Spain attracts many people from all over the world with its culture and history. To get to know her better, you should study the state symbols of the country.
The modern look of the coat of arms
For tourists, information about this country is often limited to bullfighting, football and flamenco. Meanwhile, the history of the state is really impressive. The coat of arms of Spain reflects it. In its modern version, the whole history of the emergence and development of the constitutional monarchy in the country is reflected. Each of the elements that create it is a symbol with a deep meaning. Thus, the emblem of Spain can be called a kind of encrypted message from the inhabitants of the kingdom.
It is a shield crowned by a crown. On the sides of it are surrounded by two pillars, each of which is entwined with a red ribbon, and on its white field several emblems of different kingdoms are depicted, which eventually united to become modern Spain.
The meaning of the central elements
For a better understanding, it is worth disassembling each part separately. In the center is the coat of arms of Spain, photographs and drawings of which can be found on almost every souvenir from this country, decorated with shields symbolizing different areas of the country.
The history of the symbol leads to 1230, when the kingdoms of Castile and Leon united, marking the union with a shield on which the signs of each of the lands were depicted - a three-tower castle and a lion with a golden crown on his head. Explain them easily. The first is the symbol of Castile, justified by a large number of castles on the territory. The second is explained a little more complicated. Probably, the
name of the kingdom is associated with the term “legion,” which in the Roman period of history was extremely relevant, and eventually reduced to a word similar to the name of a lion. The part depicting Aragon, Catalonia and the Balearic Islands shows four scarlet stripes on a golden background. Their meaning is explained by the old legend of the Normans who attacked the Spanish coast. The Aragonese Gottfried the Hairy helped to cope with them, congratulating which, Emperor
Karl Lysy ran a hand, stained with blood from his wounds, on the golden shield.
Navarra is represented by a shield holding the emblem of Spain in the lower right corner. It depicts a gold forged chain located on red. In the middle of it is an emerald. Finally, Andalusia presents pomegranate, the most typical fruit for Granada, even named after him. The fruit is depicted dissected, which is designed to emphasize the accessibility of lands formerly occupied by Arabs to all Spaniards.
In the center, the coat of arms of Spain is decorated with a small blue shield with three golden lines. It symbolizes the Anjou branch of the Bourbons, which has ruled the country from the eighteenth century to the present day.
The value of the side elements
The two pillars surrounding the shield are a stylized depiction of pillars symbolizing the end of the world. In the same way, the Strait of Gibraltar was once designated, the Europeans began to leave the borders only after the journey of
Christopher Columbus to America. The coat of arms of Spain, the significance of which is directly connected with the monarchy in the country, is complemented by the royal motto. It is located on ribbons encircling the pillars, which are written in Latin “Plus ultra”. The meaning of the statement is that the world does not end beyond symbolic boundaries.
Finally, the composition is crowned with a crown, reminiscent of the fact that every Spaniard is a subject of the monarch. The Spanish king has his own coat of arms. Instead of pillars, it depicts a chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and behind it is a red Burgundy St. Andrew's Cross.
The modern look of the banner
The flag and coat of arms of Spain perfectly reflect the character of this Mediterranean country. The modern version of the standard seems to be filled with the sun - its main color is yellow. A wide strip of this hue, located horizontally, is located in the middle of the flag, and narrower stripes frame it above and below. They are made in red. At a third of the shaft there is an image of the state coat of arms. This flag has been used for the last several decades without any changes.
The meaning and history of the banner
According to legend, in ancient times, when the flag and coat of arms of Spain did not yet exist, the King of Aragon wanted to acquire his own banner. He ordered several options to be developed and chose gold among them, after which he ordered a goblet full of animal blood to be handed over to him and ran his fingers over the fabric, creating two red stripes. So scarlet and yellow became the heraldic colors of Aragon and Castile.
Officially, the cloth was adopted in 1785 by King Charles the Third. It was used as a military flag in combination with the emblem of Castile and Leon. Since 1938, a modern version appeared, in which only small changes were made after the restoration of the monarchical system in 1978. In the days of the republic, the Spaniards used tricolor with horizontal stripes of red, yellow and
purple flowers of the same size. General Franco used the yellow-red banner.