The coat of arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted in 1998, replacing the previous design that had been in use since 1992 when Bosnia and Herzegovina gained independence. It follows the design of the national flag. The three-pointed shield is used to symbolize the three major ethnic groups of Bosnia, as well as allude to the shape of the country.

Historic arms

One of the early representations of coats of arms attributed to Bosnia come from the Fojnica Armorial, which was completed in 17th century. The Fojnica arms are shown upon a gold shield, two black ragged staffs are crossed in saltire with two Moor's heads surmounting the upper portion of each staff. Overall is a red escutcheon that was charged with an eight-pointed star and crescent. In the past centuries, European sources have attributed arms to Bosnia that were close or full analogue to this depiction.

thumb|left|300px|Coat of arms of the [[Kingdom of Bosnia]]

The fleurs-de-lis was the symbol of the House of Kotromanić, a ruling house in medieval Bosnia during the medieval Kingdom of Bosnia, adopted by the first Bosnian king, Tvrtko I in recognition of the Capetian House of Anjou support in assuming the throne of Bosnia. The coat of arms contained six fleurs-de-lis, where the flower itself is today interpreted by some to be a representation of the autochthonous golden lily, Lilium bosniacum. The emblem was revived in 1992 as a national symbol of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and was part of the flag of Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1992 to 1998.

Modern arms

thumb|170x170px|Coat of arms used from 1992 until 1998, taken from the coat of arms of Bosnian King Tvrtko I Kotromanić.

The coat of arms of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted on 4 May 1992 and is aesthetically similar to that of the Kotromanić dynasty. It had a blue background divided by a diagonal white line (called bendlet or riband in heraldry). The diagonal white line is supposed to symbolize the sword of Tvrtko and his might as a ruler. The coat of arms was designed in a hurry, right at the beginning of the Bosnian War, which lasted for three years. At the end of the war, there came uproar from the Bosnian Serbs arguing that the coat of arms solely represented Bosniaks. The international community, represented in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, was the instrument to solve the controversy. In early 1998, a commission for the flag change was created and the same year the current coat of arms was adopted in order to help alleviate the tensions among the country's various ethnicities.

Official description

The official description of the coat of arms is as follows:

The coat of arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina is blue and in shape of a shield with a pointed end. In the upper right corner of the shield is located a yellow triangle. Parallel to the left side of the triangle stretches a row of white five-pointed stars.

See also

  • Coat of arms of Herzeg-Bosnia
  • Coat of arms of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the sub-national entity's coat of arms
  • Seal of Republika Srpska, for the sub-national entity's emblem

References

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