V last years the black-yellow-white imperial flag, or white-yellow-black, becomes popular. What is the meaning of the imperial flag? What's its story? Why is it forgotten? For many decades, the debate about which flag is imperial has not subsided. And each side finds irrefutable evidence of its innocence. But after that, the next question arises: is it worth returning to the imperial flag?

Flag history

In 1453 Constantinople fell, holding back the siege of the Ottomans for two months. This was the last hope of the Byzantine Empire. During the siege XI Palaeologus was killed.

After a while, the Vatican began to look for allies, intending to organize a crusade against the Turks. The Moscow state, which was then ruled by Ivan III, could become a strong ally. Therefore, the Pope marries Ivan III Sophia Palaeologus, the niece of Emperor Constantine XI. The Pope hoped that this marriage would bear fruit: the conquest of the former possessions of Byzantium. In addition, the Vatican wanted Muscovy to accept the Florentine Union and submit to Rome. But Ivan III had other plans: to strengthen power in Moscow.

By marrying Sophia Palaeologus, Ivan III became the tsar and defender of Orthodoxy. And Moscow became the heir to Constantinople and Rome. Therefore, the coat of arms of the Moscow state has also changed. The Byzantine coat of arms merged with the Moscow one - a yellow field and a two-headed black eagle and a white rider on a horse, killing a snake.

Alexey Mikhailovich introduced this coat of arms into circulation. And other rulers followed this tradition of such an image of the coat of arms.

The Senate issued a decree in 1731, according to which each infantry and dragoon regiment were to have scarves and hats with the colors of the coat of arms. The Russian army had to use gold and black silk for sewing clothes. In addition, they now had white bows.

Peter I introduces new colors

Imperial flags as such did not exist at the time. The tricolor (white-blue-red) flag appeared in Russia, according to most historians, during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich. The soldier had a banner, for the manufacture of which wormy, white and azure fabrics were used, that is, red, white and blue. This detail, which is not noticed by everyone, destroys the main argument of the critics of the tricolor, since most believe that Peter I "brought" this flag to our country. Peter the Great, however, drew another flag: the white cloth was divided by a blue straight cross into four equal parts, called rats. The first and fourth are white, the second and third are red. Towards the end of the 17th century, the flag held firmly to the masts of Russian ships.

After a trip to Holland, the young king decided to build ships, so he immediately went to Arkhangelsk. On the way to the capital, he stopped in Vologda, where he presented Archbishop Athanasius with three flags from his ship. The largest was the "flag of the Tsar of Moscow". It consisted of three horizontal stripes: white, blue and red (from top to bottom). Also, a double-headed eagle was sewn onto the cloth, holding a scepter and orb. The eagle's chest was decorated with a red shield with St. George.

There is a version that he created the flags in Arkhangelsk. Some sources claim that Russian flag was conceived as the Dutch tricolor, but with a different color order. But the mistake lies in the fact that Peter I had already created this flag before his trip to Holland.

After the appearance of the flag of the Moscow Tsar, the white-blue-red imperial flag with the coat of arms sewn on remained the tsar's ship standard. In 1697, Peter introduced a new tricolor flag, this time without the sewn eagle.

Under Peter I, the tricolor was the battle banner of Russia, land and sea forces. But during the Northern War, the army and the navy began to use. In 1705, on January 20, Peter I ordered the use of the white-blue-red flag only in the merchant fleet.

In the post-Petrine period, the greatest influence was exerted by the German entourage of the reigning persons. Therefore, the national colors were practically lost.

Imperial standard

The imperial flags were also complemented by the imperial standard. It was approved by Peter I: a two-headed black eagle is depicted on a yellow panel, holding nautical charts with the White, Azov and Caspian Seas. A fourth nautical chart was quickly added. The Baltic Sea coast was partly annexed in 1703.

Prior to that, in 1696, the emperor created the coat of arms, which was based on the one used during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich. The banner was red with a white border, and in the center was a golden eagle hovering over the sea. The Savior was depicted in a circle on his chest, next to the Holy Spirit and the holy apostles Paul and Peter.

In 1742, the coronation of Elizabeth Petrovna took place. Before this event, a new State Banner of the Empire was created: on a yellow cloth - a black two-headed eagle, surrounded by 31 oval shield with coats of arms. At that time, territorial coats of arms were not depicted on the eagle's wings.

Baron Bergard Karl Köhne created the second state banner. He was prepared for the coronation of Alexander II (1856, August 26). In addition to the state banner, Bernhard Köhne also created large, medium and small.After he created the coat of arms of the House of Romanov and generally carried out the heraldic reform of the Russian territorial coats of arms. Köne's main idea was to establish colors that reflect the colors of the coat of arms on flags and banners. Festive draperies and military uniform also had these shades. This was the practice in the Kingdom of Prussia and Austrian Empire... But the colors of the coat of arms were approved under Anna Ioanovna (1731, August 17).

Since the state emblem had a golden shield, a two-headed black eagle, silver crowns, a scepter and orb, Bergard Karl Köhne judged that according to the rules of heraldry, the coat of arms was black, gold and silver.

In 1883, the third state banner was created for the coronation. It was painted by the artist Belashev. But instead of a golden brocade, they used silk fabric, which has the color of old gold.

For the coronation of Nicholas II, which took place in 1896, the fourth state banner was completed. It was made of gold fabric with sewing, not painting.

Strengthening the unity of the nation

Ended Patriotic War with Napoleon, and the white-yellow-black flag began to be flown only on holidays. The existence of the flag in this form continued only until the moment of its official adoption. Nicholas I ordered the use of the colors of the future imperial flag on the cockades of civil servants.

Nicholas I generally tried to accept State symbols and attributes. He was convinced that in this way the unity of the nation could be strengthened. That is why the emperor approved the patriotic hymn "God Save the Tsar" as a state anthem.

Inverted flag

Alexander II wanted to put things in order in the state symbols, since it should have been brought to the common European heraldic standards. Therefore, in 1857 the emperor appointed Baron Bergard-Karl Köhne as head of the department of arms.

The year 1858 serves as the starting point for the history of the imperial flag as a state flag. In 1858, on June 11, Alexander II signed a decree approving the new sovereign flag. Only now it was upside down: black-yellow-white. He had to hang on everyone government agencies, government buildings. At the same time, private individuals had the right to use only the flag of the merchant fleet with the old tricolor: white, blue, red.

The author of the project of the imperial flag was made by Bernhard-Karl Köhne. It was he who came up with the idea to make a black-yellow-white imperial flag. What do the colors on the banner mean? Why did the baron flip the flag? In general, in heraldry, an inverted banner denotes mourning. At sea it is a distress signal. The wonderful heraldist Köhne could not have been unaware of this. Symbolically or not, after that, the fate of the country began to change dramatically, not for the better.

Paintings of artists "fixed" the arrangement of colors in the following order: white, yellow and black.

The meaning of colors

The colors of the imperial flag of Russia have a deep meaning that makes you think about the past, present and future of the country. We will consider the first version of the imperial flag.

The bottom layer - black - is the personification of the sovereign emblem of the empire. The stability and prosperity of the entire country is concentrated here, with inviolable and strong borders and the unity of the nation.

The middle layer is yellow - moral development, high spirituality of the Russian people. Also, this color is interpreted as a reference to the times of the Byzantine Empire - as the progenitor of Russia in the Orthodox world.

The upper layer is white - a prayer and an appeal to George the Victorious, who has been the patron saint of the Russian lands for many centuries. In addition, this color is a symbol of the sacrifice of the people of Russia. He is ready to shake the world in an impulse to give everything for his country, if only to preserve its greatness and his own honor.

There is another version as to what the color of the imperial flag means. The white stripe is Orthodoxy, which is the foundation and basis of life. The yellow stripe is autocracy, which is affirmed in Orthodoxy, since this is the only form of power given by God. - a people based on Orthodoxy and autocracy. Black - because it is the color of the earth, Russia should live by noble labor on earth.

Controversy

The white-yellow-black flag as a state banner in the next 15-20 years was perceived unambiguously and was not disputed. But closer to the 70s of the XIX century, opposition from liberal circles, opposing the monarchical system, strengthened in the empire. Its representatives wanted the country to start following the Western model of development. As a result, they had a craving for European symbols. The flag approved by Peter I is to some extent related to European symbols.

The monarchists advocated the preservation of the imperial flag. Their motives are quite understandable: one people is a single Empire, and therefore one imperial flag. Which means all together - the country is invincible and strong.

Imperial flags: are there two?

1881 is the year of the death of Alexander II. His death came at a very difficult and important moment for the state. Alexander III pretty soon (in 1883, April 28) endowed the white-blue-red flag with the status of a sovereign, although he was offered to make it only a trade flag. The situation was complicated by the fact that the imperial flag was not canceled.

In 1887, an Order for the War Department was issued, which approved the black-yellow-white imperial flags as national ones.

The situation was very ambiguous, something had to be addressed immediately. In April 1896, representatives of the Academy of Sciences and Ministries decided that the new sovereign banner could be national. And the imperial flag does not have any heraldic traditions.

Nicholas II ordered to prepare a new coronation banner for his coronation, the prototype of which was the similar banners of his predecessors.

In March 1896, before his coronation, Nicholas II gathered representatives from the Academy of Sciences and foreign and various ministries. At the meeting it was decided that the tricolor should be called national, Russian. Its colors are called state (red, blue and white).

Interpretation of the new tricolor

The new colors of the flag - white, blue and red - became national and received an official interpretation. So, the new imperial flag. What does each of its stripes mean?

The most popular decryption is as follows:

• white - a symbol of nobility and frankness;
• blue - a symbol of honesty, chastity, loyalty and impeccability;
• red is a symbol of courage, love, courage and generosity.

Red - statehood. Blue is the Mother of God covering Russia. White - freedom and independence. Also, these colors spoke of the commonwealth of White, Minor and Great Russia. Despite the complicated history of this flag, in fact there is no historical or heraldic meaning behind its colors.

Interestingly, the Provisional Government continued to use the new tricolor as a state one. Soviet Union did not immediately abandon the tricolor. Only in 1918 did Ya. M. Sverdlov put forward the battle red flag for approval, which became the state flag for 70 years.

Before the revolution

But the controversy continued. In 1910, on May 10, a special meeting was established, chaired by the Minister of Justice A. N. Verevkin. The purpose of this meeting was to clarify the question of what colors are state, national. The largest heraldic scientists worked on this problem. Despite their long work, they could not find a clear heraldic rationale for any of the flags. But most of the scientists believed that the state colors are black, yellow and white. The Russian imperial flag must wear these colors. Another flag could only be used by merchant ships in inland waters.

In addition, the monarchists wanted to return the "correct" flag on the occasion of the approaching 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov.

On July 27, 1912, a meeting was held, during which it was decided to get another opinion in terms of expediency and practical acceptability. This was to be done by a special commission under the Ministry of the Navy.

The commission held two meetings. The majority of the votes as a result decided that an inconvenient reform had been proposed by the Special Meeting at the Ministry of Justice.

On September 10, 1914, the Council of Ministers decided to transfer the decision on flags to the Naval Ministry. But since 1914, the government and society could no longer deal with heraldic disputes. We managed to create a "symbiosis" of both flags. The white-blue-red cloth in the "canopy" now had a yellow square with a two-headed black eagle. In World War I, this demonstrated the unity of the nation and monarchical power.

70 years later

The government of the RSFSR on November 5, 1990 decided to create projects of the State Emblem and the flag of the country. For this purpose, a Government Commission was established. In the course of the work, the idea arose to revive the white-blue-red flag. Everyone supported her unanimously. And on November 1, 1991, at the Congress of People's Deputies of Russia, an amendment to the Constitution was adopted. In addition, the article that described the State Flag was changed.

Imperial flag today

Recently, the question of returning to the imperial flag has been raised more than once. But there are many inaccuracies in this matter. Starting from the fact that the exact and correct arrangement of flowers is unknown. It is also the flag of the imperial family. In a sense, it is now inappropriate to return the flag of Russia - the imperial flag.

Unfortunately, many people do not understand what the imperial flag means. It is often mistaken for the flag of the Nazis, confusing them with nationalists.

There is an interesting modern version of the banner - "Kolovrat". The imperial flag bears symbols that are understandable to people dedicated and native believers. The center of the cloth is occupied by the ancient symbol of the Slavic peoples - the Kolovrat, or thunderbolt. When our ancestors drew this solar symbol, they called on the gods for help. They counted on their help in military affairs. They asked for a rich harvest, they wanted to receive sacred knowledge, which practically did not reach our time. Nowadays, few understand what the imperial flag of Russia means. But for some people, he still personifies the greatness and victories of the Russian Empire.

Recently, in patriotic circles in Russia, the black-yellow-white imperial flag has become a very popular symbol. However, the history of this heraldic image is rather little known and poorly understood; there is very little scientific research on it, and in popular patriotic publications there are many inaccuracies (only one small, more or less literate note in Ultras News comes to mind). So, I will try to give my own, undoubtedly, subjective, but still based on the found scientific literature, interpretation of the history of this symbol.

In the middle of the XIX century. a stamp reform was carried out, which included the creation of a state banner. The ordering of imperial heraldic attributes was largely caused by the desire to consolidate the foundations of monarchical power in Russia. No matter how liberal and humanist Emperor Alexander II was, he was a monarch, the son of his father, Nicholas I. The latter repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with the insufficient prevalence of imperial symbols; it was under him that the Russian patriotic anthem "God Save the Tsar" appeared.

On June 11, 1858, Alexander II approved the imperial state flag in black-yellow-white colors. This happened during the years of the bright revival of Russia after a difficult Crimean War, during the years of the high rise of the Russian folk spirit. The decree commanded that all "banners, flags ... used for decoration on solemn occasions, were from the Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire."

The following was a description of the state flag: “… The arrangement of these colors is horizontal, the upper stripe is black, the middle one is yellow (gold), and the lower one is white (silver). The first two stripes correspond to the black State eagle on the golden field ... The lower stripe corresponds ... to the white (silver) horseman - St. George in the Moscow coat of arms. ” Black is the color of the Russian two-headed eagle - a symbol of sovereignty, state stability and fortress, the inviolability of historical borders, the meaning of the very existence of the Russian nation. Gold (yellow) color - once the color of the banner of Byzantium, perceived as the state banner of Russia by Ivan III, is a symbol of spirituality, striving for moral perfection and firmness of spirit. White color- the color of eternity and purity, which has no differences among all peoples. For Russians, this is the color of St. George the Victorious - a symbol of selfless sacrifice for the Fatherland, for the Russian land, which has always puzzled, delighted and frightened foreigners.

After the tsar's decree, the black-yellow-white flag was called the “Emblem of the National Flag”, just as not long before that the hymn “God Save the Tsar” had received the status of a Russian Folk Song. The patriotic press reported that “The flag was built according to the state emblem”, that the People, through constant contemplation of this flag, were attached to the “Emblem symbolic colors of the Russian Empire”.

The black-yellow-white flag was perceived by society as imperial, government, in contrast to the white-blue-red flag of the Russian merchant fleet. WITH imperial flag in the minds of the people, ideas about the greatness and power of the state were linked. This is understandable, what could be majestic in a trade flag, in its very colors, which were artificially tied to Russian culture by Peter I? Of course, all the merits of the Great Emperor cannot be denied, but here he clearly went too far (he simply copied the colors of the flag of Holland, before which he admired).

Coexistence of two flags until the 70s. XIX century. was not so noticeable, but gradually the question of the "duality" of the most important state Russian symbol... This duality is perceived in different ways by the Russian public as well. Ardent defenders of the Russian autocracy believed that there could be no talk of any flag other than the imperial one, legalized by the emperor: the people and the government should be united. The opposition to the tsarist regime stood under the trade white-blue-red flags, which became a symbol of the anti-government political movements of those years. It was these colors that defended the so-called. “Liberal” circles who shouted to the whole world that they were fighting the despotism and reactionary nature of the tsarist government, but, in fact, were fighting against the greatness and prosperity of their own country (by the way, the same “liberals” a century later destroyed another empire - the Soviet Union) ...

During this stormy controversy, Alexander II died at the hands of the revolutionaries. His son and successor, Alexander III, did not fully understand the situation, made a harsh and rash act - on April 28, 1883, he gave the white-blue-red flag the status of a state one, but at the same time NOT CANCELING the imperial one. In Russia, there were two official state flags, which further complicated the situation.

On April 29, 1896, Emperor Nicholas II ordered to consider ONLY white-blue-red as the National and State flags. Most likely, the tsar was influenced by convincing him that the black-yellow-white flag “does not have a heraldic historical basis in Russia” in order to be considered a cloth bearing Russian national colors. This begs the question, what are the historical foundations of the trade flag? In any case, they are no closer to the Russian spirit than the colors of the Great Empire. It was from this moment that the country began to decline, a chain of tragic events: Khodynka, defeat in the ridiculous war with Japan, the Revolution of 1905 and 1917, ... should we continue?

In the early 1910s. a significant event was approaching - the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov, and a new turn in relation to the State Flowers was outlined in government circles. Supporters of monarchical foundations strongly advocated the return of the historical black-yellow-white colors. In the imperial flag, they again saw the protection of the foundations of Russian life from impending changes. As a result, in May 1910, a special meeting was formed to clarify the issue of "state Russian national colors." It worked for almost 5 years, and most of the participants voted for the return of the imperial flag, but "upside down", ie. white-yellow-black. The minority insisted on a white-blue-red flag. The result was a "symbiosis" of two competing flags: the white-blue-red flag had a yellow square in the upper corner with a black two-headed eagle. This, in the conditions of the First World War, was supposed to demonstrate the unity of Russian society and monarchical power. However, the revolution of 1917 and the establishment of Soviet power did not allow this flag to officially become the state flag.

It remains to be believed that the old Imperial flag will rally and strengthen the further unification of the Russian National Patriotic Movements. If you think about it, this is our only state banner, under which Russia has not suffered ANY defeat, a banner that has not stained itself with anything and has passed with honor through the centuries.

Russia before Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich did not have a single state banner. Russian people in different circumstances used different symbols to express your folk, Russian essence - banners, icons, Cossack bunchuk, banners of rifle regiments, etc. Apparently, there was no urgent need for such a symbol; its functions were performed by the coat of arms of the Russian state - a two-headed eagle. The Russian state flag grew out of such symbols, and it took shape under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (father of Peter the Great).

In 1668, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich ordered to write the coat of arms ("coat of arms") banner, which contained almost all the official and unofficial symbols of the Orthodox Russian kingdom.

It was trapezoidal, with a wide crimson border with the image of Christ in the upper part among two eight-pointed Russian crosses with a foot. A golden double-headed eagle with two crowns, a scepter and an orb was placed on a large white "scarf" (1.69 m wide, 4.36 m long on top), on the eagle's chest plate - "a king thrusting a serpent with a spear". Under the eagle there was a view of the Kremlin with the inscription "Moscow", and around - the regional coats of arms of the kingdom. All this, as well as the full title of the king by the border, revealed the political program of the government - the unification of all lands Ancient Rus under the rule of Orthodox Moscow.

The banner took part during state and church ceremonies and served as the tsar's standard - it was worn before the tsar on campaigns.

In 1667-1669, in the village of Dedinovo near Moscow, on the Oka River, by order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, a small military flotilla was being built to protect merchant ships on the Volga and the Caspian Sea. Chief among the ships under construction was the three-masted ship "Eagle". The warship needed identification mark- flag. Captain of the "Eagle" D. Butler asked the government what flag to raise on the ship. The question turned out to be very topical, and Alexei Mikhailovich had to decide what the state colors of Russia would be. White, red and blue colors were presented to him for approval. The developers proceeded from the fact that, according to everyday Russian concepts, red meant courage, heroism, fire; blue - sky, spirituality, faith; white - peace, purity, truth, nobility.

A document of 1668 has survived, which says that silk fabric of white, blue and red color was released for a large banner "that lives in the stern."

In the book " Ship flags"Karla Alyard, published in Amsterdam back in 1695, this flag is described as follows:" the Moscow flag is defined by a blue cross, the first and fourth quarters are white, the second and third are red. " naval flag was originally striped (it was also called belt), similar to the modern state flag of Russia.

Between 1696 and 1701, Peter the Great created many sketches and designs for flags and pennants. He did not change the state colors, but determined the exact location of the horizontal stripes, which coincides with the ancient understanding of the structure of the world: from below - physical, carnal (red); above - heavenly (blue); even higher - divine (white). January 20, 1705 can be considered the birthday of the future state flag: a decree was issued on behalf of the tsar, according to which the white-blue-red flag ("besik" or "besikr") became the flag of merchant ships. It will be called food, trade, merchant, commercial, "philistine", civil and, finally, Russian national. The white-blue-red Russian national flag was also a symbol of Slavic solidarity, the struggle of the Slavs against the enslavement of Austria-Hungary and Turkey in the 19th century. The state flags of Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia originate from the Russian white-blue-red banner.

Demonstration of the white-blue-red flag in international waters 1696 - 1700 suggests that it was considered state-owned.

At almost the same time, at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, Peter I gave the Russian navy a new flag - "Andreevsky". White field and blue cross The St. Andrew's flag was not chosen by Peter I by chance. For the military flag of the fleet, the tsar took the colors of the top two, the most honorable stripes of the white-blue-red flag.

After the death of Peter the Great, the question of the state banner was not raised, although in one of Anna Ioannovna's decrees, black and gold (yellow) colors are called state colors. The coronation banner of Elizaveta Petrovna was "built" in the same colors.

Each of the Russian monarchs made their own amendments to the state symbols. During the reign of each of them, noticeable changes took place in Russian society, the borders of the country were expanded, social transformations were carried out, the status of the Russian state changed.

Since the beginning of the 19th century, flags have become one of the most expressive symbols of all leading states. A tradition has emerged to decorate streets and buildings during major celebrations with flags of states. Obviously, thanks to the merchant fleet, the Russian white-blue-red flag was well known abroad. When the Russian army entered Paris in March 1814, Parisians hung out white-blue-red banners, considering them Russians. In 1856, when celebrating the conclusion of the Paris Peace Treaty after the end of the Crimean War, houses were decorated with the flags of the warring powers. Russian white-blue-red flags were called flags of "Russian national colors". For the first time, the Russian "national" flag was officially approved in 1858. By this time, the musical symbol of the Russian Empire had already been created - the hymn "God Save the Tsar!" (1833). In 1857, the drawings of the state emblem were also officially approved. On June 11, 1858, Emperor Alexander II approved the drawing of "coat of arms on banners, flags and other items used for decoration on solemn occasions." The law established that "the arrangement of these colors is horizontal, the upper stripe is black, the middle one is yellow (or gold), and the lower one is silver (or white)." To substantiate the colors of the flag, they were associated with the historical colors of the state emblem: a black eagle in a yellow (gold) field and a white horseman in the Moscow emblem. In the text of the law, this explanation sounded as follows: “The first stripes correspond to the black state eagle in a yellow or gold 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. "

Despite the complexity and ambiguity of such an explanation, the description of the coat of arms asserted the Russian - "national" - three-color black-yellow-white flag. This flag entered the system of European flags of the 19th century. Gold, black and white colors were used in the design of banners and uniforms Russian army... And yet, both in Russia and beyond its borders, two samples were hung as the state flag: white-blue-red and black-yellow-white.

Coexistence of two flags until the 70s. XIX century was not so noticeable, but the question of the "duality" of the most important Russian state symbol is gradually beginning to arise. This duality is perceived in different ways by the Russian public as well.

Vladimir Ivanovich Dal, Honorary Academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, author of the famous "Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language", for example, asked: "All the peoples of Europe know their colors, colors, colors - we do not know them and confuse them, raising multicolored flags out of place. We have no folk color. What colors should you raise and wear on yourself, what colors to decorate buildings, etc. during peaceful national celebrations? "

Ardent defenders of the "Russian autocracy" believed that there could be no talk in the state about any flag other than the one legalized by the emperor: the people and the government should be united. They were also frightened by the red banners, which at that time began to appear on the streets of the capital as a symbol of anti-government political movements.

"Samostiyno" white-blue-red banners went out to the city streets: they surrounded the monument to Pushkin in Moscow on June 6, 1889, the monument to the grenadiers who fell near Plevna. Drafts of the national flag appeared on the pages of the press.

Under these conditions, Emperor Alexander III hastened to declare his desire "in the Russian capital ... to see national flags." And on April 28, 1883, the legislative order of Alexander III "On flags for decorating buildings in solemn occasions" appeared. It was said that "in those solemn occasions when it is considered possible to decorate buildings with flags, we used exclusively the Russian flag, consisting of three stripes: the upper one is white, the middle one is blue and the lower one is red." However, the imperial colors were not finally abandoned, for there was no Supreme command to abolish the black-yellow-white flag. Flags black-yellow-white and white-blue-red were hung on the streets as symbols of the Russian state.

The current situation marked the beginning of a discussion about Russian state national colors. This discussion was associated not only with an increased interest in history, but primarily with the need to understand modern processes and the future of Russia.

Before the coronation of Nicholas II in March 1896, on his instructions “to consider the question of the Russian national flag a special meeting was convened, which came to the unanimous opinion that it is the white-blue-red flag that has every right to be called Russian, or national, and its colors: white, blue and red - are called state ones. The white-blue-red flag was established uniformly for the entire Russian Empire.

What prompted the tsar on the eve of the coronation to quickly resolve a difficult issue for Russia?

First of all, Nicholas II was, of course, an educated person, versed in many issues, including the history of the state. And in a situation late XIX v. to unite all categories of the population, a truly Russian symbol was required. This was the white-blue-red flag introduced by the great sovereign who glorified Russia. The symbol uniting the people and the tsar - the white-blue-red Peter's flag, according to the government's plan was to be an alternative to the ever-increasing use of the red flag.

Sources of: State flag Russian Federation// Coat of arms, flag and anthem of Russia. Study of the state symbols of the Russian Federation at school / comp. M.K. Antoshin. - M., 2003 .-- S. 39-44.
From the genealogy of state symbols. Coat of arms. Flag // Home Lyceum. - 2001. - No. 1. - S. 39-44.
Imperial and "philistine" // Coat of arms and flag of Russia. X - XX centuries / ed. G.V. Wilinbach. - M., 1997 .-- S. 435-451.
Pchelov, E.V. Banners pre-Petrine Rus/ E.V. Pchelov // State symbols of Russia - coat of arms, flag, anthem. - M., 2002 .-- S. 89-93.
Sobolev, N.A. Banners of the 18th century / N.A. Sobolev // Russian state symbols: history and modernity. - M., 2002 .-- S. 153-156.
Flags of Peter the Great // Coat of arms and flag of Russia. X - XX centuries / ed. G.V. Wilinbach. - M., 1997 .-- S. 419-434.

Literature: Golovanova, M.P. Flags of Russia are flying / M.P. Golovanov // Coat of arms, flag, anthem of Russia. - M., 2004 .-- S. 32 - 33.
Golovanova, M.P., Shergin, V.S. State flag of Russia / M.P. Golovanov, V.S. Shergin // State symbols of Russia. - M., 2005 .-- S. 98 - 126.
Degtyarev, A. Ya. History of the Russian flag. Legends, facts, disputes / A.Ya. Degtyarev. - M .: Military parade, 2000 .-- 136 p.
Silaev, A.G. The origins of Russian heraldry / A.G. Silaev, Moscow: Fair-Press, 2002, 240 p.

2 57664

There is a lot of controversy about the correct arrangement of colors on the flag of the Russian Empire. The imperial flag, as we are used to seeing today, consists of an upper black stripe, a middle yellow and a lower white one. In this form, it was adopted in 1858. How is it correct: black-yellow-white or white-yellow-black?

But back to the white-yellow-black banner. That is, then, before adoption, the white-yellow-black flag was simply turned over.

Traced in the "coup" and the author - Bernhard Karl Köhne(it will be discussed at the end of the article in order to fully imagine what kind of person got in to "correct" Russian heraldry). Alexander II, upon accession to the throne, decided, among other things, to put in order the state symbols - and bring it to the general European heraldic standards.
This was supposed to be done by Baron Bernhard-Karl Köhne, who was appointed head of the department of arms in 1857. Köhne was born into the family of a secret state archivist, a Berlin Jew, a heretic who adopted the Reformed faith. He came to Russia under patronage. In heraldic historiography, he earned a sharp negative assessment, despite the stormy activity.
But be that as it may - the flag was adopted and in such a form it existed until 1910, when the monarchists raised the question of the "correctness" of the flag, since the 300th anniversary of the House was approaching Romanov.
A special meeting was formed to clarify the question of "state Russian national colors." It worked for 5 years, and most of the participants voted for the return of the imperial white-yellow-black flag with the "correct" arrangement of colors as the main, state one.


For some reason and why - it is not clear, but a compromise was made - as a result, a symbiosis of two competing flags appeared: the eclectic white-blue-red flag had a yellow square with a black two-headed eagle in the upper corner. They fought a little with this in the First World War. Further, the history of the imperial flag ends for a well-known reason.
V heraldry inverted flag means mourning , Köne knew this perfectly well, heading the heraldic department of the Empire. The death of the Russian emperors confirmed this. In maritime practice, an inverted flag means that a ship is in distress. It is clear that the colors are still confused and the flags are being hung upside down, consciously and unconsciously, but for this to happen at the state level and with many years of struggle, special efforts of special people are needed.
The existence of the white-yellow-black flag is confirmed by newsreels, but they are treated differently, due to the black and white film. Adherents of the black-yellow-white flag explain that on the set, the white-blue-red flag, without being embarrassed by the simple experience of comparing colors, when converting colored flags to black and white using any well-known graphic editor.
Also, the tricolor in the white-yellow-black arrangement can be seen in the paintings of the artists.
(Vasnetsov V.M. "News of the capture of Kars" 1878)

On the painting Vasnetsovadedicated to the Russian-Turkish war, a white-yellow-black flag is being erected. Interesting fact: the painting dates back to 1878, that is, it was painted 20 years after the release of the statement №33289 “on the location of the coat of arms»In which they were changed the other way around. It turns out that the people were still in use not inverted white-yellow-black flags.

(In the center, either the (blue-yellow-red) flag of the United Principality of Wallachia and Moldavia, an ally of the Russian Empire in the Russian-Turkish War (1877-1878), or the Pan-Slavic (blue-white-red) flag - difficulties in determining color by reproduction The Slavic peoples in 1848 at the Pan-Slavic Congress in Prague adopted a common Pan-Slavic flag, which repeated the colors of the Russian (white-blue-red) flag).

And here is the picture Rozanova"Fair on Arbat Square". White-yellow-black flags are waving on the rooftops of buildings. And along with them are white-blue-red. The picture was painted just at the time of the coexistence of the two flags.

(Rozanov , "Fair on Arbat Square")

As soon as they do not explain the location of the black stripe at the top: this is the incomprehensibility of God (and how is God a light?), And the greatness of the Empire, and the color of Spirituality (referring to the monastic attire). Also interpreted as: black - monasticism, yellow - gold icons, white - purity of the soul. But all this is from the category of popular interpretations "who will think up how."
At the same time, the most important point is missed, that the colors of the imperial flag should be identical to the words that express our entire Slavic essence: Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality... Or, to put it another way: Church, King, Kingdom... What color matches each of these words? The answer is obvious.
In 1858, along with the flag, changes were made to National emblem... Köhne created it the way we are used to seeing it. Although under Nicholas I, he was different.


Köhne coat of arms, 1858

For example, the coat of arms depicted on the coins.
Here are the Nikolayev coins, 1858

And here is the coin of 1859 Alexander II ( The reign of Alexander II, whose years were nicknamed "the era of great reforms", for Russian Jews, as well as for the country as a whole, was a sharp contrast to the previous period: reforms in the economy, relative political freedoms, rapid development of industry - all this, like a century earlier in Prussia, created conditions for Jewish assimilation, which never happened). Here you can clearly see how accurately the eagle is "licked" from the coat of arms of the Habsburgs. A particularly striking detail is the eagle's tail. And all this in one year with the change of the flag. Magendovids (six-pointed stars) also appeared on the coins. Since the Masons are great symbolists, they just wanted to add a drop of tar to our heraldry.

A few more coins for comparison:

Back in the 59th they issued a commemorative coin and medal “ Monument to Emperor Nicholas I on horseback».

Magendavids are now so small that they can only be seen under a magnifying glass

The copper coins have been updated, the design has changed dramatically, the stars there are "Soviet" - pentacles.

The image below shows the similarity of the coat of arms that Köhne "invented" with the coat of arms of the Habsburgs.


Coat of arms of the Habsburgs

For comparison:

1) The crown acquired a ribbon (more like a snake), before this ribbon had never been used in Russian heraldry;
2) Previously, all eagles had many feathers on their wings, but now they began to absolutely copy the Habsburgs, even in design, between the large feathers, both here and there, there are small feathers. At the same time, our eagle turned out to have 6 feathers, against 7;
3) The combination of the coat of arms and chain, although this arrangement was used earlier, but on all previous coins, the order was clearly visible Holy apostle Andrew the First-Called, now it's just a chain, like the Habsburgs themselves;
4) Tail. Everything is clear without comment.

FOR REFERENCE: AUTHOR OF THE FLAG ROLLING OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE

Bernhard Karl(in Russia "Boris Vasilievich") Köhne (4 / 16.7.1817, Berlin - 5.2.1886, Würzburg, Bavaria) was born into the family of a secret state archivist, a Berlin Jew who adopted the Reformed religion (Köhne himself and his son remained Protestants, despite the fact that they linked their lives with Russia, only his grandson became Orthodox).

He became interested in numismatics early and published his first work in this area ("The Mining of the City of Berlin") at the age of 20, when he was still a student at a Berlin gymnasium. He was one of the active leaders, and then the secretary of the Berlin Numismatic Society. In 1841-1846. supervised the publication of a magazine on numismatics, sphragistics and heraldry.

Köne met Russia in absentia in the early 1840s. Famous numismatist Yakov Yakovlevich Reichel, who served in the Expedition of Procurement of State Papers, the owner of one of the largest numismatic collections, drew attention to the young man, who soon became his assistant in collecting and "representative" in German numismatic circles. After graduating from the university course, Köhne came to St. Petersburg for the first time.

He returned to Berlin with a firm desire to enter the Russian service and made a candidate for the then vacant department of archeology at the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (which never happened). As a result of Reichel's patronage, on March 27, 1845, Köhne was appointed assistant to the head of the First Section of the Imperial Hermitage (the First Section included collections of antiques and coins, it was led by a major numismatist Florian Antonovich Gilles) with the rank of collegiate assessor. Towards the end of his life, Köhne rose to the rank of Privy Councilor (1876).
In St. Petersburg, Köne developed a vigorous activity. A persistent desire to get into the Academy of Sciences, moreover in the archaeological "direction", stimulated not only his active study of archeology, but also his no less active organizational work. In an effort to gain the necessary weight in scientific circles, Köhne initiated the creation in Russia of a special numismatic society, but since archeology inevitably attracted him, he combined these two sciences under one "administrative" name - this is how the Archaeological-Numismatic Society appeared in St. Petersburg (later the Russian Archaeological Society ).
Köhne sought to promote himself and society on a European scale. All correspondence with foreign scientists lay on it. And foreign scientific societies invariably accepted him as a member, so by the end of his life he was a member of 30 foreign societies and academies (he never got to St. Petersburg). By the way, his focus on the West led to the fact that Köhne tried not to allow presentations in Russian (only in French and German) at meetings, and only after the ethnographer and archaeologist joined the society. Ivan Petrovich Sakharov(1807-1863), the Russian language was restored to its rights.
The second half of the 1850s was Köhne's "triumph" in the Heraldry, when in 1856 he created the Great State Emblem of the Empire, and in June 1857 he became the manager of the Department of Arms of the Department (with the retirement of the Hermitage). Leading the entire practical work in the field of Russian heraldry, Köhne over the following years began a large-scale heraldic reform, striving to unify and make the corpus of Russian clan and territorial coats of arms by bringing them into line with the rules of European heraldry (for example, turning the figures to the right heraldic side; replacing some that seemed to Köhne not suitable for heraldry, figures for others, etc.) and the introduction of new principles and elements (the placement of the provincial emblem in the free part of the city, the system of emblems of the outer part of the territorial and city coats of arms, reflecting their status, etc.).
Köhne also owns the authorship of the black-yellow (gold) -white Russian state flag, designed in the colors of the main figure and the field of the shield of the Russian state emblem (black eagle in a gold field).
Köhne's career in the Russian Archaeological Society was cut short by the arrival of the new august leader of the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich... He did not approve the election of Köhne as secretary of the third department of the society (the only case in the history of the society), as a result of which in early 1853 Köhne left its ranks. Konstantin Nikolaevich had a steady dislike for Köhne. In particular, he disapproved of the draft of the state emblem of 1856-1857.
On October 15, 1862, Köhne was allowed to take the baronial title, granted on May 12/24 of the same year by the ruler (for the early childhood of the prince Henry XXII) of the Principality of Reuss-Greutz Carolina Amalia... In the literature, you can find the assertion that Köhne owes this title to the state emblem of the Russian Empire created by him, but these data need confirmation. Most likely, an enterprising numismatist simply bought the rights to this title and thus became, probably, the only baron "Reuss-Greitz" in Russia.
Moreover, it can be firmly stated that Nicholas II and the Tsarevich Alexey understood the problem of the state flag of the Russian Empire and intended to bring its colors back to their original form, i.e. white-yellow-black. This is confirmed by the fact that the banner of the Livadia-Yalta amusing company named after Tsarevich Alexei consisted of white, yellow and black stripes.


In addition, for the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov, Tsar Nicholas II approved a jubilee medal using colors: White-Yellow-Black.

Well, this is another indicative lesson - already on the state symbols - do not let the goats in the garden. But we already know how to turn this weapon against themselves..

We will not touch upon the ethical aspects of the culture of a modern consumer society, but let's get down to business right away. So, what is this unknown imperial flag?

To begin with, you can go to the Internet portal, this is an official government resource that tells Russians (there is such a nation) about the state symbols of the Russian Federation. So, it is written here about the imperial flag with some kind of malice, even hatred. That, they say, there was such Akaki Akakievich (Baron B. Köhne) who, due to the closeness and formalism of his soul, conceived to change the state symbols, and from his dusty clerical brains erupted a new flag for the Russian Empire: Black-yellow-white. Emperor Alexander II was simply “worn out” by some kind of business and, without looking, signed a decree giving the black-yellow-white flag the status of a state one, but the flag never caught on. And soon after an unfortunate misunderstanding, already Alexander III, a wise and enlightened ruler, made the trade tricolor, "truly beloved by the people" as a state symbol.

That, in general, is the whole official "history" of the imperial flag in Russia. Such a yellow story, in the style of Aslambek Dudayev.

And now a little history:

Trade Flag

There was no official state flag in Russia for a very long time, although sometimes the white-blue-red tricolor was perceived precisely as the state one - after all, it was hoisted on merchant ships and was most often seen abroad.

Construction of the first sea ​​ships in Russia began by decree of Alexei Mikhailovich five years before the birth of Peter the Great - in 1667. Ships were built in the village of Dedinovo on the Oka River, in order to subsequently take them along the Oka and Volga to Astrakhan, where the ships were to begin service to protect merchant caravans on the Caspian Sea and the Lower Volga from pirate attacks. Craftsmen, carpenters and sailors were summoned from Holland for the construction. By 1669 the three-masted 22-gun ship "Eagle", a yacht, two sloops and a boat were built.

On April 9, 1668, a decree was issued on the release of a large number of materials of white, blue and red colors for ships under construction. We do not know exactly what the flags, constructed from the resulting fabrics, looked like. The researchers put forward two theories. Some believe that, by analogy with the streltsy banners widespread at that time, the first Russian flag was a cloth with a straight blue cross and corners of white and red. Others believe that the first national flag of Russia had the same composition that exists to this day: of three horizontal stripes of white, blue and red. The second assumption seems to be more reasonable. The main proof here is the fact that it was the striped white-blue-red flag that was used by Peter I during his first shipbuilding experiments and the first sea voyage in 1693. The ships for this voyage were prepared by one of the participants in the construction of the "Eagle" - Constapel Carsten Brant, and Peter himself always diligently emphasized the continuity of his undertakings with the affairs of his father - Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich - and in this regard, it is likely that the striped flag was used on the first Russian ships and was taken from them by Peter I in 1693.

We must not forget that the Dutch were the builders of the first Russian ships, they also made up their teams. The Russians did not know the art of shipbuilding and completely trusted the Dutch craftsmen in all matters of creating ships. It is likely that when the time came for the creation of the flag and the colors to be used in it were determined - white, blue and red - the Dutch masters created the flag according to the tradition adopted in their homeland, which was at that time a great maritime power. The flag of the Netherlands at that time was striped, red, white and blue.

But the white-blue-red was precisely the flag of the merchant fleet, one might say specially created in the European manner, for trade with the same Europeans. Therefore, the assessment of the white-blue-red flag as a state flag is erroneous. We do not consider the St. Andrew's flag a symbol of Russian statehood, this is the flag of the Russian Navy, and the white-blue-red tricolor is only the trade flag of the Russian Empire, copied from the Dutch flag. With the oath to the Tsar and the Fatherland, the regimental banner was brought out, and not the missing national flag. The Nizhny Novgorod militia, setting off to fight in the Crimea in 1854, asked to be given not the tricolor, but the banner of Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. The white-blue-red tricolor was not seen at state ceremonies and public events, and there is no mention of it in the literature. There were no even timid attempts to approve the commercial flag as the state flag, for in this case it would have entered into obvious conflict with the colors of the imperial standard.

State flag

Actually, the first State Banner of Russia was in black-yellow-white colors and was created in 1742 under the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. On it, in a yellow field, was depicted a black two-headed eagle with a white shield on its chest, on which was placed St. George the Victorious. After the capture of Paris in 1814, Nicholas I 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. " This flag was first displayed publicly on public buildings only in 1815 to commemorate the victory over Napoleon. Subsequently, they were hung out on the days of national celebrations. The colors of the State Banner are also reflected in the army symbols: the color of cockades, banners, scarves, order ribbons.

In 1819, our Army first adopted a battalion line badge, consisting of three horizontal stripes: white (top), yellow-orange and black (Zholnersky badge).

But almost until the middle of the XIX century. in Russia, the imperial tricolor was not officially approved as the state banner. Only on June 11, 1858, the national state colors - black, yellow and white - were legalized by Alexander II. In his personal decree of 1865, the reformer tsar confirmed them as "the state colors of Russia" by signing a law entered into the Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire under N 33289:

The arrangement of these colors is horizontal, the upper stripe is black, the middle one is yellow (gold), and the lower one is white (silver). The first two stripes correspond to the black State eagle on a gold field. The lower stripe corresponds to the white (silver) horseman St. George in the Moscow coat of arms. Black is the color of the Russian two-headed eagle - a symbol of sovereignty, state stability and fortress, the inviolability of historical borders, the meaning of the very existence of the Russian nation. Gold (yellow) color - once the color of the banner of Byzantium, perceived as the state banner of Russia by Ivan III, is a symbol of spirituality, striving for moral perfection and firmness of spirit. White is the color of eternity and purity, which does not differ among all peoples. For Russians, this is the color of George the Victorious, a symbol of selfless sacrifice for the Fatherland, for the Russian land, which has always puzzled, delighted and frightened foreigners.

The black-yellow-white flag was perceived by society as imperial, government, in contrast to the white-blue-red flag of the Russian merchant fleet. The idea of ​​the greatness and power of the state was associated with the imperial flag in the minds of the people. This is understandable, what can be majestic in a trade flag, in its very colors, which were artificially copied from Europeans in order to "enter" the trade market of the same Europe?

This is how the black-yellow-white flag appeared, which entered the state symbols of the empire under the name of the Coat of Arms of the National Flag (renamed into the national flag in 1873).

Two state flags ?!

On the eve of his coronation, on April 23, 1883, Alexander III unexpectedly legalized the tricolor (white-blue-red) as a "Russian flag" instead of the one approved by his father. It remains to be seen why the nationally oriented Emperor chose the colors that were the symbol of the French Republic. However, until the end of the 19th century, this essentially republican flag was not widely spread among the people. The black-yellow-white flag itself was not officially canceled, and in Russia, in fact, after 1883 there were two national flags.

During the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, the white-blue-red flag was presented to the Bulgarian People's Army and entered the Serbian and Montenegrin flags with its colors.

By the way, there was also an unofficial interpretation of the black-yellow-white colors of the flag, which could also influence the desire to turn the flag over.

In particular, the Black Hundreds n. In the twentieth century, being supporters of a return to the old flag, they interpreted its colors in this way, proceeding from the Uvarov triad: “Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Narodnost”. White (silver) stripe - Orthodoxy (symbolizes the purity of the Christian faith, preserved only in Orthodoxy); Gold (yellow) stripe - Autocracy (symbolizes the brilliance and glory of the royal power); Black - Nationality (the color of the earth, the color associated with the common people - "black people", "black hundreds", etc.

The question of the state flag of Russia was raised again already in the twentieth century under Nicholas II. On May 10, 1910, the Sovereign established at the Ministry of Justice a Special meeting on this issue, which, over two years of work, conducted a comprehensive and in-depth study, inviting well-known specialists to participate in it.

"The majority of the Members of the Special Meeting came to the conclusion that the colors of the Russian state national) should be chosen colors: black, yellow and white." As you can see, nothing is said here about the color flip.

On June 18, 1913, the commission decided: “black-yellow-white colors should be imprinted in the state (national) flag. ... Government and state buildings should be decorated with black-yellow-white flags ”.

In 1914, a special circular of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduced a new national white-blue-red flag with a yellow square with a black double-headed eagle added at the top of the flagstaff (composition corresponding to the emperor's palace standard); the eagle was depicted without title coats of arms on its wings; the square overlapped the white and about a quarter of the blue stripe of the flag. The new flag was not introduced as mandatory, its use was only “allowed”. The symbolism of the flag emphasized the unity of the tsar with the people.

The white-blue-red flag was again left for private use, along with the state one. In November 1913, the materials of the commission and the Special Meeting were again transferred to the Council of Ministers, which, under the Ministry of Justice, convened a new special meeting, which confirmed in the spring of 1914 the decisions of the two previous, seemingly complex and important issue, were resolved once and for all in favor of black yellow and white flag.

However, a few months later, the First World War and politics intervened because To the Russian government it was inconvenient to use the colors that were presented on the banners of the German (black-white-red) and Austro-Hungarian (black and yellow) Empires, while the flags of the Allies (France, England, USA) had a white-blue-red palette.

After the February Revolution, the Provisional Government abolished the second Russian flag - the "coat of arms" black-yellow-white as the bearer of the imperial spirit. White-blue-red tricolor remained the only one national flag.

The white-blue-red flag was seen more often - it fluttered on almost every river or sea vessel belonging to Russia, but such a patriot of the Fatherland as the hero of Sevastopol, Prince V.D. Putyatin; MD Skobelev kissed the black-yellow-white flag in front of the front of the Russian troops on guard; General R.I. Kondratenkov Port Arthur every morning personally checked the safety of the black-yellow-white flag on the main flag-mast of the fortress, where he proudly flew along with the naval St. Andrew's flag on all days of heroic defense.

How the Flag of the Russian Federation was created (from the magazine "Rodina")
“All the peoples of Europe know their colors, suits, colors - we do not know them, and we confuse them, raising multicolored flags inappropriately. We do not have the national color; army color: green and scarlet; official color, military, St. George: white, hot, black (silver, gold, niello), and this is the color of badges (cockades); our banners and serf flags are multi-colored; white naval military flag with St. Andrew's cross; shopping: white, blue, red, along; what colors to raise and wear on yourself, what to decorate buildings, etc. during peaceful national celebrations? "
V. I. DAL. " Explanatory dictionary of the living Great Russian language ”. 1863-1866.

Let's remember 1990. The Soviet Union still existed, but the instability of this state unification became more and more obvious, the rise of national feelings was more and more felt. In the Baltic and Caucasian republics, in the Ukraine, in Belarus, the process of returning the national-state symbols has begun. Handicraft made badges in the form of flags of Georgia, Armenia, Estonia. With the help of heraldry, people expressed their political and civic position. Some wore badges with a portrait of Lenin, others with a white-blue-red flag, and others with a two-headed eagle. It became quite obvious that the state symbols of the RSFSR needed to be changed. For this, a government commission was formed, which, in turn, instructed the head of the archival service, RG Pikhoi, to assemble a "round table". It was this public body, which included such famous scientists as E.I.Kamentseva, N.A. Soboleva, V.A.Artamonov from the Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, S.V. Dumin and A.S. prepare proposals for state symbols. However, the circle of persons participating in the discussion was not limited to scientists. Ministers, deputies and other interested people came to the round table meetings. I remember very well the first meeting, in December 1990. On it we listened to the recording of the new anthem. In a small room in the White House, a tape recorder was turned on, everyone stood up, experiencing not just a feeling of pride, but something more.

First of all, one problem had to be solved: how serious should be the changes in state symbols. Is it possible to confine oneself to the simple introduction of new details into the existing symbols, corresponding to the time, or are completely new symbols required, which do not in any way rely on historical tradition? After the discussion, we came to the conclusion: the coat of arms and the flag must be historical.

- What made the “round table” make such a decision?

- Any heraldic sign is a specific text that has the logic of its construction. Therefore, the removal of one emblem and its replacement with another is comparable to interfering with the canvas of a poem. Although this option was discussed. It was proposed, for example, to draw a swallow instead of a hammer and sickle, etc.

During the discussion, it became clear that mechanical work with the emblems was impossible. A bad service was also served by the fact that heraldry in Soviet times was considered an unreliable science, since it primarily studied the noble coat of arms. She was not even taught at all history faculties, and she was completely ignored in art schools. Therefore, those graphic artists who tried to create the coat of arms painted beautiful pictures, but not state symbols. They did not understand what the state emblem was, the technology and principles of its creation. And this is in no way the fault of the artists, but their misfortune ...

Willy-nilly, we came to the conclusion that we need to turn to historical traditions. With the flag it was quite simple: they unanimously agreed that it was necessary to return the white-blue-red. Although here the thirst for creativity was strong, it was proposed, for example, to make stripes of different widths. With the coat of arms it was more difficult, too many epithets were hung on it - royal, imperial ... At the same time, they appealed to the people, who supposedly would not understand us. But life itself put everything in its place. One of his Moscow colleagues brought a passport crust with a two-headed eagle to the meeting. In the end, the "round table" decided to recommend the Government Commission as the coat of arms of the Russian Federation - a golden two-headed eagle on a red field.