The Fleur-de-lis is an old heraldic device, commonly associated with the royal house of France. It is a stylized representation of a lily or a white iris. The fleur-de-lis symbol was used in ancient India and Egypt and has also been found on Etruscan bronzes. A popular heraldic device in several European countries during the Middle Ages, the design was adopted in France in the 12th century. The earliest French royal arms had a number of golden fleurs-de-lis scattered on a blue field. A later design, consisting of three fleurs-de-lis on the same field, was the official French coat of arms until the Revolution of 1830.
