The Coat of Arms of Bulgaria was adopted in 1997. This coat of Arms was the first used by Bulgaria since Communist rule was ended in that nation in the early 1990s. Agreeing on the coat of arms was a source of great controversy in the Bulgarian government as different parties argued over what to put in the arms.
The emblem has two lions supporting a shield with a lion on it. It is topped by the crown of Bulgarian king Ivan Asen II. At the bottom of the shield is the Bulgarian national motto, "Unity Makes Power", in the native language.
The three lions represent the three major portions of Bulgaria - Moesia, Thrace and Macedonia. The crown on top of the shield, and thus upon the shielded lion is not that of the last Bulgarian monarchy, but that of the second Bulgarian monarchy (1185 - 1396). This monarchy, the second Bulgarian empire was established by the brothers Peter and Asen, after it was freed from Byzantine control, and before it was subjugated by the Ottomans.
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