The city of Florence proudly carries a lily on its coat of arms for almost a thousand years. The origin of this symbol, however, is even more ancient, and it can be traced back to the rulers of the Roman Empire. There are several legends associated with the origin of the coat of arms of Florence.
One of the stories tells that this city was founded in 59 BC. e. the Romans during the festival of flowers in honor of the goddess Flora, whence its name came from. According to another version, it is associated with the founder of Florin da Cellino: Florentia (in Latin "flowering").
The simplest explanation of the symbol of Florence is that it is directly related to the flower that traditionally grows in the vicinity of the city - Iris Florentina. Therefore, the answer to the question of whether the emblem of Florence is an iris or a lily, immediately becomes clear.
Symbol story
This beautiful flower was first used on the arms of the city in the eleventh century; he was portrayed white on a red background. After the bloody battle between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, which ended in 1250 with the victory of the Guelphs, the colors were reversed, thereby creating the famous symbol: a red flower, the coat of arms of Florence - iris, on a white background.
In “The Divine Comedy,” Dante Alighieri describes the eve of this event as follows: “The lily on the flagpole has not yet been turned upside down and painted red ...”
Despite the fact that this image is often called the Florentine lily, in fact, the coat of arms of Florence is a stylized iris.
The new symbol was so important for the city that in 1252 this image adorned the first florin made.
In 1811, Napoleon tried to ban the use of lilies in Florence, but this led to such fierce protests that he soon decided to return the favorite symbol to the Florentines.
The mayor’s decree of May 22, 1928 called on the government to recognize the emblem and banner, which were provided by government decree: "A simple shield, an oval lily, open and painted over in red."
Flower - a symbol of the city
Florentine lily can be found in various places of the city. On the old coats of arms of historical buildings, as well as on numerous company logos, such as the logo of the municipality, the Fiorentina football club and even some cafes.
Florence and its symbol have been inseparable for ten centuries, and this is unlikely to change in the near future.
The red lily is a symbol, an emblem that represents Florence and is inspired by the white iris, very common throughout the city. The best way to see these beautiful flowers is to visit the iris garden in May located on Piazzale Michelangelo.
Even during the first crusade, the Florentines carried the symbol of the city with them to battle.
City's legends
There are several hypotheses explaining the origin of this symbol. One of them refers to a Roman praetor named Fiorino, who died when Fiesole (a city near Florence) was attacked; another attributes this to the celebration of the goddess Flora in early spring, when the Romans founded the city. It is also associated with the main meaning of lily, purity. According to mythology, in fact, the lily is associated with chastity and emerged from a drop of milk that fell from Juno’s chest.
Medieval heraldry
In the city itself, on various buildings in the historical center, as well as objects and paintings in museums, you can see different coats of arms of Florence. In particular, many of them can be seen on one of the most iconic buildings, the Palazzo della Signoria, now better known as the Palazzo Vecchio, with its impressive bell tower, which still dominates the heart of the old city.
The Palazzo Vecchio was built in the period from the end of the XIII to the beginning of the XIV centuries, it was the first specially built place of the Florentine government, Signoria. In 1343, after the exile of Lord Tyrant Walter Briensky, Duke of Athens, the facade of the Palazzo Vecchio was decorated with a series of frescoes with symbols related to the government, people and political affiliation of the city: everything is displayed on billboards on the wall of the palace. Due to its great popularity, you can often see photos of the coats of arms of Florence.
Briefly about Guelphs and Ghibellines
These were two political factions that emerged as a result of the power struggle between the Popes and Holy Roman emperors Hohenstaufen in medieval Italy.
In fact, the names of both factions came from the names of German families fighting for the Imperial Throne - Welf (Guelf) and Waiblingen (Gibellin). The word “viblingen” was the battle cry of the troops of Hohenstaufen, led by Frederick II, crowned in 1220. Otto IV Welf, who abdicated the imperial throne in 1215, sided with Pope Innocent III, who was hostile to the ambitions of the Hohenstaufen in Italy.
Over time, both factions developed their own heraldic symbols. Both had their supporters in the city, and for decades they fiercely fought for control of Florence and other Italian cities. Sometimes this confrontation took the form of open, full-scale battles. All this is reflected in the heraldry of the city with its special significance as the emblems of Florence.
Red cross on a white field
This is the cross of San Giovanni (St. John the Baptist), the patron saint of the city. It is also a symbol of "half", the government of the people of Florence. It was adopted in 1292 in accordance with the Ordinances on Justice, adopted in an attempt to deter violent excesses committed by ordinary people against ordinary citizens.
According to the medieval chronicler Giovanni Villany, it was a symbol depicted on the Gonfalon (standard), which was stored in one of the churches of the city, and was carried by the standard bearer of justice. He was also depicted on the shields of thousands of elected citizens who could act as armed militias under the command of a standard bearer to maintain order. Over time, this cross became associated with minuto popolo, ordinary people.
Incidentally, during the imperial siege of 1529-30, when Florence expelled the Medici and once again became a republic, these colors were reversed on the flags of the city’s defenders: a white cross on a red field.
Red lily on a white field
This is the most easily recognizable coat of arms of Florence, Giglio or Lily. Initially, it was a white lily on a crane background, but Villany claims that in July 1251, when the Ghibelline faction was expelled from the city by Guelphs, the people and the Guelph faction decided to change the colors of the coat of arms in order to separate the city. This image has survived to the present day.
White-red shield divided vertically
In 1010, Florence besieged and destroyed its closest neighbor and rival Fiesole. After the destruction of their city, many Fiesolanians began to live in the invading city, significantly increasing the number of people. In an attempt to harmonize relations between the two populations that now lived together, it was proposed to combine the shields of the two cities. This was done by removing the pale blue moon from the white shield of Fiesole and the white lily from the red shield of Florence, thereby creating these combined shields for the Commune of Florence and Fiesole. At some point, the original Florentine coats of arms began to be used again, but such combined shields acted as a unifying symbol for the army.
In 1250, the government of Primo Popolo in Florence included the post of people's captain, an officer who was a member of the city administration (sub-state). The national captain (captain del popolo) represented the interests of the people against the power of the nobility, which was represented by the Podesta (head of administration). The banner of the national captain had the same red and white coat of arms of Florence.
Red eagle clutching a green fire-breathing dragon in its claws
This is the coat of arms of Parte Guelfa: Guelph fractions. He is actually the coat of arms of Pope Clement IV. After the defeat of the Ghibellines at the Battle of Montaperty in 1260, the defeated Guelphs turned to Pope Clement. He warmly received them, giving them money and other help, and said that for the sake of his love for the Guelph faction in Florence, they should always wear their personal emblems on signs and seals. Guelphs added to the image a red lily above the eagle's head.
White lily on a red field
This is the original emblem of Florence. The image of the flower as the heraldic symbol of the city dates back to the base of the city. This "lily" is actually an iris, Giaggiolo. This is a white flower with a faint lavender color. It was grown back in the Middle Ages, the root was used both for perfume and for medicinal purposes.
Yellow lily flower on a blue field with a red stripe with four pendants on the top of the shield
This emblem of Florence belongs to Karl of Anjou (1227-85), king of Naples and Sicily. Guelph’s regime was established in 1267 under the auspices of Karl of Anjou, who was elected for six years as a substitute in Florence. Podesta was a foreigner, not a Florentine (in order to ensure impartiality), he was the chief magistrate of the city and led the army in the war. He rarely visited Florence and ruled the city through the Vicars. He was the fourth son of the French king Louis VIII, so his coat of arms depicts a royal heraldic symbol and four pendants.
Shield vertically divided into black and yellow stripes, with yellow lilies on a blue field
This is the coat of arms of Robert of Anjou (1277-1343), the grandson of Carl, King of Naples and the leader of the Guelph faction in Italy. As allies of Florence, the leaders of the city of Guelphs in 1313 made Robert the head of the city, giving him significant military and political powers, and his domination actually lasted eight years.
Medici Balls
This family has always been associated with this symbol. The Medici family coat of arms in Florence, five red balloons (Italian palle) and one blue on a golden shield, adorn numerous buildings throughout the city: any palace, church or monument that the Medici related to or financed by this family.
Despite the fact that this symbol of power is widely known, its origin is shrouded in mystery and for centuries has been the subject of much speculation. The most exciting, but almost certainly apocryphal theory is that the balls are dents in the shield inflicted on one of the knights of Charlemagne, Averardo, the formidable giant Mugello.
At one time, the Medici claimed to have evolved from this heroic, but most likely fictional hero. The story goes that Averardo ultimately defeated the giant, and as a reward for ridding the land of such a terrible monster, Charlemagne not only gave him the land of the dead giant (the Mugello area where the Medici live), but also granted him permission to use the image of his mutilated shield as a coat of arms.
Other, more reliable, theories suggest a less prominent origin of balls. Some say that they are pharmaceutical tablets or, possibly, cup glasses (a late medieval medical tool used to take blood), recalling the possible origin of the Medici as doctors (in Italian, is doctor means medici).
However, many claim that this story was invented in a French court in the sixteenth century to slander Queen Catherine de Medici, reminding people of her modest origin. Sometimes they say that balls are bitter red oranges, referring to the trade that the Medici family carried out with the East. Others believe that balls are Besant, Byzantine coins copied from the coat of arms of the Guild of Exchangers (Arte del Cambio), which belonged to this genus.