Regalia of royal power: crown, scepter, orb. Symbols of royalty

Plunging deep into the centuries, let's try to figure out what the scepter and orb mean in Russian history.

The scepter is a figured wand. It was made of silver, ivory, gold, framed with gems and used heraldic symbols. In the history of Russia, the scepter is the successor to the royal staff, which is a symbol of the power of the great princes and kings.

Speaking about the symbols of monarchical power, we need to dwell on the orb - a golden ball with a cross and a crown. The surface of the sphere was usually decorated with gems and symbols. From the old Russian word "dzharzha", which means "power", this name came about. The scepter and orb of the Russian tsars are the most ancient insignia of autocratic power.

Sovereign balls, or sovereign apples - as they were called in Russia, also served as attributes of the power of Roman, German and other emperors.

Crowns in the Russian Empire

Focusing on the regalia of Russian emperors, it is worth highlighting For coronations in the kingdom, they used the Cap of Monomakh.

In Russia, the rite of the first imperial coronation was held on the wife of Peter the Great, Ekaterina Alekseevna, who later became Catherine the First. It was for Catherine I that the first imperial crown in Russia was specially made.

Cap of Monomakh - an ancient regalia

The mention of the Cap of Monomakh appeared in the 16th century. in "The Tale of the Princes of Vladimir". It speaks of Constantine Monomakh, the Byzantine emperor who ruled in the 11th century. Hence the name. Most likely, Ivan Kalita was its first owner. According to available art history data, the Cap of Monomakh was made in the East in the 14th century. This is the most ancient crown of Russia. It was not worn as an everyday headdress, but was used when crowning Russian monarchs from 1498 to 1682. The crown consists of golden plates with patterns. At the top of the crown is a cross encrusted with precious stones. Monomakh's hat is framed with sable fur. The weight of the crown without fur is 698 grams.

Thus, the Cap of Monomakh, like the scepter and orb, has been a symbol of Russia since pre-Petrine times. By the way, it is credited with medicinal properties. So, it is believed that she is able to get rid of various ailments, especially headaches.

Scepter and Orb of Tsar Boris Godunov

The appearance of such concepts and objects as the scepter and orb as symbols of the power of the Russian state is associated with the reign of Boris Godunov. They were ordered to the masters at the court of Rudolf II. The production took place in Eger (the modern city of Cheb). When creating the set, jewelers followed the traditions of the Renaissance.

And although there is a legend saying that the scepter and orb were sent back in the XI century. Prince Vladimir Monomakh, in fact, they were presented to Tsar Boris by the Great Embassy of Emperor Rudolph II, who ruled in 1604, they found their use as part of his great attire.

Monomakh's scepter was made of gold with enamel details. Twenty diamonds, a large emerald, and other precious stones were used as decorations. The orb has an enameled inlay. The details depict scenes from the reign of David. The power is decorated with 37 large pearls, 58 diamonds, 89 rubies, as well as emeralds and tourmalines.

The crown is the most important regalia of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov

The king owned the crown from the "Big Outfit". It was made in 1627 by deacon Efim Telepnev. He was the chief master in the Armory. The crown of the crown consists of two tiers. At the bottom of the outer frame is an eight-pronged diadem. The crown is framed in sable fur with precious stones. Already after the 18th century, the crown of the “Big Dress” became the crown of the “Kingdom of Astrakhan”.

Lost regalia of the Russian Empire

Only a few regalia have survived to this day. They found a worthy place to live in the Armory, but many of them are irretrievably lost. These include the "Great Crown" of Tsar Fedor I Ivanovich. Speaking about this work of art, it must be said about its unspeakable uniqueness. The crown was made in Istanbul at the end of the 16th century. As a gift, Patriarch Eremy II of Constantinople sent the crown to Tsar Fyodor I Ivanovich, who was the last of the Rurik dynasty. The “big crown” was worn by kings only for important celebrations. Around 1680, the crown was dismantled. Subsequently, its details were used for the "diamond hats" of Ivan V and Peter I.

Crown, scepter and orb on the royal coat of arms

In 1604, False Dmitry, on his small seal, had an image of three crowns under an eagle. Such an image appeared for the first time and did not last long. However, already in 1625, instead of the cross between the heads of the eagle, a third crown arose. This image appeared under Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich on a small state seal. The same was done in 1645 for his son Alexei on the Great State Seal.

The orb and the scepter were not on the coat of arms until the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich. In 1667, with the image of the state regalia of power, the state seal of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich appeared. For the first time on June 4, 1667, the king gives an official and clear explanation of the symbolism associated with the three crowns. Each of the crowns depicted on the coat of arms and seal corresponds to the kingdoms - Siberian, Kazan, Astrakhan. And the scepter and power of Russia mean "Autocrat and Possessor." And already in 1667, on December 14, the first Decree on the coat of arms appears.

Crown, scepter and orb on the coat of arms of Russia

Centuries later, on December 25, 2000, the constitutional law "On the State Emblem of the Russian Federation" was adopted. This symbol of the state is represented by a heraldic shield. It is square and red. Its bottom corners are rounded.

It is located in the center with two heads, each of which is crowned with a small crown, and one large crown rises above them. The meaning of the three crowns is the personification of not only the sovereignty of the entire Russian Federation, but also its parts, that is, the subjects. The coat of arms also depicts a scepter and orb. Photos of regalia amaze with their beauty. The eagle holds a scepter in its right paw, and an orb in its left paw.

The scepter and orb of Russia are symbols of a single state and power. Also on the chest of the eagle there is an image of a silver rider on a horse. A man kills a black dragon with a spear. It is allowed to reproduce the coat of arms of the Russian Federation not only in color, but also in plain color. If necessary, it can be depicted without a heraldic shield.

Solemnly peaceful bell ringing resounded over the evening Moscow; in monasteries and churches they prayed for the happy enthronement of the young king. And a 16-year-old youth, in the near future one of the most grandiose figures in the history of Russia - Ivan the Terrible, repeated again and again the ritual gestures and words that he would make and say tomorrow. His excitement is quite understandable: for the first time in Moscow, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, the Russian tsar and autocrat will be enthroned.

This rite was invented by his grandfather - the sovereign of all Russia IvanIII.In this he was helped by his wife Sophia Paleolog. A Greek by birth, she knew a lot from the customs of other sovereigns: “the beloved daughter of the Holy See” grew up at the court of the Pope. For a long time in the Kremlin, the boyars remembered her, told different stories. About how the Tatar farmstead, which has long been located in the Kremlin, asked the khansha: she did not want to see the Tatars so close to her court, because she was afraid of Muslims since childhood, ever since she was taken to Rome as a child, saving her from Turkish detachments ... About how she tearfully persuaded her husband, the Grand Duke of Moscow, not to meet the Tatars at the prince's court, not to lead the Tatar ambassador's horse by the bridle. The heiress of the Byzantine emperors could not see such humiliation. And, as the old boyars recalled, she persuaded me. True, Ivan Vasilievich himself did not really believe in this: his grandfather was always wise, stern and formidable, women lost their senses from one of his glances, and it is unlikely that his wife’s tears could become the reason for his own decisions.

Tomorrow the childhood of the future autocrat will end. All the boyars are relatives, everyone wants to take a higher place, get more. Tomorrow, he, the grandson of Sophia Paleologus, will become above all - the anointed sovereign, the vicar of God on earth.

Information has been preserved that once the German emperor offered to send a crown as a gift as a sign of royal power to his grandfather and father. But the Russian princes judged differently - it was not worthwhile for them, born sovereigns, whose family, according to legend, dates back to the Roman Caesar Augustus, and whose ancestors occupied the Byzantine throne, to accept handouts from the Catholic emperor, from the Holy Roman Empire, the main core of which swarm was the territory of Germany. In the Moscow treasury were the gifts of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine, according to legend, sent many centuries ago to Kyiv, Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh, and then transferred to Moscow.

It is they who will be assigned tomorrow to the future sovereign, and from now on they will point to the royal dignity of the owner, they will become symbols of power. First, with a prayer, put on cross on a golden chain, then - saints barms(special shoulder pads made of expensive fabric with precious decorations) and, most importantly, they will crown the head with royal crown.

Ivan Vasilyevich liked to examine these little things in his treasury, especially the crown. It was taken out of a specially made box, where it was kept under lock and key. This beautiful golden cap, shining with expensive stones, is said to have belonged to Vladimir Monomakh himself. True, it is heavy and uncomfortable, but it contains the power of the ancestors, power over the entire Russian land.

Tomorrow morning he himself will put the gifts on a golden dish, cover them with a precious veil and send them to the cathedral. Once again, he will check whether reliable people guard the royal regalia: the rules are strict - they should not be touched by those who do not have the right to do so.

His grandfather, Ivan III,once he himself, with his own hands, crowned another grandson, Dmitry Ivanovich, to the kingdom. Truth, scepter- the rod, symbolizing state power, did not give. The future sovereign saw letters kept in the treasury, which say that the Byzantine basileus also personally erected heirs to the throne. Yes, and ambassadors from other countries confirmed: their sovereigns sometimes crowned heirs during their lifetime. This was done so that later there would be no disputes over who should rule. This custom seemed quite appropriate: so be it in Russia.

Soon, however, Ivan Vasilyevich put Dmitry in prison. The Greek Sophia Paleolog could not allow IvanIIIchildren inherited from the first wife of Prince Ivan and the throne went around her five sons. That is why the descendants of the Byzantine basileus now reign in Moscow, and not the offspring of the Tver princes.

January 16, 1547, on Sunday, in Moscow, with appropriate pomp, the solemn wedding to the throne of the first Russian Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich took place.

In the Assumption Cathedral, decorated with scarlet velvet, in the flickering of candles near the altar, the regalia of royal power lay on a golden platter. The few present - the grand duke's family and the court - "with fear and trembling", in reverent silence, watched as Metropolitan Macarius, along with other members of the sacred cathedral, placed them on the young Tsar Ivan to prayerful hymns: a life-giving cross, barmas and "the royal crown from a stone honestly "- the ancient Grand Ducal Cap of Monomakh.

The Metropolitan took the sovereign by the hand and led him to the richly decorated throne. There he handed him a scepter, and then, carefully supporting him, helped him to sit on the royal seat. Planting is complete.

* * *

The tradition of the rite of enthronement goes back to the mists of time. All the Moscow grand dukes, starting with Ivan Danilovich Kalita, having received a label for a great reign from the Horde khans, "sat down" on the throne in the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir. Only inXVin. this ritual began to be performed in Moscow. Until that time, the regalia of power were different: from the wills of the Grand Dukes it is known that the most valuable things in their treasury, most likely having the meaning of symbols of power, were golden belts and chains. The famous Monomakh's hat is mentioned in the will of Ivan Kalita not among the sovereign's regalia, but as a precious part of the prince's clothes. But towards the endXVin. in the inventory of the sovereign's treasury, certain ancient objects are always

Cap of Monomakh.

were called at the beginning of the wills - this is a golden hat, barmas and a golden pectoral (pectoral) cross on a chain. And at the very endXVcentury, obviously when IvanIIIwas going to enthrone his grandson Dmitry Ivanovich, a legend was created about the origin of the Moscow dynasty: “The Legend of the Princes of Vladimir”. There appeared a story about the gifts sent by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine to Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh. These were just the “royal crown”, barms, a cross on a gold chain, a carnelian box made of rare stone, trimmed with gold, and other items not specifically named. The same set, but already as the regalia of the power of kings, is also recorded in all official documents that determined the order of the ceremony of enthronement (“crowning orders to the kingdom”).

To XVIcentury, when the appointments to the kingdom in Moscow became regular, in the European states a similar rite of coronation had already taken shape. A set of symbols of power was also formed, which, with loud names and their appearance, testified to the prestige of the sovereign, his powers of authority. Traditionally, such regalia in different countries were crown, scepter, orb, sword; however, in each state, in addition to generally accepted insignia(signs of supreme power) have established their own.

Throne chair of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.

In Russia, it was a kind of grand ducal headdress. For the first time his image appeared on the walls of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, where inXIin. ancient masters laid out a mosaic portrait of Yaroslav the Wise surrounded by his family. The shape of the cap has remained almost unchanged even after centuries. In official documents sinceXVIin. this headdress began to be called the royal crown, and its name indicates the symbolism of the object, and not the appearance.

At the enthronement of IvanIValso handed over and a scepter. But it was not a short rod familiar to Europe, but a walrus-bone carved staff of wondrous beauty, adorned with gold and precious stones. Such a staff has survived to this day, however, already without expensive jewelry. In all the rites of the wedding to the kingdomXVIin. the established ritual was strictly observed: the regalia of power were brought to the cathedral, placed on a specially prepared elevation (nalay), the scepter was placed nearby.

Power- a round ball with a cross (curiously, in neighboring Poland, the power was officially called "apple") - appeared later: it was first presented at the wedding to the kingdom of Boris Godunov.

So throughoutXVIin. the set of "gifts of Emperor Constantine" was gradually replenished and became an attribute of the regalia of power, similar to those used by many monarchs of Europe. But in Russia, unlike other European states, there was never a sword among the regalia of royal power. This is rather strange, because among the Russian people the ideas of victory over evil forces and a symbol of personal courage were associated with the sword. (Recall, for example, the “treasury sword” that epic heroes or heroes of Russian fairy tales find or receive as a reward.) In European states, the sword was certainly among the royal regalia and was presented to the monarch during the coronation.

It was precisely the fact that for centuries during the enthronement the same symbols were handed over, the same words were pronounced in a certain sequence, testified, according to the people of the Middle Ages, to the eternity and stability of this state, this power. Therefore, it was so important to capture or destroy coronation insignia during wars and uprisings - this meant breaking the state itself, the existing power.

In Russia, the symbols of power of the reigning persons were treated with the same reverence as in other countries. ATXVIIin. those regalia with which the enthronement was consecrated were kept in the treasury separately from others. The tsars, Mikhail Fedorovich and his son Alexei Mikhailovich, ordered to make several sets of their own insignia: amazingly beautiful sceptres and orbs, outwardly similar to European ones. The crown in shape repeated the ancient Monomakh's hat, only instead of precious stones over filigree lace (filigree is a pattern made of the finest gold wire. - Note. ed.) for the first time, golden, with diamonds, double-headed eagles appeared; the upper part of the headwear was decorated with diamond and pearl crosses.

Later, when in 1682, contrary to Russian tradition, two tsars, Ivan Alekseevich and Pyotr Alekseevich, were crowned on the throne at the same time, the attributes of power were divided between them and later became the property of each. For centuries, a single set of royal regalia, which had been established for centuries, was violated. ATXVIIIin. the imperial regalia had already appeared, and the ancient accessories of the royal power became a museum value and were transferred for storage to the Armory of the Moscow Kremlin. Since they lost their original meaning, the scepters began to issuecourtiers for masquerade costumes, precious chains were melted down for jewelry.

True, over time, the “gifts of Emperor Konstantin” were put in one specific place, but among them, by mistake, were a scepter and an orb made for Alexei Mikhailovich. As we remember, the power was not among the list of gifts, and the ancient scepter differed sharply from that made in Europe inXVIIin. wand for Tsar Alexei. The bone staff-scepter, which was given back inXVIin. to the great sovereign Fyodor Ivanovich, turned out to be dismantled, without gold and stones. Gradually his appointment was forgotten, and inXIXin. museum staff described the obscure objects as "chair legs". Some ancient regalia from the “gifts of the emperor” were later kept in Moscow cathedrals. Eventually toXIXin. the ancient complex of symbols of royal power finally disintegrated.

The rites of enthronement in many countries have remained unchanged for centuries. They, as a rule, were held in the same temple, the regalia of power were assigned to the king (or king) in a certain sequence, and from century to century the postures and gestures of the participants in the ceremony were repeated, the same words of oaths sounded, instructions, prayers.

So it was in Russia. Designed at the endXV in. Ivan IIIthe ritual of crowning the kingdom almost unchanged was repeated half a century later, when another grandson of Ivan occupied the royal throneIIIand Sophia Paleolog - IvanIV.It was then, as indicated above, that the rite was introduced into the ritual ceremony. anointing, which has always been held at the coronation of European monarchs. Holy miro(incense oil made in a special way), subject to strictly established rules, applied to the monarch, according to the ideas of the Christian religion, sanctified the sovereign and endowed him with the gift of communication with God, placing him above all his subjects. In Russia, where many princely families considered the legendary Varangian Rurik to be their common ancestor and could calculate the degree of their relationship with him, this rite not only distinguished the tsar from his subjects, but also elevated him above the rest of the Ruriks.

The rite of seating on the sovereign's throne existed from the endXV in. to end XVII in., and in XVIIIcentury, the rite of coronation of emperors appeared. In the middleXVIIc., during the erection of Alexei Mikhailovich to the kingdom, the Patriarch of All Russia, just like Metropolitan Macarius a hundred years ago, in his instruction to the monarch urged to take care of his subjects, to have a righteous and merciful court for them, to observe the laws of the Orthodox Church.

In European coronations, the monarch himself took an oath, which obliged him to comply with the laws of the state, the rights of his subjects, and preserve the borders of his state. The main text of the oath has not changed over the centuries, but with the changes that took place in society, with the adoption of new codes of laws, the number of obligations assumed by the king increased. Thus, the regalia of power remained unchanged and inviolable: they were taken from the treasury only for the crowning of the nation. They symbolized state power, its stability, eternity. The ritual of enthronement also did not change, it was held in the same cathedral, always on Sunday, by the hierarchs (higher ranks) of the church. But this is one side of the coin. And the oaths that the king began to take, the promises that he gave to his people, is a phenomenon that, of course, reflected new stages in the development of the state.

In Russia, the royal regalia were not surrounded by legends about their miraculous origin, their complex itself was formed over the course of a whole century. The new Romanov dynasty that came to power remained indifferent to the legend about the appearance in Russia of royal regalia, sent as a gift to the princes of Rurik, because they had very distant family ties with them. And the rite of enthronement itself did not reflect the development of Russian society; according to the instructions and other speeches that sounded during

Nicholas II with all the regalia of imperial power in the crown and mantle, with a scepter, orb and signs of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.

Emperor Peter II with the sign of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.

Empress Anna Ioannovna with the badge and star of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.

Empress Elizaveta Petrovna with the star of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and a sash.

Empress Catherine II with the star of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and a sash.

during the ceremony, the sovereign was seen as the anointed of God, a shepherd in his state, a merciful just judge, and he did not make any promises to his subjects.

But also in the coronation rite in the Russian EmpireXVIII— XIXFor centuries, some rules were strictly observed. All the emperors who succeeded the Russian tsars were crowned on the throne in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. At that time, the capital was in St. Petersburg, but by

on the appointed day, the authorities delivered the regalia to Moscow, to the Armory, and from there, as inXVIc., carried to the cathedral. And the throne on which the Russian emperors were erected was the ancient royal place, worked out by the old masters for the first Russian tsar, Ivan the Terrible.

Restored after a fire in 1547, this royal place is still located in the Assumption Cathedral.

Royal power cannot be imagined without its symbolic attributes, such as the crown, orb and scepter. These regalia are generally accepted - in addition to the Russian rulers, they were used and used by the kings and emperors of all powers. Each of these items has a special meaning and a unique origin story.

Power apple

It was not for nothing that the state was called an apple, it reminds not only of its roundness - this fruit is an image of the world. In addition, this deeply symbolic object means the feminine.

With its round shape, the power, just like, personifies the globe.

There is also a religious connotation in the image of the state. After all, on some canvases Christ was depicted with her as the Savior of the world or God the Father. The sovereign apple was used here in - the Kingdom of Heaven. And through the rite of chrismation, the powers of Jesus Christ are transferred to the Orthodox tsar - the tsar must lead his people to the last battle with the Antichrist and defeat him.

Scepter

The shepherd's staff is the prototype of the scepter, which later became a sign of pastoral authority among the ministers of the church. The European rulers shortened it, as a result, they received an object that is known from medieval paintings and numerous historical notes. In shape, it resembles a rod, made of gold, silver or other precious materials and symbolizes.

Often Western European rulers had a second wand in addition to the main one, he acted as supreme justice. The scepter of justice was decorated with the "hand of justice" - a finger pointing to.

When Fyodor Ioanovich was crowned king in 1584, the scepter became a full-fledged sign of autocratic power. A little less than a century later, he and the state began to be depicted on the coat of arms of Russia.

Symbols of royal, royal or imperial power are a number of material signs of the ruler, called regalia. The set of regalia in different states is approximately the same. External symbols of state power have been known since ancient times and were originally called insignia.

Various regalia are usually attributed to the symbols of royal, imperial and royal power. In Russia, they were the state shield and sword, the state and large state seal. In the broad sense of this, the throne and ceremonial robes, such as porphyry, were also symbols.

The king's son Philei observed the fulfillment of the contract and confirmed that he had fulfilled his part of the promise. The son of Zeus diverted the channels of the rivers Penei and Alpheus, destroyed the walls of the stables and led a canal through the barnyard, into which water gushed and carried away all the manure in a day. Avgiy was angry and did not want to give the bulls as a reward, and he expelled his son, who defended the hero, along with Hercules from the country. This feat was the sixth in the list of the twelve labors of Hercules.

Later, Hercules took revenge on Avgius: he gathered an army, started a war with him, captured Elis and killed the king with an arrow.

The meaning of the phraseological unit "Augean stables"

Also, sometimes the Augean stables are called not only the place, but also the state of affairs: for example, this can be said about the neglected situation in the country or the disorder in the affairs of an organization. In any case, this is a situation that requires either very great efforts to correct, or drastic measures.

Symbols, shrines and awards of the Russian state. part 1 Kuznetsov Alexander

Regalia of royal power: crown, scepter, orb

The crown, scepter, orb are regalia, signs of royal, royal and imperial power, generally accepted in all states where such power exists. The regalia owe their origin mainly to the ancient world. So, the crown originates from the wreath, which in the ancient world was placed on the head of the winner in the competition. Then it turned into a sign of honor given to those who distinguished themselves in the war - to a military leader or official, thus becoming a sign of service distinction (imperial crown). From it, a crown (headdress) was formed, which was widely used in European countries as an attribute of power in the early Middle Ages.

In Russian literature, there has long been a version that one of the oldest medieval crowns belongs to the number of Russian royal regalia, allegedly sent as a gift to the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir Monomakh by the Byzantine emperor Konstantin Monomakh. Along with the "cap of Monomakh" from the Byzantine emperor, a scepter was allegedly sent.

Cap of Monomakh

The origins of this attribute of power and dignity of European monarchs also lie in antiquity. The scepter was considered a necessary accessory of Zeus (Jupiter) and his wife Hera (Juno). As an indispensable sign of dignity, the scepter was used by ancient rulers and officials (except emperors), for example, Roman consuls. The scepter, as an obligatory regalia of power, was present at the coronation of sovereigns throughout Europe. In the sixteenth century he is also mentioned in the ceremony of the wedding of Russian tsars

The story of the Englishman Horsey, an eyewitness to the coronation of Fyodor Ivanovich, the son of Ivan the Terrible, is known: “The tsar had a precious crown on his head, and in his right hand was a royal rod made of the bone of a unicorn, three feet and a half long, lined with expensive stones, which was bought by the former tsar from Augsburg merchants in 1581 for seven thousand pounds. Other sources report that the coronation of Fyodor Ivanovich in everything was similar to the “seat on the table” of Ivan the Terrible, with the only difference being that the metropolitan handed the scepter into the hands of the new tsar. However, the image of the scepter on the seals of this time was not accepted, as well as powers (otherwise - “apple”, “sovereign apple”, “autocratic apple”, “apple of the royal rank”, “power of the Russian kingdom”), although as an attribute of power it was known to Russian sovereigns since the 16th century. During the wedding to the kingdom of Boris Godunov on September 1, 1598, Patriarch Job gave the tsar, along with the usual regalia, also an orb. At the same time, he said: “For as long as we hold this apple in our hands, so hold all the kingdoms given to you from God, keep them from external enemies.”

"Big Outfit" by Mikhail Fedorovich (hat, scepter, orb). 1627–1628

The wedding to the kingdom of the ancestor of the Romanov dynasty, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, took place according to a clearly drawn up “scenario” that did not change until the 18th century: together with the cross, barmas and the royal crown, the metropolitan (or patriarch) passed the scepter to the tsar in the right hand, and the orb to the left . At the wedding ceremony of Mikhail Fedorovich, before handing over the regalia to the metropolitan, the scepter was held by Prince Dmitry Timofeevich Trubetskoy, and the orb by Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky.

The letter of tsar Bogdan Khmelnitsky dated March 27, 1654 was accompanied by a seal of a “new type”: a two-headed eagle with open wings (a horseman slaying a dragon on his chest in a shield), a scepter in the right paw of the eagle, a power orb in the left, above the heads of the eagle - three crowns almost on the same line, the middle one - with a cross. The shape of the crowns is the same, Western European. Under the eagle is a symbolic image of the reunification of Left-bank Ukraine with Russia. A seal with a similar pattern was used in the Little Russian Order.

Seal of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. 1667

Circle to the great state seal of Tsars John and Peter Alekseevich. Master Vasily Kononov. 1683 Silver

After the Andrusovo truce, which ended the Russian-Polish war of 1654–1667 and recognized the annexation of the lands of the Left-Bank Ukraine to Russia, a new large state seal was “inflicted” in the Russian state. It is famous for the fact that its official description, included in the Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire, is also the first decree of Russian legislation on the form and meaning of the State Emblem. Already on June 4, 1667, in the article of the order given to the translator of the Ambassadorial order Vasily Boush, who was sent with royal letters to the Elector of Brandenburg and the Duke of Courland, it is emphasized: or his neighbors or their bailiffs will learn to say why now his royal majesty has three corunas with other images in a seal over an eagle? And tell them Vasily: the double-headed eagle is the coat of arms of the power of our great sovereign, his royal majesty, over which three korunes are depicted, signifying the three great: Kazan, Astrakhan, Siberian glorious kingdoms, submitting to God-protected and his highest royal majesty, our most merciful sovereign power and command." Then comes the description, which a few months later was announced not only "to the surrounding states", but also to Russian subjects. On December 14, 1667, in the nominal decree “On the royal title and on the state seal” we read “Description of the seal of the Russian state: “The double-headed eagle is the coat of arms of the sovereign Grand Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich of All Great and Small and White Russia Autocrat, His Royal Majesty the Russian Kingdom, on which three korunas are depicted, signifying the three great, Kazan, Astrakhan, Siberian, glorious Kingdoms, repenting to the God-preserved and highest of His Royal Majesty, the most merciful Sovereign, and command; on the right side of the eagle there are three cities, and according to the description in the title, Great and Small and White Russia, on the left side of the eagle three cities form Eastern and Western and Northern with their writings; under the eagle is the sign of the stepfather and grandfather (father and grandfather - N.S.); on the chest (on the chest - N.S.) image of the heir; in the groove-tech (in the claws - N.S.) scepter and apple (power - N.S.), they are the most merciful Sovereign of His Royal Majesty the Autocrat and Possessor.

The most experienced codifier and jurist Mikhail Mikhailovich Speransky, the luminary of the Russian bureaucracy, based on the text of the decree, subsequently unequivocally qualified this image as a “state coat of arms”. A similar seal with a corresponding new name was used by the tsars Fedor Alekseevich, Ivan Alekseevich in joint rule with Peter Alekseevich and Peter Alekseevich himself - Peter I.

Great Power See also "Foreign Policy", "Nation" A great empire, like a big pie, begins to crumble from the edges. Benjamin Franklin The smaller the citizens, the larger the empire seems. Stanisław Jerzy Lec Other nations "use force"; we Brits "demonstrate