History of the state emblem of Russia.
January 23rd, 2013
"The sign of the Rurikids" is a coat of arms, both monarchical and Christian.
This is how they are aboutlook already systematized.
Genealogy of signs of the Rurikovichs of the 9th - 11th centuries on S. Beletsky "The most ancient heraldry of Russia".
1. Coats of arms of Rurikovich are not generic signs, but coats of arms. The first conclusion that can be drawn from this table.
The proof of this is that:
a / all coats of arms have one base, this is Olga's coat of arms, and additions in the form of a cross, a bird, a "third tooth" and a small triangle at the bottom of the base. That is, these are normal personal emblems. This is how they usually look.
The personal coat of arms reflects all the ownership rights of a given person. Rights as realized (lands and peoples) and unrealized rights. It means that all the ruling dynasties are related to each other and, members of the dynasties in the order of inheritance, have a very real opportunity to receive some kind of land by inheritance. Coats of arms of these countries - lands are also reflected in the personal coat of arms. It also reflects the line of succession to the throne;
Consider, as an example, the personal coat of arms of Emperor Alexander II.
Family coat of arms of His Imperial Majesty
The shield is dissected. To the right - the coat of arms of the Romanov family: in a silver field, a red vulture holding a golden sword and tarch, crowned with a small eagle; on the black border there are eight torn off lion heads, four gold and four silver. To the left - the coat of arms of Schleswig-Holstein: a four-part shield with an extremity and a small shield in the middle; in the first part - the Norwegian coat of arms: in a red field, a gold crowned lion with a silver halberd; in the second part - the Schleswig coat of arms: in a golden field, two blue leopard lions; in the third part - the coat of arms of Golstein: in a red field, a crossed small shield, silver and red; around the shield there is a silver leaf of nettle cut into three parts and three silver nails with ends to the corners of the shield; in the fourth part - the coat of arms of Stormarns: in a red field there is a silver swan with black paws and a golden crown on its neck; in the extremity - the coat of arms of Ditmarsen: in a red gold field, with a raised sword, a rider on a silver horse covered with black cloth; the middle small shield is also dissected: in the right half the coat of arms of Oldenburg: in the golden field there are two red belts; on the left is the Delmengorst coat of arms: in a blue field, a gold cross with a sharp end at the bottom. This small shield is crowned with a grand-ducal crown, and the main one - with a royal crown.
The coat of arms clearly displays the information contained in the title. Each word has a corresponding symbol. You can check it yourself.
Title imp. Alexander II:
By God's advancing mercy, We, Alexander the Second, the Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Tavricheskiy Chersonis, Sovereign of Pskov and Grand Duke of Smolensk, Lithuania, Volyn and Finland, Podnya , Liflyandsky, Kurlyandsky and Semigalsky, Samogitsky, Belostoksky, Korelsky, Tversky, Yugorsky, Perm, Vyatsky, Bulgarian and others; Sovereign and Grand Duke of Novgorod Nizovsky land, Chernigov. Ryazan, Polotsk, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Beloozersk, Udora, Obdorsk, Kondiysk, Vitebsk, Mstislavsk and all Northern countries, Lord and Sovereign of Iversk. Kartalinsky, Georgian and Kabardinsky lands and Armenian regions, Cherkasy and Mountain Princes and other hereditary Sovereign and Owner, Norwegian Heir, Duke of Schleswig-Golstinsky, Stormarnsky, Ditmarsen and Oldenburgsky and others, and so on, and so on
b / the coats of arms of Rurikovich disappear by the middle of the 13th century. That is, exactly when the Rurikovichs lose their sovereign rights and receive a label for reign in the Horde. They are now vassals.
Ivan 3 Vasilyevich regained his sovereign rights and took the coat of arms of the Palaeologus, the last Byzantine dynasty. On what grounds? Obviously, this was his "turn in the succession to the throne" of the Paleologians - the result of many dynastic marriages with members of the Byzantine dynasties.
The coat of arms of the country may not coincide with the personal coat of arms. It doesn't even match rather than match.
2. "Coat of arms of Rurikovich" - the monarchical coat of arms. This is because the Rurikovichi is a princely dynasty that has ownership rights.
Simultaneously with the emergence of the family, private property and the state, the rights of kings to the lands and peoples inhabiting them arise. That is, to the thrones.
As in the Bible: "and the Lord gave you this land and your kind."
Ownership belongs to sovereigns, those who is not a vassal to anyone.
Within the limits of their possession, power can be limited to some extent. For example, veche or parliament. But from nowhere outside, except from the Lord God, the sovereign master has no limitation of his rights. Each sovereign lord is absolutely sovereign over the other. Regardless of the size of his ownership. Is it possible to consider all Rurikovichs sovereign or some of them are vassals of the Grand Duke, and how is this reflected in their coats of arms? separate question... We'll come back to it later.
Hence , The coat of arms of Rurikovich is a monarchical coat of arms, a visual-figurative expression of their sovereign rights.
I have come across the definition of coats of arms by some researchers as:
- a symbol of power;
- a symbol of ownership;
- secular military emblem.
And the fact that the main feature of the coat of arms is that it is inherited.
These are all deepest delusions.
Not coats of arms are inherited, but property rights. And the coats of arms only clearly demonstrate these rights. By the coats of arms, it is possible to track the transfer of ownership rights from one representative of the dynasty to another.
Rurikovich - a dynasty. And like any dynasty, it is built on the basis of kinship (blood) ties. And wherever leafing right takes place, too.
It is necessary to distinguish between the coats of arms of states and the personal coats of arms of monarchs and members of sovereign houses.
3. Coats of arms of Rurikovich - coats of arms with Christian symbols.
Some anti-Normanists we are sure that these coats of arms are a symbolic image of a falcon attacking prey.
However, the image of a falcon can only be a generic sign, in essence belonging to the pre-Christian culture.
Rapov mentions that the Danish family sign "raven" cannot be on the coat of arms of a Christian ruler. ... And he doesn't mind the falcon. Which is strange.
Conclusion: a falcon cannot be present on the coat of arms of a Christian ruler.
And one more thing: if someone sees the image of a falcon in the coat of arms of Svyatoslav, he should also see it in the coat of arms of Vladimir Krasnoe Solnyshko, the prince who made Christianity the state religion. And in the coat of arms of Yaroslav the Wise, etc.
And this is impossible by definition. Do you think that in these coats of arms the cross or "middle tooth" is the image of a falcon? So, the falcon is present at the heart of all the coats of arms of Rurikovich? So they are all pagans? Or are they all Christians? Starting from the first!
Written sources, both Russian and foreign, give us different answers to this question.
And the coats of arms, on the contrary, testify unequivocally: all these princes were Christians.
Only Christian symbols and plots can be depicted on the coat of arms of a Christian monarch.
They are all well known.
Changes in the state. coats of arms occur when the borders of the state change: new lands are added or previously owned ones are lost.
Personal coats of arms can also change for the same reasons and even in those cases when the prospects for inheriting other lands change.
Christian symbols:
- anchor is the image of hope (the anchor is the support of the ship at sea, hope is the support of the soul in Christianity). This image is already present in the Epistle to the Hebrews of the Apostle Paul (Heb.);
- dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit;
- phoenix symbol of resurrection;
- eagle symbol of youth ( "Will be updated like an eagleayour youth "(Ps.));
- peacock is a symbol of immortality (according to the ancients, his body was not subject to decomposition);
- rooster is a symbol of resurrection (the cry of the rooster awakens from sleep, and awakening, according to Christians, should remind believers of the Last Judgment and the general resurrection of the dead);
- the lamb is a symbol of Jesus Christ;
- lion is a symbol of strength and power;
- olive branch is a symbol of eternal peace;
- lily is a symbol of purity (common due to the influence of apocryphal stories about the presentation of a lily flower by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation);
- vine and basket with bread symbols of the Eucharist.
And no falcon! And it was not! If it was, in the era of Christianization, it would not turn into
pigeon, but would have been changed to a different symbol. Only very romantic patriots from among the "Ukrainian lads" can joke with such things.
The monarchical coat of arms, especially in the era of the Christianization of the country, cannot carry pagan symbols! Categorically!
So choose from birds. Dove, eagle, phoenix.
It is very possible that this is a dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit. And also - the symbol of BAPTISM.
Why doesn't he look like a dove? Because it is a symbol! Whether it is made on a pendant by the hands of a skilled jeweler or scratched on the crest is still a HOLY SPIRIT. He is depicted upside down or up. Even just a smear, a check mark is also the Holy Spirit. And the Byzantine iconographic comparisons are not needed here.
Are you saying that in the Russian tradition there is no depiction of the CONCENTRATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT before the 13th century? There may not be any icons. But what is depicted on coins, pendants and so on? And in different
options! Why should there be only icons?
The coats of arms of the Rurikovichs (if we consider them as Christian coats of arms) include several Christian symbols: the Cross, the Holy Spirit and the Descent of the Holy Spirit (hence the third prong, like a raised tail of a dove, means that the head of a dove is down), the bird is directed downward). Yes, primitive !. But these are symbols!
That is. in your language, the bident is the Holy Spirit, and the trident is the DescentOf the Holy Spirit.
I risk bothering you, but the Holy Spirit and the Descent of the Holy Spirit are two different stories. The coat of arms of Sudislav Vladimirovich just contains both of these plots. Here is the dove, calmly sitting in the center of the coat of arms, and the Descent of the Holy Spirit - in the form of the base of the coat of arms.
It is possible that not a dove, but an eagle (two-headed) is depicted on the coat of arms of Rurikovich.
And the cross, spear, dove on Sudislav's coat of arms and orb are simply superimposed on him.From all of the above, I can make the inputs:
1. Signs of Rurikovich - personal monarchies coats of arms.
2. All these coats of arms belong to Christian monarchs.
And this means that the Rurikovichs were the RULING DYNASTY, at least from the 9th century to the middle of the 13th century, and they were a CHRISTIAN dynasty.
Therefore, the statement that the falcon was the heraldic sign of the Rurikovich
wrong.
The history of the coat of arms of Russia from the time of the Dnieper Slavs to the present day. George the Victorious, double-headed eagle, Soviet coat of arms. Changes in the coat of arms. 22 images
In ancient Russia as such a coat of arms, of course, has not yet existed. The Slavs in the VI-VIII centuries of our era had intricate ornaments that symbolized this or that territory. Scientists learned about this thanks to the study of burials, in some of which fragments of women's and men's clothing with embroidery have been preserved.In times Kievan Rus the grand dukes had their own princely seals, on which were placed the images of the attacking falcon - the patrimonial sign of the Rurikovich.
In Vladimir Rus Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavovich Nevsky has an image on the princely seal George the Victorious with a spear. Subsequently, this sign of the spearman appears on the obverse of the coin (penny) and it can already be considered the first real full-fledged coat of arms of Russia.
In Moscow Russia, under Ivan III, combined by a dynastic marriage with the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Sophia Palaeologus, an image appears two-headed Byzantine eagle. On the royal seal of Ivan III, George the Victorious and the Two-Headed Eagle are portrayed as equals. The grand-ducal seal of Ivan III, in 1497, sealed his "exchange and rejection" charter for the land holdings of appanage princes. From that moment on, the Two-Headed Eagle becomes the state emblem of our country.
The reign of Grand Duke Ivan III (1462-1505) - critical stage folding of a single Russian state. Ivan III succeeded in finally eliminating dependence on the Golden Horde, repelling the Mongol Khan's campaign 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, the first all-Russian Code of Law was adopted - a single set of laws for the country. At the same time, images of a gilded two-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 two-headed eagle, the image of George the Victorious appeared - one of the most ancient symbols of princely power in Russia. George the Victorious is placed in a shield on the chest of a two-headed eagle, crowned with one or two crowns crowned with a cross.
Late 16th - early 17th centuries
During the reign of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, between the crowned heads of a two-headed eagle, a sign of the Passion of Christ appears - the Calvary cross. The cross on the state seal was a symbol of Orthodoxy, giving a religious coloring to the coat of arms of the state. The appearance of the Calvary cross in the coat of arms of Russia coincides with the time of the establishment in 1589 of the patriarchate and church independence of Russia.
In the 17th century, the Orthodox cross was often depicted on Russian banners. The banners of foreign regiments that were part of the Russian army had their own emblems and inscriptions; however, an Orthodox cross was also placed on them, which indicated that the regiment fighting under this banner was serving the Orthodox sovereign. Until the middle of the 17th century, a seal was widely used, on which a two-headed eagle with George the Victorious on its chest was crowned with two crowns, and an Orthodox eight-pointed cross rises between the heads of the eagle.
XVII century.
The Time of Troubles ended, Russia 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 - the State Emblem changed somewhat. In 1625, for the first time, a two-headed eagle is depicted under three crowns... In 1645, during the reign of the second king of the dynasty, Alexei Mikhailovich, the first Great State Seal appeared, on which a two-headed eagle with George the Victorious on 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. A seal was attached to the diploma of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich to Bohdan Khmelnitsky dated March 27, 1654, on which for the first time a two-headed eagle under three crowns is depicted holding symbols of power in its claws: scepter and orb.
From that moment on, the eagle began to be depicted with raised wings .
In 1654, a forged double-headed eagle was installed on the spire of the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin.
In 1663, for the first time in Russian history, the Bible, the main book of Christianity, came out from under the printing press in Moscow. It is no coincidence that the State Emblem of Russia was depicted in it and its poetic "explanation" was given:
The eastern eagle shines with three crowns,
Shows faith, hope, love for God,
Wings stretched out, embraces all the world of the end,
North South, from the east all the way to the west of the sun
He 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 two-headed eagle under three crowns, with a shield with George on his chest, with a scepter and a power in his paws.
Petrovskoe time
During the reign of Peter I, a new emblem entered the state heraldry of Russia - the chain of orders of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. This order, approved by Peter in 1698, became the first in the system of the highest state awards in Russia. The Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, one of the heavenly patrons of Peter Alekseevich, was declared the patron saint of Russia.
The blue oblique St. Andrew's cross becomes the main element of the badge of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and the 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.
It should be noted that already from 1710 (a decade earlier than Peter I was proclaimed emperor (1721), and Russia - an empire), they began to depict over the eagle imperial crowns.
Since the first quarter of the 18th century, the colors of the double-headed eagle have become brown (natural) or black.
The era of palace coups, Catherine's time
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 is George the Victorious in a red field." Empress Anna Ioanovna invited a Swiss engraver in 1736, who engraved the State seal by 1740. The central part of the matrix of this seal with the image of a two-headed eagle was used until 1856. Thus, the type of two-headed eagle on the State Seal remained unchanged for over a hundred years. Catherine the Great did not make any changes to the state emblem, preferring to preserve continuity and traditionalism.
Paul the First
Emperor Paul I, by a decree of April 5, 1797, allowed members of the imperial family to use the image of a two-headed eagle as their coat of arms.
V a short time reign of Emperor Paul I (1796-1801), Russia led an active foreign policy faced with a new enemy for themselves - Napoleonic France. After French troops occupied the Mediterranean island of Malta, Paul I took the Order of Malta under his patronage, becoming the Grand Master of the Order. On August 10, 1799, Paul I signed a decree on the inclusion of the Maltese cross and crown in the state emblem. On the eagle's chest under the Maltese crown was a shield with St. George (Paul interpreted it as the "root coat of arms of Russia"), superimposed on the Maltese cross.
Paul I did an attempt to enter the full coat of arms Russian Empire. On December 16, 1800, he signed the Manifesto describing 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. The shield with the coats of arms is superimposed on the Maltese cross, and under it the sign of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called again appeared. The shield holders, the archangels Michael and Gabriel, support the imperial crown over the knight's helmet and 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 the coats of arms, two standards with two-headed and one-headed eagles emerge. This project has not been finally approved.
Soon after accession to the throne, Emperor Alexander I, by a decree of April 26, 1801, removed the Maltese cross and crown from the coat of arms of Russia.
First half of the 19th century
The images of the two-headed eagle at this time are very diverse: he could have one or three crowns; in the paws - not only the traditional scepter and orb, but also a wreath, lightning (peruns), a torch. The wings of an eagle were depicted in different ways - raised, lowered, spread. To a certain extent, the image of the eagle was influenced by the then European fashion, common to the Empire era.
Under Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich the First, the simultaneous existence of two types of state eagle was officially confirmed.
The first type is an eagle with spread wings, under one crown, with the image of St. George on its chest and with a scepter and 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 there was another version in circulation - with the coats of arms of the three "main" Old Russian Great Principalities (Kiev, Vladimir and Novgorod lands) and three kingdoms - Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberian. An eagle under three crowns, with St. George (as the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Moscow) in a shield on his chest, with a chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, with a scepter and orb in his paws.
Mid 19th century
In the years 1855-1857, during the heraldic reform, the type of state eagle was changed under the influence of Germanic designs. At the same time, Saint George on the eagle's chest, in accordance with the rules of Western European heraldry, began to look to the left. The drawing of the Small Coat of Arms of Russia, executed by Alexander Fadeev, was imperially approved on December 8, 1856. This version of the coat of arms differed from the previous ones not only in the image of an eagle, but also in the number of "title" coats of arms on the wings. On the right were shields with the coats of arms of Kazan, Poland, 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 Highest 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 hundred and ten drawings were approved by one act. On May 31, 1857, the Senate published a decree describing the new coats of arms and the norms for their use.
Large State Emblem of 1882.
On July 24, 1882, Emperor Alexander III approved the drawing of the Great Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire, on which the composition was preserved, but the details were changed, in particular the figures of the archangels. In addition, imperial crowns began to be depicted like real diamond crowns used for 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 coats of arms.
Small State Emblem of 1883
On February 23, 1883, the Middle and two versions of the Small coat of arms were approved. In January 1895, the highest order was given to leave unchanged the drawing of the state eagle, made by Academician A. Charlemagne.
The 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.
State emblem of the Provisional Government
After the February Revolution of 1917, Masonic organizations received power in Russia, which formed their own Provisional Government, including a commission to prepare a new coat of arms of Russia. One of the leading artists on the commission was Nicholas Roerich (aka Sergei Makranovsky), a well-known freemason who later adorned the design of the American dollar with Masonic symbols. The Masons plucked the coat of arms and deprived it of all the sovereign attributes - the crown, scepter, orb, the eagle's wings were limply lowered downward, which symbolized the submission of the Russian state to Masonic plans .. Subsequently, after the victory of the August 1991 revolution, when the Freemasons again felt the power, the image of the Two-Headed Eagle , adopted in February 1917, was supposed to once again become the official coat of arms of Russia. The Freemasons even managed to place the image of their eagle on the obverse of modern Russian coins, where it can be seen to this day. The image of the eagle, sample of February 1917, continued to be used as an official one after the October Revolution, until the adoption of the new Soviet coat of arms on July 24, 1918.
State emblem of the RSFSR 1918-1993
In the summer of 1918, the Soviet government finally decided to break with the historical symbols of Russia, and the new Constitution adopted on July 10, 1918 proclaimed in the state emblem not the ancient Byzantine, but political, party symbols: the two-headed eagle was replaced by a red shield, which depicted the crossed hammer and sickle and the rising sun as a sign of change. Since 1920, the abbreviated name of the state, the RSFSR, was placed at the top of the shield. The shield was bordered by ears of wheat, fastened with a red ribbon with the inscription "Workers of all countries, unite." Later, this image of the coat of arms was approved in the Constitution of the RSFSR.
60 years later, in the spring of 1978, the military star, which by that time had become part of the coat of arms of the USSR and most 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 almost never implemented, because the Soviet emblem 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 he embodied.
State emblem of the USSR
After the formation of the USSR in 1924, the State Emblem of the USSR was adopted. The historical essence of Russia as a power passed precisely to the USSR, and not to the RSFSR, which played a subordinate role, therefore it is the coat of arms of the USSR that should be considered as the new coat of arms of Russia.
The Constitution of the USSR, adopted by the II Congress of Soviets on January 31, 1924, officially legalized the new coat of arms. At first, he had three turns of a red ribbon on each half of the wreath. At each turn there was a motto "Workers of all countries, unite!" in Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Georgian, Armenian, Turkic-Tatar languages. In the mid-1930s, a loop with the motto in Latinized Turkic was added, and the Russian version migrated to the central sling.
In 1937, the number of slogans on the coat of arms reached 11. In 1946 - 16. In 1956, after the liquidation of the sixteenth republic within the USSR, Karelo-Finnish, the motto in Finnish was removed from the coat of arms, until the end of the existence of the USSR, 15 ribbons remained on the coat of arms with mottos (one of them - the Russian version - on the central sling).
National emblem Russian Federation 1993 year.
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. To organize this work, a Government Commission was created. After a thorough discussion, the commission proposed to recommend to the Government a white-blue-red flag and a coat of arms - a golden two-headed eagle on a red field. The final restoration of these symbols took place in 1993, when by decrees of President Boris Yeltsin they were approved as the state flag and coat of arms.
On December 8, 2000, the State Duma adopted the Federal Constitutional Law "On the State Emblem of the Russian Federation." Which was approved by the Federation Council and signed by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on December 20, 2000.
The golden double-headed eagle on a red field preserves historical continuity in colors 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. Above the heads of the eagle are depicted three historical crowns of Peter the Great, symbolizing in the new conditions the sovereignty of both the entire Russian Federation and its parts, subjects of the Federation; in the paws - a scepter and orb, personifying state power and a single state; on the chest there is an image of a rider striking a dragon with a spear. This is one of the ancient symbols of the struggle between good and evil, light with darkness, and the defense of the Fatherland.
The restoration of the two-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 constituent parts are deeply traditional; it reflects the different stages of Russian history, and continues them in the third millennium.
Russian Civilization
Coats of arms appeared in Russia a long time ago, but these were only drawings that did not obey heraldic rules. Due to the lack of chivalry in Russia, coats of arms were not widely used. At its very beginning (up to the 16th century), Russia was a scattered state, so there could be no talk of a state emblem of Russia. However, despite the fact that the 16th century is considered the final date of the unification of Rus, the state emblem in Russia appears already under Ivan III (1462-1505). It is he who is credited with the establishment of the state emblem, as such. At that time, its seal acted as a coat of arms. On its obverse there is a horseman piercing a serpent with a spear, on the reverse - a two-headed eagle.
The origin of the two-headed eagle is rooted in the past. The first images of him known to us date back to the 13th century BC. This is a rock carving of a two-headed eagle that has grabbed two birds with one stone. It served as the coat of arms of the Hittite kings.
Then the two-headed eagle is found in the Medes kingdom - ancient power, spread over the territory of Asia Minor, - during the reign of the Median king Kiaxar (625-585 BC). Centuries passed. And now we already see a two-headed eagle on the emblems of Rome. Here he appeared under Constantine the Great. In 326, he chose the two-headed eagle as his emblem. After the founding of the new capital - Constantinople - in 330, the two-headed eagle became the state emblem of the Roman Empire. In Russia, the two-headed eagle appeared after the marriage of John III Vasilyevich and Sophia Paleologos, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine XII Paleologos. The history of relations between Russia and Byzantium is very deep and interesting and is a topic for separate work... However, let us briefly address this issue. The first historical mentions of relations between Russia and Byzantium date back to 957 - the year when Princess Olga traveled to Constantinople and converted to Christianity. But further relations with Byzantium in Russia deteriorated. So in 969-972 a war broke out between them for Bulgaria, which was conquered by Svyatoslav.
Later, in 988, St. Vladimir baptized Russia.
“The adoption of Christianity by Russia from Byzantium opened wide the doors to the influence of Byzantine culture, Byzantine ideas and institutions. This influence had a significant effect in the political sphere. Together with Christianity, a stream of new political concepts and relations began to penetrate into Russia. Kiev prince the new clergy transferred the Byzantine concept of a sovereign appointed by God not only for the external defense of the country, but also for the establishment and maintenance of internal social order ... "
However, there is no further historical confirmation of the relationship between Russia and Byzantium until 1469, when Pope Paul II proposed the daughter of Thomas Palaeologus, Sophia, to the Russian Emperor John III Vasilievich, whose wedding took place in 1472. This marriage did not lead Moscow to a religious union with Rome, but had important consequences for the rise monarchical power in Moscow. As the spouse of the last Byzantine princess, the Grand Duke of Moscow becomes, as it were, the successor of the Byzantine emperor, who was revered as the head of the entire Orthodox East. At the request and on the advice of Sofia, in the Moscow Kremlin, at the court of the Grand Duke, a magnificent, complex and strict ceremony began to be established according to the models of the Byzantine court. Since the end of the 15th century, the previously prevailing simplicity of relations and the direct treatment of the sovereign with his subjects have gradually ceased, and he rises above them to an unattainable height. Instead of the former simple and “domestic” title “Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich”, Ivan III takes a magnificent title: “John, by the grace of God, the Sovereign of All Russia and Grand Duke Vladimirsky and Moscow and Novgorod and Pskov and Tverskoy and Yugorsky and Perm and Bulgarian and others ”.
In relations with small neighboring lands, the title of tsar of all Russia appears. Another title adopted by the Moscow sovereigns, “autocrat”, is a translation of the Byzantine imperial title autocrator; this title meant initially an independent sovereign, not subordinate to any external power, but Ivan the Terrible gave it the meaning of the absolute, unlimited power of the monarch over his subjects. Since the end of the 15th century, the Byzantine coat of arms appears on the seals of the Moscow sovereign - a two-headed eagle (which is combined with the former Moscow coat of arms - the image of St. George the Victorious). So Russia designated its succession from Byzantium, which is the first reflection of its development on the coat of arms ...
Formation of the Russian coat of arms from Ivan III to Peter I
Already at the very beginning of development Russian coat of arms we see it intertwined with the history of Russia. An interesting fact is that the eagle on the seals of John III was depicted with a closed beak and looked more like an eagle than an eagle. If you look at Russia of that period, you can see that it is a young state, which is just beginning to form as a centralized one. The first reliable evidence of the use of a two-headed eagle as a state emblem is the seal of John III Vasilyevich on an exchange letter of 1497 with his nephews, princes Fyodor and Ivan Borisovich Volotskiy.
During the reign of Vasily III Ioannovich (1505-1533), the two-headed eagle is depicted with open beaks, from which the tongues protrude. This, for example, is evidenced by the seal attached in 1523 to the record of the sovereign and Grand Duke Vasily Ioannovich when he left with his army to Kazan. In short, if you approach from a purely artistic point, you can say that the eagle begins to get angry. At the same time, having examined Russia at that time, we note that it is strengthening its position, becoming a new center of Orthodoxy. This fact was embodied in the theory of the monk Philotheus "Moscow - the Third Rome", known from the letter of the monk to Vasily III.
During the reign of John IV Vasilyevich (1533-1584), Russia won decisive victories over the Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms, annexed Siberia. The growth of the power of the Russian state was reflected in its coat of arms. The two-headed eagle on the state seal is crowned with one crown with an eight-pointed Orthodox cross over it. The obverse of the seal on the eagle's chest depicts a shield of a carved or "Germanic" form with a unicorn - the personal sign of the tsar. The fact is that all the symbols used in the personal symbolism of John IV are taken from the Psalter, which testifies to the rooting of Christianity in Russia. On the reverse side of the seal on the eagle's chest there is a shield with the image of St. George beating a snake. Subsequently, this side of the seal will play important role in the formation of the Russian coat of arms. The image of the Moscow coat of arms on the eagle's chest is becoming traditional. However, in accordance with the ancient Russian icon-painting tradition, St. George is turned to the right of the viewer, which is contrary to heraldic rules.
On February 21, 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov to the throne. This put an end to the Troubles, which in the period between the death of Ivan the Terrible and the accession to the throne of Mikhail Romanov undermined the spirit of the Russian people and nearly eradicated the Russian statehood. Russia entered the path of prosperity and greatness. During this period, the eagle on the coat of arms "fluttered" and for the first time spread its wings, which could mean the "awakening" of Russia after a long sleep, and the beginning of a new era in the history of the state. By this period, Russia had completely completed its unification and had already managed to become a single and rather strong state. And this fact is symbolically reflected in the state emblem. Above the eagle, instead of an octagonal cross, a third crown appeared, which meant the Holy Trinity, but was interpreted by many as a symbol of the unity of Great Russians, Little Russians and Belarusians.
Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov (1645-1676) managed to end the Russian-Polish conflict by establishing the Andrusovo truce with Poland (1667), during which Russia was able to “show itself” to all of Europe. The Russian state occupies a rather significant place next to the European states. During the reign of Alexei Romanov, a new image of the coat of arms of the eagle was also noted. This is due to the fact that at the request of the tsar, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire Leopold I sent to Moscow his herald master Lavrenty Khurelevich, who in 1673 wrote the essay “On the genealogy of Russian grand dukes and sovereigns, showing the affinity between Russia and eight European powers, that is, Caesar of Rome, the kings of England, Danish, Gishpan, Polish, Portuguese and Swedish, and with the image of these royal coats of arms, and in the middle of them the Grand Duke St. Vladimir, at the end of the portrait of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. "
She came Starting point for the development of Russian heraldry. The state eagle of Alexei Mikhailovich was the prototype of the subsequent official images of the Russian coat of arms. The eagle's wings are raised high and fully open, which symbolized the complete assertion of Russia as a solid and powerful state; its heads are crowned with three royal crowns, a shield with the Moscow coat of arms is placed on its chest, a scepter and orb are in its paws. An interesting fact is that before the attributes of monarchical power appeared in the paws of the eagle, the claws of the eagle, starting from the eagle on the marble slab of the Xiropotamian monastery in Athos (Byzantium. 451-453), gradually unclenched, as if in the hope of grabbing something, until they took orb and scepter, thus symbolizing the statement absolute monarchy in Russia.
In 1667, with the help of Lavrenty Khurelevich, for the first time, an official explanation of the Russian coat of arms was given: “The double-headed eagle is the coat of arms of the sovereign Great Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich of All the Great and Little and White Russia, the autocrat, his Imperial Majesty of the Russian kingdom, which depicts three coruna , signifying the three great Kazan, Astrakhan, Siberian glorious kingdoms, obeying the God-protected and His highest Royal Majesty, the most merciful Sovereign power and command ... on the Persians there is an image of the heir; in the pazonktech scepter and apple, and represent the most merciful Sovereign, His Imperial Majesty the Autocrat and Possessor ”. As you can see, the description gives a new interpretation of the elements of the emblem eagle. It is dictated by diplomatic considerations and should testify to the greatness of Russia.
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My answer to the stuffing about the coats of arms of Ukraine and Russia: Ukraine is a vassal of Novgorod and must pay tribute to him! April 20, 2014
Let's start with the "coat of arms" of Ukraine. Well, firstly, the "trident" or "diving falcon" is not the coat of arms of Ukraine, and, moreover, not the coat of arms of Kievan Rus.
This is the coat of arms of the Rurikovichs - ancient Russian princes, tracing their lineage from Rurik, the prince of Novgorod since 862, whose relative Oleg conquered Kiev in 882. Prince Vladimir Krasnoe Solnyshko (Rurik's grandson) began to mint coins in Kiev in the 900s. Naturally, he did not think about any coat of arms of Kievan Rus, since he simply did not know that there was such a state (this was then invented by historians), but thought about how everyone should know the Rurik family and therefore placed his family coat of arms on the coins (as Julius Caesar once placed his profile on the coins).
Everything. The topic with the coat of arms of Ukraine can be closed. Ukraine can recognize itself as a vassal of Novgorod.
Now with a hint that Russia has borrowed the coat of arms of the Horde. I do not know what coin is in the photo, but in the work Silver Coins of the Golden Horde there is no such coin. There is NOT a single coin with a two-headed eagle at all! But there are coins with a six-pointed Star of David! Does this mean that ukropaganda will now start making hints to Israel or will not risk it so as not to run into sanctions from the financial lobby and sanctions from the Mossad?
Where did the coat of arms of the Russian Empire come from? Everything is described in Wikipedia. It is only necessary to add that the Palaeologus dynasty, whose family coat of arms was a two-headed eagle, ruled from 1261 to 1453. Those. Byzantium existed in parallel with the Golden Horde.
Coat of arms of the Palaeologus
Grand Duke Ivan III, married Sophia Palaeologus (who had no rights to the throne of Constantinople, but had the right to the coat of arms) in 1467, the very first image of the coat of arms dates back to 1497, 17 years after the fall of the Golden Horde.
And I personally understand why Ivan III did this: it was a claim to recreate the Byzantine Empire on the lands of Rus.
Indeed, during his reign, the following were annexed to Moscow: the Novgorod land, long time former rival of the Moscow principality Tver principality, as well as Yaroslavl, Rostov, and partly Ryazan principality. Only the Pskov and Ryazan principalities remained independent, however, they were not completely independent either. After successful wars with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Novgorod-Seversky became part of the Moscow state, Chernihiv (what about Ukraine?), Bryansk and a number of other cities (which made up about a third of the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania before the war); dying, Ivan III handed over to his successor several times more lands than he himself received. In addition, it was under Grand Duke Ivan III that the Russian state became completely independent: as a result of "standing on the Ugra", the Horde Khan's power over Russia, which had lasted since 1243, completely ceases.
Portrait of Ivan III from the book of 1575.
Large coat of arms of the Russian Empire. In it, in the form of a kind of map, the history of the Russian Empire is encrypted.
One of the readers of the resource site Maxim Karakulov in search of a book on history life together peoples within our state, found ... Coat of arms. And he wrote an article trying to show the history of the unification of peoples in Russia.
“The state emblem of the Russian Empire is a kind of map of its political and geographical structure. In the center of the coat of arms there is a shield with the emblem of Moscow, surrounded in a circle by shields with the coats of arms of kingdoms, principalities and regions, at different times annexed to Russia. Let's try to figure out what historical event is associated with each of these shields.
Russia is unique in that over the centuries it has been able to unite in one state a wide variety of peoples - each with its own culture, faith and language. Thanks to this, many peoples were not only able to survive as a separate ethnic group, but also were able to further develop their original culture.
The book about the friendship of peoples in united state must appear in the very near future. The entire current political environment is frantically demanding this. However, at the moment there is no such book, or it is so deeply hidden that it has not been possible to find it.
In search of such a book, this publication was born. I tried to make a very rough sketch of the history of the unification of peoples in one Russian state. To begin with, I just wanted to note on the timeline when this or that nation joined, and also to find out, at least superficially, the reasons for such an accession, and finally - to calculate the time of living together in one state.
The structure of the publication was suggested to me by the Great Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire. I recently accidentally bumped into it and suddenly discovered that in it, in the form of a kind of card, the very story that I am looking for is encrypted!
Briefly - about the history of the coat of arms. In Russia, the concept of a knightly hereditary coat of arms, widely accepted in Western Europe... During the battles over the army, they carried combat banners with embroidered or painted images Orthodox cross or saints. The history of the coat of arms of Russia is, first of all, the history of the grand ducal seal.
Ivan III the Great (1440 - 1505) eliminated the dependence of Russia on the Golden Horde and united many primordial Russian territories around Moscow, which had been fragmented since the 12th century. To increase his authority in the eyes of foreign states, Ivan III married Princess Sophia Palaeologus, niece of the last emperor of Byzantium, and adopted the family coat of arms of the Byzantine kings - a two-headed eagle. Since then, the two-headed eagle has been the state emblem on the seals of Russian rulers.
A little later, the image of the Moscow coat of arms was added to the emblem: a horseman striking a dragon with a spear. This rider was first placed on the reverse side of the seal, and then migrated to the eagle's chest. Then the coats of arms of the kingdoms of Astrakhan, Kazan and Siberia, conquered by Ivan IV the Terrible (1530 - 1584), were first added to the Moscow coat of arms, and then the coats of arms of all major areas and lands that became part of the empire in the subsequent time. So, the state emblem became the emblem of its entire territory.
Manifesto of Paul I
The idea of the Great State Emblem as we know it today was originally proposed by Paul I (1754 - 1801), the son of Catherine II. In 1800 he published a manifesto on the "Full State Emblem of the All-Russian Empire" with a detailed description of all parts of the emblem. Specifically, this is what he writes:
“The currently existing Russian Imperial Coat of Arms was assigned to our Empire in the fifth to ten centuries from this time to our days by the providence of God determining the fate of the Kingdoms, at different times different Powers and lands were attached to the Throne of Russia, whose names were included in our Imperial Title; but the coat of arms of the Russian and the State Seal until now remained in their former form, disproportionate to the space of our possessions. Now we deign that all the Coats of arms and signs of the Kingdoms and lands we possess were included in the Russian Coat of Arms, in accordance with our full Title, and therefore, affirming them in the form attached to this, we command the Senate to make the proper order in judging their use. "
Sovereign title
It is important to pay attention to such a concept as the "imperial title", which Paul I speaks of several times. The title in general is an honorary hereditary title in class societies (baron, count, prince). - this is the most important title, the honorary title of the ruler of the Russian state. This title from the time of Ivan III was supposed to include the listing of all subordinate lands. This principle title was preserved among descendants and was filled with new content in the process of gain or loss of land. Over time, the title increasingly turned into a mutable, flexible formulation, with the help of which both large-scale and current political tasks were solved. The history of the sovereign title is the history of the expansion of the territory of the state. By joining the new territory, the sovereign added the title of the previous ruler of this territory to his title.
Heraldic reform
Unfortunately, Paul I was killed (not without the participation, by the way, of British intelligence), and he did not have time to bring his manifesto to life. His idea began to be embodied by his son, Nicholas I (1796 - 1855). He starts a heraldic reform, inviting Baron B. Kene for this. Nicholas I did not have time to complete the reform, again due to death, and the business was already completed by his son, Alexander II (1818 - 1881). In 1857, the Great State Emblem was “affirmed in the highest order”.
This coat of arms existed in its original form until 1917. Only in 1882, Alexander III (1845 - 1894) made a small amendment to the coat of arms: in addition to purely stylistic and compositional changes, a shield was added with the coat of arms of Turkestan, which became part of Russia in 1867.
What is depicted on the coat of arms
We will not give a detailed description of the entire coat of arms, so as not to deviate from our main topic, we will only say that the main shield with the emblem of Moscow is surrounded by shields with the coats of arms of kingdoms, principalities and regions, at different times annexed to Russia.
The main shield below is surrounded by nine shields. Coats of arms of the kingdoms: I. Kazansky, II. Astrakhan, III. Polish, IV. Siberian, V. Chersonesus Tauride, Vi. Georgian. Vii. United coats of arms of the great principalities: Kievsky,Vladimirsky and Novgorodsky. VIII. Coat of arms of the grand duchy Finlyandsky. IX. Family coat of arms of His Imperial Majesty.
There are six shields above the main shield. X. Shield of the united coats of arms of the principalities and regions of the great Russian... XI. Shield of united coats of arms, principalities and regions of southwest... XII. Shield of the united coats of arms of the principalities and regions of Belarusian and Lithuanian... XIII. Shield of the connected coats of arms regions of the Baltic... XIV. Shield of the connected coats of arms northeastern regions... XV. Coat of arms Turkestan.
It turns out that the state emblem is a kind of map that reflects both the political structure of Russia and its geography. Let's try to figure out what historical event is associated with each of the coat of arms, we will supplement the given "map" with historical content. In brackets, next to the name of the shield, we will indicate the number corresponding to the number of this shield in the diagram, which is given above.
United coats of arms of the great principalities (VII)
Coat of arms Kievsky ( Saint Michael),
Vladimirsky ( lion leopard),
Novgorod ( two bears and fish).
These are the three most "root" ancient Russian great principalities. The Kiev coat of arms symbolizes the ancestral home of the Russian stateKievan Rus (formed in the middle of the 9th century). Also, Kiev denotes the south-western Russia that was formed a little later, the Vladimir coat of arms - the north-eastern Russia, and Novgorodsky - the north-western (Novgorod Republic). All three Rus' were formed in the XII century as a result of the fragmentation of Kievan Rus and the Tatar-Mongol invasion.
The titles of all the rulers of Russia, starting with Ivan III, always began with a listing of these three lands: "Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod ..." - this is how the title of the last Russian emperor Nicholas II began. After which all other kingdoms, principalities and regions followed.
The history of Russia as a whole, starting with Kievan Rus, has more than 1000 years. Conventionally, all three Rus' formed in the XII century in connection with the collapse of Kievan Rus (before that they were together for 300 years). Under the influence Tatar invasion in the 13th century until the middle of the 15th century, they were separated (200 years), but since then - together again (more than 500 years). It will be interesting further to compare with these time intervals the time of joint life of other peoples, gradually joining Russia.
Coats of arms of principalities and regions of Great Russia (X)
Coat of arms Pskov ( golden leopard by center) , coat of arms Smolensky ( a gun) , coat of arms Tverskoy ( golden throne) , coat of arms Yugorsky ( hands with spears) , coat of arms Nizhny Novgorod ( deer), coat of arms Ryazan ( standing prince) , coat of arms Rostov ( silver deer) , coat of arms Yaroslavsky ( bear) , coat of arms Belozersky ( silver fish) , coat of arms Udora ( fox).
As a result of the ensuing war with the Commonwealth, Russia returned the lands lost as a result of the Time of Troubles. And Alexei Mikhailovich (1629 - 1676) added a new wording to the title: "Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke of All Great and Small and White Russia, the Autocrat."
The territory of today's central Ukraine is part of Russia / USSR from the middle of the 17th century to the end of the 20th (together over 300 years).
In 1654, the scepter and orb appeared for the first time on the royal seal in the paws of an eagle. A forged double-headed eagle is installed on the spire of the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin. In 1667, Aleksey Mikhailovich, in the first decree in history on the coat of arms ("On the title of the king and on the state seal"), gave an official explanation of the symbolism of the three crowns over the heads of the eagle:
“The double-headed eagle is the emblem of the sovereign Great Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich of all Great and Small and White Russia, the autocrat, 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 the paznoktah (claws) a scepter and an apple, and reveals the most gracious Sovereign, His Imperial Majesty the Autocratic and Possessor. "
More than 100 years later, in 1793 under Catherine II, as a result of the second partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Podolsk and Volyn went to Russia along with the entire right-bank Ukraine.
The territory of the present western, right-bank, Ukraine as part of Russia / CCCP since the end of the 18th century (together 200 years).
A significant part of modern Ukraine in the middle of the XIV century was included in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and from the middle of the XVI century - in the Rzeczpospolita (i.e., before reunification with Russia, central Ukraine was Lithuanian for 200 years and Polish for another 100 years, and western - was Lithuanian for 200 years and Polish for another 200 years).
For the first time, Ukraine acquires formally independent statehood, becoming a Soviet republic within the USSR. At the same time, the territory of modern Ukraine was formed. And Ukraine forms the first sovereign state in 1991 as a result of the collapse of the USSR. Those. this state is a little over 20 years old.
Coats of arms of the Baltic regions (XIII)
Coat of arms Estland ( three leopard lions), Lifland ( silver vulture with a sword) , coats of arms - Courland ( lion) and Semigalsky ( deer) , coat of arms Karelian ( hands with swords).
Peter I (1672 - 1725) cut a window to Europe. In 1721, according to the Nystadt Peace Treaty, Estonia (present-day server Estonia), Livonia (present-day northern Latvia and southern Estonia) and Karelia passed from Sweden to Russia. Accordingly, at this time the title of the sovereign included: "Prince of Livonia, Estland and Karelian." And the phrase of the big title "Great Sovereign, Tsar of All Great and Small and White Russia, autocrat" changes to "We, Peter the First, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia."
On the emblem of the eagle, instead of royal crowns, imperial crowns appear, on its chest appears the order chain of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, the patron saint of Russia and the heavenly patron of the tsar himself. For the first time, shields with the coats of arms of the Great Kingdoms and Principalities appear on the wings of the eagle. On the right wing there are shields with the coats of arms: Kiev, Novgorod, Astrakhan; on the left wing: Vladimirsky, Kazan, Siberian.
"Battle of Poltava". Louis Caravac. 1717-1719
In 1795, under Catherine II, as a result, Courland and Semigalia (present-day western Latvia) ceded to Russia. Catherine II adds to the title “Princess of Courland and Semigall”.
So. From the 13th to the 16th centuries (300 years), the peoples of present-day Estonia and Latvia were ruled by the Germans as part of the Livonian Order. According to the resultsLivonian War from the end of the 16th to the beginning of the 18th century (for more than 100 years), the territory of Estonia was part of Sweden, and the territory of Latvia was divided between Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
From the beginning of the 18th to the beginning of the 20th centuries, Estonia and Latvia were part of the Russian Empire (200 years), and from the middle to the end of the 20th century - part of the USSR (another 50 years).
For the first time in their centuries-old history, Estonia and Latvia became independent states in 1918 as a result of the collapse of the Russian Empire. And in 1940 entered into the USSR in connection with the threat of an attack by Nazi Germany. Estonia and Latvia regained their independence in 1991 following the collapse of the USSR. Thus, the total history of the sovereignty of these peoples is about 50 years old.
Coats of arms of the principalities and regions of Belarusian and Lithuanian (XII)
Coat of arms of the grand duchy Lithuanian ( silver rider - in the center) , coat of arms Bialystok ( rider with an eagle) , coat of arms Samogit ( bear) , coat of arms Polotsk ( rider on a white background) , coat of arms Vitebsk ( rider on a red background) , coat of arms Mstislavsky ( Wolf).
In 1772, under Catherine II, as a result of the first partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Russia went Belarusian lands including Polotsk, Vitebsk and Mstislavl. In 1795, as a result of the third partition of the Rzecz Pospolita, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ceded to Russia. In 1807, under Alexander I, according to the Peace of Tilsit, Bialystok (Belarus) and Samogitia (Lithuania) ceded to Russia.
It turns out that today's Belarus and Lithuania have lived together with Russia / USSR for 200 years. Prior to that, Belarus was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. And the Grand Duchy of Lithuania itself was formed in the XIII century. 300 years later, in the middle of the 16th century, it formed the Rzeczpospolita state with Poland and stayed with it until its annexation to Russia for almost 250 years. The history of Lithuania's independence is more than 500 years old.
For the first time Belarus gained formal independence as part of the USSR. And it received full independence for the first time in 1991 as a result of the collapse of the USSR. This state is a little over 20 years old, like Ukraine.
"Storming of Prague" (1797). Alexander Orlovsky. The assault was commanded by General-in-Chief Suvorov and received the highest military rank of field marshal for this victory. The assault on Prague ended the suppression of the Polish uprising in 1794.
Coat of arms of Tauric Chersonesos (V)
Coat of arms of Tauric Chersonesos
As a result of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768 - 1774, according to the Kuchuk-Kainardzhiyskiy peace treaty, under Catherine II, New Russia ceded to Russia and North Caucasus, and the Crimean Khanate passed under its protectorate.
And already in 1783, Catherine II (1729 - 1796) published a manifesto, according to which the Crimea, Taman and Kuban became Russian possessions. Thus, Crimea finally became part of the Russian Empire. And Catherine II added the title to the sovereign: "Queen of Tauric Chersonesos."
Crimea, the North Caucasus and Novorossia have been part of Russia for 200 years.
Modern history Crimea begins in the middle of the 15th century with the formation on its territory from a fragment of the Golden HordeCrimean Khanate , who quickly became a vassal of the Ottoman Empire (it turns out that Crimea was part of the khanate for 300 years).
Coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Finland (VIII)
Coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Finland
As a result of the war with Sweden under the Friedrichsgam Peace Treaty in 1809, the lands of Finland passed from Sweden to Russia on the basis of a union. Alexander I (1777 - 1825) adds the title of "Grand Duke of Finland" to the sovereign.
The territory of present-day Finland for most of its history, from the 12th century to the beginning of the 19th century (600 years), was part of Sweden. Then it became part of Russia as the Grand Duchess of Finland, having existed in this form until the collapse of the Russian Empire at the beginning of the 20th century (they were together for 100 years). For the first time, Finland has acquired independent statehood since 1917. Those. this state is not more than 100 years old.
Poland was formed as an independent state parallel to Kievan Rus, in the 9th century. In the middle of the 16th century, Poland unites with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to form the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which existed until the end of the 18th century. Then the state completely disappeared, being divided between neighboring states, including Russia. And from the beginning of the 19th century, Poland was revived as the Kingdom of Poland within Russia and existed in this form until the beginning of the 20th century and the collapse of the Russian Empire (100 years together). Before joining Russia, Poland had 900 years of independent history.
Episode of the Borodino battle. Illustration for the poem "Borodino" by M. Yu. Lermontov. Chromolithography N. Bogatov. 1912 g.
Its essence boiled down to the establishment of a protectorate on the part of Russia. In 1800, the Georgian side asked for closer cooperation. And Paul I (1754 - 1801) issued a manifesto, according to which Georgia annexed Russia as an independent kingdom. But already in 1801, Alexander I issued a new manifesto, according to which Georgia is directly subordinate to the Russian emperor. Accordingly, Paul I adds to the title: "Sovereign of Iversk, Kartala, Georgian and Kabardian lands." And Alexander I adds to the title already: "Tsar of Georgia".
The formation of Georgia as a state dates back to the 10th century. From the XIII to XIV centuries, the state underwent first the invasion of the Mongols, and then Tamerlane. From the 15th to the 17th, Georgia was torn apart by Iran and the Ottoman Empire, turning into an isolated Christian country, surrounded on all sides by the Muslim world. From the end of the 18th to the end of the 20th century, Georgia was a part of Russia / USSR (200 years together). Before that, it turns out that Georgia has an 800-year history of a separate state.
The conquest of Transcaucasia by Russia was completed in the first years of the reign of Nicholas I. As a result of the Russian-Persian war of 1826-1828, the Erivan and Nakhichevan khanates were annexed to Russia, which united in the Armenian region, where about 30 thousand Armenians from Persia resettled. As a result of the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829, the Ottoman Empire also recognized Russia's power over the Transcaucasia, and about 25 thousand Armenians moved from its territory to Russia. As a result of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, Russia annexed the Kars region, inhabited by Armenians and Georgians, and occupied the strategically important Batumi region.
Coat of arms of Turkestan
Turkestan in the 19th century was the name given to the lands of present-day Central Asia: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Turkestan included five regions located one after another to the east of the Caspian Sea along the border of the Russian Empire with Persia, Afghanistan and China: the Trans-Caspian, Samarkand, Fergana, Syrdarya and Semirechenskaya, as well as the Bukhara and Khiva khanates.
The annexation of Turkestan was preceded by the annexation of the Kazakh Khanate (present-day Kazakhstan). The Kazakh Khanate was formed from a fragment of the Golden Horde in the 15th century, and in the 19th century it consisted of three parts: Junior (west), Middle (center) and Senior (east) zhuzes. In 1731, under the protectorate of Russia - to protect against the Khiva and Bukhara khanates - the Younger Zhuz asked for and was accepted. In 1740, the Middle Zhuz was adopted under a protectorate to protect against the Kokand Khanate. In 1818 - part of the Ugly Zhuz. And in 1822 the power of the Kazakh khans was abolished. Thus, Kazakhstan together with Russia for over 250 years.(1845 - 1894) approved a project on the formation of a new general governorship - Turkestan Territory. This marked the completion of the initial stage of the annexation of the Central Asian territories. Alexander III begins to be titled "Sovereign of Turkestan".
The Great Coat of Arms includes the coat of arms of His Imperial Majesty. By the end of the monarchical rule in Russia (1917), a large title Russian emperors, according to Art. 59 of the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire, was formulated as follows:
“By God's mercy advancing We ( name) , Emperor and Autocrat All-Russian, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod;Tsar Kazansky,Tsar Astrakhan,Tsar Polish,Tsar Siberian,Tsar Chersonis Tavrichesky,Tsar Georgian;Sovereign Pskov andGrand Duke Smolensk, Lithuanian, Volynsk, Podolsk and Finland;Prince Estland, Livland, Courland and Semigalsky, Samogitsky, Belostoksky, Korelsky, Tverskoy, Yugorsky, Perm, Vyatsky, Bulgarian and others;Sovereign and Grand Duke Novgorod Nizovskiy lands, Chernigovskiy, Ryazanskiy, Polotskiy, Rostovskiy, Yaroslavskiy, Belozerskiy, Udora, Obdorskiy, Kondiyskiy, Vitebskiy, Mstislavskiy and all northern countriessovereign and sovereign Iverskiy, Kartalinskiy and Kabardinskiy lands and regions of Armenskiy; Cherkassk and Mountain princes and othersCrown Sovereign and Possessor of ; Sovereign Turkestan,Heir Norwegian,Duke Schleswig-Golstinsky, Stornmarnsky, Ditmarsky and Oldenburgsky and so on, and so on, and so on. "
