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Double-headed eagle

Double-headed eagle

Overview


The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of devising, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound *harja-waldaz, "army commander"...

 and vexillology
Vexillology
Vexillology is the scholarly study of flags. The word is a synthesis of the Latin word vexillum and the suffix -logy, meaning "study of". The vexillum was a particular type of flag used by Roman legions during the classical era; its name is a diminutive form of the word vela meaning sail, and thus...

. It is most commonly associated with the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period under a Holy Roman Emperor. The first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was Otto I, crowned in 962. The last was Francis II, who abdicated and dissolved the Empire in 1806 during...

, the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors in direct and de jure succession to the ancient Roman Emperors...

 and the Vijayanagara Empire
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was a South Indian empire based in the Deccan Plateau. Established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I, it lasted until 1646 although its power declined after a major military defeat in 1565 by the Deccan...

. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor (secular and religious) and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and West. Several Eastern European nations adopted it from the Byzantines and continue to use it as their national symbol to this day, the most prominent being Russia
Russia
Russia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

.
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The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of devising, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound *harja-waldaz, "army commander"...

 and vexillology
Vexillology
Vexillology is the scholarly study of flags. The word is a synthesis of the Latin word vexillum and the suffix -logy, meaning "study of". The vexillum was a particular type of flag used by Roman legions during the classical era; its name is a diminutive form of the word vela meaning sail, and thus...

. It is most commonly associated with the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period under a Holy Roman Emperor. The first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was Otto I, crowned in 962. The last was Francis II, who abdicated and dissolved the Empire in 1806 during...

, the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors in direct and de jure succession to the ancient Roman Emperors...

 and the Vijayanagara Empire
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was a South Indian empire based in the Deccan Plateau. Established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I, it lasted until 1646 although its power declined after a major military defeat in 1565 by the Deccan...

. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor (secular and religious) and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and West. Several Eastern European nations adopted it from the Byzantines and continue to use it as their national symbol to this day, the most prominent being Russia
Russia
Russia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. However, the design was in use in the East for centuries before it was officially adopted by the Byzantines, and was independently adopted as the symbol of several other historical states, such as early medieval Armenia
Medieval Armenia
The medieval history of Armenia covers the history of Armenia during the Middle Ages.-Prelude:Western Armenia had been under Byzantine control since the partition of the Kingdom of Armenia in AD 387, while Eastern Armenia had been under the occupation of the Sassanid Empire starting 428...

 and the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm. In Hindu mythology, the two-headed eagle is known as the Gandaberunda
Gandaberunda
The Gandaberunda is a two-headed mythological bird of Hindu mythology thought to possess magical strength. It is used as the official emblem by the Karnataka government and it is seen as an intricately sculptured motif in Hindu temples.A roof sculpture depicting a Gandaberunda is found on the roof...

.

The two-headed eagle appears on the coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways. Historically, they were used by knights to identify them apart from enemy...

 of the following countries and territories:
  • Albania
    Albania
    Albania , officially the Republic of Albania , is a Mediterranean country in South Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro to the north, Kosovo to the northeast, Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south-east...

     (see Coat of arms of Albania)
  • Armenia
    Armenia
    Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

     (see Coat of arms of Armenia
    Coat of arms of Armenia
    The national coat of arms of Armenia consists of an eagle and a lion supporting a shield. The coat of arms combines new and old symbols. The eagle and lion are ancient Armenian symbols dating from the first Armenian kingdoms that existed prior to Christ....

    )
  • Austria-Hungary
    Austria-Hungary
    Austria–Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the k.u.k. Monarchy, or Dual State, was a monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in Central Europe...

     (historical)
  • Austria
    Austria
    Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...

     (1934-1938) (see Coat of arms of Austria
    Coat of arms of Austria
    The current coat of arms of Austria, albeit without the broken chains, has been in use by the Republic of Austria since 1919. Between 1934 and the German annexation in 1938 Austria used a different coat of arms, which consisted of a double-headed eagle...

    )
  • Byzantine Empire
    Byzantine Empire
    The Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors in direct and de jure succession to the ancient Roman Emperors...

     (historical)
  • German Confederation
    German Confederation
    The German Confederation was the association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to serve as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, which had been abolished in 1806. In 1848, revolutions by liberals and nationalists occurred in an attempt to...

     (historical)
  • Holy Roman Empire
    Holy Roman Empire
    The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period under a Holy Roman Emperor. The first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was Otto I, crowned in 962. The last was Francis II, who abdicated and dissolved the Empire in 1806 during...

     (historical)
  • Montenegro
    Montenegro
    Montenegro , is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast, Kosovo to the east and Albania to the south...

     (see Coat of arms of Montenegro
    Coat of arms of Montenegro
    The Coat of arms of Montenegro was officially adopted by the law passed in the Parliament on 13 July 2004...

    )
  • Republika Srpska
    Republika Srpska
    Republika Srpska is one of two main political-territorial divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...

     (formerly used from 1992 until 2007) in Bosnia and Herzegovina
    Bosnia and Herzegovina
    Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( or (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian Latin: Bosna i Hercegovina; Serbian Cyrillic: Босна и Херцеговина) is a country in Southeast Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula...

  • Russian Federation (see Coat of arms of Russia
    Coat of arms of Russia
    The coat of arms of the Russian Federation derives from the earlier arms of the Russian Empire, as restored in 1992 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Though modified more than once since the reign of Ivan III , the current coat of arms is directly derived its mediaeval original. The...

    )
  • Russian Empire
    Russian Empire
    The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...

     (historical)
  • Seljuk Empire (historical)
  • Serbian Empire
    Serbian Empire
    The Serbian Empire was a medieval empire in the Balkans that emerged from the medieval Serbian kingdom in the 14th century...

     (historical)
  • Serbia and Montenegro
    Serbia and Montenegro
    The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro , was a union of Serbia and Montenegro, which existed between 2003 and 2006. The two republics, both of which are former republics of the SFR Yugoslavia, initially formed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992...

     (historical)
  • Serbia
    Serbia
    Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country located in both Central and Southeastern Europe. Its territory covers the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and central part of the Balkans...

     (see Coat of arms of Serbia
    Coat of arms of Serbia
    The Coat of Arms of Serbia is the same as the coat of arms of the former Obrenović dynasty and features the white bicephalic eagle of the House of Nemanjić . An ermine cape of the style once worn by kings is featured in the background...

    )
  • Spanish Empire
    Spanish Empire
    The Spanish Empire was one of the largest empires in world history, and one of the first global empires. It included territories and colonies in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania, from the 15th century through—in the case of its African holdings—the latter portion of the 20th century...

     during the House of Habsburg dynasty (see Coat of arms of Spain
    Coat of arms of Spain
    The current Coat of arms of Spain was approved by law in 1981, when the present established replaced the interim version which, in turn, replaced the official arms of Francoist Spain...

    )
  • Kingdom of Yugoslavia
    Kingdom of Yugoslavia
    The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a kingdom stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...

     (historical)


It also appears on the following flags:
  • Flag of Albania
    Flag of Albania
    The national flag of Albania is a red flag with a silhouette black two-headed eagle in the center. It is the only red and black flag of a recognized sovereign state...

  • Flag of Montenegro
    Flag of Montenegro
    The Flag of Montenegro was officially adopted with the Law on the state symbols and the statehood day of Montenegro on 13 July 2004 at the proposal of the Government of Montenegro. It was constitutionally sanctioned with the proclamation of the Constitution on 22 October 2007...

  • State Flag of Serbia
    Flag of Serbia
    The flag of Serbia is a tricolour with Pan-Slavic colours, with three equal horizontal fields, red on the top, blue in the middle and white on the bottom...

  • The flag of the Greek Orthodox Church
    Greek Orthodox Church
    The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of the Orthodox Church, sharing a common cultural tradition and whose liturgy is traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament....

    , which is also used unofficially at the autonomous monastic state of Mount Athos
    Mount Athos
    Mount Athos is a mountain on the peninsula of the same name in Macedonia, of northern Greece, called in Greek Agion Oros , or in English, "Holy Mountain". In Classical times, the peninsula was called Aktí...

  • Coat of Arms and flag of Hellenic Army General Staff. Also Coat of Arms and flag of Hellenic Army XVI Infantry Division http://www.army.gr/multimedia/emblimata/images/XVI_MK_MP.jpg.
  • With the addition of Greek letters "Ε Φ" or the label "ΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΦΡΟΥΡΑ" a similar coat of arms is used by the National Guard
    Cypriot National Guard
    The Cypriot National Guard , also known as the Greek Cypriot National Guard, is the combined arms military force of the Republic of Cyprus comprising land, air, and naval elements...

     of the Republic of Cyprus http://www.army.gov.cy/index.php?id=118.
  • The coat of arms of Bolsward
    Bolsward
    Bolsward is a municipality and a city in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. Bolsward is just short of a population of 10,000...

    , Netherlands
    Netherlands
    The Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...


Origins


Double-headed eagles have been present in imagery for many centuries. The two-headed eagle can be found in archaeological remains of the Hittite
Hittites
The Hittites were an ancient Anatolian people who spoke a language of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family and established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia ca. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height ca...

 civilization dating from a period that ranges from the 20th century BC to the 13th century BC.

Cylindric seals discovered in Bogazkoy, an old Hittite
Hittites
The Hittites were an ancient Anatolian people who spoke a language of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family and established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia ca. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height ca...

 capital in modern-day Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...

, represent clearly a two-headed eagle with spread wings. The aesthetics of this symmetrical position explains in part the birth of this religious figure. It probably dates from the 18th century BC, and was used in a tradesman background. It can also be seen in the same region in two monumental settings: in Alacahöyük around 1400 BC and in Yazilikaya
Yazilikaya
Yazılıkaya was a sanctuary of Hattusa, the capital city of the Hittite Empire, today in the Çorum Province, Turkey....

 before 1250 BC. Here the context looks different and totally religious: the eagle becomes a divinity symbol. The two-headed eagle slowly disappears during the last Hittite
Hittites
The Hittites were an ancient Anatolian people who spoke a language of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family and established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia ca. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height ca...

 period, from the 9th century BC to the 7th century BC, and totally disappears after the end of the empire.

The double-headed eagle was also in use by the Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia
Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia
The Arsacid Dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Armenia from 54 AD to 428 AD. Formerly a branch of the Iranian Parthian Arsacids, they became a distinctly Armenian dynasty. Arsacid Kings reigned intermittently throughout the chaotic years following the fall of the Artaxiad Dynasty until 62 AD when...

 and the Mamikonian
Mamikonian
Mamikonian or Mamikoneans was a noble family which dominated Armenian politics between the 4th and 8th century. They ruled the Armenian regions of Taron, Sasun, Bagrevand and others...

 family in the 3rd to 9th centuries.

Byzantine Empire


Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the imperial capital of the Roman Empire , the Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire , the Latin Empire , and the Ottoman Empire...

 was the successor of Rome, and the Byzantines continued the use of the old imperial "single-headed" eagle motif. Although the roots of the transformation to double-headed are almost certainly connected with old depictions in Asia Minor, the details of its adoption are uncertain. It was, however, used in already during the first centuries AD and certainly before the 10th century AD by Armenians and Persians, appearing in their art (see above).

The Ancients used no flags in the modern sense. The Romans used various signa, such as the bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive, but sometimes with other elements such as phosphorus, manganese, aluminium, or silicon. It was particularly significant in antiquity, giving its name to the Bronze Age...

 aquila
Aquila (Roman)
The Aquila was the eagle standard of a Roman legion, carried by a special grade legionary known as an Aquilifer. One eagle standard was carried by each legion.-History:...

s (adopted as the legions' symbol by Marius
Marius
Marius may refer to:* Marius , on the Moon* Marius Titled expressive works:* Marius , written by Marcel Pagnol* "Marius" , a science fiction story by Poul AndersonPeople:...

) and vexilloid
Vexilloid
"Vexilloid" is a term used tenuously to describe vexillary objects used by countries, organizations, or individuals as a form of representation other than flags. Coined by Whitney Smith in 1958, he defined a vexilliod as:...

s, and, if the emperor was present, pikes or banners with the emperor's portrait
Imaginifer
The imaginifer was a type of signifer during the Roman Empire, who carried the imago - the image - of the emperor. The imaginifer was added to the ranks of the cohorts when the Imperial Cult was first established during the reign of Augustus. The imago was a metal three dimensional portrait made...

. With the adoption of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....

 as state religion during the later Empire, the Chi-Rho and the cross became more and more used in military standards, such as the labarum
Labarum
The labarum was a vexillum that displayed the "Chi-Rho" symbol, formed from the first two Greek letters of the word "Christ" — Chi and Rho . It was first used by the Roman emperor Constantine I. Since the vexillum consisted of a flag suspended from the crossbar of a cross, it was ideally suited...

. The Roman single-headed eagle however continued to be used as a symbol of imperial authority.

According to the most prevalent theory, the single-headed eagle was modified to double-headed by emperor Isaakios Komnenos
Isaac I Komnenos
Isaac I Komnenos or Comnenus , was Byzantine Emperor supposedly of Armenian origin from 1057 to 1059, and the first reigning member of the Komnenos dynasty.-Life:...

 (1057-1059) being influenced from local traditions about such a beast (the haga) in his native Paphlagonia in Asia Minor. Local legends talked about this giant eagle with two heads that could easily hold a bull in its claws; the haga was seen as a representation of power, and people would often "call" it for protection. Isaakios Komnenos, deeply influenced by these beliefs, had already used it as a family emblem . As there has been reference to "stone representations" of the eagle that were the inspiration for its picture, it is reasonable to assume that Hittite
Hittites
The Hittites were an ancient Anatolian people who spoke a language of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family and established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia ca. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height ca...

 carvings may have been the sources of the myths themselves, but other relevant artwork cannot be excluded as such a source. Whether the eagle became an "imperial" symbol or remained purely a personal symbol for Komnenos, is not clear.

After the Latin conquest
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire...

 of Constantinople in 1204, the Byzantine double-headed eagle was used by the successor states of Epirus
Despotate of Epirus
The Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204...

 and Nicaea
Empire of Nicaea
The Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was conquered during the Fourth Crusade...

. Theodore II Laskaris
Theodore II Laskaris
Theodore II Doukas Laskaris or Ducas Lascaris was emperor of Nicaea, 1254–1258.-Life:...

 chose it for his symbol as Emperor (Empire of Nicaea
Empire of Nicaea
The Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was conquered during the Fourth Crusade...

), taking it to symbolize his state's claims to all the Byzantine Empire's former domains, both European (West) and Asian (East). An alternative (and probably more correct) interpretation is that the eagle symbolized the Emperor's double temporal and spiritual sovereignty.

After the recapture of Constantinople and the restoration of the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors in direct and de jure succession to the ancient Roman Emperors...

, the symbol was used as an emblem of the imperial family, but it is uncertain whether it was the official emblem of the Empire. More recent research has suggested that it was not, its usage being limited to imperial seals and other personal or dynasty symbols such as imperial robes, although there has been no depiction of any Emperor wearing it. The role of "state" symbols was most probably played by flags with the cross. In Byzantine usage, the eagle was almost always connected with colors of imperial power (gold and purple). A black eagle on golden background was used outside the imperial family, denoting the subordinate position (the eagle was black as being the 'shadow' of the Emperor's golden eagle) of their bearers.

Use by the Seljuk Turks (c.1058-1246)


The double-headed eagle became the standard of the Seljuk Turks with the crowning of Tuğrul (meaning "Falcon") Beg at Mosul
Mosul
Mosul is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some 400 km northwest of Baghdad...

 in 1058 as "King of the East and the West" and was much used afterwards. The Sultans of Rum, Ala ad-Din Kayqubad I (1220-1237) and his son Kaykhusraw II
Kaykhusraw II
Ghiyath al-Din Kaykhusraw II was the sultan of the Seljuqs of Rum from 1237 until his death in 1246. He ruled at the time of the Baba Ishak uprising and the Mongol invasion of Anatolia. He lead the Seljuq army with its Christian allies at the Battle of Köse Dağ in 1243...

 (1237-1246) used the bicephalous eagle in their standards, and the motif was also found on tissues, cut stones, mural squares, and Koran holders.

Turcomans
Oghuz Turks
The Oghuz were a group of Turkic peoples. In the ninth century the Oghuz Turks from the Aral steppes drove the Pecheneg Turks of the Emba region and the River Ural toward the west...

 who ruled in Anatolia during the 13th century, inherited it from the Seljuk Turks. Islamic coins from the reign of Khalif Nasreddin Mahmoud bin Mohammad, following Turkish influence, sporting a double-headed eagle on one side and the Star of David
Star of David
The Star of David or Shield of David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.It is named after King David of ancient Israel; and its earliest...

 on the other as early as year 1200.

Today, the Turkish Police
Law enforcement in Turkey
Law enforcement in Turkey is carried out by several departments and agencies, all acting under the command of the Prime Minister of Turkey or mostly the Minister of Internal Affairs....

 have a double-headed eagle in its insignia as a secondary charge.

Holy Roman Empire (c.1250-1806)


The first mention of a double-headed eagle in the West dates from 1250, in a roll of arms of Matthew of Paris for Emperor Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II of Hohenstaufen was Holy Roman Emperor from his papal coronation in 1220 until his death; he was also a pretender to the title of King of the Romans from 1212 and unopposed holder of that monarchy from 1215. As such, he was King of Germany, of Italy, and of Burgundy...

 of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period under a Holy Roman Emperor. The first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was Otto I, crowned in 962. The last was Francis II, who abdicated and dissolved the Empire in 1806 during...

. Usually depicted black on a gold background, it replaced the earlier single-headed eagle, and was subsequently adopted in the coats of arms of many German cities and aristocratic families. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the double-headed eagle was retained by the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire founded on a remnant of the Holy Roman Empire centered on what is today's Austria that officially lasted from 1804 to 1867...

, and served also as the coat of arms of the German Confederation
German Confederation
The German Confederation was the association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to serve as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, which had been abolished in 1806. In 1848, revolutions by liberals and nationalists occurred in an attempt to...

.

Use by other countries



From Byzantium, two-headed eagles spread to Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...

 after Ivan III's second marriage to Zoe Palaiologina, and to Montferrat
Montferrat
Montferrat is part of the region of Piedmont in Northern Italy. It comprises roughly the modern provinces of Alessandria and Asti. Montferrat is one of the most important wine districts of Italy...

, where a cadet branch of the Palaeologi ruled. It remains also an important motif in the heraldry of the imperial families of Russia (the House of Romanov
Romanov
The House of Romanov was the second and last imperial dynasty of Russia, which ruled the country from 1613 to 1917. From 1762 until the February Revolution of 1917, the Russian Empire was ruled for five generations by a line of the House of Oldenburg descended from the marriage of a Romanov grand...

) and Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria–Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the k.u.k. Monarchy, or Dual State, was a monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in Central Europe...

 (the House of Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg or Hapsburg was an important royal house of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1452 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian and Spanish Empire and several other countries...

), as well as the royal family of Montenegro (the House of Petrovic).

It was the charge
Charge (heraldry)
In heraldry, a charge is any emblem or device occupying the field of an escutcheon . This may be a geometric design or a symbolic representation of a person, animal, plant, object or other device...

 in the Coat of Arms of the Bulgarian
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic people, generally associated with the Republic of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian language. Emigration has resulted in Bulgarian minorities or immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-Ethnogenesis:...

 Tsar
Tsar
Tsar or czar , occasionally spelled csar or Tzar in English, is a Slavic term with Bulgarian origins used to designate certain monarchs...

 Ivan Alexander
Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria
Ivan Alexander , also known as John Alexander, ruled as Emperor of Bulgaria from 1331 to 1371, during the Second Bulgarian Empire. The date of his birth is unknown. He died on February 17, 1371...

 (reigned 1331-1371). The Serbian
Serbs
Serbs are a South Slavic people living in the Central Europe and the Balkans , between the Balkan- and Carpathian mountains in the east and the Adriatic sea in the west. They are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and, to a lesser extent, in Croatia...

 Nemanjić dynasty adopted a white version as their own to signify their own independence of, and indeed, claim to the imperial throne of Constantinople. The white eagle was retained by most Serbian medieval dynasties, as well as the Karađorđević, Obrenović and Petrović-Njegoš houses and remains to this day in use in the coat-of-arms of the countries of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country located in both Central and Southeastern Europe. Its territory covers the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and central part of the Balkans...

 and Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro , is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast, Kosovo to the east and Albania to the south...

. George Kastrioti (Skanderbeg
Skanderbeg
Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg , or Iskander Beg, was a prominent historical figure in the history of Albania and of the Albanian people...

) adopted a similar flag in his struggle against the Ottomans, consisting of a black eagle on red background, which has been resurrected in the current Flag of Albania
Flag of Albania
The national flag of Albania is a red flag with a silhouette black two-headed eagle in the center. It is the only red and black flag of a recognized sovereign state...

. During the next centuries, the eagle was made to hold a sword and/or a sceptre
Sceptre
A sceptre or scepter is a symbolic ornamental staff held by a ruling monarch, a prominent item of royal regalia. While some sceptres resemble a mace, their use is quite different.-Antiquity:...

 and an orb with a cross
Globus cruciger
The globus cruciger is an Orb topped with a cross , a Christian symbol of authority used throughout the Middle Ages and even today on coins, iconography and royal regalia...

, symbols of the aforementioned double sovereignty.
Its usage also survived as a decorative element in the Greek Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, also officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to in English speaking countries as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the world's second largest Christian communion, estimated to number 225 million members...

, which was the inheritor of the Byzantine legacy during the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...

, while it remained a popular symbol among Greeks. In modern Greece various variations of the two-headed eagles are used in Church flags (based on Byzantine flag patterns) and, officially, by the Greek Army (Coat of Arms of Hellenic Army General Staff). The bird found its way into the Greek coat of arms for a brief period in 1925-1926.

Use in Masonry


The Double-Headed Eagle of Lagash is used as emblem by the Scottish Rite
Scottish Rite
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry , commonly known as simply the Scottish Rite, is one of several Rites of the worldwide fraternity known as Freemasonry...

 of Freemasonry
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around 5 million, including just under two million in the United States and around 480,000 in...

http://scottishritemasons-can.org/eagle.htm. While there are many meanings attached to this symbol, http://altreligion.about.com/library/glossary/symbols/bldefslagash.htm author M. P. Hall
Manly Palmer Hall
Manly Palmer Hall was a Canadian-born author and mystic. He is perhaps most famous for his work The Secret Teachings of All Ages: An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy, published in 1928 when he was 27 years old.It is claimed that Hall was...

 who wrote many works on the subject, suggested it an alchemical symbol of the union between the masculine and feminine principles in the individual.

Use in fiction

  • In the world of Warhammer 40,000
    Warhammer 40,000
    Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...

    , the double-headed eagle forms the crest of the Imperium of Man, earning it considerable religious and cultural significance. For this reason, it is not too uncommon to create actual double-headed eagles through surgery, mechanical proxy or genetic manipulation. When these are used to aid the abilities of a psyker
    Psyker
    Psykers are individuals with psychic abilities in the Warhammer 40,000 fictional universe. Psykers draw their powers from the Warp, and hence are often in danger of daemonic possession and insanity.- Psykers of Different Races :...

    , they are known as psyber-eagles. The Emperor of Mankind is known to be from central Anatolia
    Anatolia
    Anatolia is a geographic region of Western Asia, comprising most of the modern Republic of Turkey. The region is bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Caucasus to the northeast, the Iranian plateau to the southeast, the Mediterranean Sea to the south and the Aegean Sea to the west...

     (currently Turkey
    Turkey
    Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...

    ), so it may be a reference to his geographic origins.

  • In Namco
    Namco
    , is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. The company is most famous for creating Pac-Man, the best-selling arcade game in history...

    's game, Tales of Symphonia
    Tales of Symphonia
    is a video game first released for the Nintendo GameCube and later for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. It debuted in Japan on August 29, 2003, in Canada and the United States on July 13, 2004, and in Europe on November 19, 2004. The game received a Japanese-only PlayStation 2 release on September 22,...

    , Aska, a golden, twin-headed bird who is one of the two Summon Spirits of Light is thought to have been inspired by the two-headed eagle.In Ragnarok Online
    Ragnarok Online
    Ragnarok Online , often referred to as RO, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game or MMORPG created by GRAVITY Co., Ltd. based on the manhwa Ragnarok by Lee Myung-jin. It was first released in South Korea on 31 August, 2001 for Microsoft Windows and has since been released in many...

     the double-headed eagle appears ins many flags and buildings of the city of Prontera.

  • In The Mouse That Roared
    The Mouse That Roared
    The Mouse That Roared is a 1955 novel by Irish American writer Leonard Wibberley, which launched a series of satirical books about an imaginary country in Europe called the Duchy of Grand Fenwick...

     and its sequels, the double-headed eagle is on the national flag of Grand Fenwick
    Grand Fenwick
    The Duchy of Grand Fenwick is a tiny fictional country created by Leonard Wibberley in a series of comedic novels beginning with The Mouse That Roared , which was later made into a film.-History and Topography:...

    .

  • In The Nightly News
    The Nightly News
    The Nightly News is a six-issue American comic book limited series written and drawn by Jonathan Hickman and published by Image Comics.-Plot:...

    , a six-issue comic book mini-series by Jonathan Hickman
    Jonathan Hickman
    Jonathan Hickman is an American comic book writer and artist. He is best known for the Image Comics series The Nightly News and currently writes Secret Warriors and Fantastic Four for Marvel Comics.-Biography:...

     (published by Image Comics
    Image Comics
    Image Comics is an American comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by seven high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties...

    ), the Brotherhood of The Voice uses a double-headed eagle as one of their symbols.

  • In the anime Beyblade
    Beyblade
    is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takao Aoki. Originally serialized in CoroCoro Comic from 2000-2002, the individual chapters were collected and published in 14 tankōbon volume by Shogakukan...

    , Claude from Barthez Battalion
    Barthez Battalion
    The Barthez Battalion is a group of fictional characters in the popular Beyblade anime and manga series. The team consists of Miguel, Mathilda, Aaron, Claude and their coach Barthez. The team only appears during the third season, Beyblade G-Revolution....

     has a beyblade with the bit beast Rapid Eagle which is a two headed eagle.

  • A roc
    Roc
    A roc or rukh is an enormous legendary bird of prey, often white, reputed to have been able to carry off and eat elephants....

     appeared as a double-headed eagle in the film Sinbad's Seventh Voyage.

Use in sports


The double-headed eagle is the emblem of the Greek sport clubs A.E.K
Athletic Union of Constantinople
The Athletic Union of Constantinople , more commonly referred to as AEK or in European competitions as AEK Athens, is a sports club based in the city of Athens, Greece.The club was founded on 13th April 1924 in Athens by Greek refugees from...

 (black eagle on yellow background) and PAOK
PAOK FC
PAOK F.C. is a Greek association football club based in Thessaloniki. The club currently competes in the Super League Greece...

 (black eagle on white background). It is a symbol of the clubs' origins, since both clubs were founded by Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks , also known as Hellenes, are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions, who can also be found in diaspora communities around the world....

 who fled to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....

 from Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the imperial capital of the Roman Empire , the Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire , the Latin Empire , and the Ottoman Empire...

 in 1922-23. It is also the emblem of the Turkish Konyaspor
Konyaspor
Konyaspor is a Turkish football club based in Konya. Konyaspor currently play in the Turkish Premier Super League. The club was founded officially in 1922 with black and white as the team colors, but they were changed to green and white after its merger in 1981 with the cross-town rival Konya...

 http://www.konyaspor.org.tr/,the Dutch N.E.C. Nijmegen and the English non-League football club AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon are a semi-professional English football club affiliated to both the London and Surrey Football Associations. AFC Wimbledon take their name from and trace their origins to Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton, although their home ground, Kingsmeadow, is in the neighbouring Royal...

.

Use in cults


The double-headed eagle was part of the emblem of the Order of the Solar Temple
Order of the Solar Temple
The Order of the Solar Temple also known as Ordre du Temple Solaire in French, and the International Chivalric Organization of the Solar Tradition or simply as The Solar Temple was a secret society based upon the modern myth of the continuing existence of the Knights Templar...

. This cult was started by Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret
Luc Jouret
Luc Jouret , born in Kikwit, Belgian Congo, was a Belgian religious group leader in Switzerland. He co-founded the Parti Communautaire Européen with Jean Thiriart, a leading member of the neo-Nazi Jeune Europe Belgian group...

 in 1984 in Geneva. It gained notoriety in 1994 when members of the cult committed mass suicide and murders in two villages in Switzerland, followed in 1997 by suicide/murders in Canada.

Organizational Use


In the news on October 1, 2009, an organization called the American Police Force was reported as leasing a 400 bed unoccupied prison in Hardin, Montana. Its website featured an emblem combining a double-headed bald eagle beneath a large crown, two fleur de lis, a shield bearing four crown or crescent moon figures, on a background of a Montana desert landscape.

External links