Hungarian heraldry
Encyclopedia
Hungarian heraldry generally follows German heraldry
in its artistic forms,
but has its own distinctive character. It is classified to Central and Eastern Europe heraldry.
invasions of Hungary: the head of a Turk with a black mustache wearing a turban, blood dripping from the neck. At least 15 percent of all Hungarian personal arms include the severed head of a Turk, Also popular were the griffin, bear, sun, moon, stars, horses, men on horseback, swords and a green dragon with a red cross on its body. A coronet often replaces the wreath above the helmet. The mantling is often a combination of more than two tinctures, the most common being blue and gold on the dexter side and red and silver on the sinister. Hungarian heraldry
also employs a clan
system instead of individual arms. The arms of the old kingdom of Hungary included St. Stephen's cross, lions'heads, eagles and a six-pointed star representing the old kingdoms and provinces of Bosnia, Croatia
, Dalmatia
, Herzegovina
, Slavonia
, and Transylvania
.
Most Hungarian coats of arms
are figurative; arms with simple divisions of the shield, or charged with ordinaries and subordinaries
only, are extremely rare and mostly of foreign origin. The color of the field
is most often blue, representing the sky. Around 90% of Hungarian arms have a green base, often a trimount.
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In many cases mantling
has more than two tinctures
. The barred helm is normally used, but this is not a rule. There are few Hungarian arms without a crest coronet
.
Due to great demand of soldiers during the wars against the Turks in the 16th and 17th centuries, sometimes a whole garrison of 80 to 120 soldiers was raised to nobiliary rank, being granted one coat of arms for all of them to share.
German heraldry
German heraldry refers to the cultural tradition and style of heraldic achievements in modern and historic Germany and the Holy Roman Empire, including national and civic arms, noble and burgher arms, ecclesiastical heraldry, heraldic displays and heraldic descriptions...
in its artistic forms,
but has its own distinctive character. It is classified to Central and Eastern Europe heraldry.
Private armory
One of the most common devices found on Hungarian shields is a symbol of the many TurkishTurkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
invasions of Hungary: the head of a Turk with a black mustache wearing a turban, blood dripping from the neck. At least 15 percent of all Hungarian personal arms include the severed head of a Turk, Also popular were the griffin, bear, sun, moon, stars, horses, men on horseback, swords and a green dragon with a red cross on its body. A coronet often replaces the wreath above the helmet. The mantling is often a combination of more than two tinctures, the most common being blue and gold on the dexter side and red and silver on the sinister. Hungarian heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
also employs a clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
system instead of individual arms. The arms of the old kingdom of Hungary included St. Stephen's cross, lions'heads, eagles and a six-pointed star representing the old kingdoms and provinces of Bosnia, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, Herzegovina
Herzegovina
Herzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva...
, Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
, and Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
.
Most Hungarian coats of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
are figurative; arms with simple divisions of the shield, or charged with ordinaries and subordinaries
Ordinary (heraldry)
In heraldry, an ordinary is a simple geometrical figure, bounded by straight lines and running from side to side or top to bottom of the shield. There are also some geometric charges known as subordinaries, which have been given lesser status by some heraldic writers, though most have been in use...
only, are extremely rare and mostly of foreign origin. The color of the field
Field (heraldry)
In heraldry, the background of the shield is called the field. The field is usually composed of one or more tinctures or furs. The field may be divided or may consist of a variegated pattern....
is most often blue, representing the sky. Around 90% of Hungarian arms have a green base, often a trimount.
In many cases mantling
Mantling
In heraldry, mantling or lambrequin is drapery tied to the helmet above the shield. It forms a backdrop for the shield. In paper heraldry it is a depiction of the protective cloth covering worn by knights from their helmets to stave off the elements, and, secondarily, to decrease the effects of...
has more than two tinctures
Tincture (heraldry)
In heraldry, tinctures are the colours used to emblazon a coat of arms. These can be divided into several categories including light tinctures called metals, dark tinctures called colours, nonstandard colours called stains, furs, and "proper". A charge tinctured proper is coloured as it would be...
. The barred helm is normally used, but this is not a rule. There are few Hungarian arms without a crest coronet
Coronet
A coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. Unlike a crown, a coronet never has arches.The word stems from the Old French coronete, a diminutive of coronne , itself from the Latin corona .Traditionally, such headgear is – as indicated by the German equivalent...
.
Due to great demand of soldiers during the wars against the Turks in the 16th and 17th centuries, sometimes a whole garrison of 80 to 120 soldiers was raised to nobiliary rank, being granted one coat of arms for all of them to share.
Some basic vocabulary
- coat of arms = címer
- crest = sisakdísz
| Tincture | Heraldic name | Hungarian name |
|---|---|---|
| Metals - Fémek | ||
| Gold/Yellow | Or Or (heraldry) In heraldry, Or is the tincture of gold and, together with argent , belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". In engravings and line drawings, it may be represented using a field of evenly spaced dots... |
arany |
| Silver/White | Argent Argent In heraldry, argent is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures, called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it... |
ezüst |
| Colours - Színek | ||
| Blue | Azure Azure In heraldry, azure is the tincture with the colour blue, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of horizontal lines or else marked with either az. or b. as an abbreviation.... |
kék |
| Red | 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.... |
piros |
| Purple | Purpure Purpure In heraldry, purpure is a tincture, more or less the equivalent of the colour "purple", and is one of the five main or most usually used colours... |
bíbor |
| Black | Sable Sable (heraldry) In heraldry, sable is the tincture black, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures, called "colours". In engravings and line drawings, it is sometimes depicted as a region of crossed horizontal and vertical lines or else marked with sa. as an abbreviation.The name derives from the black fur of... |
fekete |
| Green | Vert Vert The colour green is commonly found in modern flags and coat of arms, and to a lesser extent also in the classical heraldry of the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern period.... |
zöld |
See also
- Coat of arms of HungaryCoat of arms of HungaryThe current coat of arms of Hungary was adopted on July 3, 1990, after the end of communist rule. The arms have been used before, both with and without the Holy Crown of Hungary, sometimes as part of a larger, more complex coat of arms, and its elements date back to the Middle Ages.The shield is...
- Historical coat of arms of Transylvania
- Nobility and royalty of the Kingdom of HungaryNobility and royalty of the Kingdom of HungaryThis article deals with titles of the nobility and royalty of the Kingdom of Hungary.-Earlier usage :Before the accession of the Habsburgs, the nobility was structured according to the offices held in the administration of the Kingdom...
Further reading
- de Tamáska de Baranch, Endre: The Evolution of the Hungarian Coat of Arms. Sarasota, 1979.
- Kezd, Bela Kezdy Vasarheli De: Totemistic Elements in Hungarian Armory, 1961.
External links
- A Note on Hungarian Heraldry from François Velde's Heraldica website
- Main characteristics of Hungarian heraldry
- Heraldikai lexikon - Hungarian dictionary of arms
- Magyar Címer Portál - Hungarian Coat of Arms Portal