Why is there a star and crescent on the Portsmouth symbol?

Answer 1

In 1850, two Ottoman Frigates "Mir'at-ı Zafer" and "Sirağ-ı Bahr-i Birlik" visited English Naval Base in Portsmouth, were they were welcomed by Sir Godfrey Webster and English Officers.

Because of the Cholera Epidemic started in 1849 about 1000 local citizens and a part of Turkish Marines died. The Turkish Marines were buried in Cemetery of Haslar Hospital, which served as a Military Hospital of Royal Navy between 1775-1996. Today the cemetery can still be visited. Most of Turkish Marines died in 1851.

Due to wish of General Sir John Lafroy a canon marked with the date 1464 was given as present by Ottoman Empire to Britain inn 1868. It can be visited today on Fort Nelson.

In 1870, Turkish Sultan Abdülaziz visited Britain. To honour his visit, the HMS Triumph was renamed as HMS Sultan. The name HMS Sultan was also given to a location. Today, HMS Sultan is the home of Royal Naval School of Marine Engineering (RNSME) and the Royal Naval Air Engineering and Survival School (RNAESS).

Because of this close relationship between Ottoman Empire and Great Britain, the city Portsmouth got Ottoman Emblems on it's coat of arms.

(Please read also the other version below. )

The Crescent and Star used by King Richard I (and Portsmouth)It seems that in the 12th century the arms of the crescent were open to the top.

King Richard I of England adopted the star and crescent as a royal badge, from the Emperor's standard of Governor Isaac Comnenus, after capturing Cyprus.

Back in England, 'a crescent of gold on a shield of azure, with a blazing star of eight points, or rays of silver, between the horns', was granted to Portsmouth as the heraldic crest of the newly incorporated Royal borough. The English Admiralty took it as their emblem until the 16th century, when perhaps as a result of the fall of Constantinople, it was replaced by another emblem of Richard I, the Anchor of Hope. Rear-Admiral R.M. Blomfield writing in about 1900 pointed out in 'Origin and History of Admiralty Badges', that "Had the old badge been retained, the Admiralty and Ottoman flags would now be identical."

The star and crescent is still on the arms of Portsmouth and between 1936 and 1939 appeared on the Blue Ensign of the Portsmouth Yacht Club.

David Prothero, 22 December 2002

Flags of the World is produced and maintained by an Editorial Staff of unpaid volunteers and the contents of these pages are offered freely to the internet community.

This Fotw.net mirror is sponsored by MrFlag.com(for flag and bunting). Web design and eCommerce for MrFlag.com by Wired Media .

http://www.fotw.net/flags/Islam.HTML#qur

Reference - Link http://www.fotw.net/flags/Islam.HTML#qur

(contributed by Chris M., Newcastle).

King Richard I adopted this emblem not from the Byzantine Prince Manuel Comnenos I's coat of arms since after the Byzantine Emperor Iulianus Apostata not a single Byzantin emperor or prince used the crescent in his coat of arms because the crescent was known as a pagan symbol in the Byzantine empire and because all of the Byzantine emperors (after Julianus Apostata)and princes were very strict Christians and used always the cross not the crescent. King Richard I adopted this emblem from the Seljuk Turks during the crusades. In many monuments of the Seljuk Empire and the Seljuk Rum Turkish States in Asia Minor you can see crescent and star (star of five, six, eight points) and sun disks with eight rays motifs. It is strongly possible that this emblem was the personal emblem of the Sultan I. Kiliç Arslan of the Seljuk Rum Turkish State who was a very famous Turkish Sultan at the first two crusades. And even if Mauel Komnenos I had a coat of arms with crescent and star, then this Byzantine prince had taken this emblem from the Seljuk Rum Turkish State of course. But this is a very weak possibility as at the Christian period of the Byzantine Empire the crescent was hated by the Byzantines because it was a pagan motif. It has not to be forgotten that the Turks used the crescent and star motif for 1500 years which you can see depicted on Gokturk coins of the years of 500.