The history of the coat of arms of Russia from the time of the Dnieper Slavs to the present day. St. George the Victorious, double-headed eagle, Soviet coat of arms. Changes in the coat of arms. 22 images
In Ancient Rus' Of course, such a coat of arms has never existed before. The Slavs in the 6th-8th centuries AD had intricate ornaments that symbolized this or that territory. Scientists learned about this through the study of burials, some of which preserved fragments of women's and men's clothing with embroidery.During the times of Kievan Rus The great princes had their own princely seals, on which were placed images of an attacking falcon - the family sign of the Rurikovichs.
In Vladimir Rus' Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavovich Nevsky has an image on his princely seal St. George the Victorious with a spear. Subsequently, this sign of a spearman appears on the front side of the coin (kopeck) and it can already be considered the first real full-fledged coat of arms of Rus'.
In Muscovite Rus', under Ivan III, who was married by dynastic marriage to the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Sophia Paleologus, 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's seal of Ivan III sealed in 1497 his “exchange and allotment” charter for the land holdings of the appanage princes. From this 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, and Perm lands. The country began to actively develop ties with other European countries, and its foreign policy position strengthened. In 1497, the first all-Russian Code of Law was adopted - a unified set of laws of the country. At the same time, images of a gilded double-headed eagle on a red field appeared on the walls of the Garnet Chamber in the Kremlin.
Mid-16th century
Beginning in 1539, the type of eagle on the seal of the Grand Duke of Moscow changed. In the era of Ivan the Terrible, on the golden bull (state seal) of 1562, in the center of the double-headed eagle, an image of St. George the Victorious appeared - one of the oldest symbols of princely power in Rus'. St. George the Victorious is placed in a shield on the chest of a double-headed eagle, crowned with one or two crowns topped with a cross.
Late 16th – early 17th centuries
During the reign of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, between the crowned heads of the double-headed eagle, the sign of the passion of Christ appears - the Calvary cross. The cross on the state seal was a symbol of Orthodoxy, giving a religious connotation to the state emblem. The appearance of the Calvary cross in the coat of arms of Russia coincides with the establishment of the patriarchate and ecclesiastical independence of Russia in 1589.
In the 17th century, the Orthodox cross was often depicted on Russian banners. The banners of foreign regiments that were part of the Russian army had their own emblems and inscriptions; however, an Orthodox cross was also placed on them, which indicated that the regiment fighting under this banner served the Orthodox sovereign. Until the middle of the 17th century, a seal was widely used, on which a double-headed eagle with St. George the Victorious on the chest is crowned with two crowns, and an Orthodox eight-pointed cross rises between the heads of the eagle.
17th century
The Time of Troubles ended, Russia repelled the claims to the throne of the Polish and Swedish dynasties. Numerous impostors were defeated, and the uprisings that flared in the country were suppressed. Since 1613, by decision of the Zemsky Sobor, the Romanov dynasty began to rule in Russia. Under the first king of this dynasty - Mikhail Fedorovich - the State Emblem changes somewhat. In 1625, the double-headed eagle was depicted for the first time under three crowns. In 1645, under the second king of the dynasty, Alexei Mikhailovich, the first Great State Seal appeared, on which a double-headed eagle with St. George the Victorious on the chest was crowned with three crowns. From that time on, this type of image was constantly used.
The next stage of changing the State Emblem came after the Pereyaslav Rada, the entry of Ukraine into the Russian state. A seal was attached to the charter of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Bogdan Khmelnitsky dated March 27, 1654, on which for the first time a double-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 of the printing press in Moscow. It is no coincidence that it depicted the State Emblem of Russia and gave a poetic “explanation” of it:
The eastern eagle shines with three crowns,
Shows faith, hope, love for God,
The wings are spread out to embrace all the worlds of the end,
North South, from the east all the way to the west of the sun
Goodness covers with outstretched wings.
In 1667, after a long war between Russia and Poland over Ukraine, the Truce of Andrusovo was concluded. To seal this agreement, a Great Seal was made with a double-headed eagle under three crowns, with a shield with St. 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 was included in 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 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 insignia of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and the symbol of the Russian Navy. Since 1699, there have been images of a double-headed eagle surrounded by a chain with the sign of the Order of St. Andrew. And next year the Order of St. Andrew is placed on the 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 the eagle imperial crowns.
From the first quarter of the 18th century, the colors of the double-headed eagle became 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.” In 1736, Empress Anna Ioanovna invited a Swiss engraver, who by 1740 engraved the State Seal. The central part of the matrix of this seal with the image of a double-headed eagle was used until 1856. Thus, the type of double-headed eagle on the State Seal remained unchanged for more than a hundred years. 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 - Napoleonic France. After French troops occupied the Mediterranean island of Malta, Paul I took the Order of Malta under his protection, becoming the Grand Master of the Order. On August 10, 1799, Paul I signed a Decree on the inclusion of the Maltese cross and crown in the state emblem. On the eagle’s chest, under the Maltese crown, there was a shield with St. George (Paul interpreted it as the “indigenous coat of arms of Russia”), superimposed on the Maltese cross.
Paul I did an attempt to introduce the full coat of arms of the Russian Empire. On December 16, 1800, he signed the Manifesto, which described this complex project. Forty-three coats of arms were placed in the multi-field shield and on nine small shields. In the center was the above-described coat of arms in the form of a double-headed eagle with a Maltese cross, larger than the others. The shield with coats of arms is superimposed on the Maltese cross, and under it the sign of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called again appears. The shield holders, the archangels Michael and Gabriel, support the imperial crown over the knight's helmet and mantle (cloak). The entire composition is placed against the background of a canopy with a dome - a heraldic symbol of sovereignty. From behind the shield with coats of arms emerge two standards with a double-headed and a single-headed eagles. This project has not been finalized.
Soon after ascending the throne, Emperor Alexander I, by Decree of April 26, 1801, removed the Maltese cross and crown from the coat of arms of Russia.
First half of the 19th century
Images of the double-headed eagle at this time were very diverse: it could have one or three crowns; in its paws are not only the now traditional scepter and orb, but also a wreath, lightning bolts (peruns), and a torch. The wings of an eagle were depicted in different ways - raised, lowered, straightened. To a certain extent, the image of the eagle was influenced by the then European fashion, common to the Empire era.
Under Emperor Nicholas Pavlovich the First, the simultaneous existence of two types of state eagle was officially established.
The first type is an eagle with spread wings, under one crown, with the image of St. George on the chest and with a scepter and orb in its paws. The second type was an eagle with raised wings, on which the titular coats of arms were depicted: on the right - Kazan, Astrakhan, Siberian, on the left - Polish, Tauride, Finland. For some time, another version was in circulation - with the coats of arms of the three “main” Old Russian Grand Duchies (Kyiv, Vladimir and Novgorod lands) and three kingdoms - Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberian. An eagle under three crowns, with St. George (as the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Moscow) in a shield on the chest, with a chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, with a scepter and an orb in its paws.
Mid-19th century
In 1855-1857, during the heraldic reform, the type of state eagle was changed under the influence of German designs. At the same time, St. George on the eagle’s chest, in accordance with the rules of Western European heraldry, began to look to the left. The drawing of the Small Coat of Arms of Russia, executed by Alexander Fadeev, was approved by the highest on December 8, 1856. This version of the coat of arms differed from the previous ones not only in the image of an eagle, but also in the number of “title” coats of arms on the wings. On the right were shields with the coats of arms of Kazan, Poland, Tauride Chersonese and the combined coat of arms of the Grand Duchies (Kyiv, Vladimir, Novgorod), on the left were shields with the coats of arms of Astrakhan, Siberia, Georgia, Finland.
On April 11, 1857, the Supreme approval of the entire set of state emblems followed. It included: Big, Middle and Small, coats of arms of members of the imperial family, as well as “titular” coats of arms. At the same time, drawings of the Large, Middle and Small state seals, arks (cases) for seals, as well as seals of the main and lower official places and persons were approved. In total, one hundred and ten drawings were approved in one act. On May 31, 1857, the Senate published a Decree describing the new coats of arms and the rules for their use.
Large State Emblem 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, imperial crowns began to be depicted like real diamond crowns used at coronations.
The design of the Great Coat of Arms of the Empire was finally approved on November 3, 1882, when the coat of arms of Turkestan was added to the title coats of arms.
Small State Emblem of 1883
On February 23, 1883, the Middle and two versions of the Small coat of arms were approved. In January 1895, the highest order was given to leave unchanged the drawing of the state eagle made by academician A. Charlemagne.
The latest act - "Basic provisions of the state structure of the Russian Empire" of 1906 - confirmed all previous legal provisions relating to the State Emblem.
State emblem of the Provisional Government
After the February Revolution of 1917, power in Russia was gained by Masonic organizations, which formed their own Provisional Government and, among other things, a commission to prepare a new coat of arms of Russia. One of the leading artists on the commission was N.K. Roerich (aka Sergei Makranovsky), a famous freemason, who later decorated the design of the American dollar with Masonic symbols. The Masons plucked the coat of arms and deprived it of all the attributes of sovereignty - the crown, scepter, orbs, the wings of the eagle were limply lowered down, which symbolized the submission of the Russian state to the Masonic plans.. Subsequently, after the victory of the August revolution of 1991, when the Masons again felt strength, the image of the Double-Headed Eagle , adopted in February 1917, was to again become the official coat of arms of Russia. The 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 an eagle, modeled in February 1917, continued to be used as an official image 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 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, secured with a red ribbon with the inscription “Workers of all countries, unite.” Later, this image of the coat of arms was approved in the Constitution of the RSFSR.
60 years later, in the spring of 1978, the military star, which by that time had become part of the coat of arms of the USSR and most republics, was included in the coat of arms of the RSFSR.
In 1992, the last change to the coat of arms came into force: the abbreviation above the hammer and sickle was replaced by the inscription “Russian Federation”. But this decision was almost never carried out, because the Soviet coat of arms with its party symbols no longer corresponded to the political structure of Russia after the collapse of the one-party system of government, the ideology of which it embodied.
State emblem of the 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 Second Congress of Soviets on January 31, 1924, officially legalized the new coat of arms. At first it had three turns of red ribbon on each half of the wreath. On each turn was placed the motto “Workers of all countries, unite!” in Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Georgian, Armenian, Turkic-Tatar languages. In the mid-1930s, a round with a motto in Latinized Turkic was added, and the Russian version migrated to the central baldric.
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, Karelo-Finnish, the motto in Finnish was removed from the coat of arms, until the end of the existence of the USSR there were 15 ribbons 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 State Flag of the RSFSR. A Government Commission was created to organize this work. After a comprehensive discussion, the commission proposed to recommend to the Government a white-blue-red flag and a coat of arms - a golden double-headed eagle on a red field. The final restoration of these symbols occurred in 1993, when by Decrees of President B. Yeltsin they were approved as the state flag and coat of arms.
On December 8, 2000, the State Duma adopted the Federal Constitutional Law “On the State Emblem of the Russian Federation.” Which was approved by the Federation Council and signed by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on December 20, 2000.
The golden double-headed eagle on a red field preserves historical continuity in the colors of the coats of arms of the late 15th - 17th centuries. The eagle design goes back to images on monuments from the era of Peter the Great. Above the heads of the eagle are depicted three historical crowns of Peter the Great, symbolizing in the new conditions the sovereignty of both the entire Russian Federation and its parts, the subjects of the Federation; in the paws there is a scepter and an orb, personifying state power and a unified state; on the chest is an image of a horseman slaying a dragon with a spear. This is one of the ancient symbols of the struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, and the defense of the Fatherland.
The restoration of the double-headed eagle as the State Emblem of Russia personifies the continuity and continuity of Russian history. Today's coat of arms of Russia is a new coat of arms, but its components are deeply traditional; it reflects different stages of Russian history and continues them in the third millennium.
Russian Civilization
The Russian coat of arms is not just a drawing. It has a rich history, and each element carries a hidden meaning.
The official symbol of any country is its coat of arms. Any coat of arms, as a rule, has its own long and interesting history. Each symbol of the coat of arms has a strictly defined meaning. The coat of arms may depict the main activity of the country, an important historical event, an animal or bird. In general, anything that is important for the people and the state.
In addition to the coat of arms, any country also has a flag and anthem. This article is devoted to the coat of arms of the Russian Federation. But if you are interested in learning, for example, about the flag of the Russian Federation, we recommend that you contact.
What the State Emblem of the Russian Federation looks like: photo
So, the state emblem of the Russian Federation is an image of a double-headed eagle, on each of the heads there is one small royal crown. A larger crown crowns both heads. The eagle has a scepter in one paw and an orb in the other. These are symbols of power since the times of Tsarist Russia. On the eagle's chest is the coat of arms of the capital of Russia - the city of Moscow. On it, St. George the Victorious kills a snake with a spear.
Now the coat of arms of the Russian Federation looks like this
It is noteworthy that each city in the Russian Federation has its own coat of arms, which is chosen through popular vote!
It is worth saying that the coat of arms of the Russian Federation was not always exactly the same as we know it now. Over the past 100-plus years, several revolutions have occurred in Russia. The government changed, the name of the country changed, and the coat of arms and flag changed accordingly. The modern coat of arms has only existed since 1993. In 2000, the description of the coat of arms changed, but the coat of arms itself remained the same.
The coat of arms of the RSFSR looked like this The photo below shows how the coat of arms of the RSFSR differed from the coat of arms of the USSR.
The crest of the Russian Empire, approved in 1882, is more reminiscent of a whole composition. On the left is Archangel Michael, on the right is Archangel Gabriel. The small coat of arms inside, crowned with the coats of arms of the principalities, is the progenitor of the modern Russian coat of arms, only in black.
Complete coat of arms of the Russian Empire 
Small coat of arms of the Russian Empire And before Russia became an empire, the Russian state had its own flag. It is very similar to the small coat of arms of the Russian Empire, but not as well detailed.
Depending on the ruler and the general situation in the country, the coat of arms changed. There were at least three versions of the Russian coat of arms before 1882. But in general they all represent a reworking of the same image.
option 2 
History of the Russian coat of arms: description for children
The history of the coat of arms of Russia begins in the Middle Ages. In Rus' there was never a coat of arms; instead, images of saints and an Orthodox cross were used.
This is interesting! The image of an eagle on coats of arms was relevant in Ancient Rome, and before it in the ancient Hittite kingdom. The eagle was considered a symbol of the highest power.
So how did the double-headed eagle migrate to the coat of arms of the Russian state? There is an opinion that the symbol came from Byzantium, but there is speculation that perhaps the image of an eagle was borrowed from European states.
Many countries have a coat of arms with an eagle in different variations. An example in the photo below.
This is the coat of arms used in Armenia; similar coats of arms are approved in many countries The coat of arms was approved only in the 16th century. No one can name the exact date now. The coat of arms changed with each new ruler. Elements were added or removed by the following rulers:
- 1584 1587 - Fyodor Ivanovich “Blessed” (son of Ivan IX the Terrible) - an Orthodox cross appeared between the eagle crowns
- 1613 - 1645 - Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov - image on the chest of an eagle of the Moscow coat of arms, third crown
- 1791 - 1801 - Paul the First - image of the cross and crown of the Order of Malta
- 1801 - 1825 - Alexander the First - abolition of Maltese symbols and the third crown, instead of a scepter and orb - a wreath, torch, lightning
- 1855 - 1857 - Alexander the Second - redrawing of the double-headed eagle (rework), approval of three crowns, an orb, a scepter, in the center - a rider in armor killing a snake.
Without changes, the coat of arms of the Russian Empire was valid until 1917. After the coup, the new government approved a simpler, “proletarian” coat of arms - the hammer and sickle.
This is what the USSR coat of arms looked like on coins And after the collapse of the USSR and the reorganization of the USSR into the RSFSR, the coat of arms was slightly redesigned (the photo is already in the article). Then the coat of arms was returned, reminiscent of the coat of arms of the Russian Empire, but in a different color scheme. This was in 1993.
What is depicted on the coat of arms of the Russian Federation: description and meaning of the symbolism of each element of the coat of arms of the Russian Federation
Each component of the coat of arms carries a specific meaning:
- heraldic shield (that same red background) is the main element of the coat of arms of any state
- double-headed eagle - a symbol of supreme power and bilateral policy of the Russian state
- crowns - high dignity, state sovereignty, national wealth
- scepter and orb - symbols of power
- a rider on a horse killing a snake - according to one version, this is St. George the Victorious, according to another, Tsar Ivan III. It is difficult to give an exact definition, perhaps this is an appeal to the memory of ancestors, the embodiment of a legend, or simply an image made to order of Ivan III.
How many colors are on the coat of arms of the Russian Federation?
There are several colors on the Russian coat of arms. Each color has a special meaning. For example:
- red is the color of courage, courage, shed blood.
- golden - wealth
- blue - sky, freedom
- white - purity
- black (snake) - symbol of evil
So it turns out that three of the five colors are found both on the coat of arms of Russia and on the flag. For the country, the meaning of these flowers has always been very important, because courage, purity and freedom have always been the driving force in the soul of the Russian person.
Video: Coat of Arms of Russia (documentary)
Coats of arms appeared in Russia a long time ago, but these were only drawings that did not obey heraldic rules. Due to the lack of knighthood in Rus', coats of arms were not very common. At its very beginning (until the 16th century), Russia was a disunited state, so there could be no talk of a state emblem of Russia. However, despite the fact that the 16th century is considered the final date for the unification of Rus', the state emblem in Russia appears already under Ivan III (1462-1505). It is he who is credited with the establishment of the state emblem, as such. At that time, his seal acted as a coat of arms. On its front side there is a picture of a horseman piercing a serpent with a spear, on the back side there is a double-headed eagle.
The origin of the double-headed eagle goes back a long way. The first images of him known to us date back to the 13th century BC. This is a rock carving of a double-headed eagle grabbing two birds with one stone. It served as the coat of arms of the Hittite kings.
Then the double-headed eagle is discovered in the Median kingdom - an ancient power spread over the territory of Western Asia - during the reign of the Median king Cyaxares (625-585 BC). Centuries passed. And now we already see the double-headed eagle on the emblems of Rome. Here he appeared under Constantine the Great. In 326, he chose the double-headed eagle as his emblem. After the founding of the new capital - Constantinople - in 330, the double-headed eagle became the state emblem of the Roman Empire. In Rus', the double-headed eagle appeared after the marriage of John III Vasilyevich and Sophia Paleologus, the niece of the last Byzantine Emperor Constantine XII Paleologus. The history of the relationship between Rus' and Byzantium is very deep and interesting and is a topic for a separate work. However, let us briefly address this issue. The first historical mentions of relations between Russia and Byzantium date back to 957 - the year when Princess Olga traveled to Constantinople and converted to Christianity. But then relations with Byzantium in Rus' deteriorated. So in 969-972 a war broke out between them for Bulgaria, which was conquered by Svyatoslav.
Later, in 988, Vladimir the Holy baptized Rus'.
“The adoption of Christianity from Byzantium by Russia widely opened the door to the influence of Byzantine culture, Byzantine ideas and institutions. This influence had a significant impact in the political sphere. Together with Christianity, a stream of new political concepts and relations began to penetrate into Rus'. The visiting clergy transferred the Byzantine concept of a sovereign appointed by God not only for the external defense of the country, but also for the establishment and maintenance of internal social order...”
However, there is no further historical evidence of relations between Rus' and Byzantium until 1469, when Pope Paul II proposed the daughter of Thomas Palaiologos Sophia as a wife to the Russian sovereign John III Vasilvich, whose wedding took place in 1472. This marriage did not lead Moscow to a religious union with Rome, but had important consequences for the rise of monarchical power in Moscow. As the husband of the last Byzantine princess, the Grand Duke of Moscow becomes, as it were, the successor of the Byzantine emperor, who was considered the head of the entire Orthodox East. At the request and on the advice of Sofia, a magnificent, complex and strict ceremony began to take place in the Moscow Kremlin at the court of the Grand Duke, following the models of the Byzantine court. From the end of the 15th century, the previously dominant simplicity of relations and direct treatment of the sovereign with his subjects gradually ceased, and he rose above them to an unattainable height. Instead of the former simple and “household” title “Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich,” Ivan III takes on the magnificent title: “John, by the grace of God, Sovereign of All Rus' and Grand Duke of Vladimir and Moscow and Novgorod and Pskov and Tver and Ugra and Perm and Bulgaria and others.”
In relations with small neighboring lands, the title of Tsar of All Rus' appears. Another title adopted by the Muscovite sovereigns, “autocrat” is a translation of the Byzantine imperial title autocrator; This title originally meant an independent sovereign, not subordinate to any external authority, but Ivan the Terrible gave it the meaning of the absolute, unlimited power of the monarch over his subjects. Since the end of the 15th century, the Byzantine coat of arms - a double-headed eagle (which is combined with the former Moscow coat of arms - the image of St. George the Victorious) appears on the seals of the Moscow sovereign. This is how Rus' designated its continuity from Byzantium, which is the first reflection of its development on the coat of arms...
The formation of the Russian coat of arms from Ivan III to Peter I
Already at the very beginning of the development of the Russian coat of arms, we see its intertwining with the history of Rus'. An interesting fact is that the eagle on the seals of John III was depicted with a closed beak and looked more like an eaglet than an eagle. If you look at Russia of that period, you can see that it is a young state that is just beginning to take shape as a centralized one. The first reliable evidence of the use of the double-headed eagle as a state emblem is the seal of John III Vasilyevich on the exchange document of 1497 with his nephews, princes Fyodor and Ivan Borisovich Volotsky.
During the reign of Vasily III Ioannovich (1505-1533), the double-headed eagle is depicted with open beaks, from which tongues protrude. This, for example, is evidenced by the seal attached in 1523 to the record of the sovereign and Grand Duke Vasily Ioannovich when he departed with the army for Kazan. In short, if we approach it from a purely artistic point of view, we can say that the eagle is starting to get angry. At the same time, having examined Russia at that time, we note that it was strengthening its position and becoming a new center of Orthodoxy. This fact was embodied in the theory of the monk Philotheus “Moscow - the Third Rome”, known from the monk’s letter to Vasily III.
During the reign of John IV Vasilievich (1533-1584), Rus' won decisive victories over the Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms and annexed Siberia. The growth of the power of the Russian state was also reflected in its coat of arms. The double-headed eagle on the state seal is topped with a single crown with an eight-pointed Orthodox cross above it. On the obverse of the seal on the eagle's chest there is a shield of a carved, or “Germanic” shape, with a unicorn - the personal sign of the king. The fact is that all the symbols used in the personal symbolism of John IV are taken from the Psalter, which indicates the rooting of Christianity in Rus'. On the reverse side of the seal on the eagle's chest is a shield with the image of St. George beating a serpent. Subsequently, this side of the seal will play an important role in the formation of the Russian coat of arms. The image of the Moscow coat of arms on the chest of an eagle becomes traditional. However, in accordance with the ancient Russian icon painting tradition, St. George is facing the right side of the viewer, which contradicts the heraldic rules.
On February 21, 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov to the throne. This put an end to the Troubles, which, in the period between the death of Ivan the Terrible and the accession to the throne of Mikhail Romanov, undermined the spirit of the Russian people and almost eradicated Russian statehood. Russia was on the path to prosperity and greatness. During this period, the eagle on the coat of arms “started up” and spread its wings for the first time, which could mean the “awakening” of Russia after a long sleep, and the beginning of a new era in the history of the state. By this period, Russia had completely completed its unification and had already managed to become a single and fairly strong state. And this fact is symbolically reflected in the state emblem. Above the eagle, instead of an eight-pointed cross, a third crown appeared, which meant the Holy Trinity, but was interpreted by many as a symbol of the unity of Great Russians, Little Russians and Belarusians.
Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov (1645-1676) managed to end the Russian-Polish conflict by establishing the Truce of Andrusovo with Poland (1667), under which Russia was able to “show itself” to all of Europe. The Russian state occupies a fairly significant place next to European states. During the reign of Alexei Romanov, the appearance of a new image of the coat of arms was also noted. This is due to the fact that, at the request of the tsar, the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I sent his king of arms Lavrentiy Khurelevich to Moscow, who in 1673 wrote an essay “On the genealogy of Russian great princes and sovereigns, showing the kinship between Russia and sovereigns through marriages.” eight European powers, that is, Caesar of Rome, the kings of England, Denmark, Spain, Poland, Portugal and Sweden, and with the image of these royal coats of arms, and in the middle of them the Grand Duke St. Vladimir, at the end of the portrait of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.”
It was the starting point for the development of Russian heraldry. The state eagle of Alexei Mikhailovich was the prototype of subsequent official images of the Russian armorial eagle. The eagle’s wings are raised high and fully open, which symbolized the complete establishment of Russia as a solid and powerful state; Its heads are crowned with three royal crowns, a shield with the Moscow coat of arms is placed on its chest, and a scepter and orb in its paws. An interesting fact is that before the attributes of monarchical power appeared in the eagle’s paws, the eagle’s claws, starting from the eagle on the marble slab of the Xiropotamian monastery in Athos (Byzantium, 451-453), gradually unclenched, as if in the hope of grabbing something, until they took orb and scepter, thereby symbolizing the establishment of an absolute monarchy in Rus'.
In 1667, with the help of Lavrenty Khurelevich, an official explanation of the Russian coat of arms was given for the first time: “The double-headed eagle is the sovereign coat of arms of the Great Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich of All Great and Lesser and White Russia, the autocrat, His Royal Majesty of the Russian Empire, on which three crowns are depicted , signifying the three great Kazan, Astrakhan, Siberian glorious kingdoms, submitting to the God-protected and highest power of His Royal Majesty, the Most Gracious Sovereign... on the Persians is the image of the heir; in the box there is a scepter and an apple, and they reveal the most merciful Sovereign, His Royal Majesty the Autocrat and Possessor.” As you can see, the description gives a new interpretation of the elements of the coat of arms. It is dictated by diplomatic considerations and should testify to the greatness of Russia.
"From Ancient Rus' to the Russian Empire." Shishkin Sergey Petrovich, Ufa.
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How one of the main symbols of Russia changed in the 18th century
The history of the coat of arms of Russia dates back to the end of the 15th century, during the reign of Ivan III, when the image of a double-headed eagle first appeared on the sovereign’s seal. It was this emblem that became the main element of the coat of arms, which over time underwent various changes.
By the beginning of the 18th century, the state emblem of Russia was a double-headed eagle with open and raised wings, crowned with three crowns, with a scepter and an orb in its claws and a shield with the image of a serpent-wrestler rider on the chest (the symbols surrounding the eagle on state seals of the second half of the 17th century were partly " facultative" character and are not traced in the 18th century).
The Peter the Great era introduced several significant changes to the appearance of the state emblem, which was associated with obvious Western European influence.
Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called in the portrait of Semyon Mordvinov. Fragment of a painting by Karl Ludwig Christinek. 1771, © Wikimedia Commons Firstly, on state seals of Peter the Great's time, at least since the 1710s, an image of the chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, the highest award of Russia, established by Peter I after returning from a trip to Europe as part of the Great Embassy, appeared. This chain could cover both the entire shield with the state coat of arms and the central shield with the image of a horseman. The second option eventually settled down and was subsequently officially approved.
The Order of St. Andrew the First-Called was the only order of the Russian Empire that had a neck chain. Apostle Andrew the First-Called was of great importance for Peter not only as the patron saint of Russia (according to the legend recorded in the Tale of Bygone Years), but also as the patron saint of sailors and navigation. The introduction of the sign of the highest state order strengthened the status of the state emblem and established parallels with the tradition of Western European state heraldry.
Fragment of the standard of Peter I from the ship "Ingermanland". 1710s, © Central Naval Museum of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation Secondly, also since the 1710s, on state seals, the crowns over the heads of the eagle, instead of the previous royal crowns, take the form of Western European imperial-type crowns - of two hemispheres with a hoop in the middle. Thus, apparently, the imperial status of the Russian kingdom, officially approved in 1721 after the end of the Northern War, was emphasized.
Thirdly, also from the 1710s, images of the six main titular coats of arms - Kyiv, Vladimir, Novgorod, the kingdoms of Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberian - began to be placed on the seals on the wings of the eagle. This innovation also finds parallels in European heraldry, including the state heraldry of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. Subsequently, this tradition was consolidated in Russian state heraldry (although the composition of the titular coats of arms changed in the 19th century).
Fourthly, starting from the 1710s, the idea of the dragon rider as St. George the Victorious was formed (including by Peter I himself). This pairing was explained by the similarity of the iconographic types of images of the horseman and St. George the Victorious and a departure from the previous, secular-cratological interpretation of the serpent fighter of the 16th–17th centuries.
After the creation in 1722 of the Heraldry Office - an official body that also dealt with issues of official heraldry, the first professional heraldist in Russia, Count F. M. Santi, developed a new draft of the state coat of arms, according to which the coat of arms was approved by the decree of Catherine I on the state seal dated March 11, 1726. The description of the coat of arms was as follows: “A black eagle with outstretched wings, in a yellow field, with a rider in it in a red field.”
Image of the banner bestowed by Empress Elizabeth Petrovna Donduk-Dashi upon his proclamation as Khan of Kalmyk. 1757, © Wikimedia Commons Thus, the color scheme of the Russian coat of arms was determined - a black eagle in a golden field - like the double-headed eagle in the state coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire.
The Russian Empire, in heraldic terms, became on par with the leading state of the then Europe and, to some extent, entered into a “dialogue” with it about the imperial heritage in general. The image of a dragon rider as St. George the Victorious was recognized as the Moscow coat of arms in 1730. The approval of this coat of arms took place already under Catherine II in 1781: “St. George on a horse, in a red field, striking a black serpent with a copy.”
In the second half of the 1730s, the Swiss engraver I. K. Gedlinger, who worked in Russia, created a new state seal, which was used throughout the 18th century. It contains a very picturesque image of a double-headed eagle with raised wings and heads, the chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called covers a shield with the Moscow coat of arms, and around the eagle there are six shields with the main title coats of arms.
Subsequently, until the beginning of the reign of Paul I, no changes occurred in the Russian state emblem.
A fragment of an illustration from the “Manifesto on the Complete Coat of Arms of the All-Russian Empire.” 1800, © the.heraldry.ru Paul I, being passionate about knightly themes, had a huge influence on the development of heraldry in Russia, trying to turn it into a coherent and logical system.
As is known, already at the beginning of his reign, he accepted the title of Protector, and then Grand Master (Grand Master) of the Order of Malta - the Order of St. John in Jerusalem of the Knights of Rhodes and Malta (in Russian literature the incorrect name of this order was established - St. John of Jerusalem). This status was reflected in the state emblem.
August 10, 1799 the white eight-pointed Maltese cross and the crown of the Master of the Order of Malta were introduced into the new version of the coat of arms. The crown was placed above the shield with St. George the Victorious (Moscow coat of arms), which, in turn, hung on the St. Andrew's ribbon on the chest of the double-headed eagle and was superimposed on the Maltese cross.
December 16, 1800 Paul I approved the “Manifesto on the Complete Coat of Arms of the All-Russian Empire,” which was a complex heraldic composition, probably created on the model of the Prussian state coat of arms. One of the features of this new version of the coat of arms was the unification in it of all the titular coats of arms of the Russian Empire, numbering almost fifty. However, this coat of arms remained a draft without being put into use. After the accession of Alexander I to the throne, the state heraldry of Russia was returned to the form it had before 1796.
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, dating back to the period of 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 Russian coat of arms?
Any state emblem is not only an image on banknotes, documents and police insignia. First of all, the coat of arms is a national symbol intended 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 Rus' 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 telling about it, a description of this national symbol should be given.
Description of the coat of arms of the Russian Federation
The coat of arms of the Russian Federation is a red heraldic shield with the image of a golden double-headed eagle spreading its wings.
Each eagle's head is crowned, and above them there is another larger crown. Three crowns are connected by a gold ribbon. The double-headed eagle holds a scepter in its right paw, and an orb in its left. On the chest of the double-headed eagle there is another red shield with the image of a horseman killing 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 mean the sovereignty of the Russian state. Initially, the crowns meant the 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 more than the image of St. George the Victorious, a symbol of the bright principle defeating evil. He personifies the warrior-defender of the Motherland and has enjoyed great popularity in Russia throughout its history. No wonder St. George the Victorious is considered the patron saint of Moscow and is depicted on its coat of arms.
The image of a horseman is traditional for the Russian state. This symbol (the so-called rider) was in use back in Kievan Rus; it was present on princely seals and coins.
Initially, the horseman 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 Saint George.
History of the coat of arms of Russia
The central element of the Russian coat of arms is the 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.
Before 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 it would turn into St. George the Victorious). For the first time, the double-headed eagle as a symbol of princely power was used on the seal that sealed the deed of land ownership. Also during the reign of Ivan III, an eagle appears on the walls of the Faceted Chamber of the Kremlin.
Why exactly during this period the Moscow tsars began to use the double-headed eagle is still a matter of debate 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 Paleologus. In fact, this theory was first put forward by Karamzin. However, it raises serious doubts.
Sofia was born in Morea - the outskirts of the Byzantine Empire and was never close to Constantinople, the eagle first appeared in the Moscow principality several decades after the marriage of Ivan and Sofia, and the prince himself never made 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.
There is an opinion that the Moscow princes borrowed the eagle from the South Slavic peoples, who quite actively used this image. However, no traces of such borrowing could be found. And the appearance of the Russian “bird” is very different from its South Slavic counterparts.
In general, historians still don’t know exactly why a double-headed eagle appeared on the Russian coat of arms. It should be noted that around the same time, a single-headed eagle was depicted on coins of the Novgorod principality.
The double-headed eagle became the official state emblem under the grandson of Ivan III, Ivan the Terrible. At first the eagle is complemented by a unicorn, but soon it is replaced by a rider who slays a dragon - a symbol usually associated with Moscow. Initially, the horseman was perceived as a sovereign (“great prince on horseback”), but already during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, they began to call him George the Victorious. This interpretation will be finally consolidated much later, during the reign of Peter the Great.
Already during the reign of Boris Godunov, the coat of arms of Russia for the first time received three crowns located above the heads of the eagle. They meant the conquered Siberian, Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms.
Since about the middle of the 16th century, the Russian double-headed eagle has often been painted in the “armed” position: the bird’s beak is open and its tongue is hanging 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, the so-called Calvary cross often appears in the upper part of the coat of arms, between the heads of the eagle. This innovation coincides with the moment Russia gained church independence. Another version of the coat of arms 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 actively used seals depicting the Russian coat of arms during the Time of Troubles.
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 heraldic tradition of that time, the eagle began to be depicted with spread wings.
In the middle of the 17th century, during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, the State Coat of Arms of Russia for the first time received an orb and a scepter, an eagle holding 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 acquired the well-known “imperial” look, in addition, the coat of arms of Russia changed its color design. The eagle's body became black, and its eyes, beak, tongue and paws became gold. The dragon also began to be depicted in black, and St. George the Victorious - in silver. This design became 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 by the British infuriated the Russian emperor and pushed him into an alliance with Napoleon (which later cost him his life). It is for this reason that the Russian coat of arms received another element - the Maltese cross. Its meaning was that the Russian state lays claim to 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 coat of arms with a double-headed eagle, the coats of arms 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 the 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. Before 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. It was handled by the King of Arms Baron Köhne. 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 coat of arms 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 about a new coat of arms of the Russian state. To solve this problem, a group of the best Russian heraldry experts was assembled. However, the issue of the coat of arms was rather political, so they recommended, until the convening of the Constituent Assembly (where they were supposed to adopt a new coat of arms), to use the double-headed eagle, but without the imperial crowns and St. George the Victorious.
However, six months later another revolution occurred, and the Bolsheviks began developing a new coat of arms for Russia.
In 1918, the Constitution of the RSFSR was adopted, and along with it, the 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 the exact description of the coat of arms and regulates the procedure for its use.
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