Coat of arms of Catalonia
Encyclopedia
The Coat of arms of Catalonia
is based on four red pallets on gold background which have been used since the Middle Ages
on several coats of arms. Its origin is strongly related to that of the arms of the Crown of Aragon
.
It is considered by heraldists and by the government of Catalonia
to be originally the familiar arms of the Counts of Barcelona
, and it was adopted by the descendents of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona
as Kings of Aragon. Several authors strongly dispute the origin of coat and consider the arms to always have been those of the Kings of Aragon.
It is one of the oldest coats of arms in Europe dating back in a seal of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona from 1150.
The blazon
of the arms is: Or, four pallets of gules
, ensigned with a royal crown. In heraldry, the escutcheon is traditionally called as of the King of Aragon, although some medieval armories display the same arms also on the entry for the Count of Barcelona. Modernly called of Aragon or of Barcelona.
It has been described on the Middle Ages
armorials as in "Armorial du Hérault Vermandois", 1285-1300, as that of the King of Aragon, naming specifically Peter III
as one of the bearers, is described as These are the arms of the Counts of Barcelona who acquired Aragón by marriage (...), the one of Count of Barcelona is the same or three pallets gules , the arms of the King of Majorca are those of Aragon, with the coat of arms of James II
, King of Majorca being or four pallets gules a bend azure and the one of the King of Ternacle d Aragon et Ternacle en flanquiet lun dedans lautre (...) Per pale or four pallets gules and argent (...) . The coat of arms with the four red pales on a gold background appears on several other coats of arms, named as "of Aragon". Also mentioned in Armorial de Gelre, 1370-1395, the coat of arms of Peter IV
Die Coninc v. Arragoen is golden with four pallers of gulets (Barcelona) or the Armorial d'Urfé, 1380, sont les armes de le Conte de Cathalogne, and in armorial de Charolais, 1425, arms conte de Barselongne and armorial Le Blanq (sources from 1420-1450) venant des contes de Barselone, armorial Wijnbergen, King of Aragon or four pallets gules
Originally it was the familiar emblem of the counts of Barcelona. It was adopted by his descendents as Kings of Aragon, the main branch, Counts of Provence, Counts of Foix, Judges of Arborea in Sardinia (party per saltire), Kings of Mallorques, Kings of Sicily (party per saltire).
As a pre-heraldic symbol, the bars red and yellow was found on the Romanesque tombs of Barcelona’s Count Ramon Berenguer II Cap d’estopes
, (†1082), and his great-grandmother Ermessenda, (†1058), wife of Count Ramon Borrell I, both of whose tombs were at the portico of the old Romanesque Cathedral of Girona. The analysis of the painting showed that it coincided with paintings of the same times and the pre-heraldic forms indicate pre-heraldic times, before the second Third of the 12th Century.
The oldest seal where the arms can be seen is from 1150, in a seal of Raymond Berengar IV, Count of Barcelona. The arms where inherited by all the three sons of Raymond Berengar, and they appear on the seal of Ramon Berenguer, count of Provence, from 1178, on the seal of Sanç, from 1180, and the oldest one, the seal of Alfons, the Chast, king of Aragon and count of Barcelona, from 1186. The seal evidence is disputed by some authors, who claim that the first documented evidence dates from the time of Alfonso II (king of Aragon and count of Barcelona)
reign.
The chronicle of the king Peter the Ceremonious, over 1359, say that the king-count Alfons, the chast, left the arms and signals of Aragon and took pales and the genealogy of the kings ordered by the future king John I, on 1380, states that Raymond Berengar IV did not changed the comital arms.
The Queen Maria de Luna, on 1396, in the Catalan Parliament stated that the arms of the County of Barcelona were "bars reds and yellows" and the King Martin I on 1406 stated that the Royal flag was the flag of the old Principality of Catalonia."
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
is based on four red pallets on gold background which have been used since the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
on several coats of arms. Its origin is strongly related to that of the arms of the Crown of Aragon
Coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon
The so-called Bars of Aragon, Royal arms of Aragon, Four Bars, Red Bars, Pales of the House of Barcelona or Coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon, which bear four red paletts on gold background, depicts the familiar coat of the Counts of Barcelona and Kings of Aragon. It differs from the flag because...
.
It is considered by heraldists and by the government of Catalonia
Generalitat
Generalitat is the name of the autonomous systems of government of two of the present Spanish autonomous communities: Catalonia and the Valencian Community. The term is also used for the government of the semi-autonomous comarca of Val d'Aran, the Generalitat a l'Aran.Generalitat refers to all...
to be originally the familiar arms of the Counts of Barcelona
House of Barcelona
The House of Barcelona was a medieval dynasty that ruled the County of Barcelona continuously from 878 and the Crown of Aragon from 1137 . From the male part they descend from the Bellonids, the descendants of Wifred the Hairy...
, and it was adopted by the descendents of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona
Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona
Ramon Berenguer IV , sometimes called the Holy, was the Count of Barcelona who effected the union between the Kingdom of Aragon and the Principality of Catalonia into the Crown of Aragon....
as Kings of Aragon. Several authors strongly dispute the origin of coat and consider the arms to always have been those of the Kings of Aragon.
It is one of the oldest coats of arms in Europe dating back in a seal of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona from 1150.
Heraldic description
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
of the arms is: Or, four pallets of gules
Gules
In heraldry, gules is the tincture with the colour red, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of vertical lines or else marked with gu. as an abbreviation....
, ensigned with a royal crown. In heraldry, the escutcheon is traditionally called as of the King of Aragon, although some medieval armories display the same arms also on the entry for the Count of Barcelona. Modernly called of Aragon or of Barcelona.
It has been described on the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
armorials as in "Armorial du Hérault Vermandois", 1285-1300, as that of the King of Aragon, naming specifically Peter III
Peter II of Aragon
Peter II the Catholic was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1196 to 1213.He was the son of Alfonso II of Aragon and Sancha of Castile...
as one of the bearers, is described as These are the arms of the Counts of Barcelona who acquired Aragón by marriage (...), the one of Count of Barcelona is the same or three pallets gules , the arms of the King of Majorca are those of Aragon, with the coat of arms of James II
James II of Majorca
James II was King of Majorca and Lord of Montpellier from 1276 until his death. He was the second son of James I of Aragon and his wife Violant, daughter of Andrew II of Hungary...
, King of Majorca being or four pallets gules a bend azure and the one of the King of Ternacle d Aragon et Ternacle en flanquiet lun dedans lautre (...) Per pale or four pallets gules and argent (...) . The coat of arms with the four red pales on a gold background appears on several other coats of arms, named as "of Aragon". Also mentioned in Armorial de Gelre, 1370-1395, the coat of arms of Peter IV
Peter IV of Aragon
Peter IV, , called el Cerimoniós or el del punyalet , was the King of Aragon, King of Sardinia and Corsica , King of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona Peter IV, (Balaguer, September 5, 1319 – Barcelona, January 6, 1387), called el Cerimoniós ("the Ceremonious") or el del punyalet ("the one...
Die Coninc v. Arragoen is golden with four pallers of gulets (Barcelona) or the Armorial d'Urfé, 1380, sont les armes de le Conte de Cathalogne, and in armorial de Charolais, 1425, arms conte de Barselongne and armorial Le Blanq (sources from 1420-1450) venant des contes de Barselone, armorial Wijnbergen, King of Aragon or four pallets gules
History
As a pre-heraldic symbol, the bars red and yellow was found on the Romanesque tombs of Barcelona’s Count Ramon Berenguer II Cap d’estopes
Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona
Ramon Berenguer II the Towhead or Cap de estopes was Count of Barcelona from 1076 until his death...
, (†1082), and his great-grandmother Ermessenda, (†1058), wife of Count Ramon Borrell I, both of whose tombs were at the portico of the old Romanesque Cathedral of Girona. The analysis of the painting showed that it coincided with paintings of the same times and the pre-heraldic forms indicate pre-heraldic times, before the second Third of the 12th Century.
The oldest seal where the arms can be seen is from 1150, in a seal of Raymond Berengar IV, Count of Barcelona. The arms where inherited by all the three sons of Raymond Berengar, and they appear on the seal of Ramon Berenguer, count of Provence, from 1178, on the seal of Sanç, from 1180, and the oldest one, the seal of Alfons, the Chast, king of Aragon and count of Barcelona, from 1186. The seal evidence is disputed by some authors, who claim that the first documented evidence dates from the time of Alfonso II (king of Aragon and count of Barcelona)
Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II or Alfons I ; Huesca, 1-25 March 1157 – 25 April 1196), called the Chaste or the Troubadour, was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1164 until his death. He was the son of Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon and the first King of Aragon who was...
reign.
The chronicle of the king Peter the Ceremonious, over 1359, say that the king-count Alfons, the chast, left the arms and signals of Aragon and took pales and the genealogy of the kings ordered by the future king John I, on 1380, states that Raymond Berengar IV did not changed the comital arms.
The Queen Maria de Luna, on 1396, in the Catalan Parliament stated that the arms of the County of Barcelona were "bars reds and yellows" and the King Martin I on 1406 stated that the Royal flag was the flag of the old Principality of Catalonia."
See also
- Seal of the Generalitat de CatalunyaSeal of the Generalitat de CatalunyaThe Seal of the Generalitat de Catalunya is the symbol that represents the Generalitat de Catalunya institutions and related organisms.It was designed by Bartomeu Llongueras during the Second Spanish Republic...
- SenyeraSenyeraThe Senyera is a vexillological symbol based on the coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon, which consists of four red stripes on a golden background...
- Coat of arms of the Crown of AragonCoat of arms of the Crown of AragonThe so-called Bars of Aragon, Royal arms of Aragon, Four Bars, Red Bars, Pales of the House of Barcelona or Coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon, which bear four red paletts on gold background, depicts the familiar coat of the Counts of Barcelona and Kings of Aragon. It differs from the flag because...
- Coat of arms of SpainCoat of arms of SpainThe current coat of arms of Spain, although it has its roots centuries ago, was approved by law in 1981, when the present established replaced the interim version which, in turn, replaced the official arms of Francoist Spain...
- Spanish heraldrySpanish heraldryThe tradition and art of heraldry first appeared in Spain at about the beginning of the eleventh century AD and its origin was similar to other European countries: the need for knights and nobles to distinguish themselves from one another on the battlefield, in jousts and in tournaments...
- Coat of arms of AndorraCoat of arms of AndorraThe coat of arms of Andorra has existed for centuries. It supposedly violates the rule of tincture. This coat of arms has been the national coat of arms of Andorra since 1969. Below the shield arms stands Andorra's national motto Virtus Unita Fortior...