Coat of arms of France. Medieval coat of arms of France. History of the coat of arms of France

The French are one of the proudest and lovers of their culture and the history of nations. The state symbols that they use have a deep meaning. How did one of the most important - the emblem of the country - appear and how did its image change?

The attitude of the French towards heraldry

Surprisingly, modern France does not have a traditional state coat of arms. Shields with its image do not adorn the walls of embassies, as is customary in all other countries. And if you ask a passer-by-Frenchman about the main national symbol, he will most likely tell you about Marianne, a woman representing France since the French Revolution. Her image sometimes serves as a stamp on official documents. But Marianne's coat of arms, of course, can not be called. This situation has arisen because the French abandoned the heraldic insignia after each destruction of monarchical rule. Honorable to this day, republican freedom citizens do not want to use the state arms, which belonged to the kings. Republican symbolism is a unique combination of signs of all French territories and provinces. This image is called the Great Emblem of France.

First French Coats of Arms

Despite the lack of interest in heraldry in modern citizens, in ancient times in the state there were a variety of symbols of monarchs, so that the history of the coat of arms of France goes back centuries. The first images were exposed to a noticeable influence of the Christian religion, which had already begun to dominate the country. Thus, the founder of the state, Chlodwig, changed the white banner with the three toads to blue, which is considered the symbol of the patron saint of France, Martin. This happened when the monarch accepted Christianity in 496 AD. Why blue? This question can be answered by a legend that says that Martin, Bishop of Tours, once met a beggar on the road and gave him half of his cloak, which was blue. A ghost of this color, attached to the cross with a red cord, became a symbol of the Franks.

Medieval coat of arms of France

The Frankish Empire was proclaimed by Charles the Great in the year 800. His banner was a three-tailed cloth of red color, on which are depicted six blue-red-yellow roses. The state disintegrated already in 843, and the kingdom returned to its former blue symbolism. By the first quarter of the XII century, at the time of King Louis the Sixth Tolstoy, on the arms appear golden heraldic lilies. The image officially begins to be called the "flag of France", and the shield with flowers and azure field becomes the first French coat of arms. The heraldic lily is called the stylized drawing of the yellow iris, which symbolizes the Blessed Virgin. The history of the coat of arms of France notes that such flowers were the emblem of the Capetian dynasty already in the 10th century. By the end of the XIV century. On a blue background there are only three lilies left. Most likely, this is due to the trinitarian essence of the Christian deity. During the Hundred Years War, a significant part of the French territories was captured by the British. There was a movement of patriots, headed by Joan of Arc, whose banner was a white cloth on one side of which was depicted the French coat of arms, and on the other - angels and God. White color has become the symbol of the independence of the state. Description of the coat of arms of France in the postwar period resembles the original image - the French kings again returned to the blue color and the three gold lilies.

Bourbon Board

The Royal Bourbon dynasty entered the throne in 1589. The state coat of arms of France, whose description previously included a blue shield and lilies, has now been replenished with a red Navarre shield with a chain. Two shields were placed on one mantle, crowned with a knight's helmet and crown, and on the edges were the arms of the largest provinces: Brittany, Burgundy, Gieni, Dauphine, Ile-de-France, Languedoc, Lyon, Normandy, Orleans, Picardy, Provence, Champagne. Over time, Navarre also became a province, and in the center there was only a shield with lilies, surrounded by chains of orders of St. Michael and the Holy Spirit. Two angels supported him on each side. The history of the coat of arms of France in this version was interrupted in 1789, when the Great French Revolution took place, and the monarchical symbolism was abolished. On the banners of the revolutionaries was used later became a traditional tricolor, and at the corners of the panels were sailing ships and an ax with a bunch of rods. The last image is called "lictor beam" and Is the first emblem of the French Republic.

Heraldry in the XIX century

The history of the coat of arms of France in its monarchical manifestation resumed in 1804, when Napoleon was proclaimed emperor. The symbol was a golden eagle depicted on a blue background, holding a bundle of lightning in its paws. Around it was a chain of the Order of the Legion of Honor, and against the background - bees and crossed scepters, mantle and crown. In 1814 the power of the Bourbons was restored, and with it the former coat of arms, from which the angels disappeared. In 1830, again, a revolution took place, and then the Orleans dynasty came to power. Their family coat of arms became the state symbol . In 1832, a wave of uprisings began, which led to the revolution of 1848, symbolized by the popular image of the Gallic cock. After some time, power returned to Napoleon, and in 1871 the Paris Commune was declared. The coat of arms of France of that period is such an image: the golden letters of the name of the state on a blue oval in a laurel wreath surrounded by national flags, the Order of the Legion of Honor, a lyric bunch, and Also the branches of oak and olive. The emblem was preserved until the thirties of the next century.

State symbols in the XX century

During World War II, France was occupied by the fascists. In the southern part of the state came the reign of Pieten with its capital in Vichy. The emblem was an ax with two blades and a handle in the form of a marshal's staff. The symbol of the patriots was a shield in the colors of the French flag, in the middle of which there is a red Lorraine cross. After the liberation of the country, the image used before the war was officially approved, in which some changes were introduced. So, the inscription "Freedom. Brotherhood. Equality ", and around the profile of Marianne placed the text" The French Republic. 1870 ». With this date, the fall of the monarchy and the final transition to the republican government are connected.