat of Arms of Socialist Republic of Croatia.svg,

Socialist Republic of Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), or SR Croatia, was a constituent republic and federated state of the Socia ...

(1947–1990) File:Coat of arms of Croatia (white chequy).svg, Early coat of arms of the Republic of Croatia (1990)

References

External links

Republic of Croatia – Ministry of Foreign Affairs & European Integration

Croatian Government website – Flag, Coat-of-Arms and National Anthem

* ttp://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/hr).html Croatia – Coat of Arms – Zeljko Heimer 2000
Croatia – Proposals for New Flag in 1990 – Flags of The World

{{National symbols of Hungary C

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

National symbols of Croatia