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Croatian Coat of Arms
Our coat of arms has a quite an interesting history. There are few stories about it's beginnings. According to one story, it's almost ancient, with origin from Persia, where Croats were living before 2500 years. Other story tells us that the Croatian king Svetoslav Suronja played a party of chess with Venetian doge. The prize were cities and communities on the east side of Adriatic Sea, the cities of Dalmatia. At that time, they were ruled by Venetians. This party took place in the 11th century. King won the game, and after that, he used a chessboard to be his sign of victory. The crown was added in 1990., after the first democratic elections to symbolize the unity of Croatian provinces.
The first in order is the oldest of them all. It is the coat of arms of Croatia and Bosnia combined. It's origin is from 12th century.
The second in line is a gift from Croatian-Hungarian king Ludovic Anjou the Great to the Republic of Dubrovnik. This coat of arms belongs to the Anjou family.
The third is coat of arms of Dalmatia, the oldest Croatian land. It represents three golden leopards on a blue background. It symbolizes the courage of Dalmatia.
The fourth is coat of arms of Istria. This is the goat with long horns. In form of drawing, goat can be found in Istria before 2000 years.
The last is coat of arms of Slavonia. With this coat of arms, Slavonia was awarded by Croatian-Hungarian king Vladislav Jagelovic in 1492. This is the youngest coat of arms of them all.
