The word coat of arms comes from the German word erbe, which means inheritance.

Each state has its own symbols that reflect its internal structure: power, territory, natural features and other priorities. One of the symbols of the state is the coat of arms.The coat of arms of each country has its own history of creation. There are special rules for drawing up a coat of arms, this is done by a special historical discipline of HERALDY, which was established back in the Middle Ages.

Seal of Ivan III the Great

The history of the coat of arms of the Russian Empire is quite interesting and original.

Officially, Russian heraldry begins with the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov (XVII century). But the forerunner of the emblem was the personal seals of the Russian tsars, so the primary sources of the Russian emblem should be sought in the 15th century, during the reign of Ivan III the Great. Initially, on the personal seal of Ivan III, George the Victorious was depicted, striking a snake with a spear - a symbol of Moscow and the Moscow principality. double headed eaglewas adopted on the state seal after the wedding in 1472 of Ivan III the Great with Sophia (Zoya) Palaiologos, the niece of the last emperor of Byzantium, Constantine Palaiologos. It symbolized the transfer of the heritage of the fallen Byzantium. But before Peter I, the Russian coat of arms was not subject to heraldic rules; Russian heraldry was developed precisely during his reign.

History of the coat of arms double-headed eagle

The eagle in the coat of arms originates from Byzantium. Later he appeared on the coat of arms of Russia. The image of an eagle is used in the coats of arms of many countries of the world: Austria, Germany, Iraq, Spain, Mexico, Poland, Syria, USA. But the double-headed eagle is present only on the coats of arms of Albania and Serbia. The Russian double-headed eagle has undergone many changes since its appearance and formation as an element of the state emblem. Let's consider these steps.
As mentioned above, coats of arms appeared in Russia a long time ago, but they were only drawings on the seals of the kings, they did not obey heraldic rules. Due to the lack of chivalry in Russia, coats of arms were not very common.Until the 16th century, Russia was a disparate state, so the state emblem of Russia was out of the question. But under Ivan III (1462-
1505) his seal acted as a coat of arms. On its front side is depicted a rider piercing a snake with a spear, and on the back - a double-headed eagle.

Ivan III and his seal. 1497

The first known images of a double-headed eagle date back to the 13th century BC. - This is a rock image of a double-headed eagle grabbing two birds with one stone. This was the coat of arms of the Hittite kings.
The double-headed eagle was a symbol of the Median kingdom - an ancient power in the territory of Asia Minor under the Median king Cyaxares (625-585 BC). Then the double-headed eagle appeared on the emblems of Rome under Constantine the Great. After the foundation in 330 of the new capital - Constantinople - the double-headed eagle became the state emblem of the Roman Empire.After the adoption of Christianity from Byzantium, Russia began to experience a strong influence of Byzantine culture, Byzantine ideas. Along with Christianity, new political orders and relations began to penetrate Russia. This influence especially intensified after the marriage of Sophia Paleolog and Ivan III. This marriage had important consequences for the monarchical power in Moscow. As a spouse, the Grand Duke of Moscow becomes the successor of the Byzantine emperor, who was considered the head of the entire Orthodox East. In relations with small neighboring lands, he already bears the title of Tsar of All Russia. Another title, "autocrat", is a translation of the Byzantine imperial title autocrator ; Initially, it meant the independence of the sovereign, but Ivan the Terrible gave it the meaning of the absolute, unlimited power of the monarch.From the end of the 15th century, the Byzantine coat of arms appeared on the seals of the Moscow sovereign - a double-headed eagle, it is combined with the former Moscow coat of arms - the image of George the Victorious. Thus, Russia confirmed the continuity from Byzantium.

From Ivan III to Peter I

Great State Seal of Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich (the Terrible)

The development of the Russian emblem is inextricably linked with the history of Russia. The eagle on the seals of John III was depicted with a closed beak and looked more like an eaglet. Russia of that time was still an eaglet, a young state. In the reign of Vasily III Ioannovich (1505-1533), the double-headed eagle is depicted already with open beaks, from which tongues protrude. At this time, Russia was strengthening its position: the monk Philotheus sends a message to Vasily III with his theory that "Moscow is the Third Rome."In the reign of John IV Vasilyevich (1533-1584), Russia won victories over the Astrakhan and Kazan kingdoms, annexed Siberia. The power of the Russian state is also reflected in its coat of arms: the double-headed eagle on the state seal is crowned with a single crown with an eight-pointed Orthodox cross above it. Front side of the seal: on the chest of the eagle there is a carved German shield with a unicorn - the personal sign of the king. All symbols in the personal symbolism of John IV are taken from the Psalter. Reverse side of the seal: on the chest of the eagle is a shield with the image of St. George the Victorious.On February 21, 1613, Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov was elected king by the Zemsky Sobor. His election put an end to the unrest that took place in the period after the death of Ivan the Terrible. The eagle on the coat of arms of this period spreads its wings, which means a new era in the history of Russia, which at that time becomes a single and rather strong state. This circumstance is immediately reflected in the coat of arms: instead of an eight-pointed cross, a third crown appears above the eagle. The interpretation of this change is different: a symbol of the Holy Trinity or a symbol of the unity of Great Russians, Little Russians and Belarusians. There is also a third interpretation: the conquered Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberian kingdoms.
Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov (1645-1676) ends the Russian-Polish conflict with the conclusion of the Andrusovo truce with Poland (1667). The Russian state becomes equal in rights with other European states. During the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, the eagle receives symbols of power: scepter and orb .

Great State Seal of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich

At the request of the tsar, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire Leopold I sent his king of arms Lavrenty Hurelevich to Moscow, who in 1673 wrote the essay “On the Genealogy of the Russian Grand Dukes and Sovereigns, showing the existing, through marriages, affinity between Russia and the eight European powers, that is Caesar of Rome, the kings of English, Danish, Gishpansky, Polish, Portuguese and Swedish, and with the image of these royal coats of arms, and in the middle of their Grand Duke St. Vladimir, at the end of the portrait of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. This essay marked the beginning of the development of Russian heraldry. The wings of the eagle are raised and fully opened (a symbol of the complete assertion of Russia as a powerful state; its heads are crowned with three royal crowns; on the chest is a shield with the Moscow coat of arms; in its paws is a scepter and orb.Lavrenty Khurelevich in 1667 for the first time gave an official description of the Russian coat of arms: “The double-headed eagle is the coat of arms of the sovereign Grand Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich of All Great and Small and White Russia, the autocrat, His Royal Majesty of the Russian kingdom, on which three corunas are depicted, signifying the three great Kazan, Astrakhan, Siberian glorious kingdoms, submitting to the God-protected and highest of His Tsar's Majesty the most merciful Sovereign and command ... on the Persians the image of the heir; in pasonkteh, a scepter and an apple, and they reveal the most merciful Sovereign, His Royal Majesty the Autocrat and Possessor.

From Peter I to Alexander II

Coat of arms of Peter I

Peter I ascended the Russian throne in 1682. During his reign, the Russian Empire became equal among the leading powers of Europe.
Under him, according to heraldic rules, the coat of arms began to be depicted in black (before that, it was depicted in gold). The eagle has become not only an adornment of state papers, but also a symbol of strength and power.

In 1721, Peter I assumed the imperial title, and instead of royal crowns, imperial crowns began to be depicted on the coats of arms. In 1722, he established the King of Arms office and the position of King of Arms.
Under Peter I, the state emblem also underwent other changes: in addition to changing the color of the eagle, shields with coats of arms were placed on its wings.Great principalities and kingdoms. On the right wing there were shields with coats of arms (from top to bottom): Kyiv, Novgorod, Astrakhan; on the left wing: Vladimir, Siberian, Kazan. It was under Peter I that a set of attributes of the coat of arms eagle developed.And after Russia entered the “spaces of Siberia and the Far East”, the double-headed eagle began to symbolize the inseparability of European and Asian Russia under one imperial crown, since one crowned head looks to the west, the other to the east. The era after Peter I is known as the era of palace coups. In the 30s of the XVIII century. immigrants from Germany dominated the leadership of the state, which did not contribute to the strengthening of the country. In 1736, Empress Anna Ioannovna invited a Swiss by birth, a Swedish engraver I.K.

Until the end of the XVIII century. there were no special changes in the design of the coat of arms, but during the time of Elizabeth Petrovna and Catherine the Great, the eagle looked more like an eagle.

Coat of arms of Catherine I

Pavel I

After becoming emperor, Paul I immediately tried to modify the Russian coat of arms. By decree of April 5, 1797, the double-headed eagle becomes an integral part of the coat of arms of the imperial family. But since Paul I was the master of the Order of Malta, this could not but be reflected in the state emblem. In 1799, Emperor Paul I issued a decree on the image of a double-headed eagle with a Maltese cross on its chest. The cross was placed on the chest of the eagle under the Moscow coat of arms ("the root coat of arms of Russia"). Also, the emperor is making an attempt to develop and introduce a complete coat of arms of the Russian Empire. At the upper end of this cross was placed the crown of the Grand Master.

Coat of arms of Russia with the Maltese cross

Coat of arms of the Russian Empire under Paul I. 1799.

In 1800, he proposed a complex coat of arms, on which forty-three coats of arms were placed in a multi-field shield and on nine small shields. However, they did not manage to accept this coat of arms before Paul's death.Paul I was also the founder of the Great Russian coat of arms. The Manifesto of December 16, 1800 gives its full description. The large Russian emblem was supposed to symbolize the internal unity and power of Russia. However, the project of Paul I was not implemented.

Alexander I, having become emperor in 1801, abolished the Maltese cross on the state emblem. But under Alexander I, on the coat of arms, the wings of an eagle are widely spread to the side, and the feathers are lowered down. One head is more tilted than the other. Instead of a scepter and an orb in the paws of an eagle, new attributes appear: a torch, thunderbolts (thunder arrows), a laurel wreath (sometimes a branch), a lictor bundle intertwined with ribbons.

Portraits of Alexander I and Nicholas I, united by the coat of arms

Alexander I

Nicholas I

Coat of arms of Nicholas I

The reign of Nicholas I (1825-1855) was emphatically firm and resolute (the suppression of the Decembrist uprising, limiting the status of Poland). Under him, from 1830, the armorial eagle began to be depicted with sharply raised wings (this remained so until 1917). In 1829, Nicholas I was crowned the kingdom of Poland, therefore, since 1832, the coat of arms of the Polish kingdom has been included in the Russian coat of arms.At the end of the reign of Nicholas I, the head of the department of heraldry, Baron B.V. Kene, tried to give the coat of arms the features of Western European heraldry: the image of the eagle should have become more strict. The coat of arms of Moscow was supposed to be depicted in a French shield, the horseman should have been turned, according to heraldic rules, to the left side of the viewer. But in 1855, Nicholas I died, and Kene's projects were implemented only under Alexander II.

The large state emblem of the Russian Empire was introduced in 1857 by decree of Emperor Alexander II (this is the idea of ​​Emperor Paul I).The large coat of arms of Russia is a symbol of the unity and power of Russia. Around the double-headed eagle are the coats of arms of the territories that are part of the Russian state. In the center of the Great State Emblem is a French shield with a gold field, on which a double-headed eagle is depicted. The eagle itself is black, crowned with three imperial crowns, which are connected by a blue ribbon: two small ones crown the head, a large one is located between the heads and rises above them; in the paws of an eagle - a scepter and orb; on the chest is depicted "the coat of arms of Moscow: in a shield scarlet with gold edges, the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious in silver weapons and an azure volk on a silver horse."

Great Coat of Arms of the Empire, approved by Alexander III in 1882

The shield, on which an eagle is depicted, is topped with the helmet of the holy Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, around the main shield is a chain and the order of St. Andrew the First-Called. On the sides of the shield are shield holders: on the right side (on the left of the viewer) - the holy Archangel Michael, on the left - the Archangel Gabriel. The central part under the shadow of a large imperial crown and the state banner above it.

Medium State Emblem of the Russian Empire
To the left and right of the state banner, on the same horizontal line with it, there are six shields with the combined coats of arms of the principalities and volosts - three to the right and three to the left of the banner, almost creating a semicircle. Nine shields crowned with the coats of arms of the Grand Duchies and Kingdoms and the coat of arms of His Imperial Majesty are the continuation and most of the circle that the combined coats of arms of the principalities and volosts began. Coats of arms counterclockwise: Astrakhan kingdom, Siberian kingdom, Family coat of arms of His Imperial Majesty, combined coats of arms of the Grand Principalities, coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Finland, coat of arms of Chersonis-Tauride, coat of arms of the Polish kingdom, coat of arms of the Kazan kingdom.The upper six shields from left to right: the combined coats of arms of the principalities and regions of the Great Russian, the combined coats of arms of the principalities and regions of the South-Western, the combined coats of arms of the Baltic regions.
At the same time, the Middle and Small state emblems were adopted.

Small State Emblem of the Russian Empire

The average state coat of arms was the same as the Bolshoi, but without state banners and six coats of arms above the canopy; Small - the same as the Middle, but without a canopy, images of saints and the family coat of arms of His Imperial Majesty.Adopted by the decree of Alexander III of November 3, 1882, the Great State Emblem differed from that adopted in 1857 in that it added a shield with the coat of arms of Turkestan (became part of Russia in 1867), the coats of arms of the principalities of Lithuania and Belarusian.

The large state emblem is framed by laurel and oak branches - a symbol of glory, honor, merit (laurel branches), valor, courage (oak branches).The Great State Emblem reflects "the triune essence of the Russian idea: For the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland." Faith is expressed in the symbols of Russian Orthodoxy: many crosses, the holy Archangel Michael and the holy Archangel Gabriel, the motto "God bless us", an eight-pointed Orthodox cross over the state banner. The idea of ​​an autocrat is expressed in the attributes of power: a large imperial crown, other Russian historical crowns, a scepter, an orb, a chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.The Fatherland is reflected in the coat of arms of Moscow, the coats of arms of Russian and Russian lands, in the helmet of the Holy Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky. The circular arrangement of the coats of arms symbolizes the equality between them, and the central location of the coat of arms of Moscow symbolizes the unity of Russia around Moscow, the historical center of the Russian lands.

The modern coat of arms of the Russian Federation (tyts)

In 1917, the eagle ceased to be the coat of arms of Russia. The coat of arms of the Russian Federation is known, the subjects of which were autonomous republics and other national entities. Each of the republics, subjects of the Russian Federation, had its own national emblem. But there is no Russian coat of arms on it.
In 1991 there was a coup d'etat. Democrats headed by BN Yeltsin came to power in Russia.On August 22, 1991, the white-blue-red flag is re-approved as the State Flag of Russia. On November 30, 1993, President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin signs a decree "On the State Emblem of the Russian Federation". The double-headed eagle is again the coat of arms of Russia.Now, as before, the double-headed eagle symbolizes the power and unity of the Russian state.

History of the Coat of Arms of Russia

Nevertheless, the opportunity to become equal with all European sovereigns at once prompted Ivan III to accept this coat of arms as the heraldic symbol of his state. Having turned from the Grand Duke into the Tsar of Moscow and taking for his state a new coat of arms - the Double-headed Eagle, Ivan III in 1472 puts Caesar's crowns on both heads.

After the death of Vasily III, because. his heir Ivan IV, later called Grozny, was still small, the regency of his mother Elena Glinskaya (1533-1538) comes, and the actual autocracy of the boyars Shuisky, Belsky (1538-1548). And here the Russian Eagle undergoes a very comical modification.

When Ivan IV turns 16 years old, and he is crowned king, the Eagle immediately undergoes a very significant change, as if personifying the entire era of the reign of Ivan the Terrible (1548-1574, 1576-1584).

The return of Ivan the Terrible to the throne causes the appearance of a new Eagle, the heads of which are crowned with one common crown of a clearly Western pattern. But that's not all, on the chest of the Eagle, instead of the icon of St. George the Victorious, an image of a unicorn appears. Why and why? This can only be guessed at. True, in fairness it should be noted that this Eagle was quickly canceled by Ivan the Terrible. Apparently the king guessed that such a fabulous zoo on the state emblem is inappropriate.

Ivan the Terrible dies and the weak, limited Tsar Fedor Ivanovich “Blessed” (1584-1587) reigns on the throne. And again the Eagle changes its appearance. During the reign of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, between the crowned heads of the double-headed eagle, a 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 coloring to the coat of arms of the state. The appearance of the "Golgotha ​​cross" in the coat of arms of Russia coincides with the time of the establishment in 1589 of the patriarchate and church independence of Russia.

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, on which a two-headed eagle with a rider on its chest was crowned with two crowns, and an Orthodox eight-pointed cross rises between the heads of the eagle.

In connection with the Polish occupation, the Eagle becomes very similar to the Polish one, differing, perhaps, in a two-headed one.

A shaky attempt to establish a new dynasty in the person of Vasily Shuisky (1606-1610), the painters from the command hut reflected in Orel one deprived of all sovereign attributes and, as if in mockery, either a flower or a cone will grow from the place of fusion of heads. Russian history says very little about Tsar Vladislav I Sigismundovich (1610-1612), however, he was not crowned in Russia, but he issued decrees, his image was minted on coins, and the Russian State Eagle had its own forms with him. And for the first time, the Scepter appears in the paw of the Eagle. The short and essentially fictitious reign of this king actually put an end to the Troubles.

The Time of Troubles ended, Russia repulsed the claims to the throne of the Polish and Swedish dynasties. Numerous impostors were defeated, the uprisings blazing in the country were suppressed. Since 1613, by decision of the Zemsky Sobor, the Romanov dynasty began to rule in Russia. Under the first tsar of this dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich (1613-1645), nicknamed "The Quietest" by the people, the State Emblem changes somewhat. In 1625, for the first time, a double-headed eagle is depicted under three crowns, George the Victorious returned on his chest, but not in the form of an icon, in the form of a shield. Also, on the icons, George the Victorious always galloped from left to right, i.e. from west to east towards the eternal enemies - the Mongol-Tatars. Now the enemy was in the west, the Polish gangs and the Roman curia did not give up their hopes to bring Russia to the Catholic faith.

In 1645, under the son of Mikhail Fedorovich, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the first Great State Seal appeared, on which a two-headed eagle with a rider on his chest was crowned with three crowns. Since that time, this type of image has been constantly used.

In contrast to the Byzantine model, and possibly under the influence of the coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire, the double-headed eagle, starting from 1654, began to be depicted with raised wings. And then the eagle "flyed" on the spiers of the towers of the Moscow Kremlin.

In 1667, after a long war between Russia and Poland over Ukraine, the Andrusovo truce was concluded. To seal this treaty, a Great Seal was made with a double-headed eagle under three crowns, with a shield with a rider on the chest, with a scepter and an orb in its paws.

In the same year, the first Decree in the history of Russia dated December 14 "On the royal title and the state seal" appeared, which contained the official description of the coat of arms: " The double-headed eagle is the coat of arms of the sovereign Grand Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich of All Great and Small and White Russia, the autocrat, His Royal Majesty of the Russian reign, on which three crowns are depicted that signify the three great Kazan, Astrakhan, Siberian glorious kingdoms. On the Persians (chest) the image of the heir; in the paws (claws) a scepter and an apple, and reveals the most merciful Sovereign, His Royal Majesty the Autocrat and Possessor".

In 1696, the throne goes solely to Peter I Alekseevich "The Great" (1689-1725). And almost immediately the State Emblem dramatically changes its shape. The era of great transformations begins. The capital is transferred to St. Petersburg and Orel acquires new attributes. Crowns appear on the heads under one common larger one, and on the chest there is an order chain of the Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called. This order, approved by Peter in 1798, became the first in the system of the highest state awards in Russia. The Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, one of the heavenly patrons of Peter Alekseevich, was declared the patron saint of Russia.

The blue oblique St. Andrew's cross (below in the plumage of an eagle) becomes the main element of the sign of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and a symbol of the Russian Navy. Since 1699, images of a double-headed eagle surrounded by a chain with the sign of the St. Andrew's Order have been found. And next year, the St. Andrew's Order is placed around the shield with the rider.

It is also important to say about another Eagle, which Peter painted as a boy for the banner of the Amusing Regiment. This Eagle had only one paw, for: "Whoever has only one land army has one hand, but whoever has a fleet has two hands." Only I did not find the image of this eagle.

With minor, or significant, but short-term changes, this image of the coat of arms of Russia existed until the beginning of the reign of Paul I (1796-1801), who made an attempt to introduce a 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 coat of arms described above in the form of a double-headed eagle with a Maltese cross, larger than the rest. 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 appeared. The shield holders, the archangels Michael and Gabriel, support the imperial crown over the knight's helmet and cloak. The whole composition is placed against the background of a mantle with a dome - the heraldic symbol of sovereignty. Two standards with two-headed and one-headed eagles emerge from behind the shield with coats of arms... This project, thank God, was not approved.

In 1855-1857, during the heraldic reform, which was carried out under the leadership of Baron B. Kene, the type of the state eagle was changed under the influence of German designs. 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 emblems of Kazan, Poland, Tauric Chersonesos and the combined emblem of the Grand Duchies (Kyiv, Vladimir, Novgorod), on the left - shields with the emblems of Astrakhan, Siberia, Georgia, Finland.

On April 11, 1857, the Supreme approval of the entire set of state emblems followed. It included: Large, Medium 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, Medium and Small state seals, arks (cases) for seals, as well as seals of the main and lower government places and persons were approved. In total, one act approved one hundred and ten drawings, which, of course, we will not cite.

On July 24, 1882, Emperor Alexander III approved the drawing of the Great Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire in Peterhof, on which the composition was preserved, but the details were changed, in particular the figures of the archangels. In addition, the imperial crowns began to be depicted like real diamond crowns used during the coronation.

With minor changes made in 1882 by Alexander III, the coat of arms of Russia lasted until 1917.

The Commission of the Provisional Government came to the conclusion that the double-headed eagle itself does not carry any monarchical or dynastic signs, therefore, deprived of a crown, scepter, power, emblems of kingdoms, lands and all other heraldic attributes, “left in the service” - completely naked ...

The Bolsheviks held a completely different opinion. By a decree of the Council of People's Commissars of November 10, 1917, along with estates, ranks, titles and old regime orders, the emblem and flag were completely abolished. But the decision turned out to be easier than the execution. State bodies continued to exist and function, so for another six months the old coat of arms was used where necessary, on signboards with the designation of government bodies and in documents.

The double-headed eagle was finally retired, leaving only to "sit" on the towers of the Moscow Kremlin. The Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks replaced them with ruby ​​stars only in 1935.

In 1990, the Government of the RSFSR adopted a resolution on the creation of the State Emblem and the State Flag of the RSFSR. After a comprehensive discussion, the Government Commission proposed to recommend to the Government a coat of arms - a golden double-headed eagle on a red field. In 1993, by decree of President B.N. Yeltsin, the double-headed Eagle was back approved as the state emblem. And only in 2000 the double-headed Eagle was finally approved by the State Duma. The coat of arms of Peter I is taken as the basis of the modern coat of arms. But the double-headed eagle is golden in color, not black, and it is placed on a red heraldic shield.

Throughout the history of our state, each ruler contributed to the formation of the coat of arms, and, often, the historical events taking place at that moment were reflected on it. The character and political views were also reflected in his image. All the details of the formation of the image of the state can be found in the history of its state symbols...

Initially, the eagle appeared in Russia from the collapsed mighty Roman Empire. It was necessary for the then very young Russian state, as a symbol of power. The stronger Russia became, the more confident and stronger the eagle looked on the coat of arms.

Over time, having become a huge and independent state, Russia appeared on the coat of arms with all the attributes of statehood and power: a crown, a scepter and an orb, which even now partly personify the modern Russian state.

It was approved in 1993 by decree of the country's first president, Boris Yeltsin. However, the symbols that are depicted on the coat of arms of Russia have a much longer history, rooted in the period of the formation of the Moscow principality. The coat of arms of the Russian Federation depicts a double-headed eagle spreading its wings. What does it symbolize on the coat of arms of Russia?

Any state emblem is not only an image on banknotes, documents and police chevrons. First of all, the coat of arms is a national symbol designed to unite people living in a given territory.

What does the state emblem of the Russian Federation mean? When did he appear? Was the coat of arms of medieval Russia similar to the modern one? Why does the Russian eagle have two heads?

The history of the coat of arms of Russia is rich and interesting, but before talking about it, one should give a description of this national symbol.

Description of the coat of arms of the Russian Federation

The emblem of the Russian Federation is a red heraldic shield with the image of a golden double-headed eagle spreading its wings.

Each head of the eagle is crowned with a crown, in addition, there is another larger crown above them. The three crowns are connected by a golden ribbon. The double-headed eagle holds a scepter in its right paw, and an orb in its left paw. On the chest of the double-headed eagle there is another red shield depicting a rider slaying a dragon with a silver spear.

As it should be according to heraldic laws, each of the elements of the Russian coat of arms has its own meaning. The double-headed eagle is a symbol of the Byzantine Empire, its image on the Russian coat of arms emphasizes the continuity between the two countries, their cultures and religious beliefs. It should be noted that the double-headed eagle is used in the state emblems of Serbia and Albania - in countries whose state traditions were also strongly influenced by Byzantium.

Three crowns in the coat of arms signify the sovereignty of the Russian state. Initially, the crowns meant three kingdoms conquered by the Moscow princes: Siberian, Kazan and Astrakhan. The scepter and orb in the paws of an eagle are symbols of the supreme state power (prince, king, emperor).

The horseman slaying the dragon (serpent) is nothing but the image of St. George the Victorious, a symbol of the bright principle that conquers evil. He personifies the warrior-defender of the Motherland and has been very popular in Russia throughout its history. No wonder George the Victorious is considered the patron saint of Moscow and is depicted on its coat of arms.

The image of a rider is traditional for the Russian state. This symbol (the so-called rider) was in use even in Kievan Rus, it was present on princely seals and coins.

Initially, the rider was considered an image of the sovereign, but during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the tsar on the coat of arms was replaced by St. George.

History of the coat of arms of Russia

The central element of the Russian coat of arms is a double-headed eagle; this symbol first appeared during the reign of Ivan III, at the end of the 15th century (1497). The double-headed eagle was depicted on one of the royal seals.

Prior to this, seals most often depicted a lion tormenting a snake. The lion was considered a symbol of the Vladimir principality and passed from Prince Vasily II to his son Ivan III. Around the same time, the horseman became a common state symbol (later he would turn into George the Victorious). For the first time, the double-headed eagle as a symbol of princely power was used on a seal, which was sealed with a letter of ownership of land. Also in the reign of Ivan III, the eagle appears on the walls of the Faceted Chamber of the Kremlin.

Why it was during this period that the Moscow tsars began to use the double-headed eagle is still a matter of controversy among historians. The canonical version is that Ivan III took this symbol for himself because he married the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Sophia Palaiologos. In fact, for the first time this theory was put forward by Karamzin. However, it raises serious doubts.

Sophia was born in Morea - the outskirts of the Byzantine Empire and was never close to Constantinople, the eagle first appeared in the Moscow principality a few decades after the marriage of Ivan and Sophia, and the prince himself never declared any claims to the throne of Byzantium.

The theory of Moscow as the “Third Rome” was born much later, after the death of Ivan III. There is another version of the origin of the double-headed eagle: having chosen such a symbol, the Moscow princes wanted to challenge the rights to it from the strongest empire of that time - the Habsburg Empire.

There is an opinion that the Moscow princes borrowed the eagle from the South Slavic peoples, who quite actively used this image. However, traces of such borrowing have not been found. And the appearance of the Russian "bird" is very different from its South Slavic counterparts.

In general, why a double-headed eagle appeared on the Russian coat of arms, historians still do not know exactly. It should be noted that around the same time, a single-headed eagle was depicted on the coins of the Novgorod Principality.

The double-headed eagle becomes the official state emblem under the grandson of Ivan III - Ivan the Terrible. Initially, the eagle is complemented by a unicorn, but soon it is replaced by a horseman slaying a dragon, a symbol usually associated with Moscow. Initially, the rider was perceived as a sovereign (“great prince on horseback”), but already during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, they begin to call him George the Victorious. Finally, this interpretation will be fixed much later, in the reign of Peter the Great.

Already during the reign of Boris Godunov, the coat of arms of Russia for the first time receives three crowns located above the heads of an eagle. They meant the conquered Siberian, Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms.

From about the middle of the 16th century, the Russian double-headed eagle is often drawn in the “armed” position: at the same time, the beak of the bird is open, the tongue is stuck out. Such a double-headed eagle seems aggressive, ready to attack. This change is the result of the influence of European heraldic traditions.

At the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century, in the upper part of the coat of arms, between the heads of the eagle, the so-called Calvary cross often appears. Such innovation coincides with the moment when Russia gained ecclesiastical independence. Another version of the emblem of that period is the image of an eagle with two crowns and an eight-pointed Christian cross between its heads.

By the way, all three False Dmitrys during the Time of Troubles actively used seals depicting the Russian coat of arms.

The end of the Time of Troubles and the accession of the new Romanov dynasty led to some changes in the state emblem. According to the then heraldic tradition, the eagle began to be depicted with spread wings.

In the middle of the 17th century, during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, the State Emblem of Russia for the first time receives an orb and a scepter, the eagle holds them in its paws. These are traditional symbols of autocratic power. At the same time, the first official descriptions of the coat of arms appeared, they have survived to this day.

During the reign of Peter I, the crowns over the heads of the eagle acquire the well-known "imperial" look, in addition, the coat of arms of Russia changes its color scheme. The body of the eagle became black, and its eyes, beak, tongue and paws were golden. The dragon also began to be depicted in black, and George the Victorious - in silver. This design has become traditional for the entire period of the Romanov dynasty.

The coat of arms of Russia underwent relatively serious changes during the reign of Emperor Paul I. This was the beginning of the era of the Napoleonic Wars, in 1799 Britain captured Malta, whose patron was the Russian emperor. Such an act of the British infuriated the Russian emperor and pushed him to an alliance with Napoleon (which later cost him his life). It is for this reason that the coat of arms of Russia received another element - the Maltese cross. Its significance was that the Russian state claims this territory.

During the reign of Paul I, a draft of the Great Coat of Arms of Russia was prepared. It was made entirely in accordance with the heraldic traditions of its time. Around the state emblem with a double-headed eagle, the emblems of all 43 lands that were part of Russia were collected. The shield with coats of arms was held by two archangels: Michael and Gabriel.

However, soon Paul I was killed by conspirators and the large coat of arms of Russia remained in the projects.

Nicholas I adopted two main versions of the state emblem: full and simplified. Prior to this, the coat of arms of Russia could be depicted in different versions.

Under his son, Emperor Alexander II, a heraldic reform was carried out. Heraldmeister Baron Köhne was engaged in it. In 1856, a new small Russian coat of arms was approved. In 1857, the reform was finally completed: in addition to the small one, the medium and large emblems of the Russian Empire were also adopted. They remained virtually unchanged until the events of the February Revolution.

After the February Revolution, the question arose of a new coat of arms of the Russian state. To solve it, a group of the best Russian heraldry experts was assembled. However, the question of the coat of arms was rather political, so they recommended that before the convocation of the Constituent Assembly (where they were supposed to adopt a new coat of arms) use the double-headed eagle, but without the imperial crowns and George the Victorious.

However, six months later, another revolution happened, and the Bolsheviks took up the development of a new coat of arms for Russia.

In 1918, the Constitution of the RSFSR was adopted, and along with it, a draft of a new coat of arms of the republic was approved. In 1920, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee adopted a version of the coat of arms, drawn by the artist Andreev. The coat of arms of the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic was finally adopted at the All-Russian Congress in 1925. The coat of arms of the RSFSR was used until 1992.

The current state emblem of Russia is sometimes criticized for the abundance of monarchical symbols, which are not very appropriate for a presidential republic. In 2000, a law was passed that establishes an accurate description of the coat of arms and regulates the procedure for its use.

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The history of the coat of arms of Russia from the time of the Dnieper Slavs to the present day. George the Victorious, double-headed eagle, Soviet coat of arms. Emblem changes. 22 images

In ancient Russia as such a coat of arms, of course, did not yet exist. The Slavs in the 6th-8th centuries AD had intricate ornaments that symbolized a particular territory. Scientists learned about this through the study of burials, in some of which fragments of women's and men's clothing with embroidery have been preserved.

During the Kievan Rus the grand dukes had their own princely seals, on which images of an attacking falcon were placed - the ancestral sign of the Rurikovich.

In Vladimir Russia Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavovich Nevsky has an image on his princely seal George the Victorious with a spear. Subsequently, this sign of the spearman appears on the front side of the coin (penny) and it can already be considered the first real full-fledged coat of arms of Russia.

In Muscovite Russia, under Ivan III, who was combined in a dynastic marriage with the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Sophia Paleolog, an image appears double-headed Byzantine eagle. On the royal seal of Ivan III, George the Victorious and the Double-Headed Eagle are depicted as equals. The Grand Duke seal of Ivan III, sealed in 1497 his "exchange and allotment" charter for the land holdings of specific princes. From that moment on, the Double-Headed Eagle becomes the state emblem of our country.

The reign of Grand Duke Ivan III (1462-1505) is 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 the Mongol Khan against Moscow in 1480. The Grand Duchy of Moscow included Yaroslavl, Novgorod, Tver, Perm lands. The country began to actively develop ties with other European states, its foreign policy position strengthened. In 1497, the first all-Russian Sudebnik was adopted - a single code of laws of the country. At the same time, images of a gilded double-headed eagle on a red field appeared on the walls of the Pomegranate 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 George the Victorious appeared - one of the oldest symbols of princely power in Russia. George the Victorious is placed in a shield on the chest of a double-headed eagle crowned with one or two crowns surmounted by a cross.

Late 16th - early 17th centuries

During the reign of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, between the crowned heads of the double-headed eagle, a sign of the passion of Christ appears - the Calvary cross. The cross on the state seal was a symbol of Orthodoxy, giving a religious coloring to the coat of arms of the state. The appearance of the Calvary cross in the coat of arms of Russia coincides with the time of the establishment in 1589 of the patriarchate and church independence of Russia.

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, on which a two-headed eagle with George the Victorious on his chest was crowned with two crowns, and an Orthodox eight-pointed cross rises between the heads of the eagle.

XVII century.

The Time of Troubles ended, Russia repulsed the claims to the throne of the Polish and Swedish dynasties. Numerous impostors were defeated, the uprisings blazing in the country were suppressed. Since 1613, by decision of the Zemsky Sobor, the Romanov dynasty began to rule in Russia. Under the first tsar of this dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich, the State Emblem changes somewhat. In 1625, for the first time, a double-headed eagle is depicted under three crowns. In 1645, under the second king of the dynasty, Alexei Mikhailovich, the first Great State Seal appeared, on which a two-headed eagle with George the Victorious on his chest was crowned with three crowns. Since that time, this type of image has been constantly used.

The next stage in the change of the State Emblem came after the Pereyaslav Rada, the entry of Ukraine into the Russian state. To the letter of commendation of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Bogdan Khmelnitsky dated March 27, 1654, a seal was attached, on which for the first time a two-headed eagle under three crowns is depicted holding symbols of power in its claws: scepter and orb.

From that moment on, the eagle began to be depicted with raised wings .

In 1654, a forged double-headed eagle was installed on the spire of the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin.

In 1663, for the first time in Russian history, the Bible, the main book of Christianity, came out from under the printing press in Moscow. It is no coincidence that the State Emblem of Russia was depicted in it and its poetic "explanation" was given:

The eastern eagle shines with three crowns,

Faith, hope, love for God shows,

Wings outstretched, embraces all the worlds of the end,

North South, from east to sunset

Goodness covers with outstretched wings.

In 1667, after a long war between Russia and Poland over Ukraine, the Andrusovo truce was concluded. To seal this treaty, a Great Seal was made with a double-headed eagle under three crowns, with a shield with George on the chest, with a scepter and an orb in its paws.

Peter's time

During the reign of Peter I, a new emblem entered the state heraldry of Russia - the order chain of the Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called. This order, approved by Peter in 1698, became the first in the system of the highest state awards in Russia. The Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, one of the heavenly patrons of Peter Alekseevich, was declared the patron saint of Russia.

The blue oblique St. Andrew's Cross becomes the main element of the sign of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and the symbol of the Russian Navy. Since 1699, images of a double-headed eagle surrounded by a chain with the sign of the St. Andrew's Order have been found. And next year, the St. Andrew's Order is placed on an eagle, around a shield with a rider.

It should be noted that already from 1710 (a decade earlier than Peter I was proclaimed emperor (1721), and Russia - an empire) - they began to depict imperial crowns.

From the first quarter of the 18th century, the colors of the double-headed eagle were brown (natural) or black.

The era of palace coups, Catherine's time

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, on it is St. George the Victorious in a red field." Empress Anna Ioannovna in 1736 invited a Swiss engraver, who by 1740 had 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. Catherine the Great did not make changes to the state emblem, preferring to maintain continuity and traditionalism.

Pavel the First

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 for itself - Napoleonic France. After the 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 chest of the eagle, under the Maltese crown, there was a shield with St. George (Paul interpreted it as the "root 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 coat of arms described above in the form of a double-headed eagle with a Maltese cross, larger than the rest. 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 appeared. The supporters, the archangels Michael and Gabriel, support the imperial crown over the knight's helmet and mantle (cloak). The whole composition is placed against the background of a canopy with a dome - the heraldic symbol of sovereignty. Two standards with two-headed and one-headed eagles emerge from behind the shield with coats of arms. This project has not been finalized.

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

First half of the 19th century

The images of the double-headed eagle at that time are very diverse: it could have one and three crowns; in the paws - not only the scepter and orb that have already become traditional, but also a wreath, lightning bolts (peruns), 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 Nikolai Pavlovich the First, the simultaneous existence of two types of state eagle was officially fixed.

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 an orb in its paws. The second type was an eagle with raised wings, on which the title coats of arms were depicted: on the right - Kazan, Astrakhan, Siberian, on the left - Polish, Tauride, Finland. For some time, another version also circulated - with the coats of arms of the three "main" ancient Russian Grand Duchies (Kyiv, Vladimir and Novgorod lands) and three kingdoms - Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberia. An eagle under three crowns, with St. George (as the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Moscow) in a shield on his chest, with a chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, with a scepter and orb in his paws.

Mid 19th century

In the years 1855-1857, during the heraldic reform, the type of the state eagle was changed under the influence of German designs. Then St. George on the chest of an eagle, 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 emblems of Kazan, Poland, Tauric Chersonesos and the combined emblem of the Grand Duchies (Kyiv, Vladimir, Novgorod), on the left - shields with the emblems of Astrakhan, Siberia, Georgia, Finland.

On April 11, 1857, the Supreme approval of the entire set of state emblems followed. It included: Large, Medium 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, Medium and Small state seals, arks (cases) for seals, as well as seals of the main and lower government places and persons were approved. In total, one act approved one hundred and ten drawings. On May 31, 1857, the Senate published a Decree describing the new emblems and the norms for their use.

Large State Emblem of 1882.

On July 24, 1882, Emperor Alexander III 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, the imperial crowns began to be depicted like real diamond crowns used during the coronation.

The final drawing of the Great Emblem of the Empire was approved on November 3, 1882, when the coat of arms of Turkestan was added to the title emblems.

Small State Emblem of 1883

On February 23, 1883, the Middle and two variants of the Small Coat of Arms were approved. In January 1895, the imperial order was given to leave unchanged the drawing of the state eagle, made by Academician A. Charlemagne.

The most recent act - "Basic Provisions of the State Structure of the Russian Empire" of 1906 - confirmed all previous legal provisions relating to the State Emblem.

State Emblem of the Provisional Government

After the February Revolution of 1917, Masonic organizations gained power in Russia, which formed their Provisional Government, including a commission to prepare a new coat of arms of Russia. One of the leading artists in the commission was N. K. Roerich (aka Sergei Makranovsky), a well-known freemason who later decorated the design of the American dollar with Masonic symbols. Masons plucked the coat of arms and deprived it of all sovereign attributes - a crown, a scepter, powers, the wings of an eagle were limply lowered down, which symbolized the obedience of the Russian state to Masonic plans. , adopted in February 1917, was to become the official coat of arms of Russia again. Masons even managed to place the image of their eagle on the obverse of modern Russian coins, where it can be seen to this day. The image of the eagle, the sample of February 1917, continued to be used as official 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 the ancient Byzantine, but political, party symbols: the double-headed eagle was replaced by a red shield, which depicted a crossed hammer and sickle and the rising 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, fastened with a red ribbon with the inscription "Proletarians of all countries, unite." Later, this image of the coat of arms was approved in the Constitution of the RSFSR.

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 of the republics, entered the coat of arms of the RSFSR.

In 1992, the last change in 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 hardly implemented, 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 USSR

After the formation of the USSR in 1924, the State Emblem of the USSR was adopted. The historical essence of Russia as a power passed precisely to the USSR, and not to the RSFSR, which played a subordinate role, therefore it is the coat of arms of the USSR that should be considered as the new coat of arms of Russia.

The Constitution of the USSR, adopted by the II Congress of Soviets on January 31, 1924, officially legalized the new coat of arms. At first, he had three turns of a red ribbon on each half of the wreath. On each turn was placed the motto "Proletarians of all countries, unite!" in Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Georgian, Armenian, Turko-Tatar languages. In the mid-1930s, a coil with a motto in Latinized Turkic was added, and the Russian version migrated to the central band.

In 1937, the number of mottos on the coat of arms reached 11. In 1946 - 16. In 1956, after the liquidation of the sixteenth republic within the USSR, Karelian-Finnish, the motto in Finnish was removed from the coat of arms, until the end of the existence of the USSR, 15 ribbons remained on the coat of arms with mottos (one of them - the Russian version - on the central sling).

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 the 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 took place 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 retains historical continuity in the colors of the coats of arms of the late 15th-17th centuries. The drawing of the eagle goes back to the images on the monuments of the era of Peter the Great. Three historical crowns of Peter the Great are depicted above the heads of the eagle, symbolizing in the new conditions the sovereignty of both the entire Russian Federation and its parts, subjects of the Federation; in the paws - a scepter and an orb, personifying state power and a single 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, the defense of the Fatherland.

The restoration of the double-headed eagle as the State Emblem of Russia embodies 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 national history and continues them in the third millennium.

Russian Civilization

A. BARYBIN.

The coat of arms - a double-headed eagle - was inherited by Russia from Byzantium after the marriage of Sophia Paleolog, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor, with Grand Duke Ivan III. Why did the Greek princess prefer the Moscow prince to the rest of the contenders for her hand? And there were applicants from the most noble European families, and Sophia refused everyone. Maybe she wanted to marry a man of the same Orthodox faith as her? It is possible, but hardly an insurmountable obstacle for her to marry a groom, for example, of the Catholic faith. After all, the Orthodox faith did not prevent her uncle Demetrius Paleolog, and later brother Manuel, from becoming a subject of the Islamic Sultan. The main motive was, no doubt, the political calculation of the Pope, who brought up Sophia. But this decision did not come suddenly and not easily.

people of the Middle Ages... From some of them only names and meager information have been preserved on the pages of chronicles, others were participants in turbulent events, the intricacies of which scientists are trying to figure out today.

In 1453, the Ottoman troops besieged Constantinople - this is how an old engraving depicts the siege. The empire was doomed.

Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III (left) in battle with the Tatar Khan. The engraving of the 17th century so symbolically depicts the end of the Mongol-Tatar yoke.

Ivan III Vasilyevich ruled on the throne of Moscow from 1462 to 1505.

On the left is the state seal of Ivan the Terrible. On the right is the state seal of the Russian Empire at the end of the 17th century.

State banner with the image of the coat of arms.

Let us first turn to the history of Byzantium. In 395, the Roman Empire was divided into eastern (Byzantine) and western. Byzantium considered itself the successor of Rome and - by right. The West entered a period of decline in culture, spiritual life, and in Constantinople, public life was still seething, trade and crafts flourished, and the legal code of Justinian was introduced. Strong state power limited the influence of the church on intellectual life, which had a beneficial effect on education, science and art. Byzantium, being a bridge between Europe and Asia, occupied the most important strategic position. But she was forced to fight on all four sides - with the Persians, Goths, Avars, Huns, Slavs, Pechenegs, Polovtsians, Normans, Arabs, Turks, Crusaders.

Since the end of the XII century, the star of Byzantium has been gradually declining. That was the time of a desperate, full of drama struggle with a powerful rival - the Turks, an energetic, warlike and numerous people. (His pressure did not weaken and kept Europe in horror until the 18th century.) Gradually, in parts, the Turks seized the lands of the empire. At the end of the XIV century, the Balkan Slavic countries submit to them, and the position of Byzantium becomes critical. The climax of the struggle came in the 15th century. Byzantium fought stubbornly, courageously, inventively. The famous Byzantine diplomacy showed miracles of resourcefulness. To a large extent, it was through her efforts that the famous crusades of the knights were carried out at one time, significantly weakening the Turkish sultanate and postponing the collapse of the empire.

Byzantium lacked its own strength to cope with the Turkish danger. Only the combined efforts of all of Europe could stop Turkish expansion. But European politicians failed to achieve such a unification: religious strife between Orthodox Byzantium and the Catholic West remained a stumbling block (as is known, the split of the Christian Church occurred in the 9th-11th centuries). And then the emperor John VII Palaiologos made in 1438 a truly historic attempt to bring the churches together. Byzantium at that time was in a difficult situation: the nearest suburbs of Constantinople, several small islands and the despotate of Morea, with which there was no overland communication, remained under its rule. The thin thread of the current truce with the Turks was about to break.

John III agrees with Pope Eugene IV to convene an Ecumenical Council with the aim of finally bringing about the unification of the churches. The Byzantines are making the greatest possible preparations under the circumstances for the council, which, according to their plan, should adopt church dogmas common to the entire Christian world. In the course of this preparation (for our story, the fact is very important) the well-known church figure, diplomat, orator and thinker Isidore, a staunch supporter of the unification of churches (it was he who unwittingly played a big role in the fate of Sophia Paleolog and Ivan Vasilyevich) was appointed Metropolitan of Moscow.

In 1438, a delegation headed by the emperor and the patriarch left Constantinople for Italy. Metropolitan Isidore arrived separately with a delegation from Russia. For more than a year in Ferrara, then in Florence, fierce theological disputes continued. They did not reach an agreement on any point. By the end of the council, strong pressure was exerted on the Greek side, and the Byzantines signed the final document, the so-called Union of Florence, in which they agreed with the Catholics on all positions. However, in Byzantium itself, the union divided the people into its supporters and opponents.

So, the merger of churches did not happen, the only correct political move did not take place. Byzantium remained face to face with a powerful enemy. With the light hand of the French enlighteners of the 18th century, who saw Byzantium as a stronghold of monarchism, it is traditionally customary to speak of it as a country that is decaying, stagnant, decrepit (this attitude was intensified by hostility towards Orthodoxy). Our thinkers Chaadaev and Herzen also did not favor her. Western historians still have a slight disdain for Byzantium.

Meanwhile, she stood at the most important strategic point, on the border of East and West, owned the straits and held out for 1100 years! Byzantium, albeit weakened, not only heroically fought against numerous invasions, but also kept the colossal cultural potential accumulated by the ancient Greeks and Romans. When church obscurantism and intolerance to any deviation from the biblical canons reigned in Europe, Roman law was taught at the University of Constantinople, all citizens of Byzantium were legally equal before the law, literate people were read by ancient authors, and in schools they were taught to read according to Homer! And it is still not known when the Italian Renaissance would have appeared, turning a person from barren scholasticism to the brilliance of ancient culture, if not for the constant cultural contacts of Europeans with their eastern neighbor.

In April 1453, Constantinople was besieged by the troops of the Turkish Sultan Mehmed II, numbering, according to various estimates, from 200 to 300 thousand soldiers. The most powerful artillery for those times, a huge amount of siege equipment, a large fleet, excellent specialists in undermining and blasting - everything was directed against the great city. The siege was carried on continuously and stubbornly. In order to deprive the Greeks of the relative safety of their sea walls, in the inner harbor of the Golden Horn, protected by chains, the Turks, already during the fighting, dragged 70 heavy warships along the multi-kilometer wooden deck.

What could the Byzantines oppose to all this force? Powerful ancient stone walls and towers, deep ditches, traps and other defensive structures built at different times by excellent fortification engineers. The city was impregnable for pre-firearms. But there was almost no artillery on the walls, and the besieged used only stone-throwing machines in battle. The emperor was able to put up only 7 thousand soldiers on the walls, there were only 25 ships in the harbor. In the city itself, there were ongoing religious disputes between Orthodox and Catholics, provoked by the adoption of the Union of Florence. Religious strife greatly weakened the defense potential of Constantinople. And Mehmed also took this into account.

But, in spite of everything, the morale of the defenders was incredibly high. The heroic defense of Constantinople is legendary. The defense was led and inspired by the last emperor of Byzantium, Constantine XI Palaiologos, a courageous and experienced warrior with a strong and determined character. For a month and a half, all assaults, all attacks from the sea are repulsed, tunnels are unraveled and liquidated.

But on May 29, 1453, during the last assault, part of the wall collapsed under the blows of the cannonballs. Selected units of the Janissaries rushed into the breach. Konstantin gathers the remaining defenders around him and rushes to the last counterattack. The forces are too unequal. Seeing that everything was over, he, a descendant of the ancient Greeks, rushed with a sword in his hands into the thick of the battle and died heroically. The great city has fallen. Byzantium perished, but perished undefeated. "I'm dying, but I'm not giving up!" is the motto of its heroic defenders.

The fall of Constantinople made a deafening impression throughout the world of that time. The Europeans seemed to believe in a miracle and waited for the city to stand again, as happened more than once in the past.

For three days, the conquerors kill, rob, rape, and drive the inhabitants into slavery. Books and works of art perish in the fire. Few could escape on ships. The exodus to Europe from the still free Byzantine lands began.

Of the closest relatives of Constantine, two brothers survived - Demetrius and Thomas, who each ruled their own part of the despotate of Morea on the Peloponnese peninsula. The Turks systematically annexed the remaining lands of Byzantium to the sultanate. Morea's turn came in 1460. Dimitri remained in the service of the Sultan. Thomas went to Rome with his family. After his death, his two sons, Andrei and Manuel, and his daughter Sophia were in the care of the Pope.

Sophia, with her charm, beauty and intelligence, earned universal love and respect in Rome. But the years went by, it's time for her to get married. Pope Paul II offers noble suitors, but she rejects all (and even the King of France and the Duke of Milan) under the pretext that they are not of her faith. The final decision to marry Sophia to Prince Ivan III Vasilyevich of Moscow, who had been widowed several years ago, was made by the pope under the influence of Cardinal Vissarion. Bessarion of Nicaea, one of the most enlightened people of his era, in the past an Orthodox metropolitan, is a close friend and associate of Isidore of Moscow in an effort to unite the churches. Together they actively spoke at the Florence Cathedral, and, naturally, Vissarion heard and knew a lot about Russia.

The Grand Duke of Moscow was at that time the only Orthodox monarch independent of the Turks. Seasoned politicians in Rome saw that a rising Russia had a future. Roman diplomacy was constantly looking for ways to counter the Ottoman expansion to the West, realizing that after Byzantium, Italy's turn might come. Therefore, in the future one could count on Russian military assistance against the Turks. And here is such a convenient opportunity: by marriage to involve Ivan Vasilyevich in the sphere of Roman politics and make an attempt to subject a huge and rich country to Catholic influence.

So, the choice is made. The initiative came from Pope Paul II. In Moscow, all the subtle intricacies in the papal palace were not even suspected when the embassy from Italy rushed in with an offer of a dynastic marriage. Ivan, as usual, consulted with the boyars, with the metropolitan, with his mother. Everyone said the same thing to him, and he agreed. An exchange of embassies followed. Then there was the bride's triumphal journey from Rome to Moscow, Sophia's solemn entry into the Kremlin, the first date of the young, the bride's acquaintance with the groom's mother, and, finally, the wedding.

And now let's look in a historical retrospective at some important events in the life of the two countries - Byzantium and Russia - related to the double-headed eagle.

In 987, the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir I concluded an agreement with the Byzantine emperor Vasily II, according to which he helped the emperor suppress the rebellion in Asia Minor, and in return he had to give Vladimir his sister Anna as a wife and send priests to baptize the pagan population. In 988, Orthodoxy was officially introduced in Russia according to the Byzantine rites. This step determined the future fate and culture of Russia. But the princess didn't come. And then in 989 the Grand Duke captured the Byzantine colony of Chersonesus in Taurida. In the negotiations that followed, they came to an agreement: Vladimir would return the city to the Greeks as soon as Anna arrived to the groom. That's how it all happened. This dynastic marriage was an exceptional event at that time: Anna is the sister of Basil II and the daughter of the previous emperor Roman II. Until that moment, not a single porphyrogenic princess or Byzantine princess had married a foreigner.

The children of emperors born in a special room of the female half of the imperial palace in Constantinople - Porphyry were considered to be Porphyrogenous. Even random people could become emperors in Byzantium, which, by the way, often happened. But only the children of ruling emperors could be porphyrogenic. In general, in the early Middle Ages, the authority and prestige of the Byzantine court in the eyes of Europeans were enormous. The royal houses of Europe considered it their highest honor to have at least some sign of attention from the emperor, not to mention family ties. Therefore, the marriage of Vladimir to Anna had a great resonance in that world and increased the international weight of the new Christian power at the very beginning of its Christian path.

And now, five centuries later, the last princess of the already dead Byzantium also marries the Russian Grand Duke. As a legacy, she brings to our country the ancient coat of arms of the Byzantine Empire - the double-headed eagle. The lost once great empire seemed to be passing the baton to the country, also Orthodox, with the emerging Great Russian nation.

A few words about the very first consequences for Russia of the arrival of Sophia with the coat of arms of her ancestors. Highly educated for those times, she herself and her Greek associates clearly had a positive influence on the cultural level at the court of the Grand Duke, on the formation of a foreign department, and on increasing the prestige of the Grand Duke's power. The new wife supported Ivan III in his desire to improve relations at court, abolish appanages and establish the order of succession to the throne from father to eldest son. Sophia, with her halo of imperial majesty of Byzantium, was an ideal wife for the Russian Tsar.

It was a great reign. The figure of Ivan III Vasilyevich, who basically completed the unification of Russian lands into a single state, was for his time in terms of the scale of deeds comparable only to Peter I. One of the most glorious deeds of Ivan III was Russia's bloodless victory over the Tatars in 1480 after the famous "standing on river Ugra. Complete legal liberation from the remnants of the Horde dependence was marked by the appearance on the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin of the Byzantine, and now the Russian double-headed eagle.

Double-headed eagles in coats of arms are not uncommon. Since the 13th century, they appear in the arms of the counts of Savoy and Würzburg, on Bavarian coins, they are known in the heraldry of the knights of Holland and the Balkan countries. At the beginning of the 15th century, Emperor Sigismund I makes the double-headed eagle the coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire, and after its collapse in 1806, the double-headed eagle becomes the coat of arms of Austria (until 1919). Both Serbia and Albania have it in their coats of arms. He is in the coats of arms of the descendants of the Greek emperors.

How did he appear in Byzantium? It is known that in 326 the emperor of the Roman Empire, Constantine the Great, makes the double-headed eagle his symbol. In 330, he transferred the capital of the empire to Constantinople, and since that time the double-headed eagle has been the state emblem. The empire splits into western and eastern, and the double-headed eagle becomes the coat of arms of Byzantium.

The appearance of the double-headed eagle as a symbol is still incomprehensible. It is known, for example, that he was depicted in the Hittite state, the rival of Egypt, which existed in Asia Minor in the second millennium BC. In the VI century BC. e., as archaeologists testify, the double-headed eagle can be traced in Media, east of the former Hittite kingdom.

In 1497, it first appears as a state emblem on a double-sided wax state seal of Russia: on its front side is the coat of arms of the Moscow Principality - a horseman slaying a dragon (in 1730 he officially received the name of St. George), and on the back - a double-headed eagle. For almost five hundred years of life in Russia, the image of the eagle on the Russian coat of arms has repeatedly changed. On seals, the double-headed eagle existed until 1918. The eagles were removed from the Kremlin towers in 1935. And on November 30, 1993, by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation B.N. Yeltsin, the two-headed sovereign eagle of Russia was again returned to the Russian coat of arms. And at the end of the 20th century, the Duma legalized all the attributes of the symbols of our country.

The Byzantine Empire was a Eurasian power. Greeks, Armenians, Turks, Slavs and other peoples lived in it. The eagle in her coat of arms with heads looking to the West and to the East symbolized, among other things, the unity of these two principles. This is most suitable for Russia, which has always been a multinational country, uniting the peoples of both Europe and Asia under one coat of arms. The sovereign eagle of Russia is not only a symbol of its statehood, but also a symbol of a thousand-year history, of our ancient roots. He is a symbol of the historical continuity of cultural traditions - from the lost great empire, which managed to preserve the Hellenic and Roman cultures for the whole world to the young growing Russia. The double-headed eagle is a symbol of the unification and unity of the Russian lands.