Coat of arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Coat of arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Details | |
| Adopted | 1998 |
The Coat of Arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted in 1998, replacing an older design that had been used since 1991, when Bosnia gained independence.
The coat of arms follows the design of the national flag. The triangle shape is supposed to symbolize the three major ethnic groups of Bosnia, as well as the shape of the nation. The stars have replaced the fleur-de-lis that were found on the old coat of arms, to avoid singling out the Bosniak symbol only, and possibly to copy the flag of the European Union due to a desire of Bosnia and Herzegovina to join that body.
It is not quite certain how to blazon these arms. One proposal is Per bend enhanced or and azure, a bend of mullets palewise argent.
Contents |
[edit] Current coat of arms
The current coat of arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina presents the typical straight top, oval sides, and spiked bottom. The coat of arms has two separate background color, dark blue and gold. Both colors are seen in the coat of arms between 1991 and 1998. Even though the current coat of arms does not directly relate with Bosnian-Herzegovinian history, the colors that were used were the ones from the former coat of arms. The top right corner forms a yellow triangle symbolizing the shape of Bosnia and Herzegovina, portraying the rivers Una, Sava, Drina, Dinara/the coastline (Adriatic Sea). Through this the coat of arms portrays the Bosnian historical continuity and its historical statehood.
[edit] Tvrtko
The coat of arms of Bosnia-Herzegovina during the Tvrtko reign was similar to the coat of arms of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1991–1998. Bosnia and Herzegovina was a banovian state and later a kingdom. For both of the periods the coat of arms of the Tvrtko dynasty was used. The coat of arms had a blue background color, with a diagonal line dividing the shield. Both sides accompanied three lilies. The lilly on the coat of arms of the Tvrtko dynasty was specific, placing the regional Lilium bosniacum onto the coat of arms. Above the shield, there is a crown accompanied with lilies, by which it differs from the coat of arms of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
[edit] Fojnički grbovnik
The Fojnički coat of arms comes from the 19th century. The coat of arms was used in battle for the autonomous Bosnia, a large uprising against the Austro-Hungarian occupation. The coat of arms had a brown shield in the shape of an arrow with a crown in which there are two guns crossing one another (forming an "x"). In the place where the guns cross, there is a small shield with the image of a crescent moon and a star, which point to the top. This coat of arms was predominantly used in battles and uprisings during against the Ottoman Empire primarily during the 19th century.
[edit] Austro-Hungarian occupation
After Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed and occupied by Austria-Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina received a new coat of arms. The coat of arms accepted at the time was a modified version of the coat of arms of Stjepan Vukčić Hrvatinić who was a Bosnian noble in the 14th century. The original coat of arms has a white background with two red lines at the top of the coat of arms. Also, from the top-right corner comes a red shielded arm with a sword, which happens to be a similar motif for many coat of arms of various European countries of the time. Above the shield there is a crown that resembles the one from the Tvrtko dynasty with the Bosnian lilies.
During the occupational period, Bosnia and Herzegovnina's coat of arms was implemented onto the general coat of arms of Austria-Hungary. This was not only the case for Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also for other countries under Austro-Hungarian rule/control. The reason behind placing the newly developed coat of arms onto the monarchical coat of arms of Austria-Hungary was an attempt by the falling monarchy trying to preserve unity and power within its own country. At the time World War I was looming around the corner and soon the countries under Austro-Hungarian rule would seek their independence.
[edit] SFRY period
The coat of arms along with the flag of the socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted on December 31, 1946. The blazon of the coat of arms was similar to the other Yugoslav republics. The coat of arms had two crossing stems of wheat in front of scheme of a neighborhood with two factory chimneys out of which there is smoke. Around the decorative branches and wheat, there is a red track that spirals around. At the top of the coat of arms is a red star with a golden frame. The red star symbolizes the socialism and communism of Yugoslavia at the time.
The coat of arms represents the industry Bosnia and Herzegovina had at the time. The factory chimneys show the industry of several important Bosnian, then Yugoslav, towns and their vital influence towards the economy. It must be noted that all of the Yugoslav republics had similar coats of arms, however, Bosnia and Herzegovina was the only that did not portray nationalistic symbols, representing its multiethnic composition.
[edit] 1992 - 1998
.svg/130px-Coat_of_Arms_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina_(1992-1998).svg.png)
The coat of arms of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was similar to that of the Kotromanić dynasty. It had a blue background divided by a white line. The diagonal white line is actually supposed to symbolize the sword of Tvrtko and his might as a ruler. The coat of arms was designed in a hurry, right at the beginning of the Bosnian War, which lasted for 3 years. At the end of the war, there came uproar from both the Croatian and Serbian sides arguing that the coat of arms was solely Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim). The international community within Bosnia and Herzegovina was used to solve the controversy. In early 1998 a commission for the flag change was created and the same year the current coat of arms was adopted in order to help alleviate the tensions among ethnicities. The current one, however, lacks any history relating to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
[edit] See also
- Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Flag of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Coat of arms of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
