The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-03-02
THE BOURBON. FlEuR-DE-Lls.
Tho Hera1dic Device eff the Dynasty
Which Formerly Ruled France.

Tho Hera1dic Device eff the Dynasty
Which Formerly Ruled Fraace-
The heraldic device OF the Bourbons
of France was called feur-de-lis, from
the fancy that it represented three
flowers of the white lily, as in England
it was called fower-de-luce, on the by
pothesis that it was a representation of
the white iris But the heur-de-lis is
not, properly speaking, lily. nor even
a flower. The resem blance to lily Is
very remote, even if you call the lily a
conventional one. Some historians hold
that it is the figure of reed in blossom,
used instead of scepter at the procla-
nation of the Frankish kings. Others,
with more likelihood, insist that
it is neither reed, a lily, nor
any other member of the floral fam
lily, but the extremity OF the fran
cisque, kind of javelin anciently used
in France A fatal objection to any
purely French origin of the symbol is
that it was early an ornament OF scep-
ters, robes and seals, not only of the
Merovingian, but of Greek, Roman,
Spanish and English kings, and a SYM
Dol EN- pIoyed by many noble families of
the twelfth and thirteenth centuries
1t is also said that it occurs very per-
fectly sculptured in head dresses of
Egyptian sphinxes. The use of the
feur-de-lis as symbol of royalty in
France can not be traced further back
than the twelfth century.
There are many complicated legends
as to the origin of the fieur-de-lis. One
of the prettiest tells how an aged her
NIT ia the reign of good King Clovis
saw one night a miraculous light
stream into his cell and an angel
appear to him, bearing an azure
shield, on which were emblazoned
three golden lilies that shone like
stars. The celestial visitor commanded
the hermit to give the shield to tho
pious Clothilde. By her it was pre-
sented to her newly-converted hus-
band, who discarded in its favor the
three black toads which had hitherto
been his device. AS result the armies
of Clovis were victorious over all his
enemies.
Another legend, which proba bly, has
a substratum of historical fact. tells
how the heur-de-is is corrupted from
heur-de-lace, which, in turn. came from
heur-de-Louis. In A. d. 1877 Louis
VII, setting out on a crusade, chose
the purple iris as his heraldic emblem.
Thus it became the fower-de-Louis
Louis fower). which was first con-
tracted into flower-de-luce and after
ward into heur-de-lis, or lily flower. al
though it has no affinity with the lily.
The iris is still called the feur-de-lis in
the French provinces. 1t is said that
after certain battle fought by the
crusaders their white banner was found
to be covered with these flowers.
At first the national flag and the
arms of France were thicllly sown with
f1eur-de-lis, but the number was re-
duced to three in the reign of Charles
VI, about the year 1881. The latter
monarch is also said to have added the
supporters to the French arms in con-
sequence of an adven ture that hap
pened to him. Hunting in the forest
of Senlis he aroused an enormous stag,
which eluded the dogs but was finally
secured in the tolls of the net, when a
collar of copper gilt was found around
his neck, with the inscription: "Hoc
mihi c cesar donavit" (''Casar gave this
to mel. Subsequently the young king
dreamed that he was carried through
the air on a. winged stag, from which
he added two winged stays for support
ers of the arms of France.
The feur-de-lis appeared on the arms
Of England from the time of Edward
Ill, who claimed to be the rightful
heir to the French throne. In the year
1900 ireland was joined to England
and notifications were called for both
in the kings title and in the national
arms. The title of king of France was
then dropped and the feur-de-lis ex-
plunged from the royal quarterings.
Since the French revolution the f1eur-
de-lis has been associated with the
royalist party and the bourbons. it
was prescribed during the reign of ter
ror, and hundreds of persons found
wearing it were condemned to death.
Wherever it was CONSEQUENTLY seen in
public works it was effaced by popular
fury Napoleon substituted the bee in
its stead (some historians tell us that
it was three bees, and not three toads,
which Clovis originally bore on his
shield), but this emblem has given way
before the violet, which is the imperial
list flower of to-day.-Chicago Times