Coat of Arms of Montenegro - Historical Coats of Arms

Historical Coats of Arms

The history of the state coat of arms begins with the Crnojevics dynasty in the 15th century. Their family arms - a golden crowned two-headed eagle on a red background - laid the foundation of the Montenegrin state heraldry: the two-headed eagle became the standard symbol of the state. After gaining power, the Petrovic-Njegos dynasty took the golden two-headed eagle as the state symbol. Vladika Danilo charged on its breast the Great Arms of the Petrovic-Njegos family (shield, crown, mantling), while his successor vladika Sava made major changes to the coat of arms: he removed the family Great Arms from the eagle's breast, and added a sceptre and a globus cruciger ("the imperial orb") in its claws. He also added another symbol retained until present day - a golden lion passant - below the golden eagle. With Petar I, further rearrangement of the coat of arms took place: he removed the royal insignia from the eagle and charged the eagle's breast with the Middle Arms of the Petrovic-Njegos while leaving the lion passant.

Prince Danilo also reorganised the coat of arms: he charged the golden eagle's breast with a shield with a blue background and a golden lion passant on green ground. In one claw the eagle held the orb, and in the other a sword and a sceptre.

In the time of King Nicholas I, the sword was removed and later, in conformity with the Constitution of 1905, the colour of the eagle was changed from golden to silver as well as the colour of the inescutcheon - from blue to red.

After World War II, Montenegrin statehood was reestablished and Montenegro became a federal part of the Second Yugoslavia. A national emblem was adopted in 1945 and it was designed in socialist style: Laurel wreath with Red Star, while the central motive was the Chapel of Lovćen with sea waves in the background, representing the Montenegrin sea access. The national emblem of the Federal State of Montenegro was made in 1944 by Milan Božović, it was stylised in 1946 by Milo Milunović, and afterwards slightly changed in 1963 and 1974 (the shape of the red star).

In 1993, the Montenegrin parliament introduced a coat of arms proper, returning to historical heritage. The old Montenegrin state's coat of arms was restored, but redesigned in the style of the federal coat of arms. The Constitution of 1993 broke with the montenegrin tradition: the adopted coat of arms was a crowned silver eagle (instead of golden) with the orb in one and the sceptre in the other talon, and charged on its breast was a red shield with a golden lion passant.