The coat of arms is a reflection of the power of the state, its historical path and type of device. Heraldry takes very seriously every element used in symbols of state power. So, some of the symbols become obsolete, they are replaced by others, and some of them resurrect over time in the same way as it happened with the two-headed eagle on the coat of arms of Russia.
One of the symbols that have their own characteristics and history of origin, reflecting the power of the modern state, the peculiarities of its structure and territory, of course, is the coat of arms. The history of the coat of arms of Russia in the form in which it is presented today begins with the reign of Ivan III.
It is customary to associate the emergence of heraldic symbols with the era of chivalry. The coat of arms is a symbol of the clan, its distinctive sign. The uniqueness of the Russian coat of arms is that it appeared at such an early historical period in a country that has never known knights.
Continuity and power
In the 15th century, in addition to the image of St. George the Victorious, a two-headed eagle appears on the seal of the king, which at that time was the main symbol of power. The eagle is a sign of continuity that arose as a result of the fall of Byzantium and was marked by the wedding of the great Russian tsar to the niece of the Byzantine emperor.
It was the eagle who was called upon to symbolize the unlimited power of the monarch.
Since then, the coat of arms has come a long way and has undergone a number of important changes. So already in the 16th century, the eagle takes on a more powerful sound and is depicted with an open beak and tongues, giving it an adult and frightening look.
Power and Faith
Later, the eagle takes on a crown crowned with an Orthodox cross, as a symbol of numerous military victories and the great annexation of Siberia. The eagle is minted on coins and becomes an army emblem. After Mikhail Romanov ascended the throne, the Russian state entered a relatively calm and stable era of its existence, in connection with which the eagle began to be depicted with spread wings and a triple crown, signifying the unity of fraternal peoples.
The direction towards European development in the 17th century began to be emphasized by the symbols of power that appeared in the paws of the eagle: the scepter and orb.
In Peter's times, the two-headed eagle was given a dark color and the obsolete royal crowns were replaced with symbols of imperial power. And the annexation of the Far East to the territory of Russia gave the double-headed eagle a completely new sound, symbolizing the duality of the state and the spread of power both in the west, and, which is not a little important, in the east.
Since then, the eagle changed the inclinations of its heads, acquired and lost various symbols in the form of various coats of arms, shields, chains, helmets and crowns, and even lost its state significance. The revival of historical symbolism took place in 1991 and today, despite the relative prevalence in the heraldry of various countries and states, the eagle in the form of a two-headed creature is a rather rare and very uncommon phenomenon. In a modern sound, this powerful, respectful creature emphasizes the gravity and strength of the modern state.
