The coat of arms of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

() is divided into two principal variants. Greater coat of arms displays the three

historical regions Historical regions (or historical areas) are geographical regions which at some point in time had a cultural, ethnic, linguistic or political basis, regardless of latterday borders. They are used as delimitations for studying and analysing social ...

—the

Czech lands The Czech lands or the Bohemian lands ( cs, České země ) are the three historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia. Together the three have formed the Czech part of Czechoslovakia since 1918, the Czech Socialist Republic since 1 ...

—which make up the nation. Lesser coat of arms displays lone silver double-tailed lion in red shield. The current coats of arms, which was adopted in 1992, was designed by Czech heraldist

Jiří Louda Jiří Louda (3 October 1920 – 1 September 2015) was a Czech heraldist and veteran of World War II. Louda was considered among the leading coats of arms designers in the Czech Republic and the former Czechoslovakia. He designed the current coat o ...

Background

File:Small coat of arms of the Czech Republic.svg,

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

and whole

File:Moravia.svg,

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The me ...

File:Silesia.svg,

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

The arms of

show a silver double-tailed

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

on a red background. This Bohemian Lion makes up the first and the fourth quarters of the greater coat of arms, so it is repeated in the shield. The

n red-and-silver chequered

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

is shown on a blue background. Between 1915 and 1918 the Moravian Eagle was chequered in the red-and-gold colors. The arms of

are a black eagle with the so-called " clover stalk" (lat. ''perisonium'') in her breast on a golden background, although only a small south-eastern part of the historical region (

Czech Silesia Czech Silesia (, also , ; cs, České Slezsko; szl, Czeski Ślōnsk; sli, Tschechisch-Schläsing; german: Tschechisch-Schlesien; pl, Śląsk Czeski) is the part of the historical region of Silesia now in the Czech Republic. Czech Silesia is, ...

) belongs to the Czech Republic (the main part is now in Poland). The rulers of Bohemia originally bore for arms a so-called

St. Wenceslas Wenceslaus I ( cs, Václav ; c. 907 – 28 September 935 or 929), Wenceslas I or ''Václav the Good'' was the Duke ('' kníže'') of Bohemia from 921 until his death, probably in 935. According to the legend, he was assassinated by his younger ...

flaming eagle. In the 12th century, Emperor Frederick granted new arms to King Vladislaus II consisting of a silver lion on a red field, to symbolise his valor. The lion was at first represented with one tail. Later a second tail was added, for the help provided by the King Přemysl Otakar I fighting the Saxons (Beware - this is just a legend (from Dalimil's chronicle)). During the first half of the 13th century the kings of Bohemia used a coat of arms bearing a black eagle in a silver shield. Red gonfanons had appeared earlier. From 1253 a two-tailed silver lion in a red field had been the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bohemia. This lion was originally a sign of the Moravian margraves.Rostislav Nový: K počátkům feudální monarchie v Čechách II. Časopis národního musea 1978. The oldest surviving full color depiction of the arms of Bohemia appears in the Passional of Abbes Cunegund from the 1310s. The Moravian Eagle was first documented on the seal of Ottokar's uncle, Margrave Přemysl (d. 1239). The Silesian Eagle stems from the ruling dynasty of the

Piasts The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great. Branche ...

and was first applied by Duke

Henry II the Pious Henry II the Pious ( pl, Henryk II Pobożny; 1196 – 9 April 1241) was Duke of Silesia and High Duke of Poland as well as Duke of South-Greater Poland from 1238 until his death. Between 1238 and 1239 he also served as regent of Sandomierz and ...

(1238-1241). The shields also appeared on the emblems of the

Crown of Bohemia The Lands of the Bohemian Crown were a number of incorporated states in Central Europe during the medieval and early modern periods connected by feudal relations under the Bohemian kings. The crown lands primarily consisted of the Kingdom of Bo ...

established by Emperor Charles IV. The greater shield was also used as the badge for the

Czech national ice hockey team The Czech Republic men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team of the Czech Republic. It is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called " Big Six", the unofficial group of th ...

until 2018. The

Czech national football team The Czech Republic national football team ( cs, Česká fotbalová reprezentace), recognised by FIFA as Czechia, represents the Czech Republic in international football. The team is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic ...

also featured it in their shirts, until being replaced with a newer, more streamlined badge featuring only the Bohemian lion, since the

UEFA Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...

Variants

Greater version

The greater coat of arms is blazoned in Czech law as follows: ''A shield quartered: first and fourth gules, a

rampant queue forchée argent armed, langued and crowned Or; second azure, an eagle displayed chequé gules and argent armed, langued and crowned Or; third Or, an eagle displayed sable armed and langued gules crowned of the field and charged on the breast with a crescent terminating in trefoils at each end with issuing from the centrepoint a cross patée argent.''

Lesser version

The lesser coat of arms is blazoned in Czech law:Original text of Czech statute 1993:3, 1 §, states: ''Malý státní znak tvoří červený štít, v němž je stříbrný dvouocasý lev ve skoku se zlatou korunou a zlatou zbrojí.'' ''The lesser national coat of arms is a red shield, in it a silver double-tailed lion rampant with golden crown and golden armament.''

History

Czech lands

Plamenna orlice kunhuta.jpg,

Přemyslid dynasty The Přemyslid dynasty or House of Přemyslid ( cs, Přemyslovci, german: Premysliden, pl, Przemyślidzi) was a Bohemian royal dynasty that reigned in the Duchy of Bohemia and later Kingdom of Bohemia and Margraviate of Moravia (9th century–130 ...

(

Duchy of Bohemia The Duchy of Bohemia, also later referred to in English as the Czech Duchy, ( cs, České knížectví) was a monarchy and a principality of the Holy Roman Empire in Central Europe during the Early and High Middle Ages. It was formed around 870 b ...

)
Right: The earliest known colored coat of arms of Přemyslids depicted in the Passional of Abbes Kunigunde (1310s) Nejstarší dochované barevné vyobrazení znaku Čech, hrad Gozzoburg v Kremži.jpeg,

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...

(Royal Arms of Bohemia)
Right: The oldest depiction of coat of arms of Bohemia, castle Gozzoburg in Krems, fresco painting from the beginning of 70th of 13. century Nejstarší dochované barevné vyobrazení znaku markraběcí Moravy, hrad Gozzoburg v Kremži.jpeg, Right: The oldest depiction of coat of arms of Moravia, castle Gozzoburg in Krems, fresco painting from the beginning of 70th of 13. century Lev erb kunhuta.jpg, Lesser Royal Arms of

Right: Colored coat of arms of Bohemia depicted in the Passional of Abbes Kunigunde (1310s) Wappen Königreich Böhmen.jpg, Royal Arms of Bohemia by

austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

heraldist Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...

Hugo Gerard Ströhl Hugo Gerard Ströhl (24 September 1851 – 7 December 1919) was an Austrian heraldist. Life Ströhl was born in Wels in Upper Austria. A talented painter, he studied at the School for Applied Arts ("Kunstgewerbeschule des Österreichische ...

(1851–1919) King-of-Bohemia.jpg,

(Royal Arms of Bohemia) Přemyslovci erb.svg, Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bohemia (Wenceslaus II of Bohemia).svg, Coat of arms of the Margraviate of Moravia (Wenceslaus II).svg, Lesser coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bohemia (Wenceslaus II of Bohemia).svg, Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bohemia.svg, Moravská orlice s klenotem.jpg, later form

Bohemian Crown lands

Silesia_arms_Blaeu.png,

Duchies of Silesia The Duchies of Silesia were the more than twenty divisions of the region of Silesia formed between the 12th and 14th centuries by the breakup of the Duchy of Silesia, then part of the Kingdom of Poland. In 1335, the duchies were ceded to the King ...

Coat of arms of Bohemian Crown.svg,

Lands of the Bohemian Crown The Lands of the Bohemian Crown were a number of incorporated states in Central Europe during the medieval and early modern periods connected by feudal relations under the Bohemian kings. The crown lands primarily consisted of the Kingdom of B ...

(simplified) Coat of arms of the House of Luxembourg-Bohemia.svg, Lesser Royal Arms of

Blason Boheme couronne.svg, Royal Arms of Bohemia with

crown of Saint Wenceslas The crown of Saint Wenceslas ( cs, Svatováclavská koruna, german: Wenzelskrone) is a crown forming part of the Bohemian crown jewels, made in 1346. Charles IV, king of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, had it made for his coronation, dedicating ...

Lands of the Bohemian Crown

Coat of arms of the lands of the Bohemian Crown.svg , Coat of arms of the

Znak českého království.png , Coat of arms of the

Czechoslovakia

Lesser arms of Bohemia and Moravia (1939-1945).svg, Provisional coat of arms of

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

(1919–1920) Greater coat of arms of Czechoslovakia (1918-1938 and 1945-1961).svg, Greater coat of arms of Czechoslovakia (1920–1960) Middle coat of arms of Czechoslovakia.svg, Middle coat of arms of Czechoslovakia (1920–1960) Lesser coat of arms of Czechoslovakia.svg,

Lesser coat of arms of Czechoslovakia Lesser, from Eliezer (, "Help/Court of my God"), is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Adolf Lesser (1851–1926), German physician * Aleksander Lesser (1814–1884), Polish painter and art critic * Anton Lesser (born 1952), Bri ...

(1920–1960) Coat of arms of Czechoslovak Socialist Republic.svg,

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

(1960–1990) Herb Czechosłowacji (1990-1992).svg,

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

(1990–1992)

Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia

Greater arms of Bohemia and Moravia (1939-1945).svg, Greater CoA of the

Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia; cs, Protektorát Čechy a Morava; its territory was called by the Nazis ("the rest of Czechia"). was a partially annexed territory of Nazi Germany established on 16 March 1939 following the German oc ...

Lesser arms of Bohemia and Moravia (1939-1945).svg, Lesser CoA of the

Czech Republic

Herb wielki Czech (1990-1992).svg, Greater coat of arms of the Czech Republic (1990–1992) Herb mały Czech (1990-1992).svg, Lesser coat of arms of the Czech Republic (1990–1992)

References and external links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coat Of Arms Of The Czech Republic National symbols of the Czech Republic

Czechia The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The Cz ...

Background

Variants

Greater version

Lesser version

History

Czech lands

Bohemian Crown lands

Lands of the Bohemian Crown

Czechoslovakia

Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia

Czech Republic

See also

References and external links