The double-headed eagle became the official emblem of the Russian Empire in 1857, it was approved by Emperor Alexander II. We decided to figure out how this mysterious symbol ended up on the Russian land.
For the first time as a heraldic symbol of Russia (then still the Grand Duchy of Moscow), a two-headed eagle appeared in 1497 under John III. Then the eagle decorated the Great State Seal. This was a serious innovation - before that, official heraldry was limited to images of the Cross, Savior, Mother of God, George the Victorious and other saints. Thus, the two-headed eagle became the first “non-Christian” and animalistic symbol in Russia to be used as an official state sign.
Double-headed dowry
As you know, the double-headed eagle was the coat of arms of the Byzantine Empire. Most historians explain its appearance in Russia by the marriage of John III with the Byzantine princess Sophia Palaeologus, who brought this heraldic sign as a "dowry". Of course, the Grand Duke of Moscow could easily abandon a bird that was inorganic for the Russian eye, but Moscow, which was gaining political momentum, needed serious ideological meanings (today it is called a brand) for international recognition. The fact is that in the West they were little aware of the nuances of the Russian political picture and believed that endless Tataria was located in the East, where people drink mare's milk and sleep on bare ground.
The two-headed eagle gave the Moscow princes the opportunity to create a more civilized positioning in the international arena, demonstrating to the Western community a brilliant "genealogy" - the succession of power from Rome and Byzantium. Subsequently, under Tsar Vasily III, this would develop into a serious religious-political concept "Moscow - the Third Rome".
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Habsburg bird
It is interesting that in 1442, about 55 years before the appearance on the seal of John III, the two-headed eagle appeared on the state seals of the German Holy Roman Empire. Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg also considered himself a full successor of Rome. However, he borrowed the two-headed bird not from his sworn rival, Byzantium, but from other German-speaking monarchs - the Burggraves of Würzburg and the Dukes of Bavaria. A number of historians are sure that the two-headed eagle came to Russia precisely from the Habsburgs, and not from the Byzantines, since the latter never used the ornithological symbol on state seals.
Tatar currency a
The Byzantine and Habsburg versions have their weak points. For example, there is no way to explain why the eagle appeared in the state press as a "dowry" almost 20 years after the marriage of John III and Sophia Palaeologus. As for the "Habsburg bird", it is not clear why Russia should have adopted the symbol of the empire, with which it had practically no political ties. In addition, the Habsburgs were Catholic. Close neighbors are another matter. We mean the Golden Horde, which for some time minted coins with the image of a two-headed eagle. Of course, John III held the "Tatar currency" in his hands. During his reign, the Golden Horde went through a period of disintegration, until in 1483 it ceased to exist. Perhaps the Grand Duke of Moscow wanted to play the succession card of the once powerful state,which is why he put on the seal a symbol familiar to other "Tatar khanates" formed after the collapse of the Horde.
John III and the Philosopher's Stone
It is known that John III was not indifferent to Western specialists, whom Russian emissaries engaged in throughout Europe. We know well from history about the Italian architects Aristotle Fioravanti, the builder of the Assumption Cathedral, and Pietro Antonio Solari, the builder of several Kremlin towers. It is known that all Western builders of that time were in workshops, which, in fact, were secret closed societies. Many building communities in the West used the symbolism of the two-headed eagle. It is possible that John "borrowed" the sign from the expatriate architects.
In addition, the double-headed eagle was widely used as a symbol in the then fashionable alchemy. Among the alchemists, it symbolized the Philosopher's Stone, as well as the process of obtaining it, which is called Magnum Opus, or "Great Work". Since there were many foreigners at the court of John III, it is likely that one of them practiced alchemical experiments. For example, healers, pharmacists, who, as you know, all over the world in those days were passionate about obtaining the Philosopher's Stone. From them the Moscow sovereign could have adopted the "magic symbol" as a personal seal.
It must be said that at the end of the 15th century, the use of a two-headed eagle was a fashionable trend in the Old World. Perhaps John III, having "spied" an ornithological sign as a seal in some foreign treaty, decided to follow the trend. Just because he liked him. This version, of course, sounds very lightweight, but still …
