Each person must necessarily know not only the past of his country, but also the history of its main symbols of state power. In this article we would like to describe the Imperial, or National Emblem, black-yellow-white flag, whose flag it appeared when it appeared and what it represented.
What is the meaning of the flag?
The banner of any country has a deep sacred meaning and expressively expresses its identity. This official symbol of statehood represents the nation, describing its spiritual reality. The flags depict important symbolic emblems, a coat of arms or its individual elements, which can conditionally tell about significant historical events, traditions, beliefs and even about the economy and geographical position of the country. The colors of the banner always have a deep meaning, expressing the unity of the people, their power, the desire for freedom and peace. The Russian black-yellow-white flag has become a sacred symbol of a great country, state power and fortress, stability and inviolability of the historical borders of our homeland. We will describe it in detail below.
The history of the Russian flag. First state flag
State flags, like hymns, began to appear in European countries only from the end of the 18th century. Until that time, of course, there were various banners and coats of arms of aristocratic clans, dynasties, merchant and military fleets, badges of guilds and workshops. In Russia, military banners-banners were common. They often depicted the faces of the Mother of God, the Savior and the saints. They were sacred, like icons, they often prayed before them and served prayers. The royal banners were considered the banners of the state, but until the 17th century they did not have an official status, therefore they often changed their appearance, colors and shape. It is believed that the beginning of the first Russian flag was laid by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who issued two special decrees in 1668-1669. They prescribed to raise a white-blue-red banner over Russian warships.
Flags of the reign of Peter I and Elizabeth Petrovna
In the future, Peter I continued the work of creating the state banner. In 1693, the “flag of the Tsar of Moscow” was raised on the military ship St. Peter, which was a panel (4.6 by 4.9 m) of horizontal stripes of blue, red and white. The double-headed eagle was depicted in gold in the middle of the flag. In 1699, the tsar personally drew a sketch of the three-lane flag of the Russian Empire. In addition to the tricolor used on military ships, Peter I approved another state standard - a yellow panel with a black eagle painted in the center, which held four cards with images of the Caspian, White and Azov Seas, as well as the Gulf of Finland.
The next stage in the creation of the Russian state banner was the coronation procedure of Elizabeth Petrovna. For the ceremony (1742), a new banner of the Russian Empire was developed, consisting of a yellow panel depicting a black two-headed eagle surrounded by oval shields with emblems.
Russian flag black, yellow, white - "imperka"
The next state flag was created on the day of the coronation of Alexander II. It looked like this: on a gold panel were depicted a black eagle and a white George the Victorious on horseback. He proposed the creation of a flag heraldist B.V. Köne, who was engaged in the development of emblems of the Russian Empire and the Romanov dynasty. He believed that for the new Russian national flag it is necessary to establish coat of arms - black, silver and gold, as this was accepted in the heraldry of many European countries. Later, on June 11, 1856, Alexander II, by his order, approved the new look of the State Flag and established from now on that all banners, standards, pennants and other objects used in solemn occasions should have the coat of arms of the Russian Empire. So in Russia a black-yellow-white flag appeared. Such a tricolor began to be used on various festive days, including during the coronation of Alexander III. The black-yellow-white flag of the Russian Empire looked as shown in the following figure.
Subsequently, they began to call it the national flag of arms. According to the government, ordinary people, contemplating the official colors on the state banner, joined the Russian culture and history.
What did the banner symbolize approved by Emperor Alexander II
Each flag color - black, yellow, white - was deeply symbolic. Let's take a closer look at what they meant. Black, the color of a double-headed eagle, showed imperial power, sovereignty, statehood, strength and stability. He pointed to the inviolability of the borders of the Russian Empire, stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic Sea. He marked the strength and power of a vast country. Gold (or yellow) color was also of great importance. In the past, it was the main color scheme of the banner of the Orthodox Byzantium and was perceived by the Russian people as a symbol of spirituality and religiosity. Yellow color symbolized the desire for moral development, improvement, as well as firmness of mind. He marked the preservation of the purity of the Orthodox faith and comprehension of Divine truth.
White color symbolized purity and eternity. For the Russian people, it was a reflection of the deeds of St. George the Victorious and meant the desire to protect their homeland and preserve the Russian land, even sacrificing themselves. White color spoke of that enormous strength of spirit of the Russian national character, steadfastness and unwavering defenders of the Russian land. Orthodoxy, autocratic power and nationality - that is what the Imperial black-yellow-white flag symbolized. It is difficult to overestimate its significance - it has become an expression of the Russian Orthodox tradition, autocratic power and steadfastness of the common people.
Which flag: black, yellow, white or Peter's "tricolor" was used at the end of the 19th century?
Despite the fact that the new Russian flag, black-yellow-white, was created on the basis of state emblems, which bore a significant sacral burden, it was perceived by society exclusively as a government standard. The black and yellow colors of many Russian people were associated with Austria and the Habsburg house. But the “Petrovsky” white-blue-red tricolor was closer to the people and was considered civilian, gradually acquiring the status of “philistine”. Therefore, in 70 - 80 years. XIX in the Russian Empire took place to be called the "duality" of the state symbol.
Two banners existed and used at the same time - the white-yellow-black flag of Russia (government) and the national, white-blue-red tricolor. Often it was the latter who was preferred - he appeared on the streets of cities, was installed near monuments and was used at ceremonies.
"Petrovsky" tricolor - the national flag of the Russian Empire
During the coronation, Alexander III was surprised that the Kremlin itself and the solemn procession were decorated in the coat of arms, and the capital was decorated with white-blue-red banners. Subsequently, the emperor signed a decree according to which the Petrovsky tricolor acquired official status and became the national flag of the Russian Empire. Since the entry into force of the decree, the flag “black, white, yellow stripe” began to be considered the banner of the reigning Romanov dynasty. Emperor Nicholas II by his decree of 1896 secured the position of the white-blue-red flag as the only state one.
The return of the black-yellow-white flag
The approach of an important date - the 300th anniversary of the reign of the Romanov dynasty, as well as the bourgeois-democratic revolution caused a turn in politics regarding national colors. Adherents of the monarchist foundations wanted to return the flag “black, yellow, white stripe”, which for them was a symbol of the protection of the Russian Empire from impending dramatic events. In 1914, an attempt was made to unite two flags - the "Peter" tricolor and the black-and-white-yellow "imperka". As a result, a new banner appeared, in which colors were present - blue, black, red, yellow, white. The flag looked like this: in the upper corner of the white-blue-red rectangular canvas there was a yellow square. A black double-headed eagle was painted in it.
This combination was to express the unity of the people and the authorities, as well as patriotism and faith in victory. Nevertheless, such an eclectic flag did not take root and did not become national. He did not serve as an official state symbol for long - until 1917. The subsequent abdication of Nicholas II, and then the February Revolution put an end to the introduction of imperial symbolism.
Red flag of the USSR
After the October Revolution, the state flag acquired a new look: it was a simple red rectangular cloth without inscriptions and any emblems. He became a symbol of Freedom and heralded the advent of a new era in the life of the country. On April 8, 1918, at a meeting of the Council of People's Commissars , a proposal was made to approve the official red flag with the letters "P.V. S. S.", indicating the famous motto calling for the unification of the proletarians of all countries. Further, in April 1918, the flag of the state recognized the red banner with the inscription: "Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic."
Since the merger of the RSFSR with the BSSR, the Ukrainian SSR and the Transcaucasian Federation in the USSR, the flag has become a scarlet rectangular cloth. It depicted in the upper corner a sickle and a hammer of gold color, and above them - a five-pointed red star with a gold border.
Using a white-blue-red flag
From 1923 to 1991 such a flag was recognized as official. Nevertheless, the Petrovsky tricolor continued to be used in some cases.
During the Great Patriotic War, he, along with the St. Andrew flag, served some anti-Soviet formations. For example, the Russian Liberation Army, led by Lieutenant General A. A. Vlasov, used a slightly modified Andreevsky flag with a red stripe along the edge. It should be noted that the use of Russian national symbolism was generally accepted in the collaborationist formations of the Third Reich. Later in the 70s. white-blue-red colors were used in the anti-communist organization - VSKhSSON. In 1987, the Petrovsky tricolor began to be used by various patriotic groups, for example, the Pamyat society. In 1989, the mass democratic movement adopted the tricolor as its official symbol. At the same time, monarchists and followers of conservative movements began to use the black-yellow-white flag of Imperial Russia again. In 1989, the Russian Banner Patriotic Association proposed to abolish the red flag and again make the white-blue-red banner official. The Supreme Council of the RSFSR decided (08.22.91) to recognize the white-blue-red tricolor as the official symbol of the state. On November 1, 1991, it was adopted as the state flag of the RSFSR.
The symbolic meaning of white, blue and red colors of the modern Russian flag
Today, there are several interpretations of the colors of the flag of the Russian Federation. Since ancient times, white has stood for frankness and nobility, blue for honesty, chastity, loyalty and impeccability, and red for love, generosity, courage and courage. Another common interpretation was the correlation of colors with the historical territories of Russia. So, white was associated with Belaya, blue - Malaya, and red - Great Russia, symbolizing the union of three peoples - Little Russians, Great Russians and Belarusians. There were other interpretations of color symbolism. For example, the white color was considered as a symbol of Freedom, red - sovereignty, and blue - meant the Virgin. Sometimes, the colors of the “Petrovsky” tricolor were interpreted as the trinity of tsarist power, the Orthodox faith and the Russian people.
Instead of a conclusion
So, in this article we examined the black-yellow-white flag: whose flag it was when it arose and what it represented. We learned how Russian banners have changed over time and what they were. We described not only the "Peter's" banner, but also the red flag of the USSR. And, of course, they told when the white-blue-red tricolor was adopted as the main state symbol of the Russian Federation.