What does the coat of arms of the Russian Federation look like. Emblem of Russia. Description and meaning for children. Chronology of coats of arms of Russia

; the eagle is crowned with two small crowns and - above them - one large crown, connected by a ribbon; in the paws of an eagle - a scepter and orb; on the chest of an eagle on a red shield - a silver rider in a blue cloak on a silver horse, striking with a silver spear a black dragon overturned and trampled by a horse.

History of the coat of arms of Russia

Old Russian seals

The very concept of a knightly hereditary coat of arms, widely accepted in Western Europe, did not exist in Russia. During the battles, most often embroidered or painted images of Christ, the Virgin, saints or the Orthodox cross served as banners. The images found on ancient Russian military shields were also not hereditary. Therefore, the history of the coat of arms of Russia is, first of all, history grand ducal seal.

On their seals, the Old Russian princes depicted, first of all, their patron saints (as, for example, St. Simeon is depicted on the seal of Simeon the Proud, and St. Demetrius is depicted on the seal of Dmitry Donskoy), as well as an inscription indicating to whom exactly this seal belongs ( usually in the form "Seal of the (Grand) Prince such and such"). Starting with Mstislav Udatny and the grandchildren of Vsevolod the Big Nest, the "rider" - a symbolic image of the ruling prince - began to appear on seals (as well as on coins). The rider's weapon could be different - a spear, a bow, a sword. On the coins of the time of Ivan II the Red, for the first time, a foot warrior appears, striking a snake (dragon) with a sword. The image of the rider was inherent in the seals not only of the princes of Vladimir and Moscow, but also of others. In particular, during the reign of Ivan III, the image of a horseman slaying a snake was not on the seal of the Grand Duke of Moscow (there was just a rider with a sword), but his brother-in-law, Grand Duke of Tverskoy Mikhail Borisovich. Since the Moscow prince became the sole ruler of Russia, the rider on horseback, slaying the dragon with a spear (a symbolic image of the victory of good over evil) has become one of the main symbols of the Russian state along with the double-headed eagle.

In addition to Russia, the "rider" became a symbol of the neighboring state - the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, however, the rider was depicted there with a sword galloping to the right and without a snake (see Chase).

Coat of arms of the Russian state

For the first time, a double-headed eagle as a state symbol of the Russian state is found on the reverse side of the state seal of Ivan III Vasilyevich in 1497, although images of a double-headed eagle (or bird) were found in ancient Russian art and on Tver coins before.

The placement of the rider on the chest of the eagle can be explained by the fact that there were two sovereign seals: Large and Small. The small one was bilateral and attached to the document, on each side of it were placed an eagle and a rider separately. The Great Seal was one-sided and applied to the document, and therefore it became necessary to combine the two symbols of the state in one. For the first time, such a combination is found on the large seal of Ivan the Terrible in 1562. Then, instead of the horseman, the unicorn began to appear. Although the tsar did not consider the unicorn a necessary symbol of the state, he nevertheless met on some seals of Boris Godunov, False Dmitry (1605-1606), Mikhail Fedorovich, Alexei Mikhailovich.

Emblem of the Russian Empire

Emblem of the Russian Republic (1917-1918)

The sketch of the temporary emblem of Russia (from September 14, 1917 - the Russian Republic) was developed by a group of specialists, which included well-known heraldists and artists V. K. Lukomsky, S. N. Troinitsky, G. I. Narbut and I. Ya. Bilibin. Considering that only the Constituent Assembly could approve the new emblem of the Russian state, they proposed using the two-headed eagle of the era of Ivan III without the attributes of royal power as a temporary emblem.

The drawing of the emblem, made by I. Ya. Bilibin, was approved by the chairman of the Provisional Government, Prince G. E. Lvov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, P. N. Milyukov, as a model for printing. Although the emblem was never officially approved, it was in circulation until the adoption of the Constitution of the RSFSR on July 10, 1918, which introduced the coat of arms of the new state. On the territory controlled by white forces, this emblem was also used later - in particular, it was present on banknotes issued by the Ufa Directory.

Russian state (1918-1920)

Coat of arms of the Russian state (project by G. A. Ilyin). 1918

Although the coat of arms was not officially approved and existed in several variations, it was used on documents and banknotes issued by the Russian government of Kolchak.

Coat of arms of the RSFSR (1918-1991)

With minor changes, this coat of arms lasted until 1991.

Emblem of the Russian Federation

On November 5, 1990, the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR adopted a resolution on the organization of work on the creation of a new state flag and coat of arms of the RSFSR and instructed the Committee for Archives under the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR to develop a concept for new state symbols and, together with the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR, create projects for new state emblem and flag of the RSFSR. At the beginning of 1991, a number of projects were proposed for consideration by the commission for the creation of new state symbols of the RSFSR (including a hybrid version: it was proposed to depict a golden or white double-headed eagle on the coat of arms of the RSFSR (the coat of arms of 1917, but with the color of the eagle replaced by another one); coat of arms it was proposed to surround with wreaths of ears of corn or birch branches tied with a ribbon with the motto "Unity and sovereignty".) Following the consideration of proposals, the Committee for Archives of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR recommended using the golden double-headed eagle on a red field as the coat of arms of the RSFSR, but the introduction of relevant bills to the Supreme Council RSFSR, it was decided to postpone until the end of the election campaign for the election of the President of the RSFSR. The tricolor state flag was approved in November 1991 by the Congress of People's Deputies, but the coat of arms remained unchanged. And after the renaming of the RSFSR to the Russian Federation on December 25, 1991, the old coat of arms continued to be used.

Article 136

(2) The Russian State Emblem has a black double-headed eagle in a golden shield, crowned with two crowns, above which is a third, in a larger form, the same crown; the state eagle holds a golden scepter and orb; on the breast of the eagle is the coat of arms of Moscow.

This emblem was also preserved in the draft Constitution of the Russian Federation, the main provisions of which were approved on April 18, 1992 by the VI Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Federation, but the style of the description was changed: the term "Russian State Emblem", taken directly from the Fundamental State Laws of 1906, was replaced the term "State Emblem of the Russian Federation", used in the current legislation, and in relation to the coat of arms on the eagle, a clarification was made that this historical The Moscow coat of arms, since the Soviet coat of arms of Moscow that existed at that time was radically different from the pre-revolutionary one; in addition, several changes of a purely editorial nature were made, changing only the presentation of the description, but not the proposed coat of arms itself. Thus, the provision of the draft Constitution on the State Emblem was stated as follows:

(2) The State Emblem of the Russian Federation is a black double-headed eagle in a golden shield, crowned with two crowns, above which there is a third similar crown in a larger form; the state eagle holds a golden scepter and orb; on the chest of the eagle is the historical Moscow coat of arms.

However, at the meeting of the VII Congress of People's Deputies that took place the next day (December 5), this proposal was not approved, since the proposal did not get the required number of votes, only 479 deputies voted for the double-headed eagle.

By May 1993, a compromise was prepared, combining the projects of the Constitutional Commission and the government of the Russian Federation: it was proposed to approve a golden double-headed eagle on a red field as the coat of arms of the Russian Federation (as in the options presented by the government of the Russian Federation), but three crowns were supposed to be placed above the eagle, and on the chest of an eagle, in a red shield - a horseman slaying a dragon with a spear. This composition of the coat of arms was supported by the Working Group of the Constitutional Commission, which proposed that the following description of the coat of arms be included in the official (“parliamentary”) draft of the Constitution (subsequently repeated almost verbatim in the presidential decree on this issue):

However, in subsequent (dated July 16, 1993 and August 1993) editions of the draft Constitution of the Russian Federation, prepared by the Constitutional Commission, the description of the coat of arms was now completely absent (as it was in drafts before March 17, 1992), and instead it was fixed that

(2) The description of the State Emblem of the Russian Federation and the procedure for its official use are established by federal law.

In the draft Constitution, prepared by a group of lawyers on behalf of the President of the Russian Federation by the end of April 1993 and finalized at the Constitutional Conference on July 12, 1993, there was no description of state symbols (coat of arms, flag and anthem), they were supposed to be fixed by federal constitutional laws. After the events of September-October 1993, the issue of state symbols returned only in November 1993. The President of the Russian Federation was presented with two projects of the coat of arms, depicted by E. I. Ukhnalev. The drawing of both was identical, but the colors were different: one of them was the current emblem (a golden eagle on a red shield, above the eagle - golden crowns connected by a golden ribbon, in the paws of the eagle - a golden scepter and orb, on the chest of an eagle in a red shield - a silver a rider in a blue cloak on a silver horse, striking with a silver spear a black dragon overturned and trampled on his horse), the other was based on the colors of the coat of arms of the Russian Empire and at the same time differed from it (a black eagle on a golden shield, above the eagle - golden crowns (not imperial ones) , tied with a red ribbon, in the paws of an eagle - a golden scepter and orb, on the chest of an eagle in a red shield - a silver rider in a blue cloak on a silver horse, striking with a silver spear a black dragon overturned and trampled by a horse).

However, this proposal was also repeatedly rejected by the Duma.

Article 1 The State Emblem of the Russian Federation is the official state symbol of the Russian Federation.
The State Emblem of the Russian Federation is a quadrangular, with rounded lower corners, pointed at the tip, a red heraldic shield with a golden double-headed eagle that raised its spread wings. The eagle is crowned with two small crowns and - above them - one large crown, connected by a ribbon. In the right paw of the eagle is a scepter, in the left - orb. On the chest of the eagle, in a red shield, there is a silver rider in a blue cloak on a silver horse, striking with a silver spear a black dragon overturned and trampled by a horse.
Article 2 Reproduction of the State Emblem of the Russian Federation is allowed without a heraldic shield (in the form of the main figure - a two-headed eagle with the attributes listed in Article 1), as well as in a one-color version.

The three crowns represent the sovereignty of both the entire Russian Federation and its parts, the subjects of the federation. The scepter with an orb, which the double-headed eagle holds in its paws, symbolizes state power and a single state.

Attentive attitude to the image in the shield on the chest of the double-headed eagle.
The shield on the chest of the double-headed eagle depicts a rider slaying a dragon with a spear. This image is often erroneously called the image of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George and is identified with the coat of arms of Moscow. This position is incorrect. The rider of the State Emblem is not an image of St. George and differs from the coat of arms of Moscow: - the image of the saint should be accompanied by an attribute of holiness - a halo or a spearhead in the form of a cross; these elements are not in the State Emblem; - the rider of the coat of arms of the city of Moscow has weapons different from the rider of the State Emblem (armament in this case is a generalized term that includes both the actual weapon and the costume); - the horse of the rider of the State Emblem stands on three legs, with one front leg raised (while the horse of the Moscow rider gallops - that is, it rests only on two hind legs); - the dragon of the State Emblem is overturned on its back and trampled on by a horse (in the Moscow emblem, the dragon stands on four legs and turns back).
In this regard, it must not be allowed that when using the image of the State Emblem in the shield on the chest of the double-headed eagle, an image of the coat of arms of the city of Moscow or another image that does not correspond to the approved one is placed.

Differences in the description of the coat of arms in 1993 and 2000

The description of the coat of arms of Russia in the Regulation of the same name approved by Decree of the President of Russia of November 30, 1993 No. 2050 “On the State Emblem of the Russian Federation” differs from the description of the coat of arms of Russia in the Federal Constitutional Law of December 25, 2000 No. 2-FKZ “On the State Emblem of the Russian Federation ”, however, in both laws, in the annexes, the same drawing of the coat of arms of Russia by Evgeny Ukhnalev is given.

coat of arms element	Description in the "Regulations..." 1993	Description in the 2000 law
heraldic shield	Red heraldic shield	Quadrangular, with rounded lower corners, a red heraldic shield pointed at the tip
double-headed eagle	golden double-headed eagle	Golden double-headed eagle with outstretched wings
Crowns over an eagle	Three historical crowns of Peter the Great (above the heads - two small ones and above them - one larger one)	The eagle is crowned with two small crowns and - above them - one large crown, connected by a ribbon
Objects in the paws of an eagle	In the paws of an eagle - a scepter and orb	In the right paw of the eagle - a scepter, in the left - orb
Rider	Rider	Silver rider in a blue cloak on a silver horse
Rider's Spear	A spear	Silver spear
Serpent	Serpent	Black serpent overturned and trampled by a horse

Chronology of coats of arms of Russia

Dates	Name	Dates	Name
15th century	Reverse side of seal of Ivan III, 1497	mid 16th century	Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich, 1577-1578
1580s-1620s	Coat of arms from the Middle State Seal (with a cross) Tsar Fyodor I Ivanovich, 1589	1620s-1690s	Coat of arms with the Great State Seal Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, 1667 (drawing from the Tsar's titular book)
1st quarter of the 18th century	Coat of arms of Peter I	-60s of the XVIII century	Coat of arms of the times of Catherine I
August 10 (21)	Coat of arms of Russia under Paul I (with the Maltese cross)	1st quarter of the 19th century	Coat of arms of Nicholas I
Mid 19th century		- gg.	Small coat of arms of the Russian Empire
- gg.	Great coat of arms of the Russian Empire	- gg.	Emblem of the Russian Republic
-	Emblem of the RSFSR	-	Coat of arms of Russia
-	Emblem of the RSFSR	-	Emblem of the RSFSR
-	Coat of arms of the Russian Federation - Russia	FROM	Emblem of the Russian Federation

Notes

Decree of the President of Russia of November 30, 1993 No. 2050 "On the State Emblem of the Russian Federation"
Federal constitutional law "On the State Emblem of the Russian Federation" of December 20, 2000
Silaev A. G. The origins of Russian heraldry. - M.: FAIR-PRESS, 2003. - p. 35-38. - ISBN 5-8183-0456-6
, With. 227-229
, With. 29
, With. 231-232
No. 76. Record of False Dmitry Grishka Otrepyev to the Sendomir Governor Yuri Mnishka // Collection of State Letters and Treaties stored in the State Collegium of Foreign Affairs. Part two / ed. Count N. P. Rumyantsev and A. F. Malinovsky. - M., 1819. - S. 162.
, With. 235
, With. 32
421. About the Tsar's title and about the State seal // Complete collection of laws of the Russian Empire. Collection One / Edited by M. M. Speransky. - St. Petersburg. , 1830. - T. I. 1649 - 1675 - S. 737-738. - 1072 p.
Komarovsky E. A. Heraldry of Russia // Slater S. Heraldry. Illustrated encyclopedia. - M.: Eksmo Publishing House, 2005. - p. 212. - ISBN 5-699-13484-0.
Belavenets P. A. Colors of the Russian state national flag. - St. Petersburg, 1910.
Act on the formation of the All-Russian supreme power, adopted at a state meeting in Ufa
Regulations on the temporary structure of state power in Russia, approved by the Council of Ministers on November 18, 1918
Heraldry - State Emblem of Kolchak. kolchakiya.narod.ru. Archived from the original on February 2, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
Tsvetkov V. Zh. White business in Russia. 1919 (formation and evolution of the political structures of the White movement in Russia). - 1st. - Moscow: Posev, 2009. - S. 38 - 39. - 636 p. - 250 copies. - ISBN 978-5-85824-184-3
"Coat of arms of the RSFSR", last modified 8/26/2006 © Russian Center of Vexillology and Heraldry
Flags of Russia-VEXILLOGRAPHIA
Double-headed eagle: flying again? What to be the state symbols of Russia
Rodina Magazine: Vernissage
Law of the Russian Federation of April 21, 1992 No. 2708-I “On Amendments and Additions to the Constitution (Basic Law) of the RSFSR” // Gazette of the Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR and the Supreme Council of the RSFSR. - 1992. - No. 20. - Art. 1084. This law came into force from the moment of its publication in Rossiyskaya Gazeta on May 16, 1992.
RIA Novosti media library:: Gallery:: Ruslan Khasbulatov's press conference
Kommersant-Vlast - Heraldic hearings in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Draft Constitution of the Russian Federation for March 17, 1992
For example, in the 1978 Constitution itself (Article 180)
Draft Constitution of the Russian Federation, adopted as a basis by the VI Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Federation on April 18, 1992
as amended on May 5, 1993 - article 128
as amended on May 5, 1993: "is"
as amended on May 5, 1993: "state eagle"
Anthologies. The limits of power. No. 2-3. Chronicle of the Second Russian Republic: December 1991 - December 1992
Kommersant-Gazeta - Parliament
From the history of the creation of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Constitutional Commission: transcripts, materials, documents (1990-1993): in 6 vols. T. 3: 1992. Book Two (July-December 1992) / Ed. ed. O. G. Rumyantseva.
Georgy Vilinbakhov, Chairman of the Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation State symbols of the Russian Federation
Proposals of the Working Group of the Constitutional Commission on taking into account the provisions of the draft Constitution (Basic Law) of the Russian Federation, submitted by the President of the Russian Federation to the Constitutional Commission on May 6, 1993, as well as proposals and amendments of the subjects of the legislative initiative. In: From the History of the Creation of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Constitutional Commission: transcripts, materials, documents (1990-1993): in 6 vols. T. 4: 1993. Book Two (May-June 1993) / Ed. ed. O. G. Rumyantseva (description of the coat of arms on p. 784)
, the main provisions of which were approved by the Sixth Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Federation and the Constitutional Commission of the Russian Federation (as of August 1993), part (2)
Russian Federation, state emblem and its projects (1993)
See e.g. bill of 1997 (Draft federal constitutional law "On the State Flag of the Russian Federation, the State Emblem of the Russian Federation and the State Anthem of the Russian Federation")

The double-headed eagle, the symbol and emblem of the Russian Federation, was created and realized as a result of a huge segment of the history of the Russian people. Since 1993, the coat of arms has been a golden double-headed eagle with George the Victorious placed inside it. The eagle itself is depicted on a red field. Two heads look east and west - they are decorated with crowns that come down to a central crown, indicating a strong centralized power. Few people know, but this coat of arms is the ninth in a row for Russia and at the same time the eighth in the history of the country. In order to understand why this is so, it is necessary to understand the origin of the symbol itself in the minds of the Russian people.

Reasons for the appearance of the symbol.

For the first time, an entry about the Russians in the Tale of Bygone Years by Nestor is found in 839 AD. In 862, Rurik begins his reign in the Novgorod principality, called to reign by the Ilmen tribes, Slovenes, Chud and Krivichi. This was necessary in order to stop the civil strife between the Finno-Ugric tribes and the Slavs who lived in those territories at that time. In addition, the Novgorod, and then the future Galicia-Volyn and Vladimir-Yaroslavl principalities were located on the territories of geographically very advantageous, and therefore often attacked from the north by the same Varangians, one of which may have been Rurik himself. From the west, the threat came from the Byzantine Empire, from the south from the Polovtsians.

With the advent of the first Grand Duke in Russia, the first princely seal appeared. The seal in this case is a symbol attached to any official document to certify it in the eyes of the people. At first, Christ was depicted on such seals, then the saints, after whom the princes were named.

Lead printing prince Vladimir Monomakh

The next stage in the formation of the coat of arms was the fact that since the time of Mstislav the Udaly, the so-called “rider” is depicted on the seals - a rider with a weapon in his hands, striking evil. It symbolized strong power. The most famous such symbol is George the Victorious, which is present on the coat of arms of Russia even now.

In the thirteenth century AD, Russia was engulfed in a war on two fronts. On the one hand, the Teutonic Order, which returned from the crusade, wished to assert its power in Russia and, having united with the Order of the Swordsmen and the Danish knights who arrived from Revel, formed the Livonian Order, with whose forces he began the conquest campaign from the capture of Izborsk and Pskov. This advance was stopped only in the forties of the thirteenth century, by the forces of Alexander Nevsky, who in 1240 defeated the order on the Neva River, and in 1242 won the historic battle on Lake Peipus. .

From the east, the Golden Horde attacked Russia, which at that time had superiority in tactics, technology and weapons. The army of Russian princes, hastily united and torn apart by the conflicting orders of the commanders, was defeated in 1223 in the battle on the Kalka River. Thus, for two whole centuries, Russia became dependent on the wishes of the Khans of the Horde.

Further history of the symbol.

Awareness of the threat that both the Livonian Order and the Golden Horde brought to Russia became the basis for the symbolism of the double-headed eagle, carefully looking to both sides of the world and having a central crown, supreme power over everything and everyone, in order to protect Russia from aggressors and to take the best of the cultures of those countries that are the most developed, and therefore representing both a danger to the country and interest - cultural, everyday and financial.

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For the first time, the double-headed eagle began to be used as a symbol under Ivan the Third in 1497 on the royal seal. Ivan III went down in history as the unifier of the Russian lands and as the man who finally drove the Horde out of the territory of Russia. It was during his time that the described symbolism of the double-headed eagle was formed.

The image of the eagle on the seal changed 8 times, and starting from the 40s of the 18th century, it acquired the status of the Emblem of the Russian Empire. Images changed in the era of Peter I, Elizabeth Petrovna, Nicholas I and Alexander II slightly. However, after the Great October Revolution was carried out, from 1917 to 1920, the coat of arms changed two more times, and although the final draft of the 20th year made the coat of arms similar to those under the Emperors, it was not approved and the image of a sickle and a hammer in framed wheat with a star and a red flag. Although the star appeared only in 1978, nevertheless, the image of the hammer and sickle replaced the images of the double-headed eagle for as much as 73 years. But in the end, the symbol of the continuity of the best traditions of the West and the East returned to Russia along with the beginning of the reign of B. N. Yeltsin.

At the time when the USSR collapsed, the centralization of power, which the double-headed eagle symbolizes, was especially necessary for a better understanding of the state of affairs. This symbol is now in 2017 the Emblem of the Russian Federation.

Acceptance date: 30.11.1993, 25.12.2000

In the scarlet field is a golden double-headed eagle surmounted by two golden imperial crowns and above them the same imperial crown with infuls, holding a golden scepter in its right paw, a golden orb in its left paw, having a shield on its chest, in the scarlet field of which a riding silver rider in azure cloak, striking with a silver spear a converted, overturned and trampled black dragon by a horse.

Official description in constitutional law:
The State Emblem of the Russian Federation is a quadrangular, with rounded lower corners, pointed at the tip, a red heraldic shield with a golden double-headed eagle that raised its spread wings. The eagle is crowned with two small crowns and - above them - one large crown, connected by a ribbon. In the right paw of the eagle is a scepter, in the left - orb. On the chest of the eagle, in a red shield, there is a silver horseman in a blue cloak on a silver horse, striking with a silver spear a black dragon overturned and trampled on his horse.

Reproduction of the State Emblem of the Russian Federation is allowed without a heraldic shield (in the form of the main figure - a double-headed eagle with all the attributes).

Since 2000, the saddle under the rider is usually depicted in red, although this is not specified in the description (but such an image is given in Appendix 1 to the Federal Constitutional Law "On the State Emblem of the Russian Federation"). Prior to this, the saddle was usually depicted in white.

Approved Decree of the President of the Russian Federation (#2050) "On the State Emblem of the Russian Federation" dated November 30, 1993; Federal constitutional law (# 2-FKZ) "On the State Emblem of the Russian Federation", adopted on December 8, 2000 by a resolution (# 899-III) of the State Duma of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, approved on December 20, 2000 by the Federation Council and signed by the President of the Russian Federation on December 25, 2000 of the year.

Rationale for the symbolism:
The coat of arms of the Russian Federation is based on the historical coat of arms of the Russian Empire. 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 on the eve of the third millennium.

Sources: Official portal "Russian symbols"

The word coat of arms comes from the German word erbe, which means inheritance. The coat of arms is a symbolic image that shows the historical traditions of a state or city.

Coats of arms appeared a very long time ago. The totems of primitive tribes can be considered the forerunners of coats of arms. The coastal tribes had figures of dolphins and turtles as totems, the steppe tribes had snakes, the forest tribes had bear, deer, and wolf figures. A special role was played by the signs of the Sun, Moon, water.

The double-headed eagle is one of the oldest heraldic figures. There is still a lot of obscurity in the appearance of the double-headed eagle as a symbol. It is known, for example, that he was portrayed 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 image of a double-headed eagle can be traced in Media, east of the former Hittite kingdom.

From the end of the XIV century. the golden double-headed Eagle, looking at the West and East, placed on a red field, becomes the state symbol of the Byzantine Empire. He personified the unity of Europe and Asia, divinity, greatness and power, as well as victory, courage, faith. Allegorically, the ancient image of a two-headed bird could mean a vigilant guardian who sees everything both in the east and in the west. The golden color, meaning wealth, prosperity and eternity, in the latter meaning is still used in icon painting.

There are many myths and scientific hypotheses about the reasons for the appearance of the double-headed eagle in Russia. According to one hypothesis, the main state symbol of the Byzantine Empire - the double-headed Eagle - appeared in Russia more than 500 years ago in 1472, after the marriage of the Grand Duke of Moscow, John III Vasilyevich, who completed the unification of the Russian lands around Moscow, and the Byzantine princess Sophia (Zoya) Paleolog - nieces of the last Emperor of Constantinople Constantine XI Palaiologos-Dragas.

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 Khan Akhmat 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 All-Russian Code of Laws was adopted - a single code of laws of the country.

It was at this time - the time of the successful construction of the Russian statehood.

Double-headed eagle of the Byzantine Empire, c. 15th century

However, the opportunity to become equal with all European sovereigns prompted Ivan III to adopt 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, at the same time a shield with the image of the icon of St. George the Victorious appears on the eagle's chest. In 1480 the Tsar of Moscow became Autocrat, i.e. independent and independent. This circumstance is reflected in the modification of the Eagle, a sword and an Orthodox cross appear in its paws.

The twinning of dynasties not only symbolized the succession of the power of the Moscow princes from Byzantium, but also put them on a par with European sovereigns. The combination of the coat of arms of Byzantium and the more ancient one - the coat of arms of Moscow, formed a new coat of arms, which became a symbol of the Russian state. However, this did not happen immediately. Sophia Paleolog, who ascended the Moscow Grand Duke's throne, brought with her not a golden Eagle - the emblem of the Empire, but a black one, meaning the family coat of arms of the dynasty.

This eagle had not an imperial, but only a Caesar's crown above its heads and did not hold any attributes in its paws. The eagle was woven in black silk on a golden banner that was carried at the head of the wedding train. And only in 1480, after “Standing on the Ugra”, which marked the end of the 240-year Mongol-Tatar yoke, when John III became autocrat and sovereign of “All Russia” (in a number of documents he is already called “king” - from the Byzantine “Caesar” ), the former Byzantine golden double-headed Eagle acquires the significance of a Russian state symbol.

The head of the Eagle is crowned with the autocratic hat of Monomakh, he takes in his paws a cross (not a four-pointed Byzantine, but an eight-pointed - Russian) as a symbol of Orthodoxy, and a sword, as a symbol of the ongoing struggle for the independence of the Russian state, which only the grandson of John III, John IV, manages to complete ( Grozny).

On the chest of the Eagle is an image of St. George, who was revered in Russia as the patron of warriors, farmers and the whole Russian land. The image of the Heavenly Warrior on a white horse, striking the Serpent with a spear, was placed on the grand ducal seals, banners (banners) of the princely squads, on the helmets and shields of Russian soldiers, coins and printed rings - insignia of military leaders. Since ancient times, the image of St. George has adorned the coat of arms of Moscow, because St. George himself has been considered the patron of the city since the time of Dmitry Donskoy.

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The liberation from the Tatar-Mongol yoke (1480) was marked by the appearance of the now Russian double-headed eagle on the spire of the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin. A symbol that personifies the supreme power of the autocratic sovereign and the idea of unifying Russian lands.

Double-headed eagles, found in coats of arms, are not so rare. Since the 13th century, they appear in the coats of arms of the counts of Savoy and Würzburg, on Bavarian coins, and are known in the heraldry of the knights of Holland and the Balkan countries. At the beginning of the 15th century, Emperor Sigismund I made the double-headed eagle the coat of arms of the Holy Roman (later German) Empire. The eagle was depicted in black on a golden shield with golden beaks and claws. The heads of the Eagle were surrounded by halos.

Thus, an understanding was formed of the image of the double-headed Eagle as a symbol of a single state, consisting of several equal parts. After the collapse of the empire 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? 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 collapsed Byzantine Empire makes the Russian Eagle the successor of the Byzantine one and the son of Ivan III, Vasily III (1505-1533) puts on both heads of the Eagle one common autocratic Cap of Monomakh. 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 comic modification.

It should be noted that 1497 is considered the year of the emergence of the State Emblem of Russia, despite its quarter-century distance from the marriage of Ivan III and Sophia Paleolog. This year is dated the charter of Ivan III Vasilyevich to his nephews, the princes of Volotsk Fedor and Ivan Borisovich, to the volosts of Buigorod and Kolp in the Volotsk and Tver districts.

The diploma was sealed with a double-sided hanging red wax seal of the Grand Duke, which has been perfectly preserved and has survived to this day. The front side of the seal depicts a rider slaying a snake with a spear, and a circular inscription (legend) “John b (o) with mercy the ruler of all Russia and the great prince (i) z”; on the reverse - a double-headed Eagle with outstretched wings and crowns on their heads, a circular inscription listing possessions.

Seal of Ivan III Vasilyevich, obverse and reverse, late 15th century.

One of the first to pay attention to this seal was the famous Russian historian and writer N. M. Karamzin. The seal differed from the previous princely seals, and most importantly - for the first time (from the material sources that have come down to us) it demonstrated the “reunification” of the images of the double-headed Eagle and St. George. Of course, it can be assumed that such seals were sealed with letters before 1497, but there is no confirmation of this. In any case, many historical studies of the last century converged on this date, and the 400th anniversary of the Russian coat of arms in 1897 was celebrated very solemnly.

Ivan IV is 16 years old, and he is crowned king, and immediately the Eagle undergoes a very significant change, as if personifying the entire era of the reign of Ivan the Terrible (1548-1574, 1576-1584). But during the reign of Ivan the Terrible there was a period when he renounced the Kingdom and retired to a monastery, handing over the reins of government to Semyon Bekbulatovich Kasimovsky (1574-1576), and in fact to the boyars. And the Eagle reacted to the ongoing events with another change.

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, the image of the Unicorn appears. Why? This can only be guessed at. True, in fairness it should be noted that this Eagle was quickly canceled by Ivan the Terrible.

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. Another coat of arms of Fedor Ivanovich is also known, which is somewhat different from the above.

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.

Boris Godunov (1587-1605), who replaced Fyodor Ivanovich, could have been the founder of a new dynasty. His occupation of the throne was completely legal, but popular rumor did not want to see him as a legitimate Tsar, considering him a regicide. And the Eagle reflects this public opinion.

The enemies of Russia took advantage of the Troubles, and the appearance of False Dmitry (1605-1606) under these conditions was quite natural, as was the appearance of a new Eagle. I must say that some of the seals depicted another, clearly not a Russian Eagle. Here, events also left their mark on the Orel, and in connection with the Polish occupation, the Orel 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 “Quiet One” 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.

The next stage in the change of the State Emblem came after the Pereyaslav Rada, the entry of Ukraine into the Russian state. At the celebrations on this occasion, a new, unprecedented three-headed Eagle appears, which was supposed to symbolize the new title of the Russian Tsar: "All Great and Small, and White Russia Tsar, Sovereign and Autocrat."

To the charter of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Bogdan Khmelnitsky and his descendants on the city of Gadyach 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: a scepter and an orb.

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 began to be depicted with raised wings starting from 1654.

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,
The krill is extended, embraces all the worlds of the end,
North, south, from east to sunset
He covers well 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 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 of December 14 “On the royal title and on the state seal” appeared, which contained an 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 of the autocrat, His Royal Majesty of the Russian reign, on which three crowns are depicted, signifying the three great Kazan, Astrakhan, Siberian glorious kingdoms. On the Persians (chest) the image of the heir; in pasnoktyah (claws) a scepter and an apple, and reveals the most merciful Sovereign, His Royal Majesty the Autocrat and Possessor.

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich dies and the short and unremarkable reign of his son Fyodor Alekseevich (1676-1682) begins. The three-headed Eagle is replaced by the old two-headed Eagle, and at the same time does not reflect anything new. After a short struggle with the boyar choice for the kingdom of the young Peter, under the regency of his mother Natalya Kirillovna, the second tsar, the weak and limited John, is elevated to the throne. And behind the double royal throne stands Princess Sophia (1682-1689). The actual reign of Sophia brought to life a new Eagle. However, he did not last long. After a new outbreak of unrest - the Streltsy rebellion, a new Eagle appears. Moreover, the old Eagle does not disappear, and both of them exist for some time in parallel.

In the end, Sophia, having been defeated, goes to the monastery, and in 1696 Tsar John V also dies, 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 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.

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

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."

In the short reign of Catherine I (1725-1727), the Eagle again changes its forms, the ironic nickname "Queen of the Swamp" went everywhere and, accordingly, the Eagle simply could not change. However, this Eagle lasted a very short time. Menshikov, drawing attention to him, ordered to withdraw it from use, and by the day of the coronation of the Empress, a new Eagle appeared. 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 a rider in a red field.”

Under Empress Catherine I, the colors of the coat of arms were finally established - a black Eagle on a gold (yellow) field, a white (silver) Rider on a red field.

State banner of Russia, 1882 (Reconstruction by R.I. Malanichev)

After the death of Catherine I in the short reign of Peter II (1727-1730) - the grandson of Peter I, Orel remained virtually unchanged.

However, the reign of Anna Ioannovna (1730-1740) and Ivan VI (1740-1741) - the great-grandson of Peter I, does not cause practically any change in the Eagle, with the exception of an exorbitantly elongated body. However, the accession to the throne of Empress Elizabeth (1740-1761) entails a radical change in the Eagle. Nothing remains of the imperial power, and George the Victorious is replaced by a cross (moreover, not Orthodox). The humiliating period of Russia added the humiliating Eagle.

The Eagle did not react in any way to the very short and extremely insulting reign of Peter III (1761-1762) for the Russian people. In 1762, Catherine II "The Great" (1762-1796) came to the throne and the Eagle changed, acquiring powerful and grandiose forms. In the minting of coins of this reign there were many arbitrary forms of the coat of arms. The most interesting form is the Eagle, which appeared during the time of Pugachev with a huge and not quite familiar crown.

The Eagle of Emperor Paul I (1796-1801) appeared long before the death of Catherine II, as if in opposition to her Eagle, to distinguish the Gatchina battalions from the entire Russian Army, to be worn on buttons, badges and headdresses. Finally, he appears on the standard of the Tsarevich himself. This Eagle is created by Paul himself.

In the short time of the 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.

As a result of the conspiracy, on March 11, 1801, Pavel fell at the hands of palace regicides. The young Emperor Alexander I "Blessed" (1801-1825) takes the throne. By the day of his coronation, a new Eagle appears, already without the Maltese emblems, but, in fact, this Eagle is quite close to the previous one. The victory over Napoleon and almost complete control over all processes in Europe causes the emergence of a new Eagle. He had one crown, the wings of an eagle were depicted lowered (spread out), and in the paws not the traditional scepter and orb, but a wreath, lightning bolts (peruns) and a torch.

In 1825, Alexander I (according to the official version) dies in Taganrog and Emperor Nicholas I (1825-1855), strong-willed and aware of his duty to Russia, takes the throne. Nicholas contributed to the powerful, spiritual and cultural revival of Russia. This revealed a new Eagle, which changed somewhat over time, but still carried all the same strict forms.

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 Chersonesus 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 lithographed by A. Beggrov. On May 31, 1857, the Senate published a Decree describing the new emblems and the norms for their use.

Also known is another Eagle of Emperor Alexander II (1855-1881), where the gleam of gold returns to the Eagle again. The scepter and orb are replaced by a torch and a wreath. In the course of his reign, the wreath and torch are replaced several times by the scepter and orb, and several times they return again.

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.

The large Russian state emblem, approved by the Highest on November 3, 1882, is in a golden shield a black double-headed eagle crowned with two imperial crowns, above which is the same, but larger, crown, with two fluttering ends of the St. Andrew's Order ribbon. The state eagle holds a golden scepter and orb. On the chest of the eagle is the coat of arms of Moscow. The shield is crowned with the helmet of the Holy Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky. The namet is black with gold. Around the shield is the chain of the Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called; on the sides of the image of the saints Archangel Michael and Archangel Gabriel. The canopy is golden, crowned with the imperial crown, dotted with Russian eagles and lined with ermine. On it is a scarlet inscription: God is with us! Above the canopy is the state banner, with an eight-pointed cross on the staff.

On February 23, 1883, the Middle and two variants of the Small Coat of Arms were approved. In January 1895, the royal command 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, but with all the strict contours it is the most elegant.

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, orb, emblems of kingdoms, lands and all other heraldic attributes "left in the service."

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 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 new coat of arms of Russia was adopted along with the new constitution in July 1918. Initially, the ears were not crowned with a five-pointed star; it was introduced a few years later as a symbol of the unity of the proletariat of the five continents of the planet.

It seemed that the double-headed eagle was finally dismissed, but as if doubting this, the authorities were in no hurry to remove the eagles from the towers of the Moscow Kremlin. This happened only in 1935, when the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks decided to replace the old symbols with ruby stars.

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.

The eagles were removed from the Kremlin towers in 1935. The revival of the Russian Eagle became possible after the collapse of the USSR and with the return of true statehood to Russia, although the development of state symbols of the Russian Federation had been carried out since the spring of 1991, when the USSR existed.
Moreover, from the very beginning, there were three approaches to this issue: the first was to improve the Soviet symbolism, alien to Russia, but which has become familiar; the second - the adoption of fundamentally new, without ideology, symbols of statehood (birch leaf, swan, etc.); and, finally, the third - the restoration of historical traditions. The image of the two-headed Eagle with all its traditional attributes of state power was taken as a basis.

However, the symbolism of the coat of arms was rethought and received a modern interpretation, more in line with the spirit of the times and democratic changes in the country. In the modern sense, the crowns on the State Emblem of the Russian Federation can be considered in the same way as symbols of the three branches of power - executive, representative and judicial. In any case, they should not be identified with the symbols of empire and monarchy. The scepter (originally as a shock weapon - a mace, a mace - a symbol of military leaders) can be interpreted as a symbol of the protection of sovereignty, orb - to symbolize the unity, integrity and legal nature of the state.

The Byzantine Empire was a Eurasian power; Greeks, Armenians, 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 also true 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 our ancient roots, a thousand-year history.

As early as the end of 1990, the Government of the RSFSR adopted a Decree on the creation of the State Emblem and the State Flag of the RSFSR. Many specialists were involved in the preparation of proposals on this issue. In the spring of 1991, officials came to the conclusion that the State Emblem of the RSFSR should be a golden double-headed Eagle on a red field, and the State Flag should be a white-blue-red flag.

In December 1991, the Government of the RSFSR at its meeting considered the proposed options for the coat of arms, and the approved projects were sent for revision. Established in February 1992, the State Heraldic Service of the Russian Federation (since July 1994 - the State Heraldry under the President of the Russian Federation) headed by Deputy Director of the State Hermitage for Research (State Herald Master) G.V. Vilinbakhov had one of the tasks to participate in the development of state symbols.

The final version of the State Emblem of the Russian Federation was approved by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of November 30, 1993. The author of the sketch of the coat of arms is the artist E.I. Ukhnalev.

The restoration of the centuries-old, historical symbol of our Fatherland - the Double-Headed Eagle - can only be welcomed. However, a very important point should be taken into account - the existence of a restored and legalized coat of arms in the form in which we now see it everywhere imposes a considerable responsibility on the state.

He also writes about this in his recently published book “The Origins of Russian Heraldry”, A.G. Silaev. In his book, the author, based on a painstaking study of historical materials, very interestingly and widely reveals the very essence of the origin of the image of the Double-Headed Eagle, its basis - mythological, religious, political.

In particular, we are talking about the artistic embodiment of the current coat of arms of the Russian Federation. Yes, indeed, many specialists and artists were involved in the work on the creation (or reconstruction) of the coat of arms of the new Russia. A large number of well-executed projects were proposed, but for some reason the choice fell on a sketch made by a person who is actually far from heraldry. How else to explain the fact that in the current image of the double-headed eagle there are a number of annoying, noticeable to any professional artist, flaws and inaccuracies.

Have you ever seen narrow-eyed eagles in nature? What about parrot beaks? Alas, the image of a double-headed eagle is not decorated with very thin paws and rare plumage. As for the description of the coat of arms, unfortunately, it remains inaccurate and superficial from the point of view of the rules of heraldry. And all this is present in the State Emblem of Russia! Where, after all, is the respect for one's national symbols and one's own history?! Was it really so difficult to more carefully study the heraldic images of the predecessors of the modern eagle - the old Russian emblems? After all, this is the richest historical material!

sources

http://ria.ru/politics/20081130/156156194.html

http://nechtoportal.ru/otechestvennaya-istoriya/istoriya-gerba-rossii.html

http://wordweb.ru/2011/04/19/orel-dvoeglavyjj.html

And I will remind you

The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -

The coat of arms of Russia is one of the main state symbols of Russia, along with the flag and anthem. The modern coat of arms of Russia is a golden double-headed eagle on a red background. Three crowns are depicted above the heads of the eagle, now symbolizing 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 rider 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.

History of coat of arms changes

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 letter of 1497. During its existence, the image of the double-headed eagle undergoes many changes. In 1917, the eagle ceased to be the coat of arms of Russia. Its symbolism seemed to the Bolsheviks a symbol of autocracy, they did not take into account the fact that the double-headed eagle was a symbol of Russian statehood. On November 30, 1993, Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed the Decree on the State Emblem. Now the double-headed eagle, as before, symbolizes the power and unity of the Russian state.

15th century
The reign of Grand Duke Ivan III (1462-1505) 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 Khan Akhmat 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.
It was at this time - the time of the successful construction of Russian statehood - that the two-headed eagle, personifying supreme power, independence, what was called "autocracy" in Russia, became the coat of arms of Russia. The very first surviving evidence of the use of the image of the double-headed eagle as a symbol of Russia is the Grand Duke's seal of Ivan III, which in 1497 sealed his "exchange and allotment" charter for the land holdings of the specific princes. 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 a horseman ("rider") appeared - one of the oldest symbols of princely power in "Rus". The “rider” is placed in a shield on the chest of a double-headed eagle, crowned with one or two crowns topped with a cross.

Late 16th - early 17th century
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.

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

But if in this Decree the rider on the coat of arms was still called the rider, then among the drawings of coats of arms presented in May 1729 by Count Minich to the Military Collegium and awarded the highest approval, the double-headed eagle is described as follows: “The coat of arms of the State in the old way: a double-headed eagle, black , on the heads of the crown, and at the top in the middle is a large Imperial crown-gold; in the middle of that eagle, George on a white horse, defeating a serpent; the epancha and the spear are yellow, the crown is yellow, the snake is black; the field around is white, and in the middle is red. Empress Anna Ioannovna in 1736 invited the Swiss engraver Goedlinger, 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.

Turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries
Emperor Paul I, by decree of April 5, 1797, allowed members of the imperial family to use the image of a double-headed eagle as their coat of arms.
In the short time of the 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.

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.

1st 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, which 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 Nicholas I, 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 was also in circulation - with the emblems 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 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. 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 Chersonesus and the combined emblem of the Grand Duchies (Kyiv, Vladimir, Novgorod), on the left - shields with the emblems of Astrakhan, Siberia, Georgia, Finland.

Big State Emblem, 1882
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.
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, 1883-1917
On February 23, 1883, the Middle and two variants of the Small Coat of Arms were approved. On the wings of the double-headed eagle (Small Coat of Arms) there were eight coats of arms of the full title of Emperor of Russia: the coat of arms of the kingdom of Kazan; coat of arms of the kingdom of Poland; coat of arms of the kingdom of Tauric Chersonesos; the united coat of arms of the Kyiv, Vladimir and Novgorod grand principalities; coat of arms of the kingdom of Astrakhan, coat of arms of the kingdom of Siberia, coat of arms of the kingdom of Georgia, coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Finland. In January 1895, the imperial order was given to leave unchanged the drawing of the state eagle, made by Academician A. Charlemagne.

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

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

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

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

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 on the eve of the third millennium.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources