Austro hungary flag 19th century. Heraldry. Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austrian empire on the eve of the revolution

He is also the small coat of arms of Austria-Hungary until 1915

Das kleine gemeinsame Wappen (bis 1915)

2. Coats of arms of Austria-Hungary (1867 - 1918)

Description of the coat of arms

The large State Emblem of Austria-Hungary consists of three shields. On the right is the coat of arms of the Austrian crown (Cisleitania) - in a golden shield is a black two-headed crowned eagle holding a sword and a scepter in its right paw, and in the left - a power, having a shield with the coats of arms of the Austrian lands on its chest. The shield is surmounted by the Imperial Crown and is supported on the right by a golden griffin with black head, mane and wings. Left - the coat of arms of the Hungarian Crown (Translatedia), crowned with the Crown of St. Stephen. The shield is supported on the right by an angel in a silver robe. In the center between the two heraldic shields is the family shield of the Habsburgs-Lorraine - a double-cut field: the first depicts in gold a scarlet lion armed and crowned with azure (Habsburg county); in the second scarlet field there is a silver belt (historical colors of Austria); in the third gold field there is a scarlet sling, burdened with three flying silver alerions (an eagle, devoid of bite and paws), put in a sling (Duchy of Lorraine). The shield of the Habsburg-Lorraine is crowned with a royal crown, and surrounded by chains of the highest awards of the empire: the Radiant Order of the Golden Fleece, the Orders of Maria Theresa, St. Stephen and Leopold with the corresponding signs. The coat of arms stands on an ornamental pedestal with a ribbon on which is inscribed the motto in Latin: Indivisibiliter Ac Inseparabiliter (One and Indivisible).

1. The large imperial shield of Austria contains the following elements: 1) In a scarlet field, a silver lion, armed and crowned with gold. Bohemia (Czech Republic). 2) In the azure field there is a scarlet belt, accompanied above by a black raven walking, and below by three golden crowns (2 and 1). Galicia (Ukraine). 3) In the azure field, three torn off golden crowned heads of a leopard (lion), full face mask (2 and 1). Dalmatia (Croatia). 4) In a golden field, a black crowned eagle, with silver eyes, golden beak and paws and a scarlet tongue, and with a silver wing arch, crowned at the ends with a trefoil, and in the middle with a cross. Silesia (Czech Republic). 5) The field is dissected. In the first gold field is a black lion with a scarlet weaponry. In the second scarlet field there is a silver belt. Salzburg (Austria). 6) In an azure field, broken in chess into gold and scarlet, a crowned eagle, with silver eyes, golden beak and paws and a scarlet tongue. Moravia (Czech Republic). 7) In a silver field, a scarlet crowned eagle, with silver eyes, golden beak and paws and a scarlet tongue, burdened on the wings with a curved golden arc, crowned at the ends with a trefoil. Tyrol (Austria). 8) In the cut azure and scarlet field, the black head of a bull, accompanied by three golden six-pointed stars. Bukovina (Ukraine). 9) In a silver field there is a scarlet banner. Voralberg (Austria). 10) In the azure field, a golden goat with scarlet horns and hooves. Istria (Croatia). 11) In a gold field, a hand in red emerging from a silver cloud, holding a silver saber with a gold hilt. Bosnia and Herzegovina 12) The field is mown. In the upper azure part, a golden walking crowned leopard lion with a scarlet tongue. The lower field is cut five times with silver and scarlet. Gorica (Slovenia). 13) In a field crossed by gold and azure field, there is a silver anchor cross. Gradishka (Italy). 14) The field is crossed. In the upper gold part there is a black crowned two-headed eagle with golden paws and beaks and scarlet tongues. In the lower scarlet field with a silver belt, there is a golden lily-shaped spearhead. Trieste (Italy).

On top of the large imperial shield there is a small one: a) In the azure field, five golden eagles (2, 2, 1). Lower Austria. b) The field is dissected. In the first black part there is a golden eagle with scarlet claws and tongue. The second field is cut three times with silver and scarlet. Upper Austria. c) In a green field, a silver fire-breathing panther with scarlet horns and claws. Styria (Austria). d) In a silver field, an azure crowned eagle, burdened on the chest with a crescent moon, chessboard broken in two rows, in accordance with the bend in gold and scarlet. Krajina (Slovenia). e) The field is dissected. In the first gold section, there are three black leopards with scarlet tongues. The second scarlet has a silver belt. Carinthia (Austria). Scarlet heart plate with a silver belt. Austria. The shield is crowned with the Austrian imperial crown.

2. The large royal shield of Hungary contains the following elements: 1) In the azure field, three torn off golden crowned heads of a leopard (lion), full face mask (2 and 1). Dalmatia (Croatia). 2) Chess silver and red field. Croatia. 3) In the azure field there is a scarlet wavy belt with a silver border, burdened with a running marten of a natural color, accompanied at the top by a scarlet compound of rhombuses with a gold border with a star with six rays. Slavonia (Croatia) 4) In a field of gold, a hand in red emerging from a silver cloud, holding a silver saber with a golden hilt. Bosnia and Herzegovina. 5) In a scarlet field, a black two-headed eagle, crowned with a crown with lazy infoulas, sitting on a rock and holding a golden jug with water flowing from it with its paws. Fiume (Italy; now Rijeka, Croatia). 6) The field is crossed by a scarlet belt. In the upper azure field - an emerging black eagle with golden eyes, a beak and a scarlet tongue, accompanied by a golden sun at the top right, and a silver crescent on the left. In the lower gold field there are seven scarlet towers with black gates (4 and 3). In the upper blue field with a red sling at the bottom, there is a black eagle, above which there is a golden sun on the right, and a silver crescent on the left. Transylvania (Romania).

On top of the large shield there is a dissected small shield (coat of arms of Hungary): a) The first field is crossed seven times with scarlet and silver (the ancient coat of arms of Hungary and the Arpads) b) In the scarlet field there is a silver patriarchal cross, clawed at the ends, placed on a golden crown crowning a green mountain about three peaks (new coat of arms of Hungary). The shield is crowned with the Hungarian royal crown of St. Stephen. In the center between the two shields there is a double-cut small shield: in the first golden field - a scarlet lion armed and crowned with azure (Habsburg county); in the second scarlet field there is a silver belt (historical colors of Austria); in the third field of gold there is a scarlet sling, burdened with three flying silver alerions (an eagle, devoid of beak and paws), put in a sling (Duchy of Lorraine). Family coat of arms of the Habsburg-Lorraine. The shield is crowned with a golden royal crown and surrounded by chains of the Order of the Golden Fleece, the orders of Maria Theresa, St. Stephen and Leopold with the corresponding insignia.

Shield holders: on the right, a golden griffin with a black head, wings and mane, with golden beaks and a scarlet tongue; on the left - an angel of natural colors in a silver robe. The motto is inscribed on the silver ribbon: "INDIVISIBILITER AC INSEPARABILITER" (Latin "One And Indivisible").

Medium coat of arms of Austria-Hungary 1867 - 1915

Mittleres gemeinsames Wappen Österreich-Ungarns 1867-1915

In 2014, State Duma deputy, member of the LDPR Supreme Council Mikhail Degtyarev prepared a bill on amendments to the federal constitutional law "On the state flag of the Russian Federation", Izvestia reported. The amendment provided for the change of the existing official flag of Russia from the white-blue-red tricolor to the black-yellow-white standard.

The champions of this tricolor call it imperial. They are convinced that Russia's golden age is associated precisely with the black-yellow-white banner. They say that this color combination is more authentic than the original Russian statehood. Hardly…

According to the legislator, reunification with Crimea, the creation of the Customs Union and the growth of patriotic sentiments should take place under the flag of a victorious era in Russian history... In an explanatory note to the bill, the parliamentarian notes that during the period of widespread use of the black-yellow-white imperial flag, the territory of Russia has increased significantly.

It was then that the Crimea peninsula and the territory of East Prussia, Alaska, the Caucasus, Poland, the Baltic States, Central Asia and Finland were first incorporated into Russia.

We have won brilliant victories under the imperial flag, and it is capable of uniting all citizens of Russia today. The modern tricolor, which Boris Yeltsin returned in the confusion, was not discussed with the people, no research was carried out, '' Degtyarev said. - We say: Russia is 1152 years old, not 23 years old, the symbols of the state should personify its great history and great future, spiritual health determines material well-being, and not vice versa.

At the same time, according to the financial and economic justifications, 15.5 million rubles are expected to be spent on replacing flags at state institutions and on cars of diplomatic missions and officials of the country.

The two tricolors themselves are indeed a matter of long-standing disputes between different political forces.

The first mention of the flag dates back to the reign Empress Anna Ioannovna... In 1731 in the dragoon and infantry regiments Scarves were ordered to be made "according to the Russian coat of arms" of black silk with gold threads.

And someone looks even earlier and claims that the first two Russian state colors appeared in our Fatherland in 1472 after the marriage of Ivan the Third to Princess Sophia Paleologue, together with the adoption of the coat of arms from the fallen under the blows of the Turks Byzantine Empire... The Byzantine imperial banner - a golden canvas with a black eagle topped with two crowns - becomes the state banner of Russia.

Even before the Time of Troubles, the state banner receives the final detail - the eagle's chest is covered with a large coat of arms with the image of St. George the Victorious. The white rider on a white horse subsequently gave legal basis to the third color of the flag - white. The black-yellow-white flag combined the colors of national heraldic emblems and, during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I, established itself as a national symbol. For the first time in Russia, a black-yellow-white flag began to be flown on solemn days after 1815, following the end of Patriotic War with Napoleonic France.

In 1815, in commemoration of the victory over Napoleon (and later on all holidays), solemn tricolor banners began to be hung on buildings; in addition, army symbols (order ribbons, banners, as well as cockades, which also spread among civilian officials), acquired a similar color.

In 1819, the Zholnersky badge with the number of the battalion in the regiment appeared, made in the form of three horizontal stripes - black, yellow, white.

The "imperial banner" served as the official state flag from 1858 to 1883.

Indeed, during this period the Caucasus was finally conquered, and the Balkan campaign was successfully carried out. The Russian Empire did not suffer any major defeats. The flag, which is important for today's supporters, was never used by collaborators during the Great Patriotic War, unlike the white-blue-red banner.

But there is one thing ...

It was during the official period of the black-yellow-white tricolor that the Russian Tsar, Emperor Alexander II, was killed for the first time in Russian history.

"And your flag is wrong"

Why Alexander II decided to carry out a "color reload" is still an open question. There is a version that the king after an unsuccessful Crimean War and the inglorious death of Father Nicholas I decided to shake up the empire and began by changing the flag. But, in my opinion, everything is much more banal ...

It's just that, as often happened in Russian history, one day a "learned German" appeared ... In 1857, a new chief appeared at the heraldry department of the empire - Bernhard Karl (aka Boris Vasilyevich) Köhne, a well-known numismatist and collector. Boris Vasilyevich, the son of a Berlin archivist, by that time had a dynamic career in a foreign land: being a protégé of the Duke of Leuchtenberg, who settled in Russia, Köhne was among the founders of the Russian Archaeological Society and received the post of curator of the numismatic department of the Hermitage.

Baron Boris Vasilievich Koehne (Bernhard Karl von Koehne, 1817, Berlin - 1886) - a prominent numismatist and heraldist Russian Empire... Founder and Secretary of the Russian Archaeological Society

Köne noted his inauguration by popularly explaining to the responsible government officials that the flag of the Russian Empire was incorrect. It's all about the combination of colors: according to the German heraldic school, the colors of the flag must match the dominant colors of the coat of arms. And where, pray tell, is blue in your coat of arms?

Large coat of arms of the Russian Empire

And really - where? The eagle is black, in gold, St. George is white ...

It didn't take long to persuade the sovereign, and in the summer of 1858, Alexander II signed a fateful decree:
“Description of the highest approved design of the arrangement of the coat of arms of the Empire on banners, flags and other items used for decoration on solemn occasions. The arrangement of these colors is horizontal, the upper stripe is black, the middle one is yellow (or gold), and the lower one is white (or silver). The first stripes correspond to the black state eagle in a yellow field, and the cockade of these two colors was founded by Emperor Paul I, while banners and other decorations of these colors were used already during the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna. The lower stripe, white or silver, corresponds to the cockade of Peter the Great and Empress Catherine II; Emperor Alexander I, after the capture of Paris in 1814, combined the correct heraldic cockade with the ancient Peter the Great, which corresponds to the white or silver horseman (St. George) in the Moscow coat of arms. "

What has Austria to do with it?

The Senate approved the decree, but there was some bewilderment in the political lobbies: “Does this flag remind you of anything? It seems that the Austrians have the same ... ". Indeed, there was a similarity to the standard of the Austrian Empire. Fortunately, the Austrian heraldists have spread their coat of arms in only two colors - black and yellow. If he was still white, then an embarrassment could have happened.

Flag of the Austrian Empire

In addition, the Kingdom of Saxony had exactly the same flag (black and yellow). And the yellow and white state standard of the Kingdom of Hanover, on the contrary, coincided with the new Russian tricolor in the lower part.

Saxony flag

All these coincidences gave rise to unnecessary conspiracy theories in Russian society.

Hanover flag

The fact is that Saxony and Hanover was the fiefdom of two branches of the Welf-Wettin family (from which, by the way, comes the current Windsor dynasty, ruling in Britain), and legends began to be born among the people that the Romanovs secretly became vassals of these clans - they swore allegiance to the Germans after unsuccessful Crimean War.

But the statesmen nevertheless decided to explain themselves - what, in fact, did not please the previous tricolor. So, the minister of the imperial court by the name of Adlerberg lamented that the time had come to cleanse itself of "foreignism", hinting that the former tricolor had Dutch roots. And the sovereign himself more than once advised to draw inspiration from pre-Petrine times, or even from Byzantium itself - and the Second Rome also had a yellow-black flag. At this time, many "scholarly" articles were published that explained the "natural selection" of the yellow-black-white flag: they talked about the Byzantism of John III, who presented Russia with a two-headed eagle, about Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who, allegedly under threat of execution, punished the use of yellow-black colors in the state seal ...

Consolation flag

Solemn passage through Red Square. Chromolithography from the book "Description of the Sacred Crowning of Their Imperial Majesties"

After the death of Alexander II, the "standard problem" was inherited by Emperor Alexander III. All this was aggravated by the fact that the German Empire, which absorbed Hanover and Saxony, and Austria, together with Italy, concluded in 1882 Triple Alliance, not the most friendly to the Russian Empire. It was necessary to do something with the state banner.

In 1883, the tsar dismissed Köne, who by that time had already managed to create the Great Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire, the coat of arms of the Romanovs and formulated new laws in Russian heraldry.

In April of the same year, the emperor returned the old tricolor as an official one. In the "Austrian" flag, Alexander III changes the alternation of colors to white-yellow-black and gives it the status of the flag of the Romanov dynasty.

In order to resolve the issue with the official flag of the empire, on the eve of the coronation Nicholas II in April 1896 a special meeting was called. It was decided that “the white-blue-red flag has every right to be called Russian or national, and its colors: white, blue and red are called state; the flag is black-orange-white and has neither heraldic nor historical grounds ”. The arguments, in particular, were the following:

“If, to determine the folk colors of Russia, we turn to the national taste and folk customs, to the peculiarities of the nature of Russia, then in this way the same national colors will be determined for our fatherland: white, blue, red.

The Great Russian peasant wears a red or blue shirt on a holiday, Maloros and Belarusian—in white; Russian women dress in sarafans, also red and blue. In general, in terms of a Russian person—what is red is good and beautiful ...

If you add to this White color snow cover, in which the whole of Russia is clothed for more than six months, then, on the basis of these signs, for the emblematic expression of Russia, for the Russian folk or state flag, the most characteristic are the colors set by the Great Peter. "

Rozanov. "Fair on Arbat Square" 1877

Fragment of Rozanov's painting "Fair on Arbat Square" 1877

The society welcomes the decision of the emperor with joy. But the fact that the "Könev tricolor", albeit in a modified form, but still preserved, gives new food to home-grown conspiracy theorists - "Still, the Romanovs sold Mother Rus to the Welf-Wettins ...".

In modern Russian symbols, the black-yellow-white flag can be found only in the Kursk region - it is an element of the provincial flag.

Heraldry of lands and state entities belonging to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Big National emblem Austria-Hungary 1915 represented the following: a golden shield with the image of the Austrian two-headed crowned eagle with the imperial shield of Austria on the chest, crowned with the Imperial Crown, holding the heraldic griffin to the left of the viewer (element of the Grand Coat of Arms of the Archduchy of Austria); the large royal shield of Hungary, surmounted by the Crown of St. Stephen (part of the Great Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Hungary), is held on the right by an angel. In the center between the two shields and in the foreground to the viewer is the family shield of the Habsburgs-Lorraine - a field cut into three vertical parts: the left one is golden in color with a red lion on its hind legs (the family coat of arms of the Habsburgs); central red with a horizontal silver stripe in the center (historical colors of Austria); right - cut diagonally from the lower right corner to the upper left with a red stripe with three flying silver eagles, a golden field (coat of arms of Lorraine). The shield of the Habsburg-Lorraine is crowned with a royal crown, under it are located highest awards empire: order of the Golden Fleece, Maria Theresa, St. Stephen, Leopold.

Shield holders stand on the branches of a heraldic plant, entwined from below with a ribbon with the motto in Latin: "" Indivisibiliter Ac Inseparabiliter "" (Latin: "One And Indivisible" ").

1. The large imperial shield of Austria contains the following elements:

1) In the red field there is a silver lion. Bohemia (Czech Republic).

2) The blue field is crossed by a red belt. In the upper part there is a black raven walking. At the bottom there are three crowns. Galicia (Ukraine).

3) In the blue field there are three golden crowned lion heads. Dalmatia (Croatia).

4) In a field of gold, a black eagle, burdened on its chest with a silver shamrock. Silesia (Czech Republic).

5) The field is dissected. In the right gold part there is a black lion. In the left red one there is a silver belt. Salzburg (Austria).

6) In a blue field, a checkerboard covered with gold and red eagle. Moravia (Czech Republic).

7) In a silver field, a red eagle, burdened with a golden trefoil on its wings. Tyrol (Austria).

8) In a field cut by blue and red, a black bull's head accompanied by three golden mollettes. Bukovina (Ukraine).

9) In a silver field, a red banner. Voralberg (Austria).

10) In a blue field, a golden goat with red horns. Istria (Croatia).

11) In a golden field, a hand in red emerging from a silver cloud, holding a saber. Bosnia and Herzegovina.

12) The field is beveled on the right. In the upper blue part, there is a golden lion. At the bottom there are six silver and red bands. Gorica (Slovenia).

13) In a field crossed by gold and blue, there is a silver anchor cross. Gradishka (Italy).

14) The field is crossed. In the upper golden one there is a black two-headed eagle. At the bottom is gold - a lily-shaped spearhead. Trieste (Italy).

On top of the large imperial shield is a small one:

A) There are five golden eagles in the blue field. Lower Austria.

B) Dissected field. In the right part there is a golden eagle, the left is cut with four silver and red pillars. Upper Austria.

C) In the green field there is a silver "heraldic panther" ". Styria (Austria).

D) In ​​a silver field, a blue crowned eagle, burdened on the chest with a crescent, separated by a checkerboard red and gold. Krajina (Bosnia).

E) The field is dissected. In the right gold part there are three black lions. In the left red one there is a silver belt. Carinthia (Austria).

A small shield is placed on top of everything: a silver belt in a red field. Austria.

2. The large royal shield of Hungary contains the following elements:

1) In the blue field there are three golden crowned lion heads. Dalmatia (Croatia).

2) In the blue field, there is a red sling with a silver border. In the center of the red sling is a running black marten. At the top of the blue field is a golden six-pointed star. Slavonia (Croatia)

3) In a golden field, a hand in red emerging from a silver cloud, holding a saber. Bosnia and Herzegovina.

4) In a red field, a black crowned two-headed eagle holding a jug of water in its paws. Fiume (Italy; now Rijeka, Croatia).

5) The field is dissected. There are seven red towers in the lower gold field. In the upper blue field with a red sling at the bottom, there is a black eagle, above which the sun is on the right, and a crescent on the left. Transylvania (Romania).

6) Chess silver-red field. Croatia.

On top of the large shield is a small shield, cut vertically in two (symbolizing Hungary):

A) The field is dissected with eight red and silver bands.

B) In a red field on three green hills, there is a silver six-pointed cross emanating from a golden crown.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was divided into two parts: Cisleitania (lands of the Austrian crown) and Translatedia (lands of the Hungarian crown)

Great coat of arms of Austria

Small coat of arms of Austria

Cisleitania lands

Archduchy of Lower Austria

Archduchy of Upper Austria

Duchy of Salzburg

Duchy of Styria

Duchy of Carinthia

Duchy of Carniola

The coastal land (Küstenland) consisted of the Margrave of Istria, the princely counties of Gorizia and Gradiska, the city of Trieste with the region.

Margrave of Istria

Princely County of Gorizia and Gradiska

City of Trieste with region

County Tyrol

Vorarlberg Region

Kingdom of Bohemia (Czech Republic)

Margravate of Moravia

Duchy of Silesia

Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria

Duchy of Bukovina

Kingdom of Dalmatia

Land of Translatedia

Large coat of arms of the Kingdom of Hungary.
Separately, I did not find the coat of arms of Bosnia, but it is on this large coat of arms in the lower left corner - a hand with a sword.

Grand Duchy (elsewhere the Duchy) Transylvania

Free port city of Fiume

Kingdom of Croatia.

Coat of arms of the united kingdom of Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia
It was here that an unsolvable riddle appeared for me, how did Dolmatia, belonging to Cisleitania, end up in the kingdom belonging to Translatedia?

I took all the information in Wikipedia

Are blue and yellow colors not historically inherent in Ukrainians?

The history of the Ukrainian flag, like everything related to the history of Ukrainians, is filled with myths and lies. And these myths were created at the end of the 19th century for the illiterate rural population of Galicia and Little Russia. Then, when the population learned a little, they did not come up with anything better to prove these myths, how to prove them by rigging facts, or even outright lies. One of such false myths is the history of the Ukrainian ensign. His main thesis is that these colors from time immemorial are inherent in the local population from the creation of Russia, and then the Cossacks.

... And then they went over to the newly created Ukrainians.

But, even with a superficial consideration of this flag legend, we will have to admit that for the first time as state symbols these colors originated in the Austrian Habsburg Empire. These were the banners of the provinces of Austria.

Then the same colors passed to the Galicians from the hands of the Austrian royal family. Both eyewitnesses of those events and political Ukrainian historians write about this. This means that these were the colors intended for local Rusyns (there were no Ukrainians in Galicia at that time) of the Austrian province of Galicia, and have nothing to do with Great Rus-Ukraine.

In March 1848, a revolution broke out in the Austrian Empire. The Poles organized their own Polish Guard. The active creation of detachments of the Polish guard began. This was the reason for the resistance of the Ruthenian population. So, the peasants of Staryi Milyatin refused to join the guard "under the sign of the single-headed eagle" (that is, the Polish one) and demanded to organize the "Russian Guard".

In April 1848, the Austrian authorities allowed the creation of the National Russian Guard "to maintain order" in their national provinces. In the 19th paragraph of its Charter, it was noted that "each battalion has the color of a banner, and each has a standard, decorated with colors of the edge."

On May 2, in Lemberg (Lvov), the Main Russian Council was created, consisting of Uniate priests (there was no other intelligentsia there. - Author), which held a loyal position regarding the Austrian government. The local guards addressed the question of the symbolism to her. On May 16, 1848, Grigory Shashkevich, on behalf of the members of the Russian Council in Stanislav, asked in a letter to the Main Russian Council, "which is the Russian cockade?"

During the Slavic congress in Prague (June 2-16), the Ukrainian and Polish delegations came to an agreement that the units of the Poles and Ruthenians of the National Guard in Galicia "will have the coats of arms of both peoples next to them for their distinction."

In June, a blue-yellow flag appeared on the Lviv City Hall, which was hung out by unknown persons. Members of the Rada hastened to dissociate themselves, stating that "it was not the Rusyns who misinformed, and they do not know who will misinterpret something." That is, no one knew what these colors were and how to interpret them. "Zorya Galitska" at the end of June replied that "the coat of arms, or the banner of Galician Rus: there is that golden lion in the son of the floor, rising to the rock."

For loyal service to Franz Joseph, the Russian Galicians were awarded the nickname “Tyroleans of the Middle East” from the last nickname, and he presented them with a blue and yellow flag. Modern Ukrainian nationalists did not find anything better than to declare this symbol of the Austrian provinces and the German-Habsburg "caress" as the symbol of all "independent Ukraine".

On September 20, 1848, the Main Russian Council issues an appeal to the Ruthenian people in organizing the units of the National Guard. In Stryi, Drohobych, Yavorov, Berezhany and other cities and villages, such detachments are being created.

But historical events left their mark in the memory of the people and some more remembered those events when local Russian troops participated in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, on the side of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) against their long-standing ally of the times of the Galicia-Volyn principality - Of the Teutonic Order, under a blue banner with a golden lion. Therefore, we took the color of the badges of those regiments as a sample.

The Polish chronicler Jan Dlugosh left a description of the banners of the troops from the Russian lands, which came to the army with the crusaders.

But the rural population, which yesterday were serfs, did not know all the heraldic subtleties, therefore, addressing on behalf of the rural communities to the Russian Rada, "many deputies asked that they now get rid of the Russian standard from Lvov for the village, for there are no good artisans here who would the standard is honestly mightied. "

The Main Russian Rada, which called itself Ruthenians, took the hint with the episode of the blue-yellow flag, which was already in use in the provinces of Austria and, in order not to quarrel with the monarch, adopted these colors, since there was also some kind of local justification. Therefore, flags with two horizontal stripes "in Russian colors" - blue-yellow and yellow-blue (the first, according to the rules of vexilology - the science of flags - the top color is marked) - have become widely used. And already at the meetings of the local community, the colors used in the Austrian Empire were present.

Describing the first congress of Ukrainian scientists in Lev, Yakov Golovatsky writes: “On Thursday 7/19, open the cathedral of Russian scientists and lovers of public education ... the guest with signs of Russian people to the museum sali. Red tidying up the walls struck with a strong impression the eyes of all those present. barwami - with the latter, they strove for a pair of ensigns, also synozhovtom barvy "...

Yakov Golovatsky is a witness ...

You need to know that no one will ever dare to place flags and banners of colors not approved by him with the portrait of the monarch under a monarchy. The explanation given by Golovatsky to the symbolism of the colors of the flag has since been used by modern deputies, despite the increased level of education of the local population: “the Barvas people enlightened us and did not portray wealth, surplus, but a strong, shielding will, good intention. the sky of southern Russia, clear, weathery, like the soul of a wide, unspoken Rusin, depicting peace and tranquility, like before the development of our national demand. But now, instead of lightning, the emphasis is on the color of wheat.

In heraldry, as a science, they have a completely different meaning. The fact that the current colors of the flags were approved in the royal family of the Habsburgs is also confirmed by the famous in Galicia, holder of the Austrian Order of the Knight's Cross of Leopold, Kost Levitsky: “After that, a letter from Cesar Franz Josef came with the date: Olomouc, March 10, 1849:“ I call to put up a battalion Russian archers, in this way, as the battalions of hunters in Lower Austria and Styria then organized, - with the warning of the binding to the horse service, which I also recognize for the proposed national system. The formation should be managed by my ministry of war, and it has the "Head Ruskoy Rada" in Lvov to declare for this new proof of her patriotic activity - my acknowledgment, complete satisfaction. "

The ribbon to the flag of the Russian Corps of the National Guard was embroidered by the mother of the cisar Franz Joseph, the arch-princess Sophia. On this ribbon she placed the inscription: "Treue fuhrt zum Siege - Sophie Erzherzogin von Oesterreich". ("Fidelity leads to victory - Sophia is the arch-duchess of Austria" !.

As you can see, no hint of a connection with some Cossacks, Bogdan Khmelnitsky is given here. Yes, it is difficult to imagine that the cisar of Austria was concerned about the history of two hundred years ago of some Orthodox Cossacks from the distant Ukraine of Poland and Russia. These Cossacks with their regimental badges appeared as arguments later, when the population of Little Russia had to come up with new story, in which it will appear as a special non-Russian people of the outskirts of Poland. Therefore, the ideologists of the new people tried to hide the role of the Habsburgs in the history of the emergence of a new symbol.

The fact that the blue-yellow colors have nothing to do with Rus-Ukraine is also evidenced by the fact that for the first time on the territory of modern Ukraine he appeared together with the Galicians-archers, who were skillfully guided by the Jesuits and Germans on the eve of the war with Russia: “Not the archers also forgot about the ties with Greater Ukraine. In particular, members of their organizations Vasily Semets, Yulian Okhrimovich and Ivan Lizanivsky were sent there from Lvov for revolutionary work. They took part in the organization and activities of some East Ukrainian secret student societies, made reports, initiated a number of actions. It was for their initiative that the Ukrainian students of Kiev in March 1914, on the occasion of the Shevchenko holidays, first manifested under yellow and blue flags.

As you can see, with the help of such limited Galicians, these colors of the Habsburg Empire first penetrated the territory of Little Russia in 1914 and began to poison the lives of the local population.

Also, all the words about the yellow Cossack banners turn out to be a lie. Upon closer examination, it turns out that the Little Russian Cossacks, who called themselves Russians, remembered the historical colors of Russia. Moreover, according to the "History of the Rus", they considered themselves the successors and heirs of the glory of the Russian princes.

Since the hetmanate of the Cossacks was a kind of centralized military formation, the banner of this formation is the symbol of the entire Cossacks, despite the fact that other colors were used in the regiments and hundreds that could be discerned in the dust of battles. But this was not caused by the national differences of these regiments and hundreds, but by the military necessity in battle to determine the place of this or that regiment or hundreds, since there were no radio stations at that time.

Here are the flags of the Cossack hundreds of the Kiev and Chernigov regiments, as well as the Kiev magistrate, captured by the Lithuanian hetman Janusz Radziwil in 1651. Among the flags there are also three Kiev banners with a bow and arrow in a ring - the coat of arms of the then Kiev.

As you can see, there are only three flags with a yellow field, five with a blue one and nine with a red one. Moreover, there are also mirror reflections of the design of the flags, which indicates the military practical application of the flag. Therefore, attaching to the history of the Ukrainian flag also the second-rate flags of hundreds of Cossacks is a consequence of the ignorance of farmers with degrees.

Thus, we can conclude that the blue-yellow flag, granted by the Habsburgs, first appeared in Galicia only after 1848 as a symbol of the local Russian population, which was not Polish. This flag then, with the development of the political Austrophile Ukrainians, was brought to Ukraine in 1914. And after the collapse of tsarist Russia, with the help of the Galicians, members of the Central Rada, an attempt was made to impose it as a state flag on the entire people of Rus-Ukraine. But, since in heraldry all colors have their own symbolism, then the fate of those people who use certain colors in their coats of arms is also symbolic. They reflect their character traits and destiny. The dying Habsburg empire, along with the flag, passed on its death virus to its fans.

Members of the Central Rada were the first to feel the evil fate of the new banner. The workers and the poor did not accept him and threw his carriers to the Zbruch River, closer to the place of his birth. But here the spiritual kinship of blue-yellow with the Austro-Germans was also manifested. With their help, he returned to Ukraine three times. The first time, with the help of the Germans, thanks to the "bread agreement", the Central Rada again returned under this flag to Kiev. Thus, the yellow color of betrayal confirmed the character of the admirers of his colors.

But now the Germans did not need such owners of the yellow-blue flag, and they dismissed them to their homes, putting their servant General Pavel Skoropadsky in their place. He tried to change the karma of the flag and turned it over - the flag turned blue and yellow. But it didn't help. Less than six months later, he had to fold, abandon his homeland and flee to his patrons, and in 1945 their servant Pavel Skoropadsky died in Berlin under bombing, repeating the fate of many traitors to his people.

At this time, the parents of the flag - the state of the Habsburgs - also turned down, and this was already a direct indication of the danger of the flowers of the gift of the deceased state. But the narrow-minded Galician Ukrainians, not understanding the signs of the fate of their like-minded people in Ukraine, did not let go of him.

Simon Petliura also loved blue and yellow ...

The Petliurites, one more amateurs of yellow and blue, again tried to reverse the fatal fate of the flag. Did not work out. Simon Petlyura found himself in the same place as the previous Central Rada. Here he met the first adherents of this banner, representatives of the ZUNR, whom the Poles with their yellow-blue flag sent for Zbruch to Petliura. The flag's reputation was confirmed. Once again, the color of betrayal had a fatal impact on the minds of his fans. First, the ZUNRites betray Petliura and go to Anton Denikin, and then Petliura sells the territory of Galicia to the Poles, together with his friends from the ZUNR, and now, but instead of the Turks, after 250 years he brings the Poles to Kiev. But the fatal flag turned out to be stronger here too. The Poles did not allow Petliura to be in control, and then he had to flee his homeland. And for such perseverance and betrayal, the flag severely revenged him: he was shot in a foreign land.

The historical red color of the Russians has returned to the territory of Ukraine. The country was torn away from the plow to planes, tractors, and hydroelectric power plants. But in the homeland of the appearance of the fatal flag in Galicia, near Poland, a new generation was growing up, who called themselves OUNists, and which, although it was pious, was poorly versed in heraldry, and therefore did not understand the fatal role of blue and yellow in the fate of their predecessors. In addition to this, they actively began to worship another fatal symbol of history - Ivan Mazepa, who died in a foreign land after the anathema of the Orthodox Church. And fate does not forgive such inattention to her signs.

The OUN members began to be used by the enemies of the Slavs - the German fascists, against their own people. The colors of the flag played a fatal role here too. The yellow color of treason and money pulled them into the maelstrom of a fratricidal war. Under yellow and blue, they became policemen and punishers in occupied Ukraine and Belarus, SS men in the Galicia division. Most recently, during the Nazi occupation, this legacy of the Habsburgs hung over the police department of the Ukrainian auxiliary police in Kiev.

But the rock of the flag is unforgiving. Bandera and SS men were expelled and scattered around the world, and Stepan Bandera fell in Munich at the hands of his own former accomplice.

No matter how much you wrap the flag, blood will remain on it ...

It would seem that history should teach the people who suffered so many fratricidal conflicts, betrayals and betrayals under this Habsburg gift. But this does not reach the intelligentsia of the people inhabiting the territory. ancient Russia... As soon as the generation of victors of landowners and fascists began to leave, their dim-witted grandchildren, with the obsession of drug addicts, again reached for the fatal gift of the Habsburgs infected with the death virus.

What was the blood of millions of workers and peasants was built, defended, fastened, erected, they decided to pilfer into their pockets, corners and closets. The world eaters, speculators and capitalists were again called the saviors of the nation. For this purpose, symbols of power from the past fit perfectly well: the dying gift of the Habsburgs a yellow-blue flag and Mazepa, anathema. The latter spreads the curse of the ancestors to everyone who has his image in their pocket.

A whole generation of Komsomol members and Communist Party workers betrayed the cause and ideals of the heroes of the Civil and Great Patriotic War, an oath to serve the working people and adopted the yellow color of profit and treason. They began to serve yesterday's thieves and swindlers, oath-renegades, renegades. The result was not slow to show itself. Industry was destroyed, followed by science and education. Go reverse process to the plow. The population of Ukraine has decreased by eight million and continues to decline. Many millions of residents are forced to leave for a foreign land. Fate punishes again, but already a whole generation for his choice ...

But this interpretation, in principle, does not raise objections ...

Today a new generation of capitalists has come to power. But above them the same symbol of the Habsburgs develops, a symbol of treason and profit, which brings misfortune to those on whom it casts its shadow. Therefore, one conclusion can be drawn from the lessons of history - until the Habsburg flag is replaced with the flag of the ancestors - red, misfortunes will haunt this population, which renounced the name of their ancestors, the name of their state and took into their own hands the banner alien to him was called Polish Ukrainians ...