The coat of arms of Serbia and Montenegro consisted of a shield with the
Serbian eagle (a white double-headed eagle adopted from the
Nemanjić dynasty
The House of Nemanjić ( sr-Cyrl, Немањић, Немањићи; Nemanjić, Nemanjići, ) was the most prominent dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages. This princely, royal, and later imperial house produced twelve Serbian monarchs, who rul ...
) and the shield with a quartering the
Serbian cross (or cross with
firesteel
A fire striker is a piece of carbon steel from which sparks are struck by the sharp edge of flint, chert or similar rock. It is a specific tool used in fire making.
History
In early times, percussion fire making was often used to start fir ...
s) and the Montenegrin
lion passant. This emblem had served as the national symbol of the
State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...
(known as the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
until 2003).
Official status
The
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
was officially adopted by the
federal parliament
The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the governor-gen ...
in 1993. It replaced the
coat of arms of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The emblem of Yugoslavia featured six torches, surrounded by wheat with a red star at its top, and burning together in one flame; this represented the brotherhood and unity of the six federal republics forming Yugoslavia: Bosnia and Herzegovina, ...
which had remained as the coat of arms of the newly-established
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
from 1992 to 1993. Usage of the arms was discontinued in 2006, after the
dissolution
Dissolution may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Books
* ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers
* ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music
* Dissolution, in mu ...
of the
State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...
.
Usage as the coat of arms of Serbia and Montenegro
The legal acts which reconstituted the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
into the
State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...
stipulated that a law was to be passed by the end of 2003 specifying the Union's coat of arms and anthem. Such a law was never brought forward, and unlike with the national flag and state anthem, no notable proposals for a new coat of arms were ever put forward. Thus the State Union continued to use the Yugoslav arms by inertia until its dissolution in June 2006.
Heraldic description
Gules, a Two-headed eagle Argent, en surtout an inescutcheon, quarterly 1 and 4 a lion passant Or (Montenegro) and 2 and 3, a cross between four fire steels Argent. (Serbia)
Origins of coat of arms
The coat of arms was designed after the breakup of the former
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...
, to symbolise the new union consisting only of Serbia and Montenegro. Its design thus features the traditional heraldical elements connected historically with both countries.
Throughout history, the arms of both Montenegro and Serbia have featured a double-headed eagle, usually silver, on a shield, usually red, bearing on their chests usually a red shield, which in Montenegro's case contained a golden lion while in Serbia's a cross with four
firesteel
A fire striker is a piece of carbon steel from which sparks are struck by the sharp edge of flint, chert or similar rock. It is a specific tool used in fire making.
History
In early times, percussion fire making was often used to start fir ...
s, usually silver. Thus the arms of FR Yugoslavia were designed by combining these elements: the eagle is the symbol common to both countries, symbolizing their unity, the lions represent Montenegro and crosses with firesteels, Serbia. The red shield in the middle was divided into 4 parts, although the federation consisted of 2 federal units. This was done with the intention to accommodate any possible further expansion of the federation.
The coat of arms was initially proposed by Dr. A. Palavestra in 1992.
["Znamenja naseg identiteta", izlozba radova clanova Srpskog heraldickog drustva, Bijeljina, 1994.] The final, adopted version followed the same blason as the original proposal but differed in graphical style.
Emblems of the Yugoslav Republics/Serbian-Montenegrin Union
Coat of arms of Serbia (1947–2004).svg, Coat of arms of Serbia
(1947–2004)
Coat_of_arms_of_Serbia_small_(2004_-_2010).svg, Coat of arms of Serbia
(2004–2010)
Coat_of_Arms_of_the_Socialist_Republic_of_Montenegro.svg, Coat of arms of Montenegro
(1974–1993)
Coat of arms of Montenegro (1992-2004).svg, Coat of arms of Montenegro
(1993–2004)
Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg, Coat of arms of Montenegro
(since 2004)
See also
*
Flag of Serbia and Montenegro
The flag of Serbia and Montenegro was originally adopted on 27 April 1992 as the flag of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FR Yugoslavia) and was used as such from 1992 to 2006. After the country was renamed to the Serbia and Montenegro, State ...
*
Coat of arms of Serbia
*
Coat of arms of Montenegro
The coat of arms of Montenegro ( cnr, / ) was officially adopted by the law passed in the Parliament on 12 July 2004. It is now the central motif of the flag of Montenegro, as well as the coat of arms of the Army of Montenegro.
It was constitu ...
*
Double-headed eagle
In heraldry and vexillology, the double-headed eagle (or double-eagle) is a charge associated with the concept of Empire. Most modern uses of the symbol are directly or indirectly associated with its use by the late Byzantine Empire, origina ...
References
External links
*
Serbian Coat of Arms
{{nationalflags
National symbols of Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro