Last modified: 2000-01-28 by dov gutterman
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![[Flag of F.R. Yugoslavia]](../images/yu.gif)
by Antonio Martins 22 April 1999
See:
See also:
In last number of the political magazine Globus, which I do
not have by hand, unfortunately, I read about a proposal of
several opposition parties in Yugoslavia on division of
Yugoslavia into several souvereign republics. Of course, it is
summer and journalists pickles season, so it is not everithing
one reads to be held quite firmly, but it might be wise to have
it in mind. No flags were shown or mentioned, except for one of
the "proposed" republics - Republic of Vojvodina, and
that is the flag that we know - blue yellow green vertical
tricolour.
Anyway, the proposed republics were (IIRC):
Vojvodina (almost within the boundaries of former Authonomous
region, with capital in Novi Sad)
S<umadija (northwestern Serbia proper, south of Belgrade, with
capital in Kragujevac)
Southeastern Serbia (eastern Serbia proper, capital in Nis<)
Sandz<ak (southwestern Serbia proper, capital Novi Pazar)
Kosovo (capital Pris<tina)
and Federal unit of Belgrade.
Zeljko Heimer , 6 August 1999
Very rough historical outline: first, there was the Byzantine
empire, whose arms are discussed elsewhere. A number of slav
tribes had settled in the Balkans in the 7th century, and slowly
moved out of the direct domination of the Byzantines. Thus
emerged Valachia (to become Rumania), Serbia,
Croatia. In fact, Slovenia
and Croatia were never really in the sphere of influence of the
Byzantine empire, as their alphabet (Roman) and their religion (Catholic)
suggest. Later, some regions gained partial or full autonomy:
Esclavonia, Bosnia, Dalmatia, etc. When the Turks started
invading Europe in the 14th century, these small fiefs and
kingdoms lost their independence one after the other. With the
end of the Ottoman Empire starting in the early 19th century,
they re-emerged one after the other, except Slovenia and Croatia
still under Austrian rule. After 1918, Yugoslavia was created as
a kingdom, uniting all Southern Slavs for the first time. It
became "sort of communist" after 1945. We all know the
current state of affairs.
As far as heraldry is concerned, it seems that the lands which
where in the sphere of influence of Hungary, Austria or Venice
developed an indigenous heraldry in the Middle Ages (Slovenia,
Croatia, Dalmatia, Bosnia). After the
Turkish empire receded, the same territories became part of the
Austrian Empire, and their heraldry appears in the volumes of
Siebmacher.
As a kingdom (1918-1945), ruled I think by the Serbian royal
family, Jugoslavia had its arms. Namely: Gules, a double-headed
eagle Argent, beaked, membered and tongued Or, bearing an
escutcheon: tierced per pairle inversed, Serbia, Croatia, and
Azure, a crescent Argent below three stars Or per fesse.
François Velde, 30 June 1995
![[Coat of arms of F.R. Yugoslavia]](../images/yu).gif)
by Jorge Candeias , 13 Febuary 1999
Today the peace talks in Dayton, Ohio started. On the news from there I've seen a coat of arms on the airplane in which president Milosevic of Serbia came. The coat was:
I don't know what is the status of these arms. Maybe it is a
new coat of arms of Yugoslavia. I'm inclined to identify the lion
(or was it some other animal, the clip was quite short), with the
Montenegrin lion of Petrovic's dynasty. On the other hand, it is
possible that it is a coat of arms of president of Serbia. If so,
I don't know how to interpret the lion.
As far as I know, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia doesn't have any
coat of arms. Until 1991 the coat of arms of SFR Yugoslavia was
used (6 torches), but it was soon abandoned, as one could expect.
Each of the six torches represented one of the yugoslav republics.
After remaining only two of them there was no need of such a coat.
Until then I never saw anything that could look like a coat of
arms of the state. On paper money, which remained the same in
design as the money of former state, the coat was replaced with
the sign of the National Bank of Yugoslavia. On some stamps the
coat of Serbia could be seen, but none of Yugoslavia. I don't
know what do they have on the passports, since all I've seen were
old passports from before the war.
If this is the new coat of Yugoslavia, it can be can expected
that we are going to see it on the flags (blue, white, red), at
least on the flags of official institutions.
Zeljko Heimer, 2 November 1995
I would guess that this is quarterly Serbia and Montenegro.
A variation of the cross and furisons (fire-strikers) coat is
flown by St. Sava's here in New York, and also resembles some of
the arms of Latin Constantinople. (St. Sava is the patron of
Serbian Orthodox Church.)
Will Linden, 2 November 1995
The new Yugoslav Coat of Arms was adopted by Federal
Parliament in 1994, two years after forming the "third"
Yugoslavia. Since then, it has replaced the NBJ (National Bank)
sign on the banknotes, and new passports have been issued since
July 1997.
The Coat is: Two-headed eagle (silver), with quartered shield
with national signs of Montenegro (golden lion of Petrovic
Dinasty) and Serbia (4 C). The Yugoslav flag will remain the same
(blue, white, red) - there won't be Coat of Arms on it.
Milos Eric, 16 February 1998
The Yugoslav COA contains the cross with the four Byzantine
firebrands (those "C" things--I think this is called
the "St. Sava's" cross?). I have always associated this
with Serbs (it was on lots of variants of the Bosnian Serb flags,
for instance). Did the FRY COA, in any of its incarnations,
contain the St. Sava's cross?
Joshua Fruhlinger , 13 Febuary 1999
It is not called St.Sava's cross anywhere else then on this
list - for simplicity reasons and in parallel with those "St"
British crosses. I do not think anyone out of this list would
know what we are tlaking about.
Well, it is the COA of Srbia, therefore no wander one associate
it with Serbs. The FRY COA was the first and only COA of FRY ,
and it includes in it two quarters, and in other two is the
historical COA of Montenegro, symplified (lion passant).
BTW, Montenegro readopted the COA of the time of the independent
prinicpate/kingdom/empire. On it the lion is passsant on green
loan in red shield.
If your question was if former Yugoslav COAs included the "4C"
cross, here is the anwser. The Kingdom of
SCS (Serbs, Croats, Slovenes) that was formed after WWI
adopted the COA consisting of three parts changed in details over
time, it always included 4C cross in one partition (and Croat
chequy shiled in other, while third part what somewhat changed).
After the WWII, Yugoslavia droped that symbol, as it was not
siuitable to the conception of 5 (latter 6) nations within it,
and introduced the socialist style COA with torches. However, the
4C COA was not dropped alltogether - the People's Republic of
Serbia adopted it (officially) in 1947 in the middle of a
socialist style COA, but dropping the cross, retaining only the 4
C's on the shield. When the name was change to Socialist Republic
of Serbia in 1963, the COA was retained, as well as after early
1990's when Socialist attribute was dropped from the name. It is
still the only official COA of Serbia (and used as such), even if
Montenegro and FRY changed their symbols. I'm wandering if the
crossless COA is still the one used, or the cross was silently
introduced in it, without legal sanction?
Zeljko Heimer , 15 Febuary 1999
The cross is still missing, and 1947 COA (with red star in
chief) is still in official use. There was some proposals for new
Serbian COA in 1993-4, one of them (as far as I remember) is
simple argent St. Sava cross on red shield. It was neither
adopted, nor the old COA was removed.
Ivan Sarajcic , 15 Febuary 1999
I believe the origin of this COA is purely Byzantine and it
was appropriated by the Serbs (as was the double headed eagle).
Some time ago I sent this to the list:
Flag of the Byzantine Empire, from a major source of information
on the flags of the fourteenth century, the "Conoscimento de
todos los Reinos". This flag of the emperor of
Constantinople consists of a combination of the [St.] George
Cross (red on a white ground) with the arms of the ruling family
of the Paleologues. The four charges in the corners of each of
the other two crosses can be seen either as fire steles [sic], as
in the badges of the Order of the Golden Fleece, or as the Greek
letter B. In the latter case they form the initial letters of the
Paleologues' motto: "Basileus Basileon Basileuon Basileusin"
("King of kings, ruling over kings").
Source: "Heraldry: Sources, Symbols and Meaning", Ottfried
Neubecker
Santiago Dotor ,19 Febuary 1999
I guess you are right, however, is it possible to talk about
Byzantine heraldry?
In any case, from some time in middle age the symbol was take up
as assumed COA of Serbia, and in 19th century was definitely
founded as such. IMHO, except in very learned sources, there are
very rare consciousness in Serbia about Byzantine origin of the
symbol.
Zeljko Heimer , 20 Febuary 1999
Looking at Yugoslavia page, and as a graduate in International
Politics, I can see an obvious mistake. The part where you show
the Arms of Yugoslavia. These are wrong. When Slobodan Milosevic
came to the Dayton Conference he was the President of SERBIA
within Yugoslavia and had been since the 1980's. Because Serbia
and Montenegro both have different arms and are supposedly equal
in the federation I would be extremely surprise if the Serb arms
where the Yugoslav arms. The Yugoslav arms are a communist
creation, I think just a Red Star, and are not used anymore.
James D Frankcom , 9 September 1999
It is not so. Montenegro has COA with eagle and lion (like the
present-day Yugoslavian COA but without Serbian crosses), Serbia
still uses the communist COA (probably ...), and Yugoslavia COA
includes the eagle bearing a shield with two Serbian crosses and
two Monenegrian lions. The Yugoslavian FOTW page is correct in
this respect.
Jan Zrzavy , 10 September 1999
Everything is quite correct here, but CoA above is OK. So, I
don't understand what is the source of information that "Serb
arms were the Yugoslav arms".
Ivan Sarajcic , 10 September 1999
some years ago, I believe, Yugoslavia had reorganization of
local administrative units, i.e. changed the number and areas of
communities.
AFAIK, there are no higher level units then community or
municipality (i.e. "obstina" in Serb). But, maybe in
the recent change...
Zeljko Heimer , 31 January 1999
There was, in fact, some changes in administrative units,
apart from ex-Socialist Republics Serbia & Montenegro. There
is some new "opstina's" (in Kosovo especially), but
still they are the first subordinate government units in
republics.
There are units called "okrug".But AFAIK, they have no
local government function. In english version of SHD gazette (Serbian
Heraldic Society), author interpretated "opstina" as
County, so I am using this term.
Ivan Sarajcic , 1 Febuary 1999
![[Civil defense flag of F.R. Yugoslavia]](../images/yu-cd.gif)
by Jorge Candeias
The new flag of Civil Defense is a simple orange flag with the
same blue triangle as before, this time without the star, of
course.
Zeljko Heimer, 30 October 1996