[1][2] The coat of arms also features the Serbian historical crown; while unusual for republics, it is not unprecedented, as can be seen in coat of arms of numerous European countries with republican form of government (Russia, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and San Marino).

The figure often appears on inscriptions, medieval frescoes and embroidery on the clothes of Byzantine and Serbian royalty.

During the reign of Emperor Stefan Dušan (r. 1331–1345), the double-headed eagle was used on everyday objects and state-related documents, such as tax stamps and proclamations.

In 1339, the map-maker Angelino Dulcert marked the Serbian Empire with a flag with a red double-headed eagle.

Prince Lazar (r. 1371–1389), when renovating the Hilandar monastery of Mount Athos, engraved the double-headed eagle at the northern wall.

[10] In contrast, Stojan Novaković posits that the recorded use of the Serbian cross, as a national symbol, began in 1397, during the rule of Stefan Lazarević.

[citation needed] The Palaiologan cross as the Serbian coat of arms first appeared in Pavao Ritter Vitezović's book Stemmatografia (1701), and after its publication, the Serbian church began using the symbol, and its popularity grew until Prince Miloš Obrenović adopted it as official coat of arms of the Principality of Serbia in 1838.

[12] The Serbian cross then appeared on all modern Serbian coats of arms, except the coat of arms of the Socialist Republic of Serbia from 1947, which had the cross removed, leaving only the four stylized firesteels; this was done symbolically by the Yugoslav government to "socially curtail and politically marginalize religious communities and religion in general".

[13] In modern times, a Serbian folk etymology interpreted the firesteels around the cross as four Cyrillic letters "S" (С), for the motto "Only Unity Saves the Serbs" (Samo sloga Srbina spasava).

The lesser coat of arms is used far more frequently, appearing on national flag, on most of the public documents (passports, identity cards, driver's licences, firearms licenses, birth certificates, etc.