Coat of arms of Estonia

Last updated

Coat of arms of Estonia
Small coat of arms of Estonia.svg
Versions
Coat of arms of Estonia.svg
Armiger Republic of Estonia
Adopted19 June 1925
Shield Or, three lions passant guardant azure, langued and armed gules
Other elementsA garland of oak leaves surrounds the greater arms

The coat of arms of the Republic of Estonia (Estonian : Eesti riigivapp) is a golden shield which includes a picture of three left-facing blue lions with red tongues in the middle, with golden oak branches placed on both sides of the shield. The coat of armes was derived from the 13th century royal coat of arms of Denmark, as the Duchy of Estonia (1219–1346) in what now northern Estonia was part of Denmark at the time.

Contents

Description

The coat of arms depicts a golden shield, which includes three slim blue lions passant gardant with red tongues in the middle and golden oak branches along both sides of the shield. The lesser coat of arms lacks these oak branches. The three lions on the national symbol of Estonia originate from the arms of King Valdemar II of Denmark who conquered northern Estonia in 1219. [1] [2] The lions became part of the greater coat of arms of Tallinn (Reval), the centre of Danish government in Estonia, and the fiefdoms (German: Ritterschaften) of Harria and Viru.

In 1346, the king of Denmark sold his Estonian dominion to the State of the Teutonic Order. The three lions, however, remained the central element of the greater coat of arms of Tallinn. In later centuries, the motif of the three lions transferred to the coats of arms of the Duchy of Estonia, the Estonian Knighthood, the Governorate of Estonia, and incorporated into the greater coat of arms of the Russian Empire. The Riigikogu (parliament) of the newly independent Republic of Estonia adopted the law which confirmed it as the national coat of arms on 19 June 1925. [1] [2]

During World War II, following the Soviet invasion and occupation of Estonia in June 1940, the display of the coat of arms, as well as of any other national symbols of Estonia, was banned by the new Stalinist regime. The symbols were replaced with Soviet-inspired emblems. The Soviet authorities persecuted anyone using the coat of arms or the national colours of Estonia. After World War II the coat of arms remained in use in the Western Bloc countries by a number of surviving diplomatic representatives of the Republic of Estonia, by the Estonian government-in-exile and by the large Estonian diaspora.

The coat of arms along with other national symbols were readopted on 7 August 1990, this marked one of the high points in the struggle for the restoration of the independent Estonian state which was eventually achieved on 20 August 1991. The use of the coat of arms is regulated by the Law on State Coat of Arms, passed on 6 April 1993. [1] [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Denmark</span>

The flag of Denmark is red with a white Nordic cross, which means that the cross extends to the edges of the flag and that the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Estonia</span>

The national flag of Estonia is a tricolour featuring three equal horizontal bands of blue at the top, black in the centre, and white at the bottom. The flag is called sinimustvalge in Estonian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Crowns</span> National emblem of Sweden

Three Crowns is the national emblem of Sweden, present in the coat of arms of Sweden, and composed of three yellow or gilded coronets ordered two above and one below, placed on a blue background. Similar designs are found on a number of other coats of arms or flags.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Armenia</span>

The national coat of arms of Armenia was adopted on April 19, 1992, by resolution of the Armenian Supreme Council. On June 15, 2006, the Armenian Parliament passed the law on the state coat of arms of Armenia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Belgium</span>

The coat of arms of Belgium bears a lion or, known as Leo Belgicus, as its charge. This is in accordance with article 193 of the Belgian Constitution: The Belgian nation takes red, yellow and black as colours, and as state coat of arms the Belgian lion with the motto UNITY MAKES STRENGTH. A royal decree of 17 March 1837 determines the achievement to be used in the greater and the lesser version, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Bulgaria</span>

The coat of arms of Bulgaria consists of a crowned golden lion rampant over a dark red shield; above the shield is the Bulgarian historical crown. The shield is supported by two crowned golden lions rampant; below the shield there is compartment in the shape of oak twigs and white bands with the national motto "Unity makes strength" inscribed on them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Lithuania</span>

The coat of arms of Lithuania is a mounted armoured knight holding a sword and shield, known as Vytis. Since the early 15th century, it has been Lithuania's official coat of arms and is one of the oldest European coats of arms. It is also known by other names in various languages, such as Waykimas, Pagaunė in the Lithuanian language or as Pogonia, Pogoń, Пагоня in the Polish, and Belarusian languages. Vytis is translatable as Chase, Pursuer, Knight or Horseman, similar to the Slavic vityaz. Historically – raitas senovės karžygys or in heraldry – raitas valdovas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Ukraine</span>

The coat of arms of Ukraine is a blue shield with a golden trident. It is colloquially known as the tryzub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Finland</span>

The coat of arms of Finland is a crowned lion on a red field, the right foreleg replaced with an armoured human arm brandishing a sword, trampling on a sabre with the hindpaws. The Finnish coat of arms was originally created around the year 1580.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Russia</span>

The coat of arms of Russia derives from the earlier coat of arms of the Russian Empire. Though modified more than once since the reign of Ivan III (1462–1505), the current coat of arms is directly derived from its medieval original, with the double-headed eagle having Byzantine and earlier antecedents. The general tincture corresponds to the fifteenth-century standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Georgia</span>

The coat of arms of Georgia is one of the national symbols of Georgia. The coat of arms is partially based on the medieval arms of the Georgian royal house and features Saint George, the traditional patron saint of Georgia. In addition to St. George, the original proposal included additional heraldic elements found on the royal seal, such as the seamless robe of Jesus, but this was deemed excessively religious and was not incorporated into the final version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Latvia</span>

The Coat of arms of the Republic of Latvia was officially adopted by the Constitutional Assembly of Latvia on 15 June 1921, and entered official use starting on 19 August 1921. It was created using new national symbols, as well as elements of the coats of arms of Polish and Swedish Livonia and of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. Thus, the coat of arms combines symbols of Latvian national statehood, as well as symbols of its historical regions. The Latvian national coat of arms was designed by Latvian artists Vilhelms Krūmiņš and Rihards Zariņš.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duchy of Estonia (1219–1346)</span> Former dominion of Denmark in Estonia

The Duchy of Estonia, also known as Danish Estonia, was a direct dominion of the King of Denmark from 1219 until 1346 when it was sold to the Teutonic Order and became part of the Ordensstaat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Norway</span>

The coat of arms of Norway is the arms of dominion of King Harald V of Norway, and as such represents both the monarch and the kingdom. It depicts a standing golden lion on a red background, bearing a golden crown and axe with silver blade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Denmark</span>

The coat of arms of Denmark has a lesser and a greater version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Schleswig</span>

The coat of arms of Schleswig or Southern Jutland depicts two blue lions in a golden shield. It is the heraldic symbol of the former Duchy of Schleswig, originally a Danish province but later disputed between Danes and Germans. The region has been divided between Germany and Denmark since 1920 and the symbol consequently appears in official heraldry in both countries. It is derived from the national coat of arms of Denmark and has been dated to the middle of the 13th century, first known from the arms of Erik Abelsøn, Duke of Schleswig. Throughout the ages, the design has featured both crowned and uncrowned lions, the lions have occasionally been accompanied by heraldic hearts, and usage between heraldic lions and leopards has shifted. The far most common version was to omit both crowns and hearts and this version has been used exclusively for several centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Tallinn</span> Coat of arms of Tallinn, Estonia

Coat of arms of Tallinn represents Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National symbols of Estonia</span>

The national symbols of Estonia are flags, coat of arms, icons or cultural expressions that are emblematic, representative or otherwise characteristic of Estonia or Estonian culture.

A national coat of arms is a symbol which denotes an independent state in the form of a heraldic achievement. While a national flag is usually used by the population at large and is flown outside and on ships, a national coat of arms is normally considered a symbol of the government or the head of state personally and tends to be used in print, on armorial ware, and as a wall decoration in official buildings. The royal arms of a monarchy, which may be identical to the national arms, are sometimes described as arms of dominion or arms of sovereignty.

This is the overview article of the history of Tallinn, Estonia. For the timeline, see Timeline of Tallinn

References

  1. 1 2 3 Estonian Institute. "National symbols of Estonia". Estonian Institute. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "The great state coat of arms of the Republic of Estonia". Estonica.org. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.