The French are one of the most proud and in love with their culture and history of nations. The state symbols they use have a deep meaning. How did one of the most important ones appear - the emblem of the country, and how did its image change?
The attitude of the French to heraldry
Surprisingly, modern France does not have a traditional national emblem. Shields with his image do not adorn the walls of embassies, as is customary in all other countries. And if you ask a French passerby about the main national symbol, he will most likely tell you about Marianne - a woman who has been representing France since the time of the French Revolution. Her image sometimes serves as a stamp on official documents. But, of course, you cannot name Marianne’s coat of arms. This situation happened because the French refused heraldic insignia after each destruction of monarchical rule. Respecting republican freedoms to this day, citizens do not want to use the state emblem owned by the kings. Republican symbolism is a peculiar combination of signs of all French territories and provinces. This image is called the Great Coat of Arms of France.
The first French coats of arms
Despite the lack of interest in heraldry among modern citizens, in ancient times on the territory of the state there were a variety of symbols of monarchs, so the history of the coat of arms of France goes back centuries. The first images were significantly affected by the Christian religion, which had already begun to dominate the country. So, the founder of the state Clovis replaced a white banner with three toads on a blue, which is considered a symbol of the patron saint of France, Martin. This happened when the monarch adopted Christianity in 496. Why exactly blue? A legend that says that Martin, a bishop from Tours, once met a beggar on the road and gave him half his cloak, which was blue, can answer this question. A banner of this shade, attached to the cross with a red lace, has become a symbol of the Franks.
Medieval coat of arms of France
The Frankish Empire was proclaimed Charlemagne in 800. His banner was a three-tailed banner of red color, on which six blue-red-yellow roses are depicted. The state disintegrated already in 843, and the kingdom returned to its former blue symbolism. By the first quarter of the XII century, during the time of King Louis the Sixth Tolstoy, golden heraldic lilies appeared on the coat of arms. The image officially begins to be called the “banner of France,” and the shield with flowers and the azure field becomes the first French coat of arms. Heraldic lily is a stylized drawing of a 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 X century. By the end of the XIV century on a blue background there are only three lilies. Most likely, this is due to the threefold 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 led by Joan of Arc, the banner of which became a white panel, on one side of which a French coat of arms was depicted, and on the other - angels and God.
White color has acquired the meaning of a symbol of state independence. The description of the coat of arms of France in the post-war period resembles the original image - the French kings again returned to blue and three golden lilies.
Bourbon Board
The royal Bourbon dynasty came to the throne in 1589. The national emblem of France, the description of which formerly included a blue shield and lilies, has now been replenished with a red Navarre shield with a chain. Two shields were placed on the same mantle, crowned with a knight's helmet and a crown, and on the edges were the coats of arms of the largest provinces: Brittany, Burgundy, Guyenne, Dauphiné, le-de-France, Languedoc, Lyonne, Normandy, Orleans, Picardy, Provence, Champagne. Over time, Navarra also became a province, and in the center there was only a shield with lilies, surrounded by chains of the orders of St. Michael and the Holy Spirit. Two angels supported him on the sides. The history of the coat of arms of France in this version was interrupted in 1789, when the Great French Revolution took place, and monarchical symbolism was abolished. The banners of the revolutionaries used the traditional tricolor that later became traditional, and at the corners of the panels were sailing boats and an ax with a bunch of rods. The last image is called the “liquor bundle” and
is the first emblem of the French Republic.
Heraldry in the 19th century
The history of the coat of arms of France in its monarchical manifestation resumed from 1804, when Napoleon was proclaimed emperor. The symbol was a golden eagle depicted on a blue background , holding a bunch of lightning in its paws. Around was a chain of the Legion of Honor, and in the background were bees and crossed scepters, a mantle and a 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, a revolution took place again, and then the Orleans dynasty came to power. The state symbol was their family coat of arms. In 1832, a wave of uprisings began, which led to the revolution of 1848, the symbol of which was the popular image of the Gallic rooster. After some time, power returned to Napoleon, and in 1871 the Paris Commune was declared. The emblem of France of that period is such an image: the gold 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 lictor bunch, and
also branches of oak and olive. The emblem survived until the thirties of the next century.
State symbols in the 20th century
During World War II, France was occupied by the Nazis. In the southern part of the state came the reign of Peten with the capital in Vichy. The emblem was an ax with two blades and a handle in the form of a marshal's baton. The symbol of the patriots was a shield in the colors of the French flag, in the middle of which is a red Lorraine cross. After the liberation of the country, the image used before the war was officially approved, with some changes. So, the inscription “Freedom. Brotherhood. Equality ”, and around the profile of Marianne posted the text“ French Republic. 1870. " The fall of the monarchy and the final transition to republican rule are associated with this date.