The emblem of the Italian Republic () was formally adopted by the newly formed Italian Republic on 5 May 1948. Although often referred to as a coat of arms (or in Italian), it is an emblem as it was not designed to conform to traditional heraldic rules. The emblem is used extensively by the Italian government.
The emblem, shaped as a Roman wreath, comprises a white five-pointed star, the (English: 'Star of Italy'), which is the oldest national symbol of Italy, since it dates back to the Graeco-Roman tradition, with a thin red border, superimposed upon a five-spoked cogwheel, standing between an olive branch to the left and an oak branch to the right; the branches are in turn bound together by a red ribbon with the inscription "" in Roman square capitals.
The armorial bearings of the House of Savoy, blazoned gules a cross argent, were previously in use by the former Kingdom of Italy; the supporters, on either side a lion rampant Or, were replaced with () during the fascist era.
Description
The central element of the emblem is a five-pointed white star, also called the Stella d'Italia (English: 'Star of Italy'), which is the oldest national symbol of Italy, dating back to ancient Greece. In that epoch Italy was associated with the Star of Venus because it is west of the Greek peninsula. Immediately after sunset, Venus is sometimes visible on the horizon towards the west. It has been a traditional symbol of Italy since the Risorgimento, and is also associated with the traditional iconography of a woman wearing a turreted crownthe allegory of and dominated by a bright star, the Star of Italy.confer Cesare Ripa, Iconologia, sec. XVI
The star marked the first award of post-war reconstruction, the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, and still indicates membership in the Armed Forces today.
On the republican emblem, the Star of Italy is superimposed on a grey cogwheel, representing labour, which is the foundation of the Republic. Article 1 of the Italian Constitution reads:
The reference to labour is not to be understood as a legal rule, but rather as a principle, which recognizes it as the foundation of Italian society. The second paragraph assigns sovereignty exclusively to the people, and establishes the democratic character of the republic. The cogwheel is also present on the flag and emblem of Angola and on the emblem of Mozambique, nations founded through the decolonization of the Portuguese Empire as well as on the coats of arms of the Italian municipalities of Assago, Cafasse and Chiesina Uzzanese.
The cogwheel and star are enclosed by an oak branch on the right, which symbolizes the strength and dignity of the Italians (in Latin the term means both 'oak' and 'moral and physical strength'), and by an olive branch on the left, which represents Italy's will for peace, both internally and with other nations. Both oak and olive trees are characteristic of the Italian landscape. The green branches are in turn bound together by a red ribbon bearing the inscription "REPVBBLICA ITALIANA" in white capital letters. As regards Italy's desire for peace, Article 11 of the Constitution states:
The refusal of war as an instrument of offense does not signify that Italy cannot participate in a conflict, instead that articles 78 and 87 of the Constitution prescribe which state organs decide the state of war. In particular for Italy, it is the two chambers that decree the state of war, which is then formally declared by the President of the Republic; the chambers then give the Italian government the necessary powers to face the conflict. Another extraordinary provision in case of war is the duration of the legislature of the two chambers, which can be exceptionally extended, as stated in article 60 of the Constitution, beyond the five canonical years.
The emblem of the Italian Republic is not defined as a coat of arms as it has no shield; the latter being, according to the rules of heraldry, an essential part of such devices (as opposed to other decorations such as crowns, helmets, or fronds, which are accessory parts). For this reason, it is more accurate to refer to it as a national emblem.
Armed forces
The Italian naval ensign, since 1947, comprises the national flag defaced with the arms of the Italian Navy: The shield is quartered, symbolic of the four , or thalassocracies, of Italy: Venice (represented by the lion passant, top left), Genoa (top right), Amalfi (bottom left), and Pisa, represented by their respective crosses. The Marina Mercantile (and private citizens at sea) use the civil ensign, differentiated by the absence of the mural crown and the presence of a lion holding open the gospel, bearing the inscription (lit. 'Peace to you, Mark, my evangelist') instead of a sword.Decreto Legislativo del capo provvisorio dello stato n. 1305 del 9 novembre 1947 (GU 275 del 29 novembre 1947)
To acknowledge the Navy's origins in ancient Rome, the crown, an "emblem of honor and of value that the Roman Senate conferred on of shipping companies, conquerors of lands and cities overseas," was proposed by Admiral Domenico Cavagnari in 1939. An inescutcheon, bearing the Savoy shield flanked by fasces, was removed before the arms were first employed."Emblema di onore e di valore che il Senato romano conferiva ai duci di imprese navali, conquistatori di terre e città oltremare;" La Bandiera della Marina Militare Ministero della Difesa (retrieved 5 October 2008)
The Italian Army, Air Force and Carabinieri also have their own coats of arms, as do each of the municipalities, provinces and regions of Italy.
History Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic) The Kingdom of Italy was a French client state founded in Northern Italy by Napoleon, Emperor of the French in 1805. It had a peculiar coat of arms, formed by the arms of the House of Bonaparte augmented by charges from various Italian regions. When Napoleon abdicated the thrones of France and Italy in 1814, the former monarchies were gradually re-established and following the Treaty of Paris in 1815, the rump kingdom was annexed by the Austrian Empire.
Kingdom of Italy Between 1848 and 1861, a sequence of events led to the independence and unification of Italy (except for Venetia, Rome, Trento and Trieste, or , which were united with the rest of Italy in 1866, 1870 and 1918 respectively); this period of Italian history is known as the Risorgimento, or resurgence. During this period, the green, white and red became the symbol which united all the efforts of the Italian people towards freedom and independence.Ghisi, Enrico. Il tricolore italiano (1796–1870). Milano: Anonima per l'Arte della Stampa, 1931; see Gay, H. Nelson in The American Historical Review, Vol. 37 No. 4 (pp. 750–751), July 1932
The Italian tricolour, defaced with the coat of arms of the House of Savoy, was first adopted as a war flag by the (Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont) army in 1848. In his Proclamation to the Lombard-Venetian people, Charles Albert said "… in order to show more clearly with exterior signs the commitment to Italian unification, We want that Our troops … have the Savoy shield placed on the Italian tricolour flag.""Per viemmeglio dimostrare con segni esteriori il sentimento dell'unione italiana vogliamo che le Nostre truppe ... portino lo scudo di Savoia sovrapposto alla bandiera tricolore italiana." See Lawrence, D.H. (ed. Philip Crumpton) Movements in European History (p. 230) Cambridge University Press, 1989 for an overview As the arms mixed with the white of the flag, it was fimbriated azure, blue being the dynastic colour.Lo Statuto Albertino Art. 77, dato in Torino addì quattro del mese di marzo l'anno del Signore mille ottocento quarantotto, e del Regno Nostro il decimo ottavo On 15 April 1861, when the Regno delle Due Sicilie (Kingdom of the Two Sicilies) was incorporated into the Regno d'Italia, after defeat in the Expedition of the Thousand led by Giuseppe Garibaldi, this flag and the armorial bearings of Sardinia were declared the symbols of the newly formed kingdom.
On 4 May 1870, nine years later, the Consulta Araldica issued a decree on the arms, as with the Sardinian arms, two lions rampant in gold supporting the shield, bearing instead only the Savoy cross (as on the flag) now representing all Italy, with a crowned helmet, around which, the collars of the Military Order of Savoy, the Civil Order of Savoy, the Order of the Crown of Italy (established 2 February 1868), the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, and the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation (bearing the motto FERT) were suspended. The lions held lances flying the national flag. From the helmet fell a royal mantle, engulfed by a pavilion under the , purported to protect the nation.Deliberazione della Consulta Araldica del Regno d’Italia con cui si determina quali debbano essere gli ornamenti esteriori dello stemma dello Stato , 4 maggio 1870; Regio Decreto n. 7282 del 27 novembre 1890
After twenty years, on 1 January 1890, the arms' exterior were slightly modified more in keeping with those of Sardinia. The fur mantling and lances disappeared and the crown was taken from the helmet to the pavilion, now sewn with crosses and roses. The Iron Crown of Lombardy was placed on the helmet, under the traditional Savoyan crest (a winged lionhead), which, together with the banner of Savoy from the former Sardinian arms, replaced the star of Italy.Armi della Real Casa d'Italia Corpo della Nobiltà Italiana; Gli stemmi della Famiglia Reale sono regolati dal relativo Regio Decreto del 1 gennaio 1890 e gli stemmi dello Stato e delle Amministrazioni governative sono regolati dal Regio Decreto del 27 novembre 1890 These arms remained in official use for 56 years until the birth of the Italian Republic, and continued as the dynastic arms of the head of the House of Savoy.Compiti, Prerogative e Responsabilità del Capo di Casa Savoia nell'Italia Repubblicana Reale Casa d'Italia (retrieved 24 January 2009)
On 11 April 1929, the Savoy lions were replaced by Benito Mussolini with fasces from the National Fascist Party shield, which had been previously depicted accollé.Regio Decreto n. 504 del 11 aprile 1929 VII After his dismissal and arrest on 25 July 1943 however, the earlier version was briefly restored until the emblem of the new Repubblica Italiana was adopted, after the institutional referendum on the form of the state, held on 2 June 1946. This is celebrated in Italy as Festa della Repubblica.
Italian Social Republic
The arms of the short-lived Nazi puppet state in northern Italy, the (Italian Social Republic), or Republic of Salò as it was commonly known, was that of the governing Republican Fascist Party, a silver eagle clutching a banner of the tricolore inverted on a shield charged with fasces.Foggia della bandiera nazionale e della bandiera di combattimento delle Forze Armate Decreto Legislativo del Duce della Repubblica Sociale Italiana e Capo del Governo n. 141 del 28 gennaio 1944 XXII EF (GU 107 del 6 maggio 1944 XXII EF) Italian fascism derived its name from the fasces, which symbolises authority and "strength through unity". The fasces has been used to show the imperium (power) of the Roman Empire, and was thus considered an appropriate heraldic symbol. Additionally, Roman legions had carried the aquila, or eagle, as (military standards).