160 years ago, on April 11, 1857, the Russian Tsar Alexander II approved the state emblem of Russia - a two-headed eagle. In general, the coat of arms of the Russian state was modified under many tsars. This happened under Ivan the Terrible, Mikhail Fedorovich, Peter I, Paul I, Alexander I and Nicholas I. Each of these monarchs made some changes to the state emblem.
But a serious heraldic reform was carried out during the reign of Alexander II in 1855-1857. At his behest, specifically for the work on the coats of arms in the Department of Heraldry of the Senate, the Heraldry Department was created, which was headed by Baron B. Kene. He developed a whole system of Russian state emblems (Big, Medium and Small), focusing in their artistic embodiment on the generally recognized norms of European monarchical heraldry. Also, under the leadership of Kene, the drawing of the eagle and St. George was changed, and the state emblem was brought in accordance with the international rules of heraldry. On April 11, 1857, Alexander II approved the coat of arms of the Russian Empire - a two-headed eagle. The whole set of state emblems was also approved - Big, Medium and Small, which were supposed to symbolize the unity and power of Russia. In May 1857, the Senate published a decree describing the new coats of arms and the rules for their use, which existed without significant changes until 1917.
The legacy of ancestors
The coat of arms and color of the nation have symbolic and historical significance. It must be remembered that state symbols (a figurative expression of statehood, nation, its ideology) occupy an extremely important place in the life of the people, although this is usually imperceptible in everyday life. The most ancient Russian symbols, which originate from the time of the Indo-Europeans-Aryans, were the solstice, the falcon-rarog, the two-headed eagle, red.
One of the historical emblems of Russia-Russia is the double-headed eagle. In its antiquity and depth of meaning, it is inferior only to the rider slaying the dragon-serpent, who in a later, already Christian understanding, is known as St. George the Victorious. The rider symbolizes the thunderer (Perun, Indra, Thor, etc.), which strikes the snake (the symbol of Veles-Volos, the lord of Navi). This is one of the basic myths of the Indo-European Aryans.
The two-headed eagle (bird) has been noted in a wide variety of cultures. In particular, in Sumerian and Indian mythologies. So, Gandaberunda is a two-headed bird in Vedic (Hindu) mythology (II millennium BC). The name of this bird consists of two words - ganda (strong), berunda (two-headed). In the Vishnu Purana, it is said that the warrior god Vishnu turned into Gandaberunda when the usual weapons that he owned were not enough and fantastic strength was required: a two-headed eagle could easily lift an elephant or a lion in each paw and beak. Such an image of Gandaberunda was preserved not only on medieval coins, but also on the bas-relief of the Rameshwar temple in the Indian city of Keladi, which was built in the 16th century, as well as in the coat of arms of the kingdom (principality) of Mysore, where Gandaberunda holds an elephant in each paw. Gandaberunda is also known as the emblem of the dynasty of the kings of Mysore - Vodeyars, on a number of gold and copper coins of the powerful Vijayanagar empire (southern India) of the 13th-16th centuries.
Principality of Mysore (India)
Gandaberunda was perceived by the Indians not only as a symbol of the warrior god Vishnu, his supreme power and military strength, but also as an avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu, he also symbolized the observance of the principles of dharma (discipline and order). In addition, in Buddhism, the two-headed eagle symbolized the power and authority of the Buddha.
This symbol was also actively used in northern Indo-European (Aryan) cultures. H It must be said that the multi-headedness of various animals, mythical creatures is one of the features of Slavic mythology. It is not for nothing that another of the most ancient symbols of the super-ethnos of the Rus is Triglav, the triune God watches over all the kingdoms of the earth: Reality, Pravue and Navu (in India it is known as Trimurti, in Christianity - Trinity). Various Two-headed, Triglav-Trojans, four-headed Svyatovids-Sventovids, Semiglavs, etc. - this is a sign of the super-ethnos of the Rus.
The double-headed eagle is especially common in ancient times in Asia Minor and on the Balkan Peninsula. In Asia Minor, it has been found since the time of the powerful state of the 2nd millennium BC. NS. - Hittite kingdom. Its founders were the Indo-European Aryans, whose ancestral home was supposedly the Balkan Peninsula. The Hittite Empire successfully competed with Egypt. The Hittites were among the first to master the secret smelting of iron, to control the whole of Asia Minor and the straits from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. It was a great Aryan (Indo-European) people who worshiped the gods Pirve (Perun) and Sivat (Light). The Hittite emblem was a two-headed eagle, which has survived not only on standards, stone bas-reliefs, but also on seals. The Hittite eagle is the most important material evidence of the continuity of Indo-European cultures, the continuity of empires.
Gandaberunda at Rmeshwara Temple in Keladi, India
Double-headed eagle - a symbol of the Hittite kingdom
However, the Hittites also adopted the eagle from the more ancient Aryan culture. There are also more ancient settlements in Anatolia. In particular, an excavation site near the settlement of Alacha-Uyuk (English-language form - Aladzha-khuyuk ). This is a settlement of the Bronze Age - IV - III millennium BC. NS. And here, along with numerous sculptural and bronze images of swastikas-solstice and other Aryan-Indo-European traditional symbols, charms, reliefs of a two-headed eagle were discovered. Thus, we observe the most ancient continuity of the Aryan-Indo-European culture: Alacha IV millennium BC. NS. - Hattusa II millennium BC NS. - Byzantium I-II millennium AD NS. - Russia XV-XXI centuries. n. NS.
Russian heraldists noted that the image of a two-headed eagle was known in ancient Pteria (a city in Media). It belonged to the period at the turn of the 7th-6th centuries. BC NS. According to Xenophon's testimony, the eagle served as a symbol of supreme power among the Persians at about the same time. The double-headed eagle symbol was used by the Persian shahs of the Sassanid dynasty. In ancient times, the eagle and lion were considered a symbol of royalty. In ancient Rome, Roman generals had images of an eagle on their wands, it was a symbol of supremacy over the troops. Later, the eagle became an exclusively imperial sign, symbolizing the supreme power.
Western heraldists of the 17th century told the legend how the two-headed eagle became the state emblem of Rome. At the entrance of Julius Caesar to Rome, an eagle hovered over him in the air, which attacked two kites, killed them and threw them at the feet of the great commander. Surprised Julius considered this a sign that predicts his victory and ordered to perpetuate him by adding a second head to the Roman eagle. However, most likely, the appearance of the second head should be attributed to a later time, when the empire was divided into two parts - the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. The eagle's body was one, which meant common interests and origins, but with two heads facing west and east. Such an eagle was adopted as the emblem of the empire by Constantine the Great (272 - 337), or under other sources, by Justinian I (483 - 565). Apparently, much later the same symbolic meaning was attached to the two-headed eagle of Austria-Hungary.
But the double-headed eagle was not the official symbol of the Byzantine Empire, as many believe. It was the emblem of the Palaeologus dynasty, which ruled from 1261 to 1453, and not the entire Byzantine state. In the Muslim world, which adopted the ancient Indo-European (Aryan) symbolism, the two-headed eagle personified the highest, including military, power of the Sultan, who was presented as a hero-warrior, distinguished by courage, will to victory and belligerence. The double-headed eagle was placed on the flag of the Seljuk Turks. It was used by the Konya Sultanate (the Iconian Sultanate, or the Rum Sultanate, or the Seljuk Sultanate) - a feudal state in Asia Minor that existed from 1077 to 1307. The double-headed eagle has survived as a symbol of Konya.
Konya
Palaeologus dynasty emblem
After the start of the Crusades, the double-headed eagle appears in Western European heraldry. So, it is marked on the coins of Ludwig of Bavaria and the coats of arms of the burgraves of Würzburg and the counts of Savoy. The German king and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa (1122 - 1190) was the first to use a black two-headed eagle in his coat of arms. Frederick saw this symbol in Byzantium. Until 1180, the two-headed eagle was not marked on state seals, coins and regalia, as well as on the personal belongings of the emperor. Earlier, the single-headed eagle was the symbol of the German rulers, but starting with the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, both symbols began to be depicted on the coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire. Only in the 15th century did the double-headed eagle become the state emblem of the Holy Roman Empire. The eagle was depicted as black on a golden shield, with golden beaks and claws, and their heads were surrounded by halos. In the 19th - early 20th centuries, the double-headed eagle was the coat of arms of Austria-Hungary. In addition, in Serbia, the double-headed eagle became the coat of arms of the Nemanich family. This was the ruling dynasty in the XII-XIV centuries.
Double-headed eagle on the coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire
Russia
In Russia, the two-headed eagle was noted in the 13th century in the Chernigov principality, and in the 15th century - in the Tver and Moscow principalities. The double-headed eagle also had some circulation in the Golden Horde. A number of coins of the Golden Horde with the image of a two-headed eagle have survived. Some researchers even claim that the double-headed eagle was the state emblem of the Horde. But most historians do not support this version. The seal of Ivan III Vasilyevich, which came from Vasily II Vasilyevich, depicted a lion who was tormenting a snake (the lion was a symbol of the Vladimir principality). At the end of the 15th century, two new symbols appeared: the rider (rider), which was used even in the Old Russian state, and the two-headed eagle. The formal reason for using this symbol was the fact that the wife of Ivan III was Sophia Palaeologus, for whom the eagle was a generic sign. The Palaeologus emblem was a black silhouette woven in black silk on a gold field. It was devoid of plasticity and internal design, being in fact a flat ornamental emblem.
Thus, the two-headed eagle was known in Russia even before the arrival of the Byzantine princess. For example, Ulrich von Richsenthal's Chronicle of the Cathedral of Constance from 1416 contains the emblem of Russia with the image of a two-headed eagle. The double-headed eagle was not a symbol of the Byzantine Empire, and the great Russian princes adopted it to emphasize their equality with Western European monarchs, to be equal to the German emperor.
Przemysl land (XIII century)
Chernigov principality
Tsar Ivan III took the appearance of this emblem in the Russian kingdom very seriously. For the contemporaries of the Grand Duke, the kinship of the Byzantine imperial dynasty with the house of Rurik was an act of great importance. In fact, Russia disputed the rights of the strongest state in Western Europe - the Holy Roman Empire for this symbol. The Moscow grand dukes began to rely on the successors of the Roman and Byzantine emperors. Elder Philotheus from the first half of the 16th century will formulate the concept "Moscow - the third Rome". According to this concept, there were two Romes in history, the third is (Moscow), and "the fourth will not be." Moscow became the heir to the Christian and messianic traditions of Rome and Constantinople. Ivan III the Great adopted this coat of arms not only as a dynastic sign of his wife, but as a heraldic symbol of the Russian state in the future. The first reliable use of the two-headed eagle as a state symbol of the emblem dates back to 1497, when the grand duke's charter on the land holdings of specific princes was sealed with a seal on red wax. The obverse and reverse sides of the seal bore images of a two-headed eagle and a rider slaying a snake. At the same time, images of a gilded double-headed eagle on a red field appeared on the walls of the Faceted Chamber in the Kremlin.
The Byzantine eagle acquired new features on Russian soil, “Russified”. In Russia, a previously simplified, lifeless graphic silhouette is filled with flesh, comes to life, ready to fly. This is a powerful, formidable bird. The eagle's chest is covered by the most ancient, primordial Russian symbol - the Heavenly Warrior, the Conqueror of evil, the patron saint of the military principle of Russia (Perun - George the Victorious). The eagle was depicted in gold on a red field.
During the reign of Tsar Ivan IV, the two-headed eagle finally became the coat of arms of Russia. First, the coat of arms of the Russian kingdom was supplemented by a unicorn, and then by a rider-snake-fighter. The rider was traditionally perceived as an image of the sovereign - "a great prince on horseback, and having a spear in his hand." That is, the tsar in Russia, according to the most ancient Aryan tradition, was the embodiment of Perun - George the Victorious - the defender of Truth on Earth. Before the reign of Mikhail Romanov, there were two crowns over the heads of the eagle. Between them, a Russian eight-pointed cross was depicted - a symbol of Orthodoxy. Only in the big seal of Boris Godunov, the eagle first appears three crowns, they denoted the Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberian kingdoms. Finally, the third crown appeared in 1625, it was introduced instead of the cross. Three crowns from that time meant the Holy Trinity, at a later time, from the end of the 19th century, they began to be considered a symbol of the trinity of three parts of the Russian superethnos - Great Russians, Little Russians and Belarusians. Since the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, the Russian eagle almost always holds a scepter and orb in its hands.
From the 15th to the middle of the 17th century, the Russian eagle was always depicted with lowered wings, which was determined by the eastern heraldic tradition. Only on some seals of False Dmitry, apparently under Western influence, the wings of the eagle are raised. In addition, on one of the seals of False Dmitry I, the rider-serpent fighter was turned to the right according to the Western European heraldic tradition.
During the reign of Tsar Peter Alekseevich, with the approval of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, the Moscow coat of arms is almost always surrounded by the chain of the order. The two-headed eagle itself. Under the influence of Western traditions, it turns black. The horseman was officially called Saint George in 1727. Under Empress Anna Ioannovna, a specially invited engraver IK Gedlinger prepared the State Seal by 1740, which, with minor changes, will last until 1856. Emperor Pavel Petrovich, who became the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, in 1799 will introduce into the Russian coat of arms the Maltese cross on his chest, on which the Moscow coat of arms will be placed. Under him, an attempt will be made to develop and introduce the full coat of arms of the Russian Empire. By 1800, a complex coat of arms will be prepared, on which there will be 43 coats of arms. But before the death of Paul, this coat of arms will not have time to be adopted.
Coat of arms of the Moscow principality (XV century)
Coat of arms of the Russian Kingdom (XVII century)
State emblem of Russia (1730)
Russian coat of arms, proposed by Emperor Paul I (1800)
State emblem of Russia (1825)
It must be said that before the reign of Alexander III, the prescription of the Russian two-headed eagle had never been precisely established by law. Therefore, the form, details, attributes and character changed in different reigns quite easily and often significantly. So on coins of the 18th century, apparently under the influence of Peter's antipathy to Moscow, the eagle was depicted without the coat of arms of the old capital. The scepter and orb were sometimes replaced by a laurel branch, sword, and other emblems. By the end of the reign of Alexander I, the eagle was given not a heraldic, but a completely arbitrary form, which was borrowed in France. It was first placed on silverware made in France for the imperial house. This two-headed eagle had wide spread wings and held in its paws thunder arrows intertwined with ribbons, a rod and a torch (in the right), a laurel crown (in the left). The dynastic St. Andrew's chain disappeared, a heart-shaped shield with the Moscow emblem appeared on the eagle's chest.
Under Nicholas I, there were two types of coat of arms. The simplified coat of arms had only basic elements. On the second, the title coats of arms appeared on the wings: Kazan, Astrakhan, Siberian (on the right), Polish, Tauride and Finland (on the left). The coat of arms itself is extremely monumental, harmoniously included in the new architectural style, known as the "Nikolaev Empire". The wings are as if spread over Russia, as if protecting it. The heads are formidable and powerful.
Under Tsar Alexander II, a heraldic reform was carried out, its main author was Baron Köhne. A crown appears over the Moscow coat of arms, with St. George is depicted as a medieval knight in silver armor. The eagle's shape is emphatically heraldic. On the small state emblem also appeared shields with the emblems of the territories within the Russian state. On April 11, 1857, a whole set of coats of arms was adopted - Big, Medium and Small state coats of arms and others, only one hundred and ten drawings.
Great State Emblem of the Russian Empire (1857)
Great State Emblem of the Russian Empire (1882)
Small State Emblem of the Russian Empire (1883)
In 1892, during the reign of Alexander III, an accurate description of the state emblem appeared in the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire. The St. Andrew's chain will return to the eagle's chest. Black feathers will be thickly strewn across the chest, necks and wide-spread wings. The paws carry the scepter and orb. The beaks of the eagles are menacingly opened and their tongues are extended. The stern gaze of the fiery eyes is directed to the east and west. The sight of the eagle was solemn, imposing and formidable. Coats of arms were placed on the wings. On the right: the Kazan, Polish, Chersonesos of the Tauride kingdoms, the combined coat of arms of the Kiev, Vladimir and Novgorod principalities. On the left wing: the Astrakhan, Siberian, Georgian kingdoms, the Grand Duchy of Finland.
As a national symbol of the Russian people and Russian statehood, the double-headed eagle passed through three dynasties of Russian autocrats - the Rurikovichs, Godunovs and Romanovs, without losing the value of the supreme state emblem. The two-headed eagle has also survived during the period of the Provisional Government, when the swastika, a sign of the sun and a symbol of eternity, competed with it. The Provisional Government postponed the decision on the state emblem until the convocation of the Constituent Assembly, and on its seal placed a two-headed eagle, redrawn from the seal of Ivan III, without crowns, scepter, orb, shield with George the Victorious on the eagle's chest, etc.
Coat of arms of the Russian Republic (1917)
For the first state emblem of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the hammer and sickle emblem was chosen, originally intended for the state press. At the top of the coat of arms were the letters of the RSFSR. Apart from these letters in the coat of arms, the first Soviet state sign was drawn up in accordance with the heraldic canons. The main image is the hammer and sickle emblem in the rays of the rising sun. The motto emphasized the political orientation of the distinctive sign of the socialist state. In 1978, a red star was added to the top of the coat of arms.
2nd Congress of Soviets of the USSR January 31, 1924approved the constitution, which stated that the coat of arms of the USSR consists of a hammer and sickle on the globe, depicted in the rays of the sun and framed by ears of corn entwined with a red ribbon with the inscription on it - "Workers of all countries, unite!" The inscription was in six languages - Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Georgian, Armenian, Turkic-Tatar. Above is a red five-pointed star. With the change in the number of union republics, the inscription on the tape was given in 1937-1946. in 11 languages, in 1946-1956 - in 16, since 1956 - in 15 languages.
The coat of arms of the RSFSR was used until 1993, only the inscription on the shield - "Russian Federation" was changed. In 1993, the two-headed eagle returned to the coat of arms of the Russian state. The proposed draft of the state emblem - a double-headed eagle without crowns, scepter, orb and other "royal" attributes - was rejected, remaining on metal money as the emblem of the Central Bank. The emblem was a double-headed eagle, the design of which was made based on the small emblem of the Russian Empire - in a different color scheme, without territorial emblems on the eagle's wings, without the chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the state emblem of the Russian Federation, its description and the procedure for official use are established by federal constitutional law. Such a law - "On the State Emblem of the Russian Federation" - was adopted on December 25, 2000. The emblem is a quadrangular, with rounded lower corners, a red heraldic shield pointed at the tip with a golden double-headed eagle that raised its spread wings. The eagle is crowned with two small crowns and above them one large crown, connected by a ribbon. In the right paw of the eagle is the scepter, in the left is the orb. On the eagle's chest, in a red shield, is a silver rider in a blue cloak on a silver horse, striking a black dragon overturned and trampled by a horse with a silver spear. It is allowed to reproduce the coat of arms in a one-color version, as well as without a heraldic shield.
Nowadays, the double-headed eagle is a symbol of the eternity of the Russian statehood, its continuity with the great empires of antiquity. The two heads of the eagle remind of the historical necessity for Russia-Russia to defend the borders in the West and East. Three crowns over their heads, fastened with a single ribbon, symbolize the unity of the three parts of Russia (Russian civilization) - Great Russia, Little Russia and White Russia. The scepter and orb signify the inviolability of the state foundations of our Motherland. The eagle's chest, protected by a shield with the image of a rider-snake-fighter, indicates the historical mission of the Russian people on Earth - the fight against evil in all its manifestations. Departure from this program leads to confusion and collapse of the Russian statehood. Historically Russia-Russia is the defender of Truth on Earth. At the present time, when involution (simplification) and degradation have swept over humanity, and the West has spread the idea of the "golden calf" (materialism) to the entire planet, which has led to global turmoil, this is especially important. The fall of Russian civilization, which is the bearer of the ethics of conscience on the planet, will lead to a global catastrophe (destruction of the current human civilization).
The two-headed eagle has returned to us. This ancient symbol is at least six to seven thousand years old. Let's hope that other undeservedly forgotten, or even specially desecrated, generic symbols and signs of the super-ethnos of the Russians (like the solstice) will eventually be fully returned and will eventually take their rightful place in Russia-Russia. They kept the Rus-Slavs for many thousands of years.
The modern state emblem of the Russian Federation
