The coat of arms of

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

consists of a crowned golden

lion rampant The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises courage, nobility, royalty, strength, stateliness and valour, because historically the lion has been regarded as the "king of beasts". The lion also carries Judeo-Christi ...

over a dark red

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...

; above the shield is the Bulgarian historical

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

. The shield is supported by two crowned golden lions rampant; below the shield there is compartment in the shape of

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

twigs and white bands with the national

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

Unity makes strength "Unity makes strength"; ; ; . is a motto that has been used by various states and entities throughout history. It is used by Belgium, Bulgaria, Malaysia and Georgia (country), Georgia on their national coat of arms, coats of arms and is the ...

" inscribed on them.

Description

The current coat of arms of Bulgaria was adopted in 1997. The current arms are a slightly redesigned version of the coat of arms of Bulgaria from the period 1927–1946. Those arms were based on a similar earlier form, firstly used by Tsar Ferdinand I (1887–1918) as his personal ruler's coat of arms. The previous emblem, which combined the traditional gold lion rampant with the pattern of the

coat of arms of the Soviet Union The State Emblem of the Soviet Union was the official symbol of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics adopted in 1923 and used until the dissolution of the state in 1991. Although it technically is an emblem rather than a coat of arms, sinc ...

, was abandoned since Communist rule ended in the country in 1989. The new Constitution of Bulgaria, adopted in 1991, describes the Bulgarian coat of arms as follows: For many years, agreement on the design of the coat of arms was a source of great controversy in the Bulgarian government, as different parties argued over the design elements. The final design was legitimized in the Law for the coat of arms of the Republic of Bulgaria of 4 August 1997:

History

The earliest example of a lion's image as the

heraldic symbol Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...

of Bulgaria is documented in the ''Lord Marshal's Roll'', composed around 1294 AD and preserved in a copy from about 1640. In its first part under №15 is represented the coat of arms of ''Le Rey de Bugrie'' or the King of Bulgaria, most probably this of Tsar Smilets (1292–1298) or may be some of his recent predecessors. It consists of an argent lion rampant with golden crown over sable shield. In the end of 14th century an anonymous Arab traveller, who visited the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire

Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo (, ; "Great Tarnovo") is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. It is the historical and spiritual capital of Bulgaria. Often referred to as the "''City of the Tsars''", Velik ...

, saw and depicted three lions guardant passant gules painted on the round golden shields carried by the personal guards of Tsar Ivan Shishman (1371–1395). His manuscript is now kept in the National Library of Morocco. After 1396, when all Bulgarian lands were subjugated by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

but the Bulgarian crown was not given to the

Ottoman Dynasty The Ottoman dynasty () consisted of the members of the imperial House of Osman (), also known as the Ottomans (). According to Ottoman tradition, the family originated from the Kayı tribe branch of the Oghuz Turks, under the leadership of Os ...

formally, the latter Bulgarian heraldic type as a sign of symbolically independent state was preserved in several European and Balkan collections of coats of arms. Gradually, new and in some cases quite different versions appeared, but the lion remained the most widespread heraldic symbol of Bulgaria and its rulers. In the Illyrian collection of Korenich-Neorich from 1595 the three walking lions, usual for some earlier Western Europe's collections, were replaced by one red lion rampant over golden crowned shield. In the beginning of the 18th century the Croatian heraldist

Pavao Ritter Vitezović Pavao Ritter Vitezović (; 7 January 1652 – 20 January 1713) was a Habsburg-Croatian polymath, variously described as a historian, linguist, publisher, poet, political theorist, diplomat, printmaker, draughtsman, cartographer, writer and printe ...

in two editions of his heraldic collection from 1701 and 1702 reversed the colours of this type and thus the lion became golden and the shield dark red. This variant was adopted by the famous painter

Hristofor Zhefarovich Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει ...

in his ''Stemmatographia'', printed in 1741. His version became the most influential among Bulgarian intellectuals and revolutionaries in the period of the

national awakening of Bulgaria The National awakening of Bulgaria refers to the Bulgarian nationalism that emerged in the early 19th century under the influence of western ideas such as liberalism and nationalism, which trickled into the country after the French Revolution, ...

, when the lion was considered and widely used as a major national symbol. After the liberational

Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) The Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) was a conflict between the Ottoman Empire and a coalition led by the Russian Empire which included United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, Romania, Principality of Serbia, Serbia, and Principality of ...

the coat of arms of Zhefarovich was laid in the base of the new state coat of arms, described in the

Tarnovo Constitution The Tarnovo Constitution () was the first constitution of Bulgaria. It was adopted on 16 April 1879 (Adoption of the Gregorian calendar#Adoption in Eastern Europe, O.S.) by the Constituent National Assembly of Bulgaria, National Assembly held in ...

of 1879 as follows: The type and the details regarding the state coat of arms were not described clearly and were not standardized by a special Act. Because of this, for several decades they took different forms: lesser form; lesser form without supporters, compartment and motto, but covered with mantle from 1879 to 1880; greater form with supporters, bearing two national flags, compartment, motto and mantle from 1881 to 1927; middle form with supporters, compartment and motto from 1915 until 1918/20. Besides these there were different variations within these types. This perplexed situation was resolved by a special parliamentary commission, which sat after 1923. In 1927 it legitimated the middle form of the coat of arms, similar to these used as personal coats of arms by Bulgarian monarchs Ferdinand I and his son

Tsar Boris III Boris III (; 28 August 1943), originally Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver (Boris Clement Robert Mary Pius Louis Stanislaus Xavier), was the Tsar of the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1918 until his death in 1943. The eldest son ...

(1918–1943), but excluding all dynastic elements and preserving only the pure state symbolism. Following 1944, new times began for the Bulgarian heraldry. In the communist era, the traditional type of coat of arms was replaced by an

emblem An emblem is an abstract art, abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a monarch or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and ''symbol'' ...

which preserved the golden lion rampant placed over a non-historically-justifiable oval azure field, but encircled by the ears of wheat, folded by banners, a gear-wheel, a five-pointed red star and some other elements. This composition was derived principally from the pattern of the emblem of the Soviet Union. After the breakdown of the Bulgarian socialist republic in 1989 and several years of fierce partisan disputes, the traditional middle coat of arms from the period 1927–1946 was restored in 1991 with some minor changes. The crown on top of the shield, and thus upon the shielded lion, according to the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Bulgaria Act, is supposed to be not that of the last

Bulgarian monarchy The monarchs of Bulgaria ruled Bulgaria during the medieval First ( 681–1018) and Second (1185–1422) Bulgarian empires, as well as during the modern Principality (1879–1908) and Kingdom (1908–1946) of Bulgaria. This list includes monarch ...

(1879–1946), but that of the

Second Bulgarian Empire The Second Bulgarian Empire (; ) was a medieval Bulgarians, Bulgarian state that existed between 1185 and 1422. A successor to the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan of Bulgaria, Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II ...

(1185–1396). This empire was established by the brothers

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

and Asen, after it was freed from

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

control in the end of the 12th century, and it was subjugated by the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

in the very end of the 14th century. In fact it significantly differs from the crowns known from medieval portraits such as these from the Tetraevangelia of Tsar Ivan Alexander (1331–1371). There is a very popular belief that the three lions represent the three major portions and historical regions of Bulgaria —

Moesia Moesia (; Latin: ''Moesia''; ) was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River. As a Roman domain Moesia was administered at first by the governor of Noricum as 'Civitates of Moesia and Triballi ...

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

and

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

, which has no connection with the native historical tradition and the principles of heraldry.

Historical coats of arms

File:BG-gerb1295.png, Coat of arms of the King of Bulgaria ca 1295 from the Lord Marshal's

Roll Roll may refer to: Physics and engineering * Rolling, a motion of two objects with respect to each-other such that the two stay in contact without sliding * Roll angle (or roll rotation), one of the 3 angular degrees of freedom of any stiff bo ...

. File:Coat of arms ivan shishman.jpg, Shield of a royal warrior from the end of 14th century, anonymous Arabic traveler. File:Coat of Arms of the Emperor of Bulgaria (by Conrad Grünenberg).png, Coat of arms of the Emperor of Bulgaria, Armorial by Conrad Grünenberg, Konstanz Codex, 1483 File:Bulgarian1340.jpg, Coat of arms of Bulgaria from the

Fojnica Armorial Fojnica Armorial ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Fojnički grbovnik, Фојнички грбовник) is a prominent Illyrian armorial of South Slavic heraldic symbols, which contains mainly fictional medieval coats of arms, among which there can be found sev ...

, from 17th century. File:Coat of arms of Bulgaria (by Vincenco Coronelli).svg, Coat of arms of Bulgaria, from a map by

Vincenzo Coronelli Vincenzo Maria Coronelli (August 16, 1650 – December 9, 1718) was an Italian Franciscan friar, cosmographer, cartographer, publisher, and encyclopedist known in particular for his atlases and globes. He spent most of his life in Venice. Biog ...

, 1692 File:Bulgaria hristofor zhefarovich.jpg, Coat of arms of Bulgaria from ''

Stemmatographia Stemmatografia, known by its full name Stemmatographia sive Armorum Illyricorum delineatio, descriptio et restitutio (English: ''Stemmatography, or the sketch, description and revival of the Illyrian coats of arms'') is a heraldic essay written an ...

'' by

, 1746 File:State Achievement of Bulgaria 1878.svg, Coat of arms of Bulgaria (1879–1880) File:Larger State Achievement of Bulgaria 1908-1946.svg, Coat of arms of Bulgaria (1881–1927) File:State Achievement of Bulgaria 1908-1946.svg, Coat of arms of Bulgaria (1927–1946) File:Coat of arms of People's Republic of Bulgaria (1946-1948).svg, Coat of arms of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (1946–1947) File:Coat of arms of Bulgaria (1948).svg, Coat of arms of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (1947–1948) File:Coat of arms of Bulgaria (1948-1968).svg, Coat of arms of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (1948–1968) File:Coat of arms of Bulgaria (1968-1971).svg, Coat of arms of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (1968–1971) File:Coat of arms of Bulgaria (1971-1990).svg, Coat of arms of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (1971–1990) File:Coat of arms of Bulgaria (1990-1991).svg, Coat of arms of the Republic of Bulgaria (1990–1991)Hubert-herald.nl: Bulgaria
- "After the abolition of the People's Republic in 1990 a provisional emblem came into use which was about the same as before but from which the socialist star and the data were removed."

Notes

References

External links

Bulgarian Heraldry and Vexillology Society

{{Coats of arms of Europe National symbols of Bulgaria