The flag and coat of arms of

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

, one of the two

Danubian Principalities The Danubian Principalities (, ) was a conventional name given to the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which emerged in the early 14th century. The term was coined in the Habsburg monarchy after the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (1774) ...

, together with

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

, which formed the basis for the

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n state, were subject to numerous changes throughout their history.

History

The recognised emblem belonging to the land of Moldavia, and perpetuated over the centuries as the official sign of the country, is the ancient

aurochs The aurochs (''Bos primigenius''; or ; pl.: aurochs or aurochsen) is an extinct species of Bovini, bovine, considered to be the wild ancestor of modern domestic cattle. With a shoulder height of up to in bulls and in cows, it was one of t ...

's head with a star between its horns. The aurochs's head is flanked to the right by a sun and to the left by a new moon. When and under what circumstances this representation appeared as a symbol of the country is not known, but scholars consider that the emblem existed before the foundation of the independent Moldavian feudal state by Bogdan I, in 1359. The oldest remaining representations of the coat of arms of Moldavia are the seals and coins dating from the reign of Petru Mușat (1375 - 1391). Traian Bița however observes that the legend (the text running around the perimeter) on the coins suggests the aurochs's head was originally the arms of the ruling dynasty, becoming the state's arms only during the rule of

Stephen the Great Stephen III, better known as Stephen the Great (; ; died 2 July 1504), was List of rulers of Moldavia, Voivode (or Prince) of Moldavia from 1457 to 1504. He was the son of and co-ruler with Bogdan II of Moldavia, Bogdan II, who was murdered in ...

. Consequently, the original state arms of Moldavia was a split shield, with a barry of six or seven on

dexter Dexter may refer to: People * Dexter (given name) * Dexter (surname) * Dexter (singer), Brazilian rapper Marcos Fernandes de Omena (born 1973) * Famous Dex, also known as Dexter, American rapper Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born 1993) Places United ...

and two to seven

fleur-de-lis The ''fleur-de-lis'', also spelled ''fleur-de-lys'' (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a common heraldic charge in the (stylized) shape of a lily (in French, and mean and respectively). Most notably, the ''fleur-de-lis'' ...

on sinister. Over the centuries, the image of the aurochs's head had undergone a constant evolution, being occasionally replaced by the

wisent The European bison (: bison) (''Bison bonasus'') or the European wood bison, also known as the wisent ( or ), the zubr (), or sometimes colloquially as the European buffalo, is a European species of bison. It is one of two extant species of bi ...

's head, so that by the middle of the 19th century, the image of the wisent came to be used more often. The Moldavian state coat of arms (aurochs's head) differs from the Moldavian dynastic coat of arms (both with the initial elements and with its elements of various origins, some of them added over time to the shield). The state coat of arms was used on the great princely seal, coins, flags, some public buildings, and various other objects (princely sealing rings, battle or parade swords, etc.), while the dynastic coat of arms was also used on coins, but especially in circumstances related more to the particular life of the Moldavian voivodes (on church or monastery inscriptions, tombstones, bells, manuscripts, or personal belongings of the prince and members of his family). Traditionally, two insignia have persisted constantly on the Moldavian flags: the head of the aurochs, as the symbol of the Moldavian state, and

Saint George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

, as the ecclesiastical heraldic symbol of Moldavia. A princely

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...

was first attested under the rule of Prince

(late 15th century), displaying an enthroned Saint George set against a

cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet '' Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The na ...

background. The depiction of the

Battle of Baia The Battle of Baia (; ) was fought on December 15, 1467, between Moldavian prince Stephen the Great and the Hungarian king, Matthias Corvinus. Corvinus invaded Moldavia as a consequence of Stephen's annexation of Chilia—a fortress and harb ...

(1476) in

Johannes de Thurocz Johannes de Thurocz (; or ''Ján de Turocz'', , variant contemporary spelling: ''de Thwrocz'') ( – 1488 or 1489), was a Hungarian historian and the author of the Latin ''Chronica Hungarorum'' ("Chronicle of the Hungarians"), the ...

's ''Chronicle'' shows Moldavian troops carrying a pennant with the aurochs's head on '' pales'' of unspecified colour. According to a well-known historical source, the princely flag of Stephen the Great worn during a ceremony in 1485 was described as the "great flag of red silk, beautifully reproducing in gold the coat of arms of the Land of Moldavia" ("''Banderium quoque magnum sericeum coloris rubri, in quo arma Terrae Moldaviae pulchre auro depicta erant''"). In 1574, Moldavian delegates to the coronation of Henry III of Poland are attested to have carried a blue banner with the aurochs head. Moldavia's fall under

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 ...

control, a process which was accelerated during the 16th century, saw a decline in flag usage; as princes became appointees of the

sultans Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

, the usage of a ''

sandjak A sanjak or sancak (, , "flag, banner") was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans also sometimes called the sanjak a liva (, ) from the name's calque in Arabic and Persian. Banners were a common organization of nomad ...

'' as a mark of authority became widespread. In the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

(either seal or

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

), the aurochs was initially a crest over a helmet and ''

party per pale In heraldry, the field (background) of a shield can be divided into more than one area, or subdivision, of different tinctures, usually following the lines of one of the ordinaries and carrying its name (e.g. a shield divided in the shape of a c ...

'' escutcheon, charged with either ''fleur-de-lis'' dexter and '' bars'' sinister (interpreted as being alternating ''

vert Vert or Verts may refer to: * Vert (heraldry), the colour green in heraldry * Vert (music producer) (born 1972), pseudonym of Adam Butler, an English music producer * Vert (river), in southern France * Vert (sport), a competition in extreme versio ...

'' and ''or'') or the ''

Patriarchal cross The patriarchal cross is a variant of the Christian cross, the religious symbol of Christianity, and is also known as the Cross of Lorraine. Similar to the Latin cross, the patriarchal cross possesses a smaller crossbar placed above the main o ...

'' dexter (closely resembling the ''

Cross of Lorraine The Cross of Lorraine (), known as the Cross of Anjou in the 16th century, is a heraldry, heraldic two-barred cross, consisting of a vertical line crossed by two shorter horizontal bars. In most renditions, the horizontal bars are "graded" with ...

'' in usual renditions) and ''fleur-de-lis'' sinister. In time reduced to the simple depiction of an aurochs's head on escutcheon, it was featured alongside the arms of Wallachia and

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

Michael the Brave Michael the Brave ( or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593–1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711), Transylvani ...

's seal, as well as only alongside Wallachia's on various symbols favored by rulers such as

Radu Mihnea Radu Mihnea (1586 – 13 January 1626) was the voivode (prince) of Wallachia between September 1601 and March 1602, and again between March and May 1611, September 1611 and August 1616, and August 1620 and August 1623. He was also the voivode ...

and several

Phanariotes Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Fanariots (, , ) were members of prominent Greek families in Phanar (Φανάρι, modern ''Fener''), the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is located, who traditionally occupied ...

(in the latter case, it was more often than not accompanied by the

double-headed eagle The double-headed eagle is an Iconology, iconographic symbol originating in the Bronze Age. The earliest predecessors of the symbol can be found in Mycenaean Greece and in the Ancient Near East, especially in Mesopotamian and Hittite Empire#icon ...

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 ...

tradition). The prevalent ''gules'' (or red) and ''or'' (yellow) display was replaced, towards the beginning of the 19th century, by variations on a red-blue theme. As such, when the Treaty of Adrianople allowed Wallachia and Moldavia a measure of

sovereignty Sovereignty can generally be defined as supreme authority. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within a state as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the person, body or institution that has the ultimate au ...

, Sultan

Mahmud II Mahmud II (, ; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. Often described as the "Peter the Great of Turkey", Mahmud instituted extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms ...

awarded Moldavia a red over blue pennant to be used by its military, and Wallachia a yellow over blue one; Moldavia's pennant was similar to the version given recognition by

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

as the ''Landesfarben'' of

Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...

(the latter was blue over red). During the ''

Organic Statute An organic law is a law, or system of laws, that form the foundation of a government, corporation or any other organization's body of rules. A constitution is a particular form of organic law. By country France Under Article 46 of the Constitut ...

'' rule of Mihail Sturdza, the pennant was replaced by a

war flag A war ensign, also known as a military flag, battle flag, or standard, is a variant of a national flag for use by a country's military forces when on land. The nautical equivalent is a naval ensign. Under the strictest sense of the term, few co ...

naval ensign A naval ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by naval ships of various countries to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from a country's civil ensign or state ensign. It can also be known as a war ensign. A large v ...

and a

civil ensign A civil ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by civilian vessels to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from the state ensign and the naval ensign (or war ensign). It is also known as the merchant ensign or merchant flag ...

with a blue field and a red canton standing for Ottoman

suzerainty A suzerain (, from Old French "above" + "supreme, chief") is a person, state (polity)">state or polity who has supremacy and dominant influence over the foreign policy">polity.html" ;"title="state (polity)">state or polity">state (polity)">st ...

Grigore Alexandru Ghica Grigore Alexandru Ghica or Ghika (1803 or 1807 – 24 August 1857) was a Prince of Moldavia between 14 October 1849, and June 1853, and again between 30 October 1854, and 3 June 1856. His wife was Helena, a member of the Sturdza family and da ...

was to include the color yellow, already present in the pan-Romanian horizontal

tricolour A triband is a vexillological style which consists of three stripes arranged to form a flag. These stripes may be two or three colours, and may be charged with an emblem in the middle stripe. Not all tribands are tricolour flags, which requires t ...

favored by the 1848 revolutionaries, in the war flag's pattern. In 1858, the aurochs became the central theme of the most valuable stamp in Romanian postal history, the '' Cap de Bour''. The aurochs head (dexter) and Wallachia's eagle (sinister) were included as

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'' ...

s on the tricolour adopted by

Alexandru Ioan Cuza Alexandru Ioan Cuza (, or Alexandru Ioan I, also Anglicised as Alexander John Cuza; 20 March 1820 – 15 May 1873) was the first ''domnitor'' (prince) of the Romanian Principalities through his double election as List of monarchs of Moldavia ...

after the union of the

in 1859; the arms of Moldavia are nowadays represented in the coat of arms of Romania, as well as in that of the short-lived

Moldavian Democratic Republic The Moldavian Democratic Republic (MDR; , ), also known as the Moldavian Republic or Moldavian People's Republic, was a state proclaimed on by the ''Sfatul Țării'' (National Council) of Bessarabia, elected in October–November 1917 foll ...

and present-day

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

(having previously featured in the coat of arms of

Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

within the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

Gallery

Coat of arms

File:Печать Петра I Мушата 1387.svg, Seal of

Petru II of Moldavia Petru (Peter) Mușat (d. 1391) was Voivode (prince) of Moldavia from 1375 to 1391, the maternal grandson of Bogdan I of Moldavia, Bogdan I, the first ruler from the dynastic House of Bogdan, succeeding Lațcu of Moldavia, Lațcu, Bogdan's so ...

. 1387 File:Petru Musat Coins.png, Coins of Petru Muşat (Voivode of Moldavia 1375–1391) File:Seal of 1392. Roman I of Moldavia.jpg, Seal of

Roman I of Moldavia Roman I (died March 1394) was Voivode of Moldavia from December 1391 to March 1394. He was the second son of Costea and Margareta Muşata (= "the beautiful" in Old Romanian) the daughter of the first ruler of Moldavia, Bogdan I and the founder ...

. 1392 File:Coat of arms used by Alexandru cel Bun.jpg, Personal coat of arms of

Alexander I of Moldavia Alexander I, commonly known as Alexander the Good (; – 1 January 1432) was Voivode of Moldavia between 1400 and 1432. He was the son of Roman I and succeeded Iuga to the throne. As ruler he initiated a series of reforms while consolidating ...

(1400–1432) File:Cetate 20CahleTeracotass.png, Outline of an image on stove remains excavated at the

Piatra Neamț Piatra Neamț (; ; ) is the capital city of Neamț County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in northeastern Romania. Because of its very privileged location in the Divisions of the Carpathians, Eastern Carpathian mountains, it is con ...

Fortress, showing the

coat of arms of Moldavia File:Moldavia's coat of Arms of 1481.jpg, Coat of arms of Moldavia in 1481, carved on the walls of the

Putna Monastery The Putna monastery () is a Romanian Orthodox monastery (one of the most important cultural) religious and artistic centers established in medieval Moldavia; as with many others, it was built and dedicated by Stephen the Great. Putna was founded ...

File:Moldova herb.jpg, Moldavian coat-of-arms, carved on the walls of Cetățuia Monastery in

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

. File:COA of Stephen III of Moldavia.svg, Drawing of the coat of arms with the seal of

. 1457 File:Coat of arms of Moldavia as a Polish subordinate, 1506.png, Coat of arms from the Polish Statute of Jan Laski. 1506 File:Coat of Arms of Moldavia - Großes Wappenbuch (crop).png, Coat of Arms of Moldavia from Großes Wappenbuch. Circa 1586 File:Stema Mihai Viteazul.jpg, Seal of

(showing the arms of Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania, as well as the stylised figures of Michael and his son) File:Jacob Despoth. Wappen (Gouache) - crop.png, Coat of arms of the Moldavian prince

Iacob Heraclid Iacob Heraclid (or Eraclid; ; 1527 – November 5, 1563), born Basilicò and also known as Iacobus Heraclides, Heraclid Despotul, or Despot Vodă ("The Voivode Despot"), was a Greeks in Malta, Greek Maltese soldier, adventurer and intellectual, ...

File:Rosetti (Rossetti) Royal Full Achievement of Arms Coat of Arms Heraldry.jpg, Coat of arms of the Rosetti family. File:Radu Mihnea Tombstone.jpg,

's tombstone with the coats of arms of Wallachia and Moldavia (detail) File:Movilesti.jpg, Elaborate arms of the

Movilești The House of Movileşti, also Movilă or Moghilă (, Cyrillic: Могила), was a family of boyars in the principality of Moldavia, which became related through marriage with the Mușatin family – the traditional House of Moldavian sovereig ...

princely family, featuring Moldavia's coat of arms and colour theme File:Coat of arms of the Principality of Moldavia 1643.svg, Coat of arms of the Principality of Moldavia. 1643 File:Coat of arms of Moldavia in Stematographia 1702.png, Coat of arms of Moldavia from "Stemmatographia". 1702 File:Stavropoleos-evanghelie-1723-p02.png, Page No. 2 of the

Gospel Book A Gospel Book, Evangelion, or Book of the Gospels ( Greek: , ) is a codex or bound volume containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament – normally all four – centering on the life of Jesus of Nazareth and the roo ...

(1723) printed during the reign of

Nicholas Mavrocordatos Nicholas Mavrocordatos (, ; May 3, 1670September 3, 1730) was a Greek member of the Mavrocordatos family, Grand Dragoman to the Divan (1697), and consequently the first Phanariot Hospodar of the Danubian Principalities, Prince of Moldavia, an ...

. It shows the coats of arms of Moldavia (left) and

(right). File:Herb Województwa Wołoszkiego (Księstwo Mołdawskie).png, Coat of arms of Volosh Voivodeship (Moldavian Principality). 19th century File:Timbru cap de bour 1858.jpg, '' Cap de Bour'' stamp. File:Coats of arms of Moldova Alexander Moruzi 1806-1807.jpg, Coat of arms of Moldavia during the times of Alexander Mourouzis, 1806–1807. File:Stema Moldovei in timpul domniei lui Mihai Sturdza crop.png, Coat of arms of Mihail Sturdza. After 1834 File:CoA from Flag of the Moldavian Army 1849.svg, CoA from Flag of the Moldavian Army 1849 File:Прінціпатꙋл Молдовеі. Пасапорт. COA.jpg, The image of the coat of arms on the passport of a citizen of the Moldavian principality. 1855 File:COA of Moldavia 1855.svg, The drawing of the coat of arms after the passport of a citizen of the Moldavian principality. 1855 File:Coat Of Arms on the passport of a citizen of the Moldavian principality in 1855.png, Drawing of the coat of arms of the Principality of Moldavia from a passport from 1855

Flag

File:Moldavian flag in the Battle of Baia - colors.svg, Moldavian flag in the

File:Moldavian war flag.jpg, The

khorugv Khorugv (, , , , , , , sometimes translated as ''gonfalon'')Historically, the Russian word ''khorugv'', as well as Polish ''choragiew'' also referred to a military banner in the secular sense, and the corresponding detachment associated with it. ...

. The original flag is in the collection of the National Museum of Romanian History. File:Battle Flag of Moldavia (1531).svg, Moldavian banner at the

Battle of Obertyn The Battle of Obertyn (August 22, 1531) was fought between Moldavian Voivode Petru Rareş and Polish forces under hetman Jan Tarnowski, in the town of Obertyn, south of the Dniester River, now in Ukraine. The battle ended with a Polish victory an ...

. 1531 File:Flag of Moldavia according to Gwagnin.svg, Flag of the Moldavian principality, described by

Alexander Guagnini Alexander Guagnini (; ; 1538, in Verona, Republic of Venice – 1614, in Kraków, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian-born Poland, Polish writer, military officer, chronicler and historian of Italy, Italian her ...

. Around 1574 File:Moldavian Banner under Prince Ieremia Movilă 1601.svg, Moldavian Banner under Prince Ieremia Movilă. 1601 File:Знамя молдавской кавалерии XVII в - Синее.svg, Banner of the Moldavian cavalry of the 17th century. File:Civil Ensign of the Principality of Moldavia (1834-1861).svg, Civil ensign of the Principality of Moldavia in 1834–1861 File:Banner of the Moldavian Principality of 1834 a.svg, The banner of the infantry regiment of the Moldavian army. 1834 (front side) File:Banner of the Moldavian Principality of 1834 b.svg, The banner of the infantry regiment of the Moldavian army. 1834 (downside) File:Flag of Moldavia in 1831.svg, The naval flag of Moldavia after an engraving from 1849. According to contemporary sources this color arrangement was used for lance pennons by the Moldavian cavalry File:Naval ensign of Moldavia 1858.svg, The flag of the Moldavian port militiaDrawing according to the description in book ''Alexandre Le Gras, M.A. le Gras'' "Album des pavillons, guidons, flammes de toutes les puissances maritimes" — Paris, 1858 as described in 1858

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * *

Moldavia

Red and yellow flags

Aurochs