National Arms of Slovakia: Difference between revisions

The double cross probably arrived in present day Slovakia by the Byzantine missionaries St. Cyril and Method. The first official use dates from the arms of the Hungarian King Bela III (ruled 1173-96), who used a silver double cross on a red shield. Already in the 14th century the cross was used standing on a triple mountain.  

The double cross was mainly seen as the symbol for the Northern part of the Hungarian Kingdom, which is now Slovakia and several towns in Slovakia were granted arms with a double cross during the 14th-16th century (for example [[Nitra]], [[Skalica]] and [[Zvolen]]).

In the 19th century, when the struggle for Slovak independence developed, the green hills, as used in the [[National arms of Hungary|Hungarian arms]] were replaced with blue hills and the meaning was changed to the mountain ranges, which were considered the Slovak lands. It was first used in 1848 by the Slovak National Association in Vienna.

In 1918 Slovakia became part of the new Czechoslovak Republic. In the new arms of Czechoslovakia, Slovakia was represented by the cross and blue  hills. See also [[National arms of Czechoslovakia]].

After the independence in 1993, the now historical arms were restored.

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[[Category:Slovakia]]

[[Category:National Arms]]

[[Category:Granted 1993]]