The word coat of arms comes from the German word erbe, which means inheritance. A coat of arms is a symbolic image that shows the historical traditions of a state or city.
Coats of arms appeared a long time ago. The totems of primitive tribes can be considered the predecessors of the coats of arms. The coastal tribes had figurines of dolphins and turtles as totems, the steppe tribes had snakes, and the forest tribes had bear, deer, and wolf. The signs of the Sun, Moon, and water played a special role.
The two-headed eagle is one of the oldest heraldic figures. There is still a lot that is not clear in the appearance of the two-headed eagle as a symbol. It is known, for example, that he was portrayed in the Hittite state, a 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 two-headed eagle can be traced in Media, east of the former Hittite kingdom.
From the end of the XIV century. the golden two-headed Eagle looking to 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 still awake guard who sees everything in the east and in the west. The golden color, meaning wealth, prosperity and eternity, in the last meaning is still used in icon painting.
There are many myths and scientific hypotheses about the reasons for the appearance of the two-headed eagle in Russia. According to one of the hypotheses, 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 (Zoe) Paleologue - the nieces of the last Constantinople emperor 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 the Yaroslavl, Novgorod, Tver, Perm lands. The country began to actively develop ties with other European states, and its foreign policy position was strengthened. In 1497, an all-Russian Code of Law was adopted - a single set of laws for the country.
It was at this time - the time of the successful construction of the Russian statehood.
Nevertheless, the opportunity to become equal with all European sovereigns prompted Ivan III to accept this coat of arms as a heraldic symbol of his state. Having transformed from the Grand Duke into the Tsar of Moscow and taking for his state a new coat of arms - the Two-Headed Eagle, Ivan III in 1472 places the Cesar'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 the Autocrat, i.e. independent and self-reliant. This circumstance is reflected in the modification of the Eagle, a sword and an Orthodox cross appear in its paws.
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The twinning of dynasties not only symbolized the continuity of the power of the Moscow princes from Byzantium, but also put them on a par with the 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 the symbol of the Russian state. However, this did not happen immediately. Sophia Palaeologus, who ascended the Moscow Grand Duke 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 over its heads not the imperial, but only the crown of the Caesar and did not hold any attributes in its paws. The eagle was woven in black silk on a golden banner, which 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 the autocrat and sovereign of "all Russia" (in a number of documents he is already called "tsar" - from the Byzantine "Caesar"), the former Byzantine golden double-headed Eagle acquires the meaning of the Russian state symbol.
The head of the Eagle is crowned with the autocratic cap of Monomakh, he takes in his paws a cross (not a four-pointed Byzantine, but an eight-pointed Russian one) as a symbol of Orthodoxy, and a sword as a symbol of the ongoing struggle for the independence of the Russian state, which can only be completed by the grandson of John III - John IV (Grozny).
On the chest of the Eagle is the image of St. George, who was revered in Russia as the patron saint of warriors, farmers and all the 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 princely squads, on the helmets and shields of Russian soldiers, coins and seals - the insignia of military leaders. The image of St. George has adorned the coat of arms of Moscow since ancient times, because St. George himself has been considered the patron saint of the city since the time of Dmitry Donskoy.
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 sovereign autocrat and the idea of uniting the Russian lands.
The double-headed eagles found in the coats of arms are not uncommon. Since the 13th century, they appear in the arms of the counts of Savoy and Würzburg, on Bavarian coins, 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 as black on a gold shield with gold beaks and claws. The Eagle's heads were surrounded by halos.
Thus, the understanding of the image of the two-headed eagle as a symbol of a single state, consisting of several equal parts, was formed. After the collapse of the empire in 1806, the double-headed eagle became the coat of arms of Austria (until 1919). Both Serbia and Albania have it in their emblems. He is in the 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 from that time on, the two-headed eagle was 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, 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, t. his heir Ivan IV, who later received the name Terrible, was still small, the regency of his mother Elena Glinskaya (1533-1538) begins, 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 the year of the appearance of the State Emblem of Russia is considered to be 1497, despite its quarter-century distance from the wedding of Ivan III and Sophia Paleologue. This year is dated the letter of grant of Ivan III Vasilyevich to his nephews, princes of Volotsk Fedor and Ivan Borisovich, in the Buigorod and Kolp volosts in Volotsk and Tver districts.
The letter was secured by a double-sided hanging red-wax seal of the Grand Duke, perfectly preserved and extant. The obverse of the seal depicts a horseman striking a serpent with a spear, and a circular inscription (legend) "Ioan b (o) by the grace of the ruler of all Russia and the great prince (i) z"; on the reverse - a two-headed eagle with outstretched wings and crowns on its heads, a circular inscription listing the possessions.
One of the first to draw 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 two-headed Eagle and St. George. Of course, it can be assumed that similar seals were used to seal 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 turns 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 events with another change.
The return of Ivan the Terrible to the throne brings about the emergence of a new Eagle, whose heads are crowned with one common crown of a clearly Western pattern. But that's not all, on the Eagle's chest, instead of the icon of St. George the Victorious, the image of the Unicorn appears. Why? One can only guess about this. 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 Fyodor Ivanovich “Blessed” (1584-1587) reigns on the throne. And again the Eagle changes its appearance. During the reign of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, the sign of the Passion of Christ appears between the crowned heads of the two-headed eagle: the so-called Calvary cross. on the state seal was a symbol of Orthodoxy, giving a religious coloring to the coat of arms of the state. The appearance of the "Calvary cross" in the coat of arms of Russia coincides with the time of the establishment of the patriarchate and church independence of Russia in 1589. Another coat of arms of Fyodor 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 the 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 was serving 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 Fedor Ivanovich, could have become the founder of a new dynasty. His occupation of the throne was quite 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 seals depicted another, clearly not Russian, Eagle. Here events also left their mark on Oryol, and in connection with the Polish occupation, Oryol becomes very similar to the Polish one, differing, perhaps, by a two-headed.
A shaky attempt to establish a new dynasty in the person of Vasily Shuisky (1606-1610), the painters from the clerk hut reflected in Oryol deprived of all sovereign attributes and, as if in mockery, a flower or a lump would grow from the place where the heads joined. Russian history says quite little about Tsar Vladislav I Sigismundovich (1610-1612), although he was not crowned in Russia, but 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 Eagle's paw. The short and in fact fictitious reign of this king effectively put an end to the Troubles.
The Time of Troubles ended, Russia reflected the claims to the throne of the Polish and Swedish dynasties. Numerous impostors were defeated, and the uprisings that were 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 by the people as "Quiet" - the State Emblem changes somewhat. In 1625, for the first time, a two-headed eagle was depicted under three crowns; George the Victorious returned on his chest, but no longer in the form of an icon, in the form of a shield. Also, on the icons, St. George the Victorious always galloped to the left, 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 abandon their hopes of bringing Russia to the Catholic faith.
In 1645, during the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich's son, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the first Great State Seal appeared, on which a two-headed eagle with a rider on its 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."
The letter of gratitude from Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich to Bogdan Khmelnitsky and his descendants to the city of Gadyach dated March 27, 1654 was accompanied by a seal, on which for the first time a two-headed eagle under three crowns was depicted holding symbols of power in its claws: a scepter and 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 was depicted with raised wings starting in 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, Shows faith, hope, love for God, Creel stretched out, embraces all the world of the end, North, south, from east all the way to the west of the sun
Covers good with outstretched wings.
In 1667, after a long war between Russia and Poland over Ukraine, the Andrusov armistice was concluded. To seal this treaty, the Great Seal was made with a double-headed eagle under three crowns, with a shield with a rider on his chest, with a scepter and a power in his paws.
In the same year, the first decree in the history of Russia of December 14, "On the title of the royal and on the state seal," appeared, which contained an official description of the coat of arms: Russian autocratic, His Imperial 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 paznoktah (claws) a scepter and an apple, and shows the most gracious Sovereign, His Imperial Majesty the Autocratic 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 it does not reflect anything new by itself. After a short struggle with the boyar's choice for the kingdom of the young Peter, with the regency of his mother Natalya Kirillovna, the second tsar was elevated to the throne - the weak and limited John. And behind the double royal throne is Princess Sophia (1682-1689). The actual reign of Sophia gave rise to a new Eagle. However, he did not last long. After a new outbreak of turmoil - Streletsky riot, a new Eagle appears. Moreover, the old Eagle does not disappear and they both exist for some time in parallel.
In the end, Sophia, having suffered defeat, went to the monastery, and in 1696 Tsar John V also dies, the throne goes to Peter I Alekseevich "the Great" (1689-1725) alone.
And almost immediately, the State Emblem sharply changes its forms. The era of great transformations begins. The capital is transferred to St. Petersburg and Oryol acquires new attributes. On the chapters, crowns appear under one common larger one, and on the chest there is an order chain of the Order of the Holy 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 badge of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and a symbol of the Russian Navy. Since 1699, there are images of a two-headed eagle surrounded by a chain with the sign of the St. Andrew's Order. And already next year, the St. Andrew's Order is placed on an eagle, around a shield with a rider.
Since the first quarter of the 18th century, the colors of the double-headed eagle have become brown (natural) or black.
It is also important to say about one more Eagle which Peter painted as a boy for the banner of the Amusing Regiment. This Eagle had only one paw because: "Whoever has only one land force has one hand, but whoever has a fleet has two hands."
During the short reign of Catherine I (1725-1727), the Eagle again changes its forms, the ironic nickname "Swamp Queen" went everywhere and, accordingly, the Eagle simply could not help but change. However, this Eagle held out for 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 the 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 a rider in a red field."
Under Empress Catherine I, the color scheme of the coat of arms was finally established - a black Eagle on a gold (yellow) field, a white (silver) Horseman on a red field.
State Banner of Russia, 1882 (Reconstruction by R. I. Malanichev)
After the death of Catherine I during the short reign of Peter II (1727-1730) - the grandson of Peter I, Oryol remained practically 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, except for the excessively 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 St. George the Victorious is replaced by a cross (besides, not Orthodox). The humiliating period of Russia added the humiliating Eagle.
The reign of Peter III (1761-1762), which was very short-lived and extremely offensive for the Russian people, did not react in any way. 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 in 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 it were, 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. Paul himself creates this Eagle.
During 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 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 to include the Maltese cross and crown in the state emblem. On the eagle's chest under the Maltese crown 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 above-described coat of arms in the form of a two-headed eagle with a Maltese cross, larger than the others. A shield with coats of arms is superimposed on the Maltese cross, and under it again appeared the sign of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. 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, two standards with two-headed and one-headed eagles emerge. This project has not been finally approved.
As a result of the conspiracy, on March 11, 1801, Paul fell at the hands of the palace regicides. The young Emperor Alexander I "Blessed" (1801-1825) ascends the throne. On 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 caused the emergence of a new Eagle. He had one crown, the wings of an eagle were depicted lowered (spread), and in his paws not the traditional scepter and orb, but a wreath, lightning (peruns) and a torch.
In 1825, according to the official version, Alexander I dies in Taganrog, and Emperor Nicholas I (1825-1855) comes to the throne with a strong will and awareness of his duty to Russia. Nikolai 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 Germanic models. The drawing of the Small Coat of Arms of Russia, executed by Alexander Fadeev, was imperially approved on December 8, 1856. This version of the coat of arms differed from the previous ones not only by the image of an eagle, but also by the number of "title" coats of arms on the wings. On the right were shields with the coats of arms of Kazan, Poland, Tauric Chersonesos and the united coat of arms of the Great Principalities (Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod), on the left - shields with the coats of arms of Astrakhan, Siberia, Georgia, Finland.
April 11, 1857 was followed by the Supreme approval of the entire set of state emblems. It included: Big, Medium and Small, coats of arms of members of the imperial family, as well as "title" coats of arms. At the same time, the drawings of the Great, Middle and Small state seals, arks (cases) for seals, as well as seals of the main and lower public places and persons were approved. In total, one deed approved one hundred and ten drawings lithographed by A. Beggrov. On May 31, 1857, the Senate published a decree describing the new coats of arms and the rules for their use.
Also known is another Eagle of Emperor Alexander II (1855-1881), where the shine of gold returns to the Eagle again. The scepter and orb are replaced by a torch and wreath. In the course of the reign, the wreath and the torch were replaced several times by the scepter and the orb and returned several times.
On July 24, 1882, Emperor Alexander III in Peterhof 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 for coronation.
The large Russian state emblem, approved by the Highest on November 3, 1882, has a black double-headed eagle in a gold shield, crowned with two imperial crowns, over which there is the same, but in a larger form, a crown, with two fluttering ends of the ribbon of the Andreev order. The state eagle holds a golden scepter and orb. The coat of arms of Moscow is on the eagle's chest. The shield is crowned with the helmet of the Holy Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky. Namet black with gold. Around the shield is the chain of the Order of St. the apostle Andrew the First-Called; on the sides there are images of Saints Archangel Michael and Archangel Gabriel. A golden canopy, crowned with an imperial crown, strewn with Russian eagles and enclosed with ermine. On it is a scarlet inscription: God is with Us! Above the canopy there is a state banner with an eight-pointed cross on the shaft.
On February 23, 1883, the Medium and two versions of the Small coat of arms were approved. In January 1895, the highest order was 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 the previous legal provisions concerning the State Emblem, but with all strict contours it is the most elegant.
With minor changes introduced in 1882 by Alexander III, the coat of arms of Russia existed until 1917.
The Commission of the Provisional Government came to the conclusion that the two-headed eagle itself does not carry any monarchical or dynastic signs, therefore, deprived of a crown, scepter, orb, coats of arms of kingdoms, lands and all other heraldic attributes "were left in the service."
The Bolsheviks were of an entirely different opinion. By the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of November 10, 1917, the coat of arms and the flag were abolished along with estates, titles, titles and old-regime orders. But it was easier to make a decision than to execute. State bodies continued to exist and function, so for another six months the old coat of arms was used where necessary, on signs with the designation of authorities 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 two-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 VKPB decided to replace the old symbols with ruby stars.
In 1990, the Government of the RSFSR adopted a decree on the creation of the State Emblem and the State Flag of the RSFSR. After a thorough discussion, the Government Commission proposed to recommend to the Government a coat of arms - a golden two-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 has been carried out since the spring of 1991, during the existence of the USSR.
Moreover, there were three approaches to this issue from the very beginning: the first was to improve the Soviet symbolism, which is alien to Russia, but has become familiar; the second is the adoption of fundamentally new, without ideology, symbols of statehood (birch leaf, swan, etc.); and, finally, the third is 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 symbols of the coat of arms have been 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, crowns on the State Emblem of the Russian Federation can be considered in the same way as symbols of the three branches of government - executive, representative and judicial. In any case, they should not be identified with the symbols of empire and monarchy. The scepter (originally as a strike weapon - a mace, the six-fighter is a symbol of military leaders) can be interpreted as a symbol of the protection of sovereignty, the power - 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.
Back in late 1990, the Government of the RSFSR adopted a Resolution on the creation of the State Emblem and the State Flag of the RSFSR. Many experts 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 two-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 versions of the coat of arms, and the approved projects were sent for revision. Created 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 the Deputy Director of the State Hermitage for scientific work (State Heraldry Master) G. V. Vilinbakhov had one of the tasks involved 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 for the coat of arms is artist E. I. Ukhnalev.
The restoration of the centuries-old, historical symbol of our Fatherland - the Two-Headed Eagle - can only be welcomed. However, a very important point should be taken into account - the existence of the restored and legalized coat of arms in the form in which we now see it everywhere imposes a considerable responsibility on the state.
Writes about this in his recently published book "The Origins of Russian Heraldry", A. G. Silaev. In his book, the author, on the basis of a painstaking study of historical materials, very interestingly and widely reveals the very essence of the origin of the image of the Two-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 creation (or recreation) of the coat of arms of the new Russia. A large number of perfectly 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 the current image of the two-headed eagle contains a number of annoying flaws and inaccuracies that are noticeable to any professional artist.
Have you ever seen narrow-eyed eagles in nature? And with the beaks of parrots? Alas, the image of a two-headed eagle is not decorated with very thin paws and rare plumage. As for the description of the coat of arms, unfortunately, it remains imprecise 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 their national symbols and their own history ?! Was it really so difficult to study more thoroughly the heraldic images of the predecessors of the modern eagle - the old Russian coats of arms? After all, this is the richest historical material!