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| Coat of arms of the Russian Empire | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Versions | |
 Greaterachievement | |
 Middleachievement | |
 Lesserachievement | |
| Armiger | Emperor of Russia |
| Adopted | Greater coat of arms: Created in 1882, discontinued in 1917. Lesser coat of arms: Created in 1883, discontinued in 1917. |
| Shield | Or, a blacktwo-headed eagle crowned with twoimperial crowns, over which the same third crown, enlarged, with two flying ends of the ribbon of theOrder of Saint Andrew. The State Eagle held a goldenscepter and goldenglobus cruciger. On the chest of the eagle there was an escutcheon with the arms ofMoscow, depictingSaint George, mounted and defeating the dragon |
| Supporters | ArchangelsMichael andGabriel |
| Compartment | Vegetal |
| Order | Order of St. Andrew |
TheRussian Empire had a coat of arms, displayed in either its greater, middle and lesser version. Itsescutcheon was golden with a blacktwo-headed eagle crowned with twoimperial crowns, over which the same third crown, enlarged, with two flying ends of the ribbon of theOrder of Saint Andrew. The State Eagle held a goldenscepter and goldenglobus cruciger. On the chest of the eagle there was an escutcheon with the arms ofMoscow, depictingSaint George, mounted and defeating the dragon. After approval byAlexander III on 24 July 1882, the greater coat of arms was adopted on 3 November, replacing the previous 1857 version.[1]
Its central element is the state coat of arms, surmounted with the helmet ofAlexander Nevsky, with black and goldenmantling, and flanked by thearchangels Michael andGabriel. The collar of theOrder of Saint Andrew is suspended from the coat of arms. The whole lies within a goldenermine mantle, crowned by theImperial Crown of Russia and decorated with black double-headed eagles. The inscription on the canopy reads: Съ Нами Богъ ("God is with us"). Above the canopy stands the statekhorugv, of gold cloth, on which is depicted the Medium State Seal. The banner is topped by the State Eagle.
Around the central composition are placed fifteen coats of arms of the various territories of the Russian Empire. Nine of these are crowned and placed on a laurel and oak wreath. Proceeding from the left in a counter-clockwise direction, these represent, as they are included in thefull imperial title: theKhanate of Kazan, theCongress Kingdom of Poland,Tauric Chersonesos, the unified coat of arms of the Grand Principalities ofKiev,Vladimir andNovgorod, the dynastic arms of the House ofHolstein-Gottorp-Romanov, theGrand Duchy of Finland, theGeorgian principalities, and the Khanates ofSiberia andAstrakhan.
The six upper escutcheons are joint depictions of various smaller principalities andoblasts. From the left in a clockwise fashion, these are: the combined arms of the northeastern regions (Perm,Volga Bulgaria,Vyatka,Kondinsky,Obdorsk), ofBelorussia andLithuania (Lithuania,Białystok,Samogitia,Polatsk,Vitebsk,Mstislavl), the provinces ofGreat Russia proper (Pskov,Smolensk,Tver,Nizhniy-Novgorod,Ryazan,Rostov,Yaroslavl,Belozersk,Udorsky), the arms of the southwestern regions (Volhyn,Podolsk,Chernigov), theBaltic provinces (Estonia,Courland andSemigalia,Karelia,Livonia) andTurkestan.
The Middle Coat of Arms (Средний государственный герб Российской Империи) is similar to the Great Coat of Arms, excluding thekhorugv and the six upper escutcheons. TheAbbreviated Imperial Title is inscribed over the perimeter of the Seal. The Lesser Coat of Arms (Малый государственный герб Российской Империи) depicts the imperial double-headed eagle, as used in the coat of arms, with the addition of the collar of theOrder of Saint Andrew around the escutcheon of St. George, and the Arms of Astrakhan, Siberia, Georgia, Finland, Kiev-Vladimir-Novgorod, Taurica, Poland and Kazan on the wings (seen clockwise).
In the beginning of the 17th century, with the ascension of theRomanov dynasty and its contacts with Western Europe, the image of the eagle changed. In 1625, for the first time the double-headed eagle appeared with three crowns. Traditionally, the latter have alternatively been interpreted as representing the conquered kingdoms ofKazan,Astrakhan andSiberia, as stated in the first edict concerning the state seal, on 14 December 1667, or as standing for the unity of Great Russia (Russia), Little Russia (Ukraine) and White Russia (Belarus). Probably under influence from its German equivalent, the eagle, from 1654 onwards, was designed with spread wings and holding a scepter and orb in its claws.
During the reign ofPeter the Great, further changes were made. The collar of the newly establishedOrder of Saint Andrew was added around the central escutcheon, and the crowns were changed to theimperial pattern after his assumption of the imperial title in 1721. At about this time, the eagle's color was changed from golden to black, which would be retained until the fall of the Russian monarchy in 1917. A final form for the eagle was adopted by imperial decree in 1729, and remained virtually unchanged until 1853.
During the early 19th century, the eagle designs diversified, and two different variants were adopted by EmperorNicholas I. The first type represented the eagle with spread wings, one crown, with an image of St.George on the breast and with a wreath and a thunderbolt in its claws. The second type followed the 1730 pattern, with the addition of the arms of Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberia on its left wing and those of Poland, the Taurica and Finland on the right one.
In 1855–57, in the course of a general heraldic reform, the eagle's appearance was changed, mirroring German patterns, while St George was made to look to the left, in accordance with the rules of Western heraldry. At the same time, the full set of coat of arms of Great, Medium and Minor Arms, was laid down and approved. The final revisions and changes were made in 1882–83, and are those described above.