Category:Coats of arms of the Kingdom of Hungary (ancient)

Basic arms & blazon[edit]

Blazon: Gules, in base a trimount vert surmounted by a crown or issuant therefrom a double cross argent. The trimount represents the mountain ranges of Tátra, w:Mátra, and Fátra. See w:Coat of arms of Hungary. The double cross/two-barred cross/ w:Cross of Lorraine has been one of the main elements in the coat of arms of Hungary at least since 1190. It is a Byzantine religious symbol and in connection with Hungary was first used during the reign of King Béla III, who was raised in the Byzantine court and was for a time heir to the throne of the Byzantine Empire and was betrothed to the emperor's daughter. He inherited the Hungarian throne in 1172. The double cross started appearing on Hungarian coins from this era. The double cross found its way to Western Europe through Hungary, because w:René of Anjou (René the Good), laid claim to four kingdoms, including Hungary and placed the double cross on his flags before the w:Battle of Nancy. He won the battle and regained his lost w:Duchy of Lorraine. Thus the symbol became known in Western-Europe as the Cross of Lorraine. See: w:Patriarchal cross