Coat-of-Arms

The Russian coat-of-arms is a golden two-headed eagle perched on a red heraldic shield. Above the eagle are three historical crowns of Peter the Great, and in its talons the eagle holds a scepter and an orb, while depicted on a red shield on its breast is a horseman slaying the dragon with his spear.

The two-headed eagle as the coat-of-arms of Muscovy first appeared on the seal of Ivan III in 1497 after his marriage to Sofia Palaeologue, a Byzantine princess: the two-headed eagle (emblem of Byzantium) was united with the Moscow coat-of-arms, with the result that one side of the emblem showed the eagle and the other the horseman trampling the dragon.

As time went on, more changes were added to the coat-of-arms. The seals of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible began to display on the eagle's breast an image of St.George the Victorious, the symbol of Moscow grand dukes. In 1625, during the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich, three crowns appeared above the eagle's heads. After Peter the Great instituted the Order of St.Andrew the Apostle, the coat-of-arms began to feature a chain bearing the sign of the Order. Under Pavel I, the image of the Maltese Cross was introduced into the coat-of-arms.

During the reign of Alexander II the coat-of-arms was modified and its design brought in line with the international heraldic rules. In 1882, a strict hierarchy of the coat-of-arms was introduced: there were to be the Greater, Medium and Smaller state coat-of-arms of the Russian Empire. Between then and February 1917, the coat-of-arms underwent no further changes.

Following the February 1917 revolution, the seal and monetary units of the Provisional Government featured an imperial two-headed eagle without crowns. A November 10, 1917 decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars "On Abolishing the Estates and Civil Ranks" also abolished the Russian signs of distinction, orders, flag and coat-of-arms.

On November 5, 1990 the RSFSR Government decided to institute the National Coat-of-Arms and National Flag of the RSFSR. A government commission was set up to organize the work. After a detailed discussion the commission suggested recommending to the Government a white-blue-red flag and a coat-of-arms depicting a golden two-headed eagle against a red background. The final restoration of these symbols took place in 1993, when President Boris Yeltsin approved them as a national flag and a national coat-of-arms.