Coat of arms of Estonia
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Coat of Arms of Estonia. The current coat of arms of Estonia is a golden shield which includes three slim, blue leopards (or lions passant guardant) in the middle, with oak branches along the side of the shield. The insignia is derived from the coat of arms of Denmark, which ruled Northern Estonia in the 13th century.
The Riigikogu (the state assembly) of the independent Republic of Estonia officially adopted the coat of arms on June 19, 1925.
However, the coat of arms were officially banned from Estonia following the occupation of Estonia by the Soviet Union in 1940, and replace with the Soviet-inspired Coat of arms of the Estonian SSR. Soviet officials persecuted and jailed anyone using the coat of arms, or the national colors of Estonia. The ban of the colors marked a beginning of another struggle for independence which was finally achieved on August 7, 1990 and regulated by the Law on State Coat of Arms of April 6, 1993.
[edit] References
- Estonian Institute National symbols of Estonia. Retrieved October 30, 2005.
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