The Time of the Appearance of the Double-Headed Eagle on Sovereign Seals: A Dispute between Those who Agree and Those who Disagree

For over a hundred years, there have been debates in historiography about the origins of the Russian double-headed eagle. Specifically, there has been much discussion about whether the eagle is of Byzantine or imperial origin, as well as the time of its appearance as a symbol of statehood on seals. To solve these problems, researchers analysed ambassadorial books (primarily on relations with the Empire) and looked for analogies in certain works of art from the Renaissance. In general, this approach has become obsolete. The introduction into scholarly circulation of an unknown impression of the seal of Prince Vasily Ivanovich, a bas-relief on the Borovitskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin and images of copper coins from the times of Ivan III and Vasily III, which are united by the presence of double-headed eagles on them, makes it possible to significantly correct established opinions. The process of securing the double-headed eagle as one of the main symbols of power began at least as early as the 1480s. At the same time, the iconography of the avian was unestablished and variable for a long time. The version created by Northern Italian masters no later than 1490 was initially the preferred choice. Active contacts between Moscow and the Empire at some point showed that the Russian eagle was too reminiscent of one of the symbols of the Holy Roman Empire. Therefore, it was decided to slightly alter the appearance of the eagle. As a result, the image recorded on the 1497 seal was created. In parallel with this, work was underway to introduce into the consciousness of the masses that it was the double-headed eagle that was the main symbol of the power of the Orthodox sovereign. This activity had two main directions – the propaganda of these ideas through monumental images and by placing the promoted symbol on coins. The other had a predominant meaning, since it had a greater coverage of both territory and the population, which could be influenced in this way. The time and reasons for the appearance of the eagle on the seal of Vasily Ivanovich are yet to be explained.