Escutcheon in the Seal of the Kingdom of Croatia 1527

The Croatian checkerboard or checky (, ) is the national symbol of

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

and

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

. It covers the main shield of the

Croatian coat of arms The coat of arms of the Republic of Croatia () consists of one main shield and five smaller shields which form a crown over the main shield. The main coat of arms is a checkerboard that consists of 13 red and 12 white fields. It is also informa ...

, above which there is a crown with five smaller shields. Squares are always arranged correctly and they are red and white, although the order has historically varied.

History

Background

According to one legend, the Croatian king Stjepan Držislav was captured by the Venetians, only to challenge Doge

Pietro II Orseolo Pietro II Orseolo (961−1009) was the Doge of Venice from 991 to 1009, and a member of the House of Orseolo. He began the period of eastern expansion of Venice that lasted for the better part of 500 years. He secured his influence in the Dalma ...

to a chess match for his freedom. He went on to win all three games of said match, and in some versions even won control over the cities of

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

as well. He then incorporated the

chessboard A chessboard is a game board used to play chess. It consists of 64 squares, 8 rows by 8 columns, on which the chess pieces are placed. It is square in shape and uses two colours of squares, one light and one dark, in a chequered pattern. During p ...

pattern into his

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

to commemorate this triumph. However, the earliest known records of this story come much later than the events described, written in a greater literary context of romantic nation-building, and thus cannot be taken as historical. An escutcheon of the

Eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...

ic star from an 11th-century baptistry in

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

and a checkerboard-pattern carving on the bell tower of the Church of St. Lucy, Jurandvor are typically identified as the earliest examples of the checkerboard. A chess pattern is observed in the

architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; , also called an epistyle; ) is the lintel or beam, typically made of wood or stone, that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can also apply to all sides, including the vertical members, ...

s of a number of medieval churches in Croatia, including St. John of Nimfa in

Pula Pula, also known as Pola, is the largest city in Istria County, west Croatia, and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, seventh-largest city in the country, situated at the southern tip of the Istria, Istrian peninsula in western Croatia, wi ...

, St. Vid at the Kaštel in Pula, and St. John in Biskupija at Pomer, where the motif can appear together with or instead of the

Croatian interlace The Croatian interlace or Croatian wattle, known as the or in Croatian, is a type of interlace, most characteristic for its three-ribbon pattern. It is one of the most often used patterns of Croatian pre-Romanesque art and architecture. Ove ...

Use in coat of arms

One of the oldest coats of arms of the Croatian kingdom from 1495 is located in the Austrian town of

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

and is located on the front of the temple hall of Herzog-Friedrichstrasse 35. It is assumed that the creation of the Croatian coat of arms was stimulated by the emperor Maximilian I from whose time it originated the coat of arms of

, but also some other coats of arms, preserved in today's

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. It is also assumed that the number of preserved Croatian shielded

from the time of the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

ruler should be thanked to the fact that the Peace of Pressburg from November 7, 1491, gave him and his house the inheritance of the Hungarian-Croatian throne in case

Jagiellonian dynasty The Jagiellonian ( ) or Jagellonian dynasty ( ; ; ), otherwise the Jagiellon dynasty (), the House of Jagiellon (), or simply the Jagiellons (; ; ), was the name assumed by a cadet branch of the Lithuanian ducal dynasty of Gediminids upon recep ...

would not have legitimate male offspring, but also the stipulation that Maximilian I could keep the title of the Hungarian (and Croatian) king. For this reason, it would not be strange that he had just spurred the emergence of a Croatian chess coat, if it did not exist before. The

Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

, however, became Hungarian-Croatian kings only a few decades later, with the

1527 election in Cetin The 1527 election in Cetin (, meaning Parliament on Cetin(grad) or Parliament of Cetin(grad), or ) was an assembly of the Croatian Parliament (Sabor) in the Cetin Castle in 1527. It followed a succession crisis in the Kingdom of Hungary caused by ...

, so it is more likely that the then-ruling Jagiellonian dynasty were to commemorate the use of that coat-of-arms. The

Co-Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary, Senj The Co-Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary (also called Senj Co-Cathedral; ) is a Catholic church in Senj, Croatia. It was once the main cathedral of the Diocese of Senj and is now the co-cathedral of the Diocese of Gospić-Senj. The Cathedral of ...

contains a relief from 1491 that contains the coat of arms of the local nobleman Ludovik Perović which matches the 5x5 or 5x6 Croatian checkerboard pattern. The money printed by

Nicholas of Ilok Nicholas of Ilok ( Hungarian: ''Újlaki Miklós'', Bosnian and Croatian: ''Nikola Iločki''; 1410–1477) was a Hungarian nobleman, Ban of Croatia, Slavonia, Dalmatia and Macsó, Voivode of Transylvania and titular King of Bosnia from 1471 u ...

between 1472 and 1475 contains a rhomboid checkered pattern on a coat of arms, but this shape is more commonly associated with the iconography of the

Patriarch of Aquileia This is a list of bishops and patriarchs of Aquileia in northeastern Italy. For the ecclesiastical history of the diocese, see Patriarchate of Aquileia. From 553 until 698 the archbishops renounced Papal authority as part of the Schism of the T ...

Louis of Teck Louis of Teck (Italian: ''Ludovico di Teck''; 1375 - July 1439) was a duke German prelate, who was Patriarch of Aquileia from 1412 until his death. Biography Louis of Teck was the last male descendant of the Dukes of Teck in Swabia, born around 13 ...

. In some interpretations it is mentioned that the white color indicates

White Croatia White Croatia (also Great Croatia or Chrobatia; , also ) is the region from which part of the White Croats emigrated to the area of modern-day Croatia and lived between 7-10th century. According to recent archaeological and historiographical res ...

and

Red Croatia Red Croatia (; ) is a pseudohistorical term used for the southeastern parts of Roman Dalmatia and some other territories, including parts of present-day Montenegro, Albania, the Herzegovina region of Bosnia and Herzegovina and southeastern Croat ...

. There is also a belief in the meaning of the color of the first field in the coat of arms, according to which the first white field is the independence of Croatia, and the first red field is its subordinate position, but this belief is of the newer date and does not have any confirmation in earlier lore and historical evidence.

Other uses

Croatian Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21UMD Lofting-1

Jerseys and

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

s using the checkerboard are widely used by Croatian

sports fan A fan or fanatic, sometimes also termed an aficionado or enthusiast, is a person who exhibits strong interest or admiration for something or somebody, such as a celebrity, a sport, a sports team, a genre, a politician, a book, a movie, a video ...

s. It can also be found as a decoration on various tourist

souvenir A souvenir ( French for 'a remembrance or memory'), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and trans ...

s. Croatian euro coins have also featured the checkerboard on the obverse side.

Gallery

Croatian coa 1527.png, Coat of arms of Croatia used in 1527 as part of a seal on the Cetingrad Charter. Wappen_K%C3%B6nigreich_Croatien_%26_Slavonien.png, Kingdom of Croatia (1525–1868). Wappen_K%C3%B6nigreich_Croatien.jpg, Coat of arms of Croatian

crown land Crown land, also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. Today, in Commonwealth realm ...

(until 1868). Coa Croatia Country History (with crown) (1868-1918).svg,

Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia The Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (; or ; ) was a nominally autonomous kingdom and constitutionally defined separate political nation within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was created in 1868 by merging the kingdoms of Kingdom of Croatia (Habs ...

(1868–1918). Coa Hungary Country History Mid (1867).svg, Coat of arms of

Transleithania The Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen (), informally Transleithania (meaning the lands or region "beyond" the Leitha River), were the Hungarian territories of Austria-Hungary, throughout the latter's entire existence (30 March 1867 – 16 ...

(1868–1915). Domoljubna značka 1914.jpg,

Patriotic Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to one's country or state. This attachment can be a combination of different feelings for things such as the language of one's homeland, and its ethnic, cultural, politic ...

badge from 1914. Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.svg, Coat of Arms of The

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...

. Coat of Arms of the Banate of Croatia.svg,

Banovina of Croatia The Banovina of Croatia or Banate of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=, Banovina Hrvatska, Бановина Хрватска) was an administrative subdivision ( banovina) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1939 and 1941. It was formed by a m ...

(1939–1943). Greater coat of arms of the Banate of Croatia.svg, Banovina of Croatia greater version (1939–1943). Coat of arms of Croatia (1941–1945).svg,

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...

(1941–1945). Coat of Arms of Socialist Republic of Croatia.svg,

Socialist Republic of Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), commonly abbreviated as SR Croatia and referred to as simply Croatia, was a ...

(1947–1990). Coat of arms of Croatia (white chequy).svg, Early coat of arms of the

Republic of Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Mont ...

(1990). Coat of arms of Croatia.svg, Coat of arms of

after 1990.

References