Thedouble-headed eagle is aniconographic symbol originating in theBronze Age. The earliest predecessors of the symbol can be found in theAncient Near East (i.e.,Mesopotamia andHittite iconography) andMycenaean Greece. Most modern uses of the emblem are directly or indirectly associated with its use by thePalaiologos dynasty of theByzantine Empire, a use possibly derived from theRoman ImperialAquila.High medieval iterations of the motif can be found inIslamic Spain,France, theBulgarian Empire and the Serbian principality ofRaška. From the 13th century onward, it appeared within the Islamic world in theSeljuk Sultanate of Rum and theMamluk Sultanate,[1] and within the Christian world inAlbania, theHoly Roman Empire,Russia, andSerbia. In a few places, among them the Holy Roman Empire and Russia, the motif was further augmented to create the less prominenttriple-headed eagle.
Many-headedmythological beasts and bird creatures frequently appear in theBronze Age andIron Age pictorial legacy of theAncient Near East, especially in Mesopotamia.[2] They were later adopted by theHittites.[3] Use of the double-headed eagle in Hittite imagery has been interpreted as "royal insignia".[4] A monumental Hittite relief of a double-headed eagle grasping two hares is found at the eastern pier of the Sphinx Gate atAlaca Hüyük.[3] For more examples of double-headed eagles in the Hittite context see Jesse David Chariton's "The Function of the Double-Headed Eagle at Yazılıkaya."[5] InMycenaean Greece, double-headed eagles appear on Mycenaean pottery.[6]
One of the earliest known depictions of a double-headed eagle appears on a ceremonial shaft-hole axe head from theBactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), dated to the late 3rd and early 2nd millennium BC (Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0).
After theBronze Age collapse, there is a gap of more than two millennia before the re-appearance of the double-headed eagle motif. The earliest occurrence in the context of theByzantine Empire appears to be on a silk brocade dated to the 10th century, which was, however, likely manufactured inIslamic Spain;[7] similarly early examples, from the 10th or 11th century, are fromBulgaria[8] and fromFrance.[9]
The earlyByzantine Empire continued to use the (single-headed)imperial eagle motif. The double-headed eagle appears only in the medieval period, by about the 10th century inByzantine art,[7] but as an imperial emblem only much later, during the final century of thePalaiologos dynasty. In Western European sources, it appears as a Byzantine state emblem since at least the 15th century.[10]
A modern theory, forwarded by Nicholas Zapheiriou, connected the introduction of the motif to Byzantine EmperorIsaac I Komnenos (1057–1059), whose family originated inPaphlagonia. Zapheiriou supposed that the Hittite motif of the double-headed bird, associated with the Paphlagonian city ofGangra (where it was known asHaga,Χάγκα), might have been brought to the Byzantine Empire by theKomnenoi.[11]
The double-headed eagle motif was adopted in theSeljuk Sultanate of Rûm and theTurkish beyliks ofmedieval Anatolia in the early 13th century. A royal association of the motif is suggested by its appearance on the keystone of an arch of the citadel built atKonya (Ikonion) underKayqubad I (r. 1220–1237).[12]
The motif appears onTurkomen coins of this era, notably on coins minted underArtuqid ruler Nasir al-Din Mahmud ofHasankeyf (r. 1200–1222).[13] It is also found on some stone reliefs on the towers ofDiyarbakır Fortress.[14]
Later in the 13th century, the motif was also adopted inMamluk Egypt;[15] it is notably found on the pierced-globe handwarmer made for Mamluk amir Badr al-Din Baysari (c. 1270),[16] and in a stone relief on the walls of theCairo Citadel.[17]
Adoption of the double-headed eagle in Serbia, Albania, Russia and in the Holy Roman Empire begins still in the medieval period, possibly as early as the 12th century, but widespread use begins after thefall of Constantinople, in the late 15th century.
The oldest preserved depiction of a double-headed eaglein Serbia is the one found in thedonor portrait ofMiroslav of Hum in the Church of St. Peter and Paul inBijelo Polje, dating to 1190. The double-headed eagle in the Serbian royal coat of arms is well attested in the 13th and 14th centuries.[18]
An exceptional medieval depiction of a double-headed eagle in the West, attributed toOtto IV, is found in a copy of theChronica Majora ofMatthew of Paris (Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, Parker MS 16 fol. 18, 13th century).
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InSerbia, theSerbian OrthodoxNemanjić dynasty adopted a double-headed eagle by the 12th century bySerbianprinceMiroslav (later recorded byAngelino Dulcert 1339 duringSerbian Empire). The double-headed eagle was used in several coatsof arms found in theIllyrian Armorials, compiled in the early modern period. The white double-headed eagle on a red shield was used for theSerbian Kingdom Nemanjić dynasty, and the DespotStefan Lazarević. A "Nemanjić eagle" was used at thecrest of the Hrebeljanović (Lazarević dynasty), while a half-white half-red eagle was used at the crest of theMrnjavčević. Use of the white eagle was continued by the modernKarađorđević andObrenović ruling houses.
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TheKastrioti family inAlbania had a double-headed eagle as their emblem in the 14th and 15th centuries. Some members of theDukagjini family and theArianiti family also used double-headed eagles, and a coalition of Albanian states in the 15th century, later called theLeague of Lezhë, also used the Kastrioti eagle as its flag. The currentflag of Albania features a black two-headed eagle with a crimson background. DuringJohn Hunyadi's campaign inNiš in 1443,Skanderbeg and a few hundred Albanians defected from the Turkish ranks and used the double-headed eagle flag.[19] The eagle was used forheraldic purposes in theMiddle Ages by a number of Albanian noble families and became the symbol of theAlbanians.[20] TheKastrioti'scoat of arms, depicting a black double-headed eagle on a red field, became famous when he led a revolt against theOttoman Empire resulting in the independence of Albania from 1443 to 1479. This was the flag of the League of Lezhë, which was the first unified Albanian state in theMiddle Ages and the oldestParliament with extant records.[21][22]
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After thefall of Constantinople, the use of two-headed eagle symbols spread toGrand Duchy of Moscow afterIvan III's second marriage (1472) toZoe Palaiologina (a niece of the last Byzantine emperorConstantine XI Palaiologos, who reigned 1449–1453),[23] The last prince of Tver,Mikhail III of Tver (1453–1505), was stamping his coins with two-headed eagle symbol. The double-headed eagle remained an important motif in the heraldry of the imperial families of Russia (theHouse of Romanov (1613–1762)).
The double-headed eagle was a main element of the coat of arms of theRussian Empire (1721–1917), modified in various ways from the reign ofIvan III (1462–1505) onwards, with the shape of the eagle getting its definite Russian form during the reign ofPeter the Great (1682–1725). It continued to be used even after the start of theRussian Revolution in 1917 with its royalregalia (such ascrowns,sceptre, andderzhava) removed, but was later abolished completely after theBolsheviks who came to power later that year adopted a brand new non-traditionalheraldry encompassingcommunist symbols. TheWhite movementRussian government of 1918–1919 used it in their coat of arms. The double-headed eagle was restored in 1993 shortly after thefall of theSoviet Union and remains in use up to the present,[24] although the eagle charge on the present coat of arms is golden rather than the traditional, imperial black. It is also widely used by federal agencies.
Use of a double-headed Imperial Eagle, improved from the single-headed Imperial Eagle used in the high medieval period, became current in the 15th to 16th centuries. The double-headedReichsadler was in the coats of arms of many German cities and aristocratic families in the early modern period. A distinguishing feature of theHoly Roman eagle was that it was often depicted withhaloes. In the 16th century, the double-headed eagle was the most powerful heraldic mark up to that time, as it symbolized the union of the imperial dignity of theHoly Roman Empire (theHabsburg empire) with theSpanish Monarchy. The double-headed eagle would end up being the emblem of the Habsburgs in Madrid and Vienna, becoming universal with the global expansion of theSpanish Empire.
After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the double-headed eagle was retained by theAustrian Empire, and served also as the coat of arms of theGerman Confederation. The German states ofSchwarzburg-Rudolstadt andSchwarzburg-Sondershausen continued to use the double-headed eagle as well until they wereabolished shortly after theFirst World War, and so did theFree City of Lübeck until it was abolished by theNazi government in 1937. Austria, which switched toa single-headed eagle after the end of the monarchy, briefly used a double-headed eagle – with haloes – once again when it was aone-party state1934–1938; this, too, wasended by the Nazi government. Since then, Germany and Austria, and their respective states, have not used double-headed eagles.
TheGandaberunda is a bicephalous bird, not necessarily an eagle but very similar in design to the double-headed eagle used in Western heraldry, used as a symbol by theWadiyar dynasty of theKingdom of Mysore from the 16th century. Coins (gold pagoda or gadyana) from the rule ofAchyuta Deva Raya (reigned 1529–1542) depicted the Gandaberunda. Of similar age is a sculpture on the roof of the Rameshwara temple in the temple town ofKeladi inShivamogga. The symbol was in continued use by theMaharaja of Mysore into the modern period, and was adopted asthe state symbol of theState of Mysore (nowKarnataka) afterIndian independence.
Albania, Serbia, Montenegro and Russia have a double-headed eagle in their coat of arms. In 1912,Ismail Qemaliraised a similar version of that flag. The flag has gone through many alterations, until 1992 when the currentflag of Albania was introduced.
The double-headed eagle is now used as an emblem by a number ofOrthodox Christian churches, including theGreek Orthodox Church and theOrthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania. In modern Greece, it appears in official use in theHellenic Army (coat of arms ofHellenic Army General Staff) and the Hellenic ArmyXVI Infantry Division,[25]
The two-headed eagle appears, often as asupporter, on the modern and historicalarms and flags ofAustria-Hungary, theKingdom of Yugoslavia,Austria (1934–1938), Albania,Armenia, Montenegro, Russia and Serbia. It was also used as a charge on the Greek coat of arms for a brief period in 1925–1926.[26] It is also used in the municipal arms of a number of cities in Germany, Netherlands and Serbia, the arms and flag of the city and province ofToledo,Spain, the arms of the town ofVelletri,Italy, and the arms and flag of the city ofRijeka,Croatia.
AnEnglish heraldic tradition, apparently going back to the 17th century,attributes coats of arms with double-headed eagles to the Anglo-Saxon earls ofMercia,Leofwine andLeofric.[27] The design was introduced in a number of British municipal coats of arms in the 20th century, such as theMunicipal Borough of Wimbledon in London,[28] the supporters in the coat of arms of the city and burgh ofPerth, and hence in that of the district ofPerth and Kinross (1975).[29] The motif is also found in a number of British family coats of arms.[30] In Turkey,General Directorate of Security, the municipalities ofDiyarbakır andKonya, as well asKonyaspor andErzurumspor F.K. football clubs have a double-headed eagle in their coat of arms.
The Double-Headed Eagle is used as an emblem by theScottish Rite ofFreemasonry[31] which was introduced in France, in the early 1760s, as the emblem of theKadosh degree.[32] TheAncient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, adopted the 'Double Headed Eagle of Lagash' as its emblem since the 1758 establishment of theMasonic Chivalry Rite (Council of Emperors of the East and West), in Paris, France. That council, with a Masonic rite of twenty-five degrees, set the foundation for what would evolve into the present masonic system Scottish Rite. The successors of the "Council of Emperors of the East and West" are today the various Supreme Councils of the Thirty Third Degree in more than 60 countries. The Double Headed Eagle was formally adopted from the personal emblem ofKing Frederick the Great, of Prussia, who in 1786 became the First Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of the 33 Degree, subsequent to its formation following the adoption of eight additional degrees to the Masonic Rite.[33][34]
Several sports clubs, mainly Greek and Turkish, have the double-headed eagle in their insignia. Some of them are: three football clubs of Turkey;Çorum FK,BB Erzurumspor,Konyaspor,[35]Amed SFK[36] and the Greek sport clubsAEK (Athletic Union of Constantinople) and (since 1929 when it adopted the emblem of its parent association Enosis Konstantinopoliton Thessalonikis which was founded in 1923)[37]P.A.O.K. (Panthesalonikios Athletic club of Constantinople). The Greek clubs use this symbol since both were founded byGreek refugees who moved toGreece fromConstantinople in the 1920s.[38] It is also the emblem of the Dutch clubsNEC andVitesse Arnhem, the English football clubAFC Wimbledon and Scottish sideSaint Johnstone FC. The Gandabherunda insignia is used by the Indian clubBengaluru FC in their logo.
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![Coat of arms of Perth, Scotland[39]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aCoa_Scotland_Town_Perth_big.svg)
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![Badge of the Mercian Brigade (1948–64) and current badge of the Mercian Regiment reformed in 2007[40]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMercian_eagle.png)
![Double-headed eagle, with "al-Sultan" inscription on the chest. Kubadabad Palace, Türkiye, 1220s.[41]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aDouble-headed_eagle%2c_with_al-Sultan_inscription_on_the_chest._Kubadabad%2c_1220s.jpg)
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Note: Embroidered double-headed eagle on the podea of Paul, Patriarch of Constantinople (late 14th century)
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