In the Middle Ages, whole armorial shields or parts of them began to be filled with solid or striped coloring with and without images. Lines and crosses were classified as heraldic elements, natural (people, animals, plants, luminaries and elements (for example, a cloud)), artificial (weapon, goddess, ship, etc.), legendary (dragon, centaur, etc.) .) Images. All the figures had a clear meaning: the lion - courage, anger, generosity; rose - purity, holiness (however, under the coats of arms of the Scarlet and White Roses in England there was a bloody war), lily - heyday (royal and state French coat of arms), vulture - ferocity, unicorn - invincibility, key - openness. It is also important how the figures are depicted: the open gate symbolizes hospitality. The same figures on the coats of arms of Poitiers, Prague, Buda, Riga speak of trade. A raised sword means defense, lowered - peace. On the coat of arms, the motto was usually placed on a ribbon, and the mottos on the rim of the shield have been known since antiquity. The motto of the feudal lord spoke eloquently about his life principles: “I am not a king and not a prince, but a seigneur de Coucy!”, “Duke of Savoy, I go my own way.” The motto of the English kings: "God and my right!" The further, the more often coats of arms were practiced, divided into parts, with different symbols: after all, the number of people with a noble rank grew and it was necessary to diversify their symbolism.
By the 15th century most modern European state emblems have developed. Lions with attributes of power and strength have become symbols of England, Sweden, Denmark. On the coat of arms of Poland in the XIII century. during the period of the struggle against the aggression of the German feudal lords, in contrast to the black German one, a white eagle appeared in a red field, looking in the opposite direction. On the coats of arms of Bulgaria and the Czech Republic - white lions without claws and weapons - a symbol of peace.
During the period of rapid growth of self-governing cities in Europe, many city coats of arms appeared. A number of coats of arms are "speaking" - they explain the name of the city (on the coat of arms of Granada - a pomegranate, Berlin - a bear (from the West Slavic "berl" - a bear)). In some cases, a legend about the origin of the city is displayed (a boat in the coat of arms of Paris). The towers on the city emblems speak of their fortification.
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The coats of arms of handicraft workshops are easy to understand, reflecting the growth of self-awareness of the townspeople. Bakers depicted a pretzel on the coat of arms, blacksmiths - a hammer, barbers - scissors.
In Asia and partly Eastern Europe, the eastern type of coat of arms turned out to be common - round. Their symbolism is significantly different from European. So, a rose in Muslim countries meant love, a snake - wisdom (and in Europe - deceit). The place of the Christian cross in Asia is occupied by a crescent and a star, the ancient Eastern sign of Yin and Yang (the unity of opposites - two fish connected in a circle; found in China, Mongolia, Korea). In Japan, the role of coats of arms is played by round mons - signs of personal property. Interestingly, in the XII century. Mons could only have large feudal lords; in the 14th century the samurai also received this right, in the 16th century. - all nobles, in the XVII century. merchant class in the 18th century - partly artisans and peasants, and after the bourgeois revolution of 1868 - all Japanese. The imperial mon, a yellow chrysanthemum, became the state emblem. And the Indians used for many centuries only one coat of arms symbol - the sign of the Sun, which has taken its place in the modern emblem of the country.
Over the past 200 years, since the formation of the United States and especially since the French Revolution, world heraldry has undergone significant changes. In the everyday life of a number of countries, emblems such as multi-pointed stars (a star is a symbol of striving for a lofty goal), a torch (a symbol of revolution), an olive and palm branches (symbols of glory and peace), a Phrygian cap of the masses - a recognized revolutionary symbol of France; axes, wreaths - oak, olive, laurel, palm, etc., which replaced crowns in the republican states. In the Latin American countries that won independence, ancient Indian symbols were restored - an eagle defeating a snake (Mexico), a rainbow.
The emergence of Soviet symbols - the hammer and sickle, the wreath of ears, the image of the country against the backdrop of the globe, the symbols of labor - gears, plow - with a rounded shape of the coat of arms, had a great influence on world heraldry. Interestingly, not only the countries that were part of the socialist camp, but also Italy (olive wreath and gear), New Zealand, Senegal, Sri Lanka, transformed their emblems in a similar way, and the Austrian eagle instead of a sword and orb is depicted with a hammer and sickle in its paws. The new symbolism turned out to be successful and original.
Over the past decades, with the formation of new independent states, other completely new heraldic forms and symbols have appeared. So, the coats of arms of a number of African countries have a rhombus shape with rounded left and right corners. In Africa, the symbols of the black star became widespread - the aspirations of the Black Continent for independence; antelope, ostrich. In the Caribbean, a ship is popular, meaning the way to new horizons...
So knowledge of the basics of heraldry in our time will help to better navigate the state symbols of various countries of the world.
