Double-headed eagle - Earth before the flood: disappeared continents and civilizations. State emblem of Russia: history and hidden meaning

Inextricably linked with its history. The purpose of the work is to study the reasons for the appearance of the double-headed eagle on the coat of arms of Russia, as well as to study the influence of historical persons and events on the appearance of the coat of arms.

1. Coat of arms

The word "coat of arms" comes from the German word "erbe", which means inheritance. A coat of arms is a symbolic image that shows the historical traditions of a state or city. The predecessors of coats of arms can be considered the totems of primitive tribes. Coastal tribes had figurines of dolphins and turtles as totems; steppe tribes had snakes; forest tribes had bears, deer, and wolves. The signs of the Sun, Moon, and water played a special role.

The double-headed eagle is of eastern origin. In general, such an eagle meant the idea of ​​​​guarding on the right and left. The first images of a double-headed eagle are rock paintings. They date back to the 13th century BC. These images were discovered on the territory of the Hittite kingdom.

Then, in VI-VII years BC, the double-headed eagle, as a sign of power, appears in the Median kingdom.

In Rome, the double-headed eagle appeared under Constantine the Great in 326 and in 330 it became the state emblem of the great Roman Empire. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, it became a symbol of the Byzantine Empire. The double-headed eagle was not then the coat of arms of Byzantium, it was not depicted on seals and coins, but was present on the banners and clothing of the emperors.

3. Coat of arms of Russia: from century to century

The double-headed eagle in Russia first appears on the state seal of Grand Duke Ivan III in 1497. The seal was double-sided: on the front side there was a picture of a horseman slaying a snake with a spear - a symbol of grand-ducal power, and on the reverse side - a double-headed eagle.

The eagle appeared after the marriage of John III with Sophia Palaeologus, who was the granddaughter of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine. The double-headed eagle was their family coat of arms.

At the time when John III (1462 - 1505) became the head of the Moscow principality, the Russian principalities were at enmity with each other. John III set out to unite all Russian lands under Moscow into one strong state. For fifty years he collected Russian principalities. Both peacefully and through military action, and finally achieved his goal. He began to call himself not the Grand Duke of Moscow, but the Sovereign of All Rus'. It was under him that Rus' finally freed itself from the Golden Horde. The state was young and therefore the eagle on its coat of arms, inherited from Byzantium, looked like a young eaglet.

His son Vasily III (1505-1533) continued his father's traditions. He continued to annex lands. And on the coat of arms the eagle appeared with protruding tongues. The eagle seems to be angry and wants to show that he can already stand up for himself.

Ivan IV (1533-1584) inherited a large and strong state. But he was cruel, powerful and wanted to seize even more lands. For his cruel actions he was nicknamed the Terrible. He conquered so many lands that Russia became the largest country. The Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms were captured, Siberia was annexed. John IV began to be called king. All this was reflected in the coat of arms. Ivan the Terrible replaced two crowns with one large royal crown. He crowned her with a cross, showing that only God is higher than him, and only he, the King, rules on earth. He also decided to place the sign of the Moscow princes on the eagle’s chest: a hero defeating a dragon. It’s as if the horseman is Ivan the Terrible himself, and the dragon is all his enemies.

After his death, Ivan the Terrible did not leave an heir, and a difficult time began for Russia, which is called the Time of Troubles. This time has greatly weakened our country. The election of Mikhail Romanov (1613-1645) to the throne in 1613 put an end to the Troubles. The coat of arms has changed again. The eagle spread its wings, as if waking up after a difficult time. Instead of one crown, three appeared, which meant the Holy Trinity. Usually on icons, St. George the Victorious always galloped from left to right towards the Mongol-Tatar enemies. On the coat of arms of Mikhail Romanov, the direction changed due to the appearance of the enemy from the other (western) side - from Poland and Rome. Russia at the beginning of the 17th century was already a strong and large state.

Alexey Mikhailovich Romanov (1645-1676) was engaged in strengthening the country internally and increasing its authority in Europe. He ended the conflict with Poland. At the request of the Tsar, the Roman Empire sent a master of arms to edit the coat of arms. A scepter and orb appeared in the eagle’s paws as a sign of absolute monarchy. The scepter is a rod, a sign of the law, and the orb is a symbol of power and order.

Peter I (1682-1725) did a lot to strengthen Russia. As a result of the victory in the Northern War (the war for dominance in the Baltic), Russia showed Europe its strength. Peter I also carried out reforms within the country: he organized schools and strengthened the army. Russia of Peter I became a huge and strong power. Peter proudly named our country the Russian Empire, and he himself became Emperor. Peter I made his own changes to the coat of arms. The crowns became imperial, they were connected by a blue ribbon. A chain from the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called appeared on the eagle’s chest. This order was established by Peter for the highest merits. The eagle began to be depicted as black, not gold, following the example of European states.

Paul I (1796-1801) was also a Master of the Order of Malta and added a Maltese cross to the image of the double-headed eagle.

Alexander I (1801-1825) canceled these changes, but made his own. Despite the fact that Alexander I won the Napoleonic War, he was a fan of everything French. He changed the coat of arms so that it looked like Napoleon's coat of arms. Alexander left one crown, removed the chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called from the eagle, and placed lightning in its paws as a sign of a strong army, and a laurel wreath as a sign of victory.

Nicholas I (1825-1855) did not want our coat of arms to be similar to the French one. He canceled the coat of arms of Alexander I and returned the old one. During his reign, Russia became as huge as it had never been before. He proudly placed small coats of arms of the most important Russian lands on the coat of arms.>

The modern coat of arms is based on the coat of arms of Peter I. But the double-headed eagle is gold in color, not black, and it is placed on a red heraldic shield. This color combination was approved by the President in 1993.

: on a red field there is a horseman in silver armor and an azure cloak. Standing up in his stirrups, he thrusts his spear into the golden body of a dragon with green wings. This is a symbol of the victory of good over evil. Previously, Moscow had a different coat of arms: a peaceful horseman with a hunting falcon on his hand. This horseman was quite consistent with Moscow, which was not yet ready to fight the Golden Horde. A horseman with a spear appeared after the battle of the Moscow prince Dmitry Donskoy with the Mongol-Tatars on the Kulikovo field.

The coat of arms of Russia is one of the main state symbols of Russia, along with the flag and anthem. The modern coat of arms of Russia is a golden two-headed eagle on a red background. Three crowns are depicted above the eagle’s heads, now symbolizing the sovereignty of both the entire Russian Federation and its parts, the subjects of the Federation; in the paws there is a scepter and an orb, personifying state power and a unified state; on the chest is an image of a horseman slaying a dragon with a spear. This is one of the ancient symbols of the struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, and the defense of the Fatherland.

History of changes to the coat of arms

The first reliable evidence of the use of the double-headed eagle as a state emblem is the seal of John III Vasilyevich on the exchange document of 1497. During its existence, the image of a double-headed eagle has undergone many changes. In 1917, the eagle ceased to be the coat of arms of Russia. Its symbolism seemed to the Bolsheviks a symbol of autocracy; they did not take into account the fact that the double-headed eagle was a symbol of Russian statehood. On November 30, 1993, Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed the Decree on the State Emblem. Now the double-headed eagle, as before, symbolizes the power and unity of the Russian state.

15th century
The reign of Grand Duke Ivan III (1462-1505) was the most important stage in the formation of a unified Russian state. Ivan III managed to finally eliminate dependence on the Golden Horde, repelling the campaign of Khan Akhmat against Moscow in 1480. The Grand Duchy of Moscow included Yaroslavl, Novgorod, Tver, and Perm lands. The country began to actively develop ties with other European countries, and its foreign policy position strengthened. In 1497, the first all-Russian Code of Law was adopted - a unified set of laws of the country.
It was at this time - the time of successful construction of Russian statehood - that the double-headed eagle became the coat of arms of Russia, personifying supreme power, independence, what was called “autocracy” in Rus'. The very first surviving evidence of the use of the image of a double-headed eagle as a symbol of Russia is the grand-ducal seal of Ivan III, which in 1497 sealed his “exchange and allotment” charter for the land holdings of appanage princes. At the same time, images of a gilded double-headed eagle on a red field appeared on the walls of the Garnet Chamber in the Kremlin.

Mid-16th century
Beginning in 1539, the type of eagle on the seal of the Grand Duke of Moscow changed. In the era of Ivan the Terrible, on the golden bull (state seal) of 1562, in the center of the double-headed eagle, an image of a horseman (“rider”) appeared - one of the oldest symbols of princely power in “Rus”. The “rider” is placed in a shield on the chest of a double-headed eagle, crowned with one or two crowns surmounted by a cross.

End of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century
During the reign of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, between the crowned heads of the double-headed eagle, the sign of the passion of Christ appears: the so-called Calvary cross. The cross on the state seal was a symbol of Orthodoxy, giving a religious connotation to the state emblem. The appearance of the “Golgotha ​​cross” in the coat of arms of Russia coincides with the establishment of the patriarchate and ecclesiastical independence of Russia in 1589.

In the 17th century, the Orthodox cross was often depicted on Russian banners. The banners of foreign regiments that were part of the Russian army had their own emblems and inscriptions; however, an Orthodox cross was also placed on them, which indicated that the regiment fighting under this banner served the Orthodox sovereign. Until the middle of the 17th century, a seal was widely used, in which a double-headed eagle with a rider on its chest is crowned with two crowns, and an Orthodox eight-pointed cross rises between the heads of the eagle.

30-60s of the 18th century
By decree of Empress Catherine I of March 11, 1726, the description of the coat of arms was fixed: “A black eagle with outstretched wings, in a yellow field, with a rider on it in a red field.”

But if in this Decree the rider on the coat of arms was still called a rider, then among the drawings of coats of arms presented in May 1729 by Count Minich to the Military Collegium and which received the highest approval, the double-headed eagle is described as follows: “The State Coat of Arms in the old way: double-headed eagle, black , on the heads of the crown, and at the top in the middle is a large Imperial crown in gold; in the middle of that eagle, George on a white horse, defeating the serpent; the cap and spear are yellow, the crown is yellow, the snake is black; the field is white all around, and red in the middle.” In 1736, Empress Anna Ioannovna invited the Swiss engraver Gedlinger, who by 1740 engraved the State Seal. The central part of the matrix of this seal with the image of a double-headed eagle was used until 1856. Thus, the type of double-headed eagle on the State Seal remained unchanged for more than a hundred years.

Turn of the 18th-19th centuries
Emperor Paul I, by decree of April 5, 1797, allowed members of the imperial family to use the image of a double-headed eagle as their coat of arms.
During the short reign of Emperor Paul I (1796-1801), Russia pursued an active foreign policy, faced with a new enemy—Napoleonic France. After French troops occupied the Mediterranean island of Malta, Paul I took the Order of Malta under his protection, becoming the Grand Master of the Order. On August 10, 1799, Paul I signed a Decree on the inclusion of the Maltese cross and crown in the state emblem. On the eagle’s chest, under the Maltese crown, there was a shield with St. George (Paul interpreted it as the “indigenous coat of arms of Russia”), superimposed on the Maltese cross.

Paul I made an attempt to introduce the full coat of arms of the Russian Empire. On December 16, 1800, he signed the Manifesto, which described this complex project. Forty-three coats of arms were placed in the multi-field shield and on nine small shields. In the center was the above-described coat of arms in the form of a double-headed eagle with a Maltese cross, larger than the others. The shield with coats of arms is superimposed on the Maltese cross, and under it the sign of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called again appears. The shield holders, the archangels Michael and Gabriel, support the imperial crown over the knight's helmet and mantle (cloak). The entire composition is placed against the background of a canopy with a dome - a heraldic symbol of sovereignty. From behind the shield with coats of arms emerge two standards with a double-headed and a single-headed eagles. This project has not been finalized.

Soon after ascending the throne, Emperor Alexander I, by Decree of April 26, 1801, removed the Maltese cross and crown from the coat of arms of Russia.

1st half of the 19th century
Images of the double-headed eagle at this time were very diverse: it could have one or three crowns; in the paws are not only the already traditional scepter and orb, but also a wreath, lightning bolts (peruns), and a torch. The wings of an eagle were depicted in different ways - raised, lowered, straightened. To a certain extent, the image of the eagle was influenced by the then European fashion, common to the Empire era.
Under Emperor Nicholas I, the simultaneous existence of two types of state eagle was officially established.
The first type is an eagle with spread wings, under one crown, with the image of St. George on the chest and with a scepter and orb in its paws. The second type was an eagle with raised wings, on which the titular coats of arms were depicted: on the right - Kazan, Astrakhan, Siberian, on the left - Polish, Tauride, Finland. For some time, another version was in circulation - with the coats of arms of the three “main” Old Russian Grand Duchies (Kyiv, Vladimir and Novgorod lands) and three kingdoms - Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberian. An eagle under three crowns, with St. George (as the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Moscow) in a shield on the chest, with a chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, with a scepter and an orb in its paws.

Mid-19th century
In 1855-1857, during the heraldic reform, which was carried out under the leadership of Baron B. Kene, the type of state eagle was changed under the influence of German designs. At the same time, St. George on the eagle’s chest, in accordance with the rules of Western European heraldry, began to look to the left. The drawing of the Small Coat of Arms of Russia, executed by Alexander Fadeev, was approved by the highest on December 8, 1856. This version of the coat of arms differed from the previous ones not only in the image of an eagle, but also in the number of “title” coats of arms on the wings. On the right were shields with the coats of arms of Kazan, Poland, Tauride Chersonese and the combined coat of arms of the Grand Duchies (Kyiv, Vladimir, Novgorod), on the left were shields with the coats of arms of Astrakhan, Siberia, Georgia, Finland.

On April 11, 1857, the Supreme approval of the entire set of state emblems followed. It included: Big, Middle and Small, coats of arms of members of the imperial family, as well as “titular” coats of arms. At the same time, drawings of the Large, Middle and Small state seals, arks (cases) for seals, as well as seals of the main and lower official places and persons were approved. In total, one hundred and ten drawings lithographed by A. Beggrov were approved in one act. On May 31, 1857, the Senate published a Decree describing the new coats of arms and the rules for their use.

Large State Emblem, 1882
On July 24, 1882, Emperor Alexander III in Peterhof approved the drawing of the Great Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire, on which the composition was preserved, but the details were changed, in particular the figures of the archangels. In addition, imperial crowns began to be depicted like real diamond crowns used at coronations.
The design of the Great Coat of Arms of the Empire was finally approved on November 3, 1882, when the coat of arms of Turkestan was added to the title coats of arms.

Small State Emblem, 1883-1917.
On February 23, 1883, the Middle and two versions of the Small coat of arms were approved. On the wings of the double-headed eagle (Small Coat of Arms) were placed eight coats of arms of the full title of the Emperor of Russia: the coat of arms of the kingdom of Kazan; coat of arms of the Kingdom of Poland; coat of arms of the kingdom of Chersonese Tauride; combined coat of arms of the Kyiv, Vladimir and Novgorod great principalities; coat of arms of the kingdom of Astrakhan, coat of arms of the kingdom of Siberia, coat of arms of the kingdom of Georgia, coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Finland. In January 1895, the highest order was given to leave unchanged the drawing of the state eagle made by academician A. Charlemagne.

The latest act - “Basic provisions of the state structure of the Russian Empire” of 1906 - confirmed all previous legal provisions relating to the State Emblem.

Coat of arms of Russia, 1917
After the February Revolution of 1917, on the initiative of Maxim Gorky, a Special Meeting on Arts was organized. In March of the same year, it included a commission under the executive committee of the Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, which, in particular, was preparing a new version of the coat of arms of Russia. The commission included famous artists and art historians A. N. Benois and N. K. Roerich, I. Ya. Bilibin, and heraldist V. K. Lukomsky. It was decided to use images of a double-headed eagle on the seal of the Provisional Government. The design of this seal was entrusted to I. Ya. Bilibin, who took as a basis the image of the double-headed eagle, deprived of almost all symbols of power, on the seal of Ivan III. This image continued to be used after the October Revolution, until the adoption of the new Soviet coat of arms on July 24, 1918.

State emblem of the RSFSR, 1918-1993.
In the summer of 1918, the Soviet government finally decided to break with the historical symbols of Russia, and the new Constitution adopted on July 10, 1918 proclaimed in the state emblem not land, but political, party symbols: the double-headed eagle was replaced by a red shield, which depicted a crossed hammer and sickle and an ascending the sun as a sign of change. Since 1920, the abbreviated name of the state - the RSFSR - was placed at the top of the shield. The shield was bordered by ears of wheat, secured with a red ribbon with the inscription “Workers of all countries, unite.” Later, this image of the coat of arms was approved in the Constitution of the RSFSR.

Even earlier (April 16, 1918), the sign of the Red Army was legalized: a five-pointed Red Star, a symbol of the ancient god of war, Mars. 60 years later, in the spring of 1978, the military star, which by that time had become part of the coat of arms of the USSR and most republics, was included in the coat of arms of the RSFSR.

In 1992, the last change to the coat of arms came into force: the abbreviation above the hammer and sickle was replaced by the inscription “Russian Federation”. But this decision was almost never carried out, because the Soviet coat of arms with its party symbols no longer corresponded to the political structure of Russia after the collapse of the one-party system of government, the ideology of which it embodied.

State emblem of the Russian Federation, 1993
On November 5, 1990, the Government of the RSFSR adopted a resolution on the creation of the State Emblem and State Flag of the RSFSR. A Government Commission was created to organize this work. After a comprehensive discussion, the commission proposed to recommend to the Government a white-blue-red flag and a coat of arms - a golden double-headed eagle on a red field. The final restoration of these symbols occurred in 1993, when by Decrees of President B. Yeltsin they were approved as the state flag and coat of arms.

On December 8, 2000, the State Duma adopted the Federal Constitutional Law “On the State Emblem of the Russian Federation.” Which was approved by the Federation Council and signed by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on December 20, 2000.

The golden double-headed eagle on a red field preserves historical continuity in the colors of the coats of arms of the late 15th - 17th centuries. The eagle design goes back to images on monuments from the era of Peter the Great.

The restoration of the double-headed eagle as the State Emblem of Russia personifies the continuity and continuity of Russian history. Today's coat of arms of Russia is a new coat of arms, but its components are deeply traditional; it reflects different stages of Russian history and continues them on the eve of the third millennium.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

The image of an eagle is very common in heraldry. This proud bird, symbolizing power and state vision, is in the state emblems of Armenia, Latvia, Georgia, Iraq, Chile, and the USA. There is also an image of an eagle in the Russian coat of arms.

The peculiarity is that the eagle depicted on it has two heads facing in different directions. This image cannot be considered exclusively Russian - it was known to the Sumerian civilization, the Hittites. It also existed in Byzantium.

Byzantine theory

The most famous theory connects the origin of the Russian double-headed eagle with Byzantium. It is believed that this coat of arms was “brought” to Russia by Sophia Paleologus, the niece and sole heir of the last Byzantine emperor. Having married Sophia, the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III had every reason to consider himself the heir to the emperors of Byzantium, which perished under the blows, and along with the title of sovereign, he inherited the coat of arms in the form of a double-headed eagle.

Many facts contradict this hypothesis. The wedding of Ivan III and Sophia Paleologus took place in 1472, and the double-headed eagle was adopted as the state emblem (seal) in 1497. It is difficult to find a cause-and-effect relationship between events separated by 25 years.

There is no reason to believe that the double-headed eagle was the coat of arms of the Palaiologos, much less Byzantium as a whole. This symbol was not on Byzantine coins or on state seals. And yet, this symbol was used as a decorative element. Clothes with such a symbol were worn by representatives of the highest nobility.

As a coat of arms, the double-headed eagle was used not in Byzantium itself, but in its neighboring countries - Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, which sought to oppose themselves to it.

Other theories

Some researchers associate the origin of the double-headed eagle on the Russian coat of arms with the Golden Horde. This symbol is present on the coins of Khan Janibek, who ruled in the 14th century. But this theory seems controversial: borrowing an enemy emblem is unlikely.

The hypothesis about the borrowing of the double-headed eagle from Western Europe seems more reasonable. In medieval Europe, the double-headed eagle was present on the coins of Frederick Barbarossa, Bertrand III, King Wenceslas IV of the Czech Republic, and since 1434 it has been the state emblem of the Holy Roman Empire.

Ivan III set a course to strengthen the international prestige of the young Moscow state. Measures such as the issuance of gold coins and the introduction of European elements into the court ceremony were aimed at this. It is possible that the adoption of the double-headed eagle as a coat of arms was also associated with the desire to become on a par with European monarchs, primarily with the Holy Roman Emperor.

In Europe, the double-headed eagle appeared at the end of the 12th century - during the era of the Crusades. It was probably during the Crusades that this symbol was borrowed by Europeans in the East. In Eastern culture, this image arose again - initially as an element of ornament, later turning into a symbol of royal power. The two heads of an eagle arose as a follow to the principle of symmetry, which in Eastern culture was associated with the idea of ​​perfection, which was correlated with the understanding of the ruler as a “model of perfection.”

As a Russian coat of arms, the image of the double-headed eagle was filled with new content. It was seen as a symbol of the unification of Moscow and Novgorod, and now it is most often interpreted as a symbol of the unity of West and East, Europe and Asia in the Russian state.

Sources:

• The story of the coat of arms of Russia

From time immemorial, the symbol of any state or city has been its coat of arms. The coat of arms is the face of a public legal entity; it is the coat of arms that carries the secrets and values ​​of the state. What is depicted on the coat of arms of the Russian Federation?

The Russian coat of arms depicts the following: a heraldic shield of red color, the corners of which are rounded at the bottom and left at the top as the vertices of a quadrangle. On the shield in the center is a proud golden eagle with two heads looking in two directions, which has spread its wings. In his right paw is a scepter, and in his left paw is an orb. Above each head of the eagle there is a crown, which are then, as it were, united by one large crown. In addition, the Russian coat of arms depicts a rider on a horse with a spear slaying a dragon. This composition is depicted in silver. The rider's cloak is blue.

The image of the Russian coat of arms can be interpreted from different points of view, in accordance with the rules of heraldry. The direction of the eagle's heads indicates that the state stands guard over its own people and will not allow its citizens to be offended. The spread wings characterize the Russian state as a strong power, ready at the right time to defend both its interests and the interests of disadvantaged groups. This is evidenced by the defeat of the dragon, who fell under the strong hooves of a reliable horse, and with the help of a spear the rider strengthened his victory. The symbol of the state's sovereignty is the united crowns. Despite the fact that Russia is recognized as a secular state, echoes of Christianity are also present: the symbol of the double-headed eagle itself was borrowed from Byzantium.

It is noteworthy that the image on the Russian coat of arms is officially enshrined by the legislator in the Federal Constitutional Law dedicated to the coat of arms of the Russian Federation. This form of the law suggests that it is important for the state to have respectful attitude of citizens towards the symbol of Russia, because there are not many FKZs in the Russian Federation at the moment. It is interesting that the legislative description of the coat of arms was significantly supplemented in 2000, in connection with the adoption of the Federal Law. The previously existing “Regulations” did not provide such a detailed description of the shape of the shield. The eagle was indicated only as "golden" and "double-headed", the crowns were indicated as the crowns of Peter the Great, the color palette of the shield on the eagle was not indicated, and the position of the dragon was not given. Probably, this was done so that every citizen could know in detail and even tell what is depicted on the Russian coat of arms.

For official documents it is impossible to use an exact copy of the coat of arms, so the stamp is usually an image of an eagle, without a large shield in red, blue, bright green. Other colors are not acceptable. The color scheme when depicting the coat of arms must also be maintained: the colors of the shields, eagle, horseman or dragon cannot be replaced. And the direction of movement of the horse should be to the right, not to the left.

The Russian coat of arms depicts the attitude of the state towards its citizens and the respect of residents for the state. The coat of arms carries the strength of the Russian people, their power and nobility.

Video on the topic

Controversial issue

The double-headed eagle, which for centuries served as a symbol of the Russian state and royal power, has long been animatedly discussed by historians and various segments of the country's population. Usually we talk about his various images and their historical evolution. So where did the double-headed eagle come from in Russian history? The fact is that it was not specially invented as an official symbol of Russian statehood, but has its own interesting history. Even in ancient times, paired heraldic images of birds of prey were not uncommon. There were both unequal pairs, when one bird torments the other, and allied ones, where the two parts of the image were facing each other. Despite the rather long history of the presence of the double-headed eagle on Russian attributes of state power, disputes about its origin still do not subside.

First appearance of the double-headed eagle

For the first time, Russia, like many other European countries, acquired a coat of arms in the medieval period. At the end of the fifteenth century, the first sovereign of the already united state, Ivan the Third, created a national seal. The charter of 1497 brought down to this day its red wax print. It attracted the attention of Russian historians Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev and Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, the latter noted in his historical works that all the symbolism of the Russian sovereign coat of arms goes back to this seal. There, for the first time, the double-headed eagle with both crowned heads and the horseman who kills the mythical dragon with a spear were reunited and remained inseparable over the next several centuries.

Dominance of the Double Headed Eagle

However, on the seal of the first Russian sovereign, both emblems are in an equivalent position, where each of them takes its own side. In subsequent images, starting around the sixteenth century, the double-headed eagle occupies a dominant position, and in the seventeenth century it completely became the main emblem of the sovereign coat of arms of Russia. Somewhat later, a version begins to appear in Russian historical literature about borrowing this symbol from the once glorious Byzantium and combining it with the primordially Russian St. George the Victorious. We should not forget that the wife of Ivan the Third was the Byzantine princess Sophia, the niece of Emperor Constantine Palaiologos.

A gift from Byzantium?

Subsequent generations of historians, writers and publicists clearly liked this version, since, in their opinion, it looked quite logical. Thus, the hypothesis that the double-headed eagle coat of arms went to Russia as a kind of dowry began to wander through the pages of various authors right up to the present day. However, among some domestic researchers, the “gift of Byzantium” causes considerable skepticism. For example, the internationally recognized authority in the field of Byzantine and Russian symbolism N.P. Likhachev believed that Ivan the Third’s borrowing of the Byzantine coat of arms was impossible for the simple reason that this eastern empire never had any national seals. There were only personal emblems of the emperors. And the double-headed eagle, the meaning of which is that it symbolizes the monarchical power of the royal couple, is not seen on any of them.

Under the shadow of the double-headed eagle

This two-headed bird of prey was well known to many ancient civilizations, such as the Hittites and Sumerians. On various reliefs discovered during archaeological excavations in the territory of modern Turkey, the image of a double-headed eagle is adjacent to Hittite deities. In that era, it decorated fabrics, seals, and was actively used in wall paintings. As a cultural heritage that passed on to the Seljuks from the ancient civilizations of Western Asia, the image of a two-headed bird became known to the Muslim world of the Middle Ages. And Europeans became acquainted with it during the period of the Crusades and began to use this image as a decorative element.

Attribute of imperial power

In the process of its historical evolution, the double-headed eagle gradually turned from a mythological image and decorative element into a political symbol and attribute of monarchical power. Since the thirteenth century, his image can already be seen on various coins and coats of arms of the rulers of some European principalities, duchies and countries, as well as on the shields of knights. Thus, the double-headed eagle acquires the features of an armorial figure. Then, in the process of European integration of the Russian state, it comes to Russia, where it is officially approved as a sign of imperial power.

Editor's response

November 30, 1993 Russian President Boris Yeltsin By his decree, he approved the double-headed eagle as the state emblem, which replaced the Soviet hammer and sickle. For the first time this symbol was officially approved as the coat of arms of Russia on April 11, 1857 Emperor Alexander II. Until this moment, it did not have official status and was modified many times.

The history of the double-headed eagle

The emblem of an eagle with two heads was a symbol of the ancient Hittite kingdom, which ruled the Balkans, Asia Minor and controlled the exit from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. The symbol was also used by the Persian Shahs of the Sassanid dynasty.

In ancient Rome, generals depicted a single-headed eagle on their staffs. Later, the eagle became an exclusively imperial sign, symbolizing supreme power.

According to legend, when he entered Rome Julius Caesar, an eagle circling in the air killed two kites, which fell at the feet of the emperor. The surprised Caesar considered this a good sign and ordered a second head to be added to the Roman eagle.

The double-headed eagle was also the coat of arms of Byzantium. There is an assumption that the emblem did not refer to the entire state, but only to the Palaiologan dynasty, which ruled from 1261 to 1453. in Byzantium.

How did the double-headed eagle become a symbol of Russia?

Coats of arms, in a form close to the modern one, appeared in the Middle Ages in Western Europe, in England and France. Knights depicted their emblems on shields and banners, passing them on from generation to generation. There were no coats of arms in Rus'. During battles, embroidered or painted images of Christ, the Virgin Mary, saints, or an Orthodox cross most often served as banners. Therefore, at first the grand ducal seal served as the coat of arms in Russia.

The double-headed eagle came to Rus' from Byzantium in the Middle Ages. In January 1472, the bride Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III became Byzantine Princess Sophia Paleologue. Ivan III decided to place a double-headed eagle on his seal next to the coat of arms of Moscow - St. George the Victorious killing the serpent.

At first, both coats of arms existed on equal terms, but a hundred years later the double-headed eagle was chosen as the emblem of the Russian coat of arms, and St. George the Victorious - of Moscow.

How did the coat of arms of Russia change?

In the 17th century, the regalia of imperial power, generally accepted in all monarchical states, appeared in the paws of an eagle.

Coat of arms of the Russian state in the middle of the 17th century. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Another change was made by the son of Ivan the Terrible - Fyodor Ivanovich “Blessed” during his short reign (1584-1587). An Orthodox cross appeared between the crowned heads of the double-headed eagle. This symbol was associated with the establishment in 1589 of the patriarchate and ecclesiastical independence of Russia.

At Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov(1613-1645) St. George the Victorious appeared on the emblem - his image appeared on the chest of the eagle. Also, the third crown began to be depicted on the coat of arms.

Paul I(1796-1801) as the patron of the Order of Malta, ordered the inclusion of an image of the Maltese cross and crown in the state coat of arms.

Emperor Alexander I(1801-1825) removed the Maltese symbols, as well as two of the three crowns. After the victory over Napoleon, the eagle began to be depicted with lowered, spread wings (before that the wings were raised). In the paws, instead of a scepter and orb, a wreath, lightning and a torch appeared.

Large coat of arms of the Russian Empire. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

But the most serious reform was carried out during the reign Alexandra II in 1855-1857. At his order, a special Stamp Department was created, which was headed by Baron Bernhard Koehne. He changed the design of the eagle and St. George the Victorious.

On April 11, 1857, Alexander II approved the coat of arms of the Russian Empire - a double-headed eagle. In May 1857, the Senate published a Decree describing new coats of arms and the norms for their use, which existed until 1917 without any significant changes.

After the revolution, the symbols of the monarchy and the Russian Empire - the order, flag and coat of arms were abolished. The hammer and sickle became the emblem of the USSR.

Coat of arms of the RSFSR (July 19, 1918 - May 11, 1925) Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

The double-headed eagle returned to the country's coat of arms only in 1993, when a new state emblem was introduced by presidential decree - a double-headed eagle, the design of which was based on the coat of arms of the Russian Empire.

In what other countries is the double-headed eagle used as a state symbol?

The double-headed eagle is used on the coats of arms and flags of modern states:

Albania

The double-headed eagle was borrowed from Byzantium at the end of the 15th century by the feudal family of Kastrioti. Family name representative Georgiy Skanderbeg in 1443 he led the fight for the independence of Albania from Turkey. The flag with an eagle, under which Skanderbeg’s warriors went on the attack against foreigners, became the main national symbol of the Balkan people. And it couldn’t have been any other way. After all, the ancient Albanians believed that they descended from this proud bird. The name of the country in the local dialect is called Skiperia - “Country of Eagles”.

Flag of Alanya. Photo: Public Domain

Armenia

The double-headed eagle was depicted on the coat of arms of the ancient princely family of Mamikonyans. In 1918, it became the official coat of arms of the First Republic of Armenia at the choice of the architect, academician of the Russian Academy of Arts Alexandra Tamanyan and artist Hakob Kojoyan.

Coat of arms of Armenia. Photo: Public Domain

Serbia

The emblem depicts a double-headed eagle, a red shield on its chest, and a cross with four flints (Serbian cross) on the shield. On top there is a royal crown and cloak. The coat of arms exactly repeats the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Serbia dynasty Obrenovic, first adopted in 1882.

Flag of Serbia. Photo: Public Domain

Montenegro

The coat of arms depicts a double-headed eagle in flight, which repeats the emblem of the dynasty Petrovich(the first royal dynasty of Montenegro) and the dynastic coat of arms of the ruling dynasty of Byzantium, the Palaiologos. The coat of arms in the local interpretation symbolizes the unity and interrelation of the Church and the State.

Flag of Montenegro. Photo: Public Domain

In addition, the double-headed eagle was used in the past on the coats of arms and flags of historical states:

• Austrian Empire (1815-1867)
• Austria-Hungary (1867-1918)
• Federal State of Austria (1934-1938)
• Kingdom of Poland (1815-1915)
• Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1992-2003)

In a number of countries, the double-headed eagle is a symbol of the armed forces or police:

• Greece - army flag;
• Cyprus - emblem of the National Guard;
• Türkiye - emblem of the Directorate General of Security;
• Sri Lanka - Emblem of the Armored Corps.

*Heraldry(coat of arms; from Latin heraldus - herald) - a special historical discipline that deals with the study of coats of arms, as well as the tradition and practice of their use.