Coat of arms of Russia
The year 1453 marked the fall of Constantinople and the end of the Byzantine Empire. Grand Dukes of Muscovy began to see themselves as successors to that lost heritage. Ivan III married Sophia Paleologue, a niece of the last Byzantine emperor. This union reinforced the notion of Moscow as the Third Rome. Ivan adopted the golden double-headed eagle in his seal first documented in 1472. The image appeared on walls of the Palace of Facets in the Moscow Kremlin around the same time. A charter of share and allotment of independent princes' possessions stamped with the eagle appeared in 1497. The design claimed direct inheritance from Roman imperial history. It posed Russia as a sovereign equal to the Holy Roman Empire.
Ivan IV assumed the title of Tsar and combined two distinct coats into one emblem. The eagle bore an escutcheon depicting Saint George on its breast. The Moscow Patriarchate established itself in 1589 adding a patriarchal cross between the heads of the eagle for a time. The final association with Saint George occurred in 1730 when described in an Imperial decree. St George became the patron saint of Moscow and eventually all of Russia. The silver horseman in a blue cape rides upon a silver horse. He slays a black dragon with a silver spear. The red shield containing this scene sits on the chest of the golden eagle. Two small crowns top the eagle's heads while one large crown rises above them. Three crowns link together by a ribbon throughout the centuries of imperial rule.
President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree replacing the Communist design with the present coat of arms in 1993. Decree No. 2050 approved the current version on the 30th of November 1993. Artist Yevgeny Ukhnalyov designed the image used in both regulatory acts. President Vladimir Putin signed Federal Constitutional Law No. 2 on the 25th of December 2000. This law retained the 1993 version as the state symbol while approving rules for its use. The description in the 1993 regulation differs slightly from the 2000 law text. Both documents contain the same drawing by Ukhnalyov in their appendices. The three crowns remain despite Russia no longer being a monarchy. Communists objected to retaining these symbols even after removing blue ribbon elements.
A quadrangular red heraldic shield with rounded lower corners forms the background. Golden double-headed eagle spreads wings upward against this field. Two small crowns sit atop heads with one large crown above them all linked by ribbon. Eagle holds sceptre in right claw and orb in left claw. Sceptre shows Droste effect topped by miniature image of coat-of-arms itself. Silver horseman in blue cape rides silver horse slaying black dragon with spear. Red shield appears on breast of golden eagle. Standard of president defaces squared Russian tricolour with this emblem. Banner of Armed Forces centers coat of arms on obverse side. National passport covers display the design since adoption. Ruble coins depict it on obverse side starting in 2016.
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Common questions
When did Ivan III adopt the golden double-headed eagle for his seal?
Ivan III adopted the golden double-headed eagle in his seal first documented in 1472. The image appeared on walls of the Palace of Facets in the Moscow Kremlin around the same time.
What elements make up the coat of arms of Russia after 1993?
The current coat of arms features a golden double-headed eagle with two small crowns and one large crown linked by ribbon. A red shield depicting Saint George slaying a black dragon sits on the eagle's breast while it holds a sceptre and orb.
Which year did the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic adopt its new coat of arms?
The government of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic adopted a new coat of arms on the 10th of July 1918. This design included wheat symbolizing agriculture, a rising sun representing the future, and a hammer and sickle signifying Communism.
Who designed the present coat of arms of Russia approved in 1993?
Artist Yevgeny Ukhnalyov designed the image used in both regulatory acts signed by President Boris Yeltsin. Decree No. 2050 approved the current version on the 30th of November 1993.
When was Federal Constitutional Law No. 2 signed regarding the coat of arms of Russia?
President Vladimir Putin signed Federal Constitutional Law No. 2 on the 25th of December 2000. This law retained the 1993 version as the state symbol while approving rules for its use.