SMALLER COAT OF ARMS OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE
(approved on 23 February 1883)
The Smaller Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire of 1882 represents a double-headed eagle (one head watches the East, while the other one watches the West of the Russian Empire) crowned with two emperor's crowns, above which there is yet another Tzar's crown with St. Andrew's Order ribbon flying under it. The eagle is holding the golden scepter in his right talon, while the golden imperial orb is in his left talon. Some say that the double-headed eagle coat of arms was adopted in 1497 by Tsar Ivan III, who took the Byzantinian two-headed eagle and improved it with the arms of Moscow.
The arms on the breast of the Smaller Coat of Arms double-headed eagle is indeed the famous arms of Moscow of St. George killing the dragon. The chain around the shield of St. George is the chain of St. Andrew's Order. St. Andrew's Order (or the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First Called) was the highest decoration in the Russian Empire. It was established on 10 March 1699 by Peter the Great, and re-established in modern Russia on 1 July 1998.
The arms on the wings of the eagle are (clockwise starting from the heads):
1. Kingdom of Astrakhan
2. Kingdom of Siberia [or the arms of current Novosibirsk]
3. Kingdom of Georgia
4. Grand Duchy of Finland
5. Grand Duchies of
Kiev,
Vladimir,
Novgorod (all in one arms)
6. Kherson and Taurida
7. Kingdom of Poland
8. Kingdom of Kazan
?© 2004 Copyright Evgenii Prussakov (M.Phil., University of Cambridge)
