Black-yellow-white flag. Black-yellow-white flag What did the flag of the Russian Empire symbolize

BLACK-YELLOW-WHITE FLAG AS AN OFFICIAL (STATE) FLAGTHE RUSSIAN EMPIRE WAS ENTERED BY THE DECREE OF ALEXANDER II OF JUNE 11, 1858

The colors of the flag meant the following: Black color- the color of the Russian double-headed eagle - a symbol of the Great Power in the East, a symbol of sovereignty in general, state stability and strength, the inviolability of historical borders - this is the basis that for centuries and to this day has determined the very meaning of the existence of the Russian nation, which created a huge state from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean . Gold (yellow) color- once the color of the banner of Orthodox Byzantium, perceived as the state banner of Russia by Ivan the Third Vasilyevich, is generally a symbol of spirituality, aspiration for moral improvement and fortitude. For Russians, it is a symbol of continuity and preservation of the purity of the Christian Truth - the Orthodox faith. White color- the color of eternity and purity, which in this sense has no discrepancies among the Eurasian peoples. For Russians, this is the color of St. George the Victorious - a symbol of great, selfless and joyful sacrifice for the Fatherland, for “one's friends”, for the Russian Land - that main fundamental feature of the Russian national character, which from century to century, from generation to generation, has puzzled , delighted and frightened foreigners.

The first two Russian state colors appeared in our Fatherland in 1472 after the marriage of Ivan the Third to Princess Sophia Paleologus, along with the adoption of the coat of arms from the Byzantine Empire, which had fallen under the blows of the Turks. The Byzantine imperial banner - a golden canvas with a black eagle crowned with two crowns - becomes the state banner of Russia.

Even before the start of the 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. A 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, the black-yellow-white flag began to be flown on special days after 1815, following the end of the Patriotic War with Napoleonic France.

In 1819, our Army first adopted a battalion linear badge, consisting of three horizontal stripes: white (top), yellow-orange and black (Zholner badge). On June 11, 1858, Emperor Alexander II personally approved a design with the arrangement of the emblem black, yellow and white colors of the Empire on banners and flags for decoration on the streets on special occasions. The black-yellow-white flag was never legally abolished, just as the white-blue-red was never national, although under the Democrats it changed its status as a commercial, civil maritime flag to the status of a “state” one. Since the reign of Emperor Alexander III, the Russian national state flag has been particularly furiously attacked by the left-democratic public for its, as they wrote then, “emphatically monarchical and Germanophile character.” The same critics who did not see in the white-blue-red flag a complete analogy with the national colors of France and Holland, as well as with many third-rate countries such as Argentina, Haiti, Honduras, Chile, found “shameful Germanophile imitation” in one the only top stripe of the black, yellow and white flag.

On April 28, 1883 (May 7, 1883), Alexander III, with the “Decree on flags for decorating buildings on special occasions,” ordered the use of a white-blue-red flag as the state flag of the Russian Empire, instead of black-yellow-white.

By decree of Alexander II of June 11, 1858, a black-yellow-white “coat of arms” flag was introduced. The decree was approved by the Senate of the year based on the report of the Minister of the Imperial Household, Count V. Adlerberg. The designer of the flag was B.Kehne, a fan of German heraldry. An explanation for the choice of such a flag is contained in the text of the decree.

The author of the flag is the head of the armorial department of the heraldry department of the government senate, Baron Bernhard von Köhne - the author of the coat of arms of the House of Romanov and the large coat of arms of the Russian Empire. The choice of precisely these colors and precisely in this sequence fully reflected the heraldic views of the baron: Koehne believed that the basis of the heraldic (that is, the coat of arms, but not the flag - Koehne was not involved in flags and was not interested) palette in Russia should be the primary colors used in the imperial coat of arms: the color of the main figure - the eagle, and the color of the shield, to which he also added a rather arbitrarily chosen silver color.

Such a formulation of the coat of arms would completely coincide with the Prussian and Austrian tradition valued by Baron Köhne (where black and white and black and yellow were considered the coat of arms colors, respectively). Moreover, the legalization of niello, gold and silver as the emblem colors of the empire was important for the mass of coats of arms already created and revised by Köhne, and for the creation of the state banner (which was by no means an “imperial”, but a gold banner with a black coat of arms eagle in the middle; black and gold -only the tassels and fringe of this banner were silver).

Most of the supporters of using this flag today are modern Russian monarchists and almost all Russian nationalists (from moderate to radical). Since the flag was used as an official flag from 1858 to 1883 (but was not completely abolished until 1896), the following statement is popular among supporters of the use of the flag: “In those years when the official flag of Russia was a black, yellow and white banner, Russia never didn’t lose in wars.” The statement can be considered quite true, since during the time the flag was used (if we take into account the period before 1896), Russia won the Caucasian War, the war for the liberation of the Balkan Slavs, and even a small war against England in Afghanistan.

Another argument in defense of the black-yellow-white flag is the following fact: during the Second World War, in the symbolism of Russian military and paramilitary organizations that fought on the side of Nazi Germany and its allies, a black-yellow-white flag was never found, and more often a white, blue and red banner was used.

Justification of colors according to Vorontsov E.N.

How did the black, yellow and white colors of Russian heraldic symbolization come about and what do they mean? Presented by E.N. Voronets. Kharkiv. 1912

The text is given with minor changes. They mainly concern changes in the spelling of letters and verb endings.

“The Special Meeting, established two years ago under the Ministry of Justice, chaired by Comrade Minister Chamberlain A. N. Veryovkin, to clarify the issue of Russian state colors, completed its studies, drawing up an extensive note covering the issue from a historical and heraldic point of view. Proposals of the meeting come down to the recognition by Russian national colors - in accordance with the colors of the state coat of arms, the Imperial standard and the state banner - a combination of black, yellow and white. The naval flag - white with a blue St. Andrew's Cross - remains inviolable. Established by Peter the Great for commercial ships, white and blue -the red flag must be preserved for inland merchant vessels; government and government buildings must be decorated with the state black-yellow-white flag: private buildings can be decorated with both state and white-blue-red commercial ones.

The emblematic and symbolic combination of black, yellow and white colors in Russia has a very ancient origin and deep national significance.

And so they remembered the old days and found, among the especially revered objects of the princely treasury, the royal crown, or golden cap, of Emperor Constantine Monomakh, the life-giving cross, a precious necklace, or barma, of Greek work and declared them royal regalia sent by the Greek emperor to the Russian Grand Duke. Herberstein mentions the Russian Monomakh regalia in 1497. In the same year, it appears on the letters of John III in conjunction with the Moscow Imperial Byzantine coat of arms of a black double-headed eagle on a golden field. This symbolic coat of arms was adopted and combined with Moscow St. George on a white horse after the marriage of Dowager John III with the Greek princess Sophia (Zinaida) Fominichnaya, the last representative of the family of Greek emperors.

John III achieved many circumstances of greatness and enlightenment for himself and “all Rus'” through the sacrament of marriage with this Greek princess Sophia Fominichnaya. She realized that this marriage of his had deep national significance, among other things, as the receipt of the inheritance rights of the Greek emperors by the Russian royal family, and therefore, as a visible sign of the new relations of Russia to Greece and Constantinople, John III wisely adopted for Russia the symbolic coat of arms of the Byzantine Empire: a black two-headed an eagle on a yellow field and combined it with the Moscow coat of arms - a horseman (St. George) in white clothes on a white horse, killing a snake. The state emblem, according to state law, is recognized as a symbol, a visible distinctive sign of the state itself, emblematically depicted on the state seal, on a coin, on a banner, etc. And as such a symbol, the coat of arms of the state expresses the distinctive idea and principles that the state considers itself called upon to implement.

Due to the use by Tsar John III of the Byzantine coat of arms together with the Moscow coat of arms on the seals of internal and external state acts that have been preserved since 1497, this year is generally considered to be the year of the adoption and merger of the coat of arms of the Byzantine Empire with the coat of arms of the Russian kingdom.

Compiled by the Zemsky Sobor, the Code under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich attached such importance to the emblems of the black-yellow-white combination that the forgery of this official image of the royal seal was condemned as a crime against the Tsar himself. Chapter 4 of this Code protects with the death penalty the inviolability of the Tsar’s seal with the above-mentioned black-yellow-white emblems and the Regulations General of Emperor Peter the Great.

In accordance with the above basic Russian concepts, due to its important state significance, the Russian coat of arms with the black-yellow-white combination of its emblems, in ever greater and greater cases, objects and types, began to appear as a symbolic banner of everything Russian, as an emblem of the entire Russian state, in its entire composition, with all citizens from the Autocratic Tsar to the last commoner. And all the Sovereigns and Empresses in Rus' constantly emblematically demonstrated and honored the unchanging foundations of the ancient Russian coat of arms: in a yellow field of a black double-headed eagle with the Victorious in white and on a white horse, - or in the simplified symbolization of this coat of arms, in the combination of its main colors: black, yellow and white. So the first Russian Emperor Peter the Great established the first Russian Imperial standard “according to the Russian coat of arms,” that is, a flag depicting a black double-headed eagle with a Victorious horseman in white and on a white horse on a yellow field. The same foundations of the Russian coat of arms are still legalized today for the standards of Their Imperial Majesties. And the first flag for private Russian commercial ships, Emperor Peter the First in 1693 ordered to be made “according to the coat of arms of the Russian kingdom from white taffeta with an image in the middle in black material of the coat of arms of His Royal Majesty, a double-headed black eagle with three crowns above it, and at its feet a scepter and an apple with a cross, all gilded": everyone has hats with gold braid, with gold tassels, with a black field and with a white bow" ... and cockades, as a distinctive Russian sign, were installed in white and black with orange. This order was maintained during the reign of the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna... Under Emperor Peter III, black and yellow cockades appeared, but white ones were also preserved. Sentry boxes and rifle stands were also painted yellow and black. Empress Catherine II attached high distinctive importance to the combination of black, yellow and white colors, which is especially expressed in the establishment of colors for the ribbon and the Order of St. George - as the highest military Russian insignia.Since the reign of Emperor Paul, black and orange or yellow colors have been established everywhere and in all objects and in badges of state clothing.

Emperor Alexander I the Blessed finally created a cockade for the military from a combination of the primary colors of the Russian coat of arms, black, orange and white. This coat of arms remains unchanged to this day. During the reign of Emperor Nicholas I in 1834, in the Highest approved Regulations of civil uniforms, it was established in paragraph 2. And in 1857, for greater display by Russian citizens of all departments of the distinctively Russian state colors of the Russian coat of arms, it was established for all civil servants of the Russian state of all departments and names and everyone who is supposed to have a cockade, and wear a cockade on ordinary caps, and wear a cockade on ordinary caps in the main colors of the Russian State Emblem in the following form: “The middle of the cockade is black, the first inner circle is orange, the second is black, the third is orange, and the outer circle matte - silver. This state cockade exists in Russia to this day.

The manifestation by the Russian Tsars of the Russian coat of arms and its simplified symbolization - in its main colors, at the sacred coronation of the Russian Sovereigns in this unique and highly significant holy act of accepting “from God Himself” a blessing “for a sacred duty” is extremely demonstrative and impressive. and the burden of the rule of the Autocratic,” - the Russian coat of arms reigns and triumphs along with the Anointed of God and the people.

Thus, initially the coat of arms colors became the basis for the state flag of the Russian Empire."

Currently, the imperial tricolor can be found in different places. For example, next to the Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg.

Sources

• "How did the black, yellow and white colors of Russian heraldic symbolization come about and what do they mean?"Expounded by E.N. Voronets. Kharkov. 1912.
• Sergey Buntovsky " History of the imperial flag".
• The rights to the photo with the flag belong to the website.

Let’s not touch on the ethical aspects of the culture of modern consumer society, but let’s get straight to the point. So, what is this unknown imperial flag?

To get started, you can go toInternet portal “Russian Symbols” is an official government resource that tells Russians (there is such a nation) about the state symbols of the Russian Federation. So, the imperial flag is written here with some kind of malice, even hatred. That, they say, there was such an Akaki Akakievich (Baron B. Köhne) who, due to the narrow-mindedness and formalism of his soul, decided to change the state symbols, and from his dusty clerical brains spewed out a new flag for the Russian Empire: Black-yellow-white. Emperor Alexander II was simply “tired up” with some kind of business and, without looking, signed a decree giving the black-yellow-white flag the status of a state flag, but the flag never took root. And soon after an unfortunate misunderstanding, Alexander III, the wise and enlightened ruler, made the trade tricolor, “truly beloved by the people,” the state symbol.

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

Trade Flag

The construction of the first naval 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 called from Holland for 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 large quantities of white, blue and red fabrics for ships under construction. We do not know exactly what the flags constructed from the resulting fabrics looked like. The researchers put forward two assumptions. Some believe that, by analogy with the Streltsy banners common at that time, the first Russian flag was a panel with a straight blue cross and white and red corners. Others believe that the first state flag of Russia had the same composition that exists to this day: three horizontal stripes of white, blue and red. The second assumption seems more reasonable. The main evidence 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 first sea voyage in 1693. The ships for this campaign were prepared by one of the participants in the construction of the "Eagle" - constable Karsten Brant, and Peter himself always diligently emphasized the continuity of his endeavors with the affairs of his father - Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich - and in this regard, it is likely that it was the striped flag that was used on the first Russian ships and was taken over from them by Peter I in 1693.

We must not forget that the builders of the first Russian ships were the Dutch, and they also made up their crews. The Russians did not know naval art and completely trusted the Dutch craftsmen in all matters of creating ships. It is likely that when the time came to create a flag and the colors that should be used in it were determined - white, blue and red - the Dutch masters created the flag according to the tradition accepted 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 white-blue-red was precisely the flag of the merchant fleet, one might say specially created in the European style, for trade with the same Europeans. Therefore, assessing the white-blue-red flag as the state flag is erroneous. We do not consider the St. Andrew’s flag a symbol of Russian statehood, it is the flag of the Russian Navy, and the white-blue-red tricolor is only a commercial flag of the Russian Empire, copied from the Dutch flag. When swearing the oath to the Sovereign and the Fatherland, the regimental banner was carried out, and not the missing national flag. The Nizhny Novgorod militia, going 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 visible at state ceremonies and public events, and there is no mention of it in the literature. There were not even timid attempts to approve the commercial flag as a state flag, because in this case it would have come into obvious conflict with the colors of the imperial standard.

State flag

Coronation flag of Russian emperors

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

But almost until the middle of the 19th century. In Russia, the imperial tricolor was not officially approved as a state banner. Only on June 11, 1858, the national state colors - black, yellow and white - were legalized by Alexander II. In his personal instructions in 1865, the reformer Tsar confirmed them as “the state colors of Russia” by signing a law included in the Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire under N 33289:

The arrangement of these colors is horizontal, the top stripe is black, the middle stripe is yellow (gold), and the bottom stripe 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 of St. George in the Moscow coat of arms. Black color - the color of the Russian double-headed eagle - is a symbol of sovereignty, state stability and strength, the inviolability of historical borders, the meaning of the very existence of the Russian nation. Golden (yellow) color was once the color of the banner of Byzantium, adopted as the state banner of Russia by Ivan III, a symbol of spirituality, aspiration for moral improvement and fortitude. White color is 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.

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

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

Two state flags?!

On the eve of his coronation, on April 23, 1883, Alexander III unexpectedly legitimized the tricolor (white-blue-red) as the “Russian flag” instead of the one approved by his father. It remains to be seen why the nationally oriented Sovereign chose the colors that were the symbol of the French Republic. However, until the end of the 19th century, this essentially republican flag did not become widespread among the people. The black-yellow-white flag itself was not officially abolished, 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 awarded to the Bulgarian People's Army and became part of the Serbian and Montenegrin flags.

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

In particular, the Black Hundreds n. The twentieth century, being supporters of a return to the old flag, interpreted its colors based on Uvarov’s triad: “Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality.” White (silver) stripe - Orthodoxy (symbolizes the purity of the Christian faith, preserved only in Orthodoxy); Gold (yellow) stripe - Autocracy (symbolizes the splendor and glory of 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 Russian national flag was raised again in the 20th century under Nicholas II. On May 10, 1910, the Sovereign established a Special Meeting on this issue at the Ministry of Justice, 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 Russian state national colors should be black, yellow and white.” As you can see, nothing is said here about color reversal.

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

In 1914, by a special circular of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a new national white-blue-red flag was introduced “for use in private life” with a yellow square with a black double-headed eagle added at the top of the staff (a composition corresponding to the palace standard of the emperor); the eagle was depicted without titular coats of arms on its wings; the square overlapped the white and about a quarter of the blue stripes 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 king 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 in the spring of 1914 confirmed the decisions of the two previous ones; it would seem that a complex and important issue was resolved once and for all in favor of the blacks. yellow-white flag.

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

After the February Revolution, the Provisional Government abolished the second Russian flag - the “herald flag”, black, yellow and white, as a bearer of the imperial spirit. The white-blue-red tricolor remained the only state flag.

Where did the tradition of wearing the flag with the white side up come from?

Where did the practice of using the imperial flag with a white stripe at the top come from? While studying the history of the right-wing movement in Russia and the Russian diaspora, I myself was interested in this question. Initially, I thought that the confusion was caused by S. Baburin, whose party for a number of years used the inverted flag of the Russian Empire as “their” flag. In response to my question about why the flag was turned upside down, one of the Baburin residents answered me something like this: “But when we come to power, we will turn it the right way.”

Then it seemed to me that the person was simply laughing it off, but later I discovered the use of an inverted flag among Russian emigrants. It is possible that Russian immigrants proceeded from the logic - until historical Russia is restored, the flag will be upside down (as if at half-mast, as a sign of mourning for the lost Motherland - this (mourning) explained the black uniform of Russian nationalist emigrants). Or another option - state sovereign colors are used to create your own purely party flag, by simply changing their location.

Imperial flag today

In the modern era, patriotic forces began to use the imperial flag since the late 1980s. But he gained wide popularity only after the 1993 coup attempt.

"In the lead UAZ 66-11 MKM green, standing at the right door, Makashov gave us detailed instructions. On the roof I noticed two flags: imperial and red. Despite my strong allergy to the color red, at such a moment I simply did not pay attention to this."
The imperial flag has become one of the indispensable attributes of all patriotic events, and enjoys the same respect as the red banner with the Savior Not Made by Hands and, of course, the St. Andrew's flag.

Why Alexander II decided to carry out a “color reset” is still an open question. There is a version that the tsar, after the unsuccessful Crimean War and the inglorious death of his 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, as often happened in Russian history, one day a “scientific German” appeared...

In 1857, the armorial department of the heraldry department of the empire had a new head - Bernhard Karl (aka Boris Vasilyevich) Köhne, a famous numismatist and collector. Boris Vasilyevich, the son of a Berlin archivist, by that time had a dynamic career in a foreign land: as a protégé of the Duke of Leuchtenberg, Köhne, who settled in Russia, was among the founders of the Russian Archaeological Society and received the position of curator of the numismatic department of the Hermitage. Köhne celebrated his assumption of office by popularly explaining to 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 should correspond to the dominant colors of the coat of arms. And where, pray tell, is the color blue in your coat of arms? 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 special occasions. The arrangement of these colors is horizontal, the top stripe is black, the middle stripe is yellow (or gold), and the bottom stripe 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 already used 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 armorial cockade with the ancient one of Peter the Great, which corresponds to the white or silver horseman (St. George) in the Moscow coat of arms.”

The state symbols of the Soviet Union that collapsed in 1991 are well known today, perhaps due to the fact that they were quite simple and at the same time original. The modern tricolor no longer stands out so clearly against the background of the flags of other countries, but within Russia itself they have already become accustomed to it. Meanwhile, in pre-revolutionary times, heraldry was not so specific. For a long time, in particular, the so-called imperial flag was used. The attitude towards it in tsarist Russia was ambiguous, and even today this symbol causes controversy even among those who consider it necessary to completely renounce everything “Soviet”. To understand the reason for such discussions, it is necessary to remember what imperial symbols represented and how they relate to modern political problems.

What is the flag of the Russian Empire

In the modern world, a flag is one of the main symbols of a particular state, along with the coat of arms and anthem. It should be borne in mind that in previous historical eras the heraldic system was much more confusing. Therefore, no one should be surprised by the fact that the flag, now called “imperial,” officially symbolized Russia for a rather short time - from 1858 to 1896, and even during this period its use was limited. As you know, the empire itself existed from 1721 to 1917.

Description and meaning of the flag

The flag of the Russian Empire is a rectangular panel, both sides of which are formed by three horizontal stripes of the following colors:

1. Black – top stripe;
2. Yellow (gold) – middle stripe;
3. White (silver) – bottom stripe.

No standard geometric dimensions were specified for the flag. At the same time, all three stripes must be the same height. The status of the flag has never been officially defined, so its meaning has been interpreted differently. Some authors considered it a national or state symbol of Russia, others considered it a kind of designation of the “Romanov dynasty,” which was, of course, a completely different interpretation, since the ruling family could change, as happened following the Time of Troubles.

The meaning of the colors on the flag

If the symbolic meaning of the flag as a whole was uncertain, then the official “decoding” for each of its constituent stripes is contained in a special decree of Alexander II. This document was published on June 11, 1858.

Black color

The upper stripe of the flag of the Russian Empire is painted black, because the state’s coat of arms depicted a black double-headed eagle, which was once inherited by the Muscovite kingdom from Byzantium (“Second Rome”).

Yellow color (or gold color)

The coat of arms, against which a double-headed eagle was placed, was usually yellow in color. The second (middle) stripe of the imperial flag has the same color.

The shield was originally meant to be made of gold, indicating power and wealth. It should be noted that in heraldry the color yellow could be replaced by orange, since it was believed that this was also a shade of gold.

White color (or silver color)

The color of the lower stripe of the flag, as noted in the decree of Alexander II, was borrowed from the cockade used during the times of Peter I and Catherine II. In addition, the connection with the Moscow coat of arms, which depicts the “silver horseman” - St. George, was emphasized.

Subsequently, it was sometimes said that white symbolizes purity and eternal life. Similar interpretations appeared during the life of Alexander II.

Historical development of the flag

With some stretch, we can assume that the prototype of the flag of the Russian Empire was introduced by its founder, Peter I. This ruler left a description of his personal royal standard, which states that the banner depicts a double-headed black eagle on a yellow background. This flag was raised together with the more famous “Andreevsky” on the ship where the autocrat was. White color could also be present on this standard. It is possible that the “maps of the seas” that the eagle held in its beaks and paws had this coloring. In addition, on the chest of this bird the Moscow coat of arms with a “silver horseman” was depicted.

The version of the standard that is kept in the Maritime Museum of St. Petersburg contains all these elements.

There is also evidence that in some cases white panels were used, on which a yellow double-headed eagle flaunted.

However, the “roots” of the imperial flag go back to much more ancient times. As you know, even the Russian (Moscow) kingdom openly proclaimed itself the “Third Rome”. That is why from the “second Rome”, that is, Byzantium, one of its most important symbols was “inherited” - the double-headed eagle, which was already depicted black and on a gold background.

On August 17, 1731, already during the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna, hats made of black silk with gold tassels and a white bow were adopted for the Russian dragoon and infantry regiments - the same combination of colors as on the standard of Peter I. It was used subsequently, but flags of this color seem to have appeared only in the 19th century, when they were used to decorate buildings to commemorate the final victory over Napoleon. In addition, the hats of officers and ordinary officials (they also wore uniforms in the Russian Empire) sometimes had black, yellow and white cockades, which became most widespread during the reign of Nicholas I.

From 1858 to 1883, the black-yellow-white flag remained the national symbol of Russia, then its position wavered. The fact is that shortly before the coronation of Alexander III, the Highest Order was issued, which stated that from now on buildings can only be decorated with white, blue and red panels. At the same time, in 1887, a black-orange-white flag of the empire was established for the military. It was later used during various special events, for example, during the meeting of the Russian and Austrian emperors in 1885.

The uncertainty of this situation was aggravated by the fact that the Imperial Decree of 1883 was declared “merely” by the Minister of the Interior, which meant that it, being governmental, could not repeal the Personal Imperial Decree of 1865, which introduced black, orange and white. At the same time, the opinion of the emperor himself, Alexander III, was well known: he quite definitely spoke out in favor of a white-blue-red flag. Why he did not enshrine this in a personal decree is unclear to this day.

One way or another, attempts to hang the imperial flag in 1892 began to be suppressed by the police, which caused a considerable scandal, which only the new emperor, Nicholas II, could resolve. The autocrat, however, preferred to give the right to make the final decision into the hands of a Special Meeting, chaired by Adjutant General K.N. Posyet. Perhaps Nicholas II simply did not have an accurate idea of ​​the essence of the issue. As a result, there was a “repetition of the past” - a special meeting came to the conclusion that the national flag should be white-blue-red, but the occasional use of the black-yellow-white flag continued, including during quite official events.