The Shield of the Czech Republic

The Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa granted a coat of arms to Bohemia in 1158. It had a double-tailed "white rampant" lion on a field of red. Another source said the lion and the eagle began their association with Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia in the 13th century, under Premysl I.

In modern times, during the "life" of Czechoslovakia, a single lion had a blue shield on its shoulder for Slovakia. The shield is now gone with the secession and independence of Slovakia.

The three original lands of the Czech Crown are represented on the national emblem by three crests: a silver split-tailed lion representing Bohemia, a red and silver or white checkered eagle representing Moravia and a black eagle with red beak and claws and a white sash, on a silver crescent representing Silesia. The lion, king of beasts, and the eagle, king of birds, wear gold crowns.

The placement of the symbols has several facets. The most obvious is symmetry and, thus, aesthetically pleasing. On a deeper level, the shield's organization shows the three regions and how Bohemia unites them as a nation: vertically and horizontally. Bohemia is connected with another area and even Moravia and Silesia touch corners so no region is isolated from the others, much like the actual nation.