Coat of arms of Slovakia
The Slovak national emblem in red a silver patriarchal cross, from a blue Dreienberg outstanding ( Blazon ). The crest is a picture on the Slovak one - to see and 2- euro coins.
The building, designed by Ladislav Cisarik coat of arms was first introduced on 1 March 1990 as emblem of the Slovak Republic of Czechoslovakia, later confirmed by Act of 18 February 1993 as the emblem of the independent Slovakia.
Components
Double Cross
The double cross in the national emblem of Slovakia has its origins in the Byzantine ( Eastern Roman ) Empire. There, this icon appeared in the 9th century on frequently. While the simple Christian cross symbolism is quite clear, there are many explanations for the meaning of the Double Cross. One of them says that the is a horizontal arm of the civil power and the second church for the power of the Byzantine Emperor.
Another view holds that the double cross is actually two crosses. The first cross symbolizes the death and the second is the resurrection of Christ. In the Byzantine Empire, but it was then not only a religious but also a political symbol that was used by Byzantine officials and missionaries.
At the latest by the mission of Cyril and Methodius came this icon still in the 9th century on the territory of Slovakia. Although it has been widely used in Great Moravia, it was not yet a state symbol, as there was at that time in Europe no state symbols in the modern sense. However, it is possible that it was used as a symbol of the king (similar to the eagle in the Frankish kings ). By Zuentibolch (ruler of Lorraine, son of the German Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia and godson of the Great Moravian king Svatopluk ) arrived this symbol also to Lorraine and there carries the name of the Cross of Lorraine.
The symbol of the double cross reappears rudimentary at first coins that Stephen, the first king of Hungary, was at an undisclosed location shape. Before he became king, prince Stephan was the Nitra Principality in today's Slovakia and lived with his Bavarian bride Gisela in ancient Christian center Neutra. At the beginning of his reign they lived again in Bratislava, where other coins were minted Stephen proven.
The direct predecessor of today's coat of arms is then the double cross that was Béla, the Prince of Nitra border Duchy (1046-1060), who later became King of Hungary (1061-1063), was used. Béla I. was a member of the Hungarian Árpád dynasty of and was named after the Bishop Adalbert of Prague, at the time of King Stephen baptized, the cousin of the father of Bela. Béla resulted in his border Duchy own internal and foreign policy. The Byzantine emperor, in a dispute with the Hungarian king, Béla even sent a princely crown after neutralization. Béla was also around 1050 in Nitra, the capital of his Duchy border, own mint coins, which differed from those of the Hungarian king, and deliberately wore the symbol of the double cross.
It was not until a hundred years later, around 1189, the double cross in the course of a crusade by the Hungarian King Béla III was. be used. This time already as a coat of arms, since at this time coat of arms came into use. He chose the symbol because it to a Christian and on the other was the oldest symbol of his kingdom. However, the successor Béla used no longer the hash associated with the 1108 resolution, situated in the north Nitransky border Duchy as their coat of arms, but that with the newer end of the 11th century formed the border duchy in Croatia and Dalmatia, connected stripe symbol ( see, for example, contemporary Hungarian Coat of Arms).
King Béla IV returned for unknown reasons back to the symbol of the double cross. In his time there was also - somewhat modified - the symbol of the county Pressburg. As in 1262, the Kingdom of Hungary was temporarily divided into two parts, the double cross was used as a symbol of the north-western part, the core of which was located in what is today Slovakia, and the strips for the other part of the kingdom.
After the Mongol invasion of 1241/42, many cities were newly established in the Kingdom the right to use the cross as a double royal coat of arms. The largest and most cities of the kingdom were in the embossed by German settlers and mining and therefore economically most prosperous part of the Kingdom - in today's Slovakia. Probably by this use in the city arms, the double cross from the 15th century became the symbol of the northernmost part of the Kingdom, that part of the title of which is occupied as Slovakia since the 15th century and in the 18th and 19th centuries as upper Hungary was called.
Three mountain
The three mountain symbolizes the three mountains of the northern kingdom of Hungary, namely Tatra, Fatra and Matra. This interpretation is demonstrably the oldest and most common. You still probably dates from the 15th century, but can only be proven for the 16th century.
The three mountains below the double cross were used for the first time by King Ladislaus V of Hungary (1301-1305), from the Czech Přemyslovci. As this king was recognized only in Burgenland and in today's Slovakia, symbolized the three mountains the mountainous Slovakia.
Symbolism
At least since the 16th century regarded the Slovaks the double cross with the three mountains as a symbol of their nation. This was expressed mainly during the revolution of 1848/1849, as the Slovaks at the Vienna side against the Hungarians fought (see Slovakian uprising ). In August 1848, the Slovak National Council was founded for this purpose in Vienna, (instead of just as a symbol of Upper Hungary ) on chien on its seal today's national emblem of Slovakia for the first time officially as a national symbol of the Slovak people. From then on, the symbol was used frequently.
The color of the three mountains below the double cross was in 1848 changed to blue, so that a total of three " Slavic" colors result in red-white- blue.
1918 ( officially 1920) was the national emblem of Slovakia component of the coat of arms of Czechoslovakia. 1939-1945 it was the state symbol of the Slovak State. 1945, it was again part of the coat of arms of Czechoslovakia. 1960-1990 the symbol as the " symbol of the fascist Slovak state " (1939-1945) was officially banned and was replaced in the national coat of arms of Czechoslovakia by the artificially created symbol of the mountain Kriváň with three flames. The three flames to symbolize the Slovak National Uprising of 1944.
After the Velvet Revolution today's coat of arms was designated 1990 as emblem of the Slovak Republic within Czechoslovakia, and since January 1, 1993, is the national emblem of Slovakia.
Part of other symbols
To the Cross of Lorraine, see above.
The double cross of the present national emblem of Slovakia in the 13th century by King Béla III. later the symbol of the Holy Ladislaus ( King Ladislaus I ) made, and in the 14th century it was part of the coat of arms of the family of the Jagiellonian, the king Władysław II Jagiello, the (alleged ) Coat of Arms of Saint Ladislaus accepted at his baptism in 1386. About the Jagiellonian it came in the coat of arms of Lithuania.