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Serbia

Srbija

by zeljko heimer 08-MAR-1996.

Heraldry of Serbia

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Heraldry of Serbia

Gules, two fleur-de-lys Or below a double-headed eagle Argent, beaked, membered and tongued Or, bearing an escutcheon: Gules, a Cross Argent between 4 B's (or firesteels) Or. There are variants on the escutcheon: in some cases, the horizontal arms of the cross bear the dates 1389 and 1817, and there is a sword Or per pale on the cross. 1389 is the battle of Kosovo, when the Serbs lost their independence. 1817 is the date they regained their autonomy. In the arms of Yugoslavia, "Serbia" refers to the simple version of the escutcheon with cross and 4 B's. Serbia emerged in 1817 as an autonomous province of the Ottoman Empire and became a full-fledged kingdom in 1882. These arms were used from 1882 to 1918. I suspect the cross with 4 Bs are now being used again, if only informally.
francois velde 30-JUN-1995