The small Baltic state was lucky to be the heir to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Therefore, the modern coat of arms of Lithuania, approved in 1992, has very deep roots and symbolism. It even has its own short name - Vytis, which in translation from the Lithuanian language means Pursuit, and in Russian - Vityaz.
Warlike beauty
The word "chase" in this context has a different meaning, so they called the soldiers who were guarding the borders of the state. Therefore, the Lithuanian coat of arms depicts a rider on a horse, moreover, both the person and the animal are painted in silver. The image is placed on a scarlet shield. The rider and horse are facing west.
The warrior holds in his right hand a silver sword (raising it rather menacingly), and in his left - an azure shield, decorated with a double gold cross. The azure color is present in the color of the saddle, bridle. Quite a lot of gold-colored details:
- the handle of a sword raised above the head;
- rider's stirrups;
- harness connections.
In general, the color scheme is very rich, deep, often used for state symbols of many countries.
The chase is for seals
The first document to record such a symbol dates back to 1366. And by the end of the century, it was actively used by Jagiello on his seals, and Vitovt, who came after him. With the advent of the new century, the coat of arms "Pursuit" rises to the highest level, becoming the main state symbol of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. His image appears on the Statute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, he is now called the first Belarusian constitution, since it included most of today's Belarus.
Chase as part of the coat of arms
The loss by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania of its positions led to the division of territories, their annexation to other states, the formation of new ones, for example, the Commonwealth. The emblem of the Pursuit ceases to be independent and becomes part of the main symbol of the Commonwealth. And after the third partition of this state and the transition of territories under the rule of the Russian Empire (1795), the Chase becomes part of the Russian coat of arms, appearing on one of the heraldic shields. It is clear that there could be no talk of Lithuania as an independent independent state. And only the twentieth century brought the country onto an independent path of development. The coat of arms of Vytis served as a symbol of the independent Republic of Lithuania until 1940.
The Soviet power established in these territories lasted until the early 1990s, when Lithuania finally became free again and was able to independently determine foreign and domestic policies, as well as make the main choice in favor of the Pursuit.
