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There is a lot of debate about the correct arrangement of colors on the flag of the Russian Empire. The imperial flag, as we are accustomed to seeing today, consists of an upper black stripe, a middle yellow stripe and a lower white stripe. In this form it was adopted in 1858. Which is correct: black-yellow-white or white-yellow-black?

But let's return to the white-yellow-black banner. That is, then, before adoption, the white-yellow-black flag was simply turned over.

Can be traced back to the “coup” and the author - Bernhard Karl Köhne(he will be discussed at the end of the article in order to fully understand what kind of person got involved in “correcting” Russian heraldry). Upon his accession to the throne, Alexander II decided, among other things, to put the state symbols in order - and to bring them into line with pan-European heraldic standards.
This was to be done by Baron Bernhard-Karl Köhne, who was appointed head of the stamp department in 1857. Köhne was born into the family of a secret state archivist, a Berlin Jew, a heretic who converted to the Reformed religion. He came to Russia under the patronage. In heraldic historiography he earned a sharp negative assessment, despite his vigorous activity.
But be that as it may, the flag was accepted and in this form it existed until 1910, when monarchists raised the question of the “correctness” of the flag, since the 300th anniversary of the House was approaching Romanovs.
A special meeting was formed to clarify the issue “about the state Russian national colors.” It worked for 5 years, and the majority of participants voted for the return of the imperial white-yellow-black flag with the “correct” arrangement of colors as the main, state flag.

For some reason and why, it is not clear, but they made a compromise - the result was a symbiosis of two competing flags: the eclectic white-blue-red flag had a yellow square with a black double-headed eagle in the upper corner. We fought a little with this one in the First World War. Further, the history of the imperial flag ends for a well-known reason.
IN in heraldry, an inverted flag means mourning , Köhne knew this very well, heading the heraldic department of the Empire. The death of the Russian emperors confirmed this. In maritime practice, an inverted flag means that the ship is in distress. It is clear that colors are still confused and flags are hung upside down, consciously and unconsciously, but for this to happen at the state level and with many years of struggle, special efforts of special people are needed.
The existence of the white-yellow-black flag is confirmed by newsreels, but they are treated differently due to the black and white film. Supporters of the black-yellow-white flag explain that on the set of the white-blue-red flag, without being embarrassed by the simple experience of comparing colors, when converting colored flags into black and white mode using any well-known graphic editor.
Also, the tricolor in the white-yellow-black arrangement can be seen in artists’ paintings.
(Vasnetsov V. M. “News of the capture of Kars” 1878)

In the picture Vasnetsovadedicated to the Russian-Turkish war, a white-yellow-black flag is installed. Interesting fact: the painting dates back to 1878, that is, it was painted 20 years after the release of statement No. 33289 “about the arrangement of coat of arms colors” in which they were changed the other way around. It turns out that the people still used uninverted white-yellow-black flags.

(In the center, either the (blue-yellow-red) flag of the United Principality of Wallachia and Moldavia, an ally of the Russian Empire in the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878), or the Pan-Slavic (blue-white-red) flag - the difficulty of determining color from reproduction middle zone. In 1848, at the Pan-Slavic Congress in Prague, the Slavic peoples adopted a common Pan-Slavic flag, repeating the colors of the Russian (white-blue-red) flag).

And here is the picture Rozanova"Fair on Arbat Square." White, yellow and black flags can be seen waving on the roofs of buildings. And along with them are white, blue and red. The picture was painted just during the coexistence of the two flags.

(Rozanov , "Fair on Arbat Square")

No matter how they explain the location of the black stripe at the top: this is the incomprehensibility of God (how is God light?), and the greatness of the Empire, and the color of Spirituality (referring to the monastic robe). Also interpreted as: black - monasticism, yellow - gold of icons, white - purity of the soul. But all this is from the category of popular interpretations “whoever comes up with it.”
At the same time, the most important point is missed, that the colors of the imperial flag should be identical to the words that express our entire Slavic essence: Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality. Or to put it another way: Church, King, Kingdom. What color goes with each of these words? The answer is obvious.
In 1858, along with the flag, changes were made to the state emblem. Koehne created it the way we are used to seeing it. Although under Nicholas I it was different.

Coat of arms of Köhne, 1858

For example, the Coat of Arms depicted on coins.
Here are the Nikolaev coins, 1858

And here is a coin from 1859 of Alexander II ( The reign of Alexander II, whose years were nicknamed the “era of great reforms,” for Russian Jews, as well as for the country as a whole, was a sharp contrast to the previous period: reforms in the economy, relative political freedoms, rapid development of industry - all this, as in the century previously in Prussia, created the conditions for Jewish assimilation, which never happened). Here you can clearly see how accurately the eagle was “licked” from the Habsburg coat of arms. A particularly striking detail is the eagle's tail. And all this in one year with the change of the flag. Magendovids (six-pointed stars) also appeared on coins. Since the Masons are great symbolists, they just wanted to add at least a drop of tar to our heraldry.

A few more coins for comparison:

Back in 1959, they issued a commemorative coin and medal “ Monument to Emperor Nicholas I on horseback».

Magendavids are now so small that they can only be seen under a magnifying glass

The copper coins were updated, the design changed radically, the stars there are “Soviet” - pentacles.

The image below shows the similarity of the coat of arms that Koehne “composed” with the coat of arms of the Habsburgs.

Habsburg coat of arms

For comparison:

1) The crown acquired a ribbon (more like a snake); before this, this ribbon had never been used in Russian heraldry;
2) Previously, the wings on all eagles had a lot of feathers, but now they began to absolutely copy the Habsburgs, even in design, between the large feathers and here and there, there are small feathers. At the same time, our eagle turned out to have 6 feathers, versus 7;
3) The combination of the coat of arms and the chain, although this arrangement had been used previously, on all previous coins the order was clearly visible Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, now it’s just a chain, like the Habsburgs themselves;
4) Tail. Everything is clear without comment.

FOR REFERENCE: AUTHOR OF THE COVERUP OF THE FLAG OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE

Bernhard Karl(in Russia "Boris Vasilievich") Koehne (4/16.7.1817, Berlin - 5.2.1886, Würzburg, Bavaria) was born into the family of a secret state archivist, a Berlin Jew who adopted the Reformed religion (Köhne himself and his son remained Protestants, despite the fact that they connected their lives with Russia, only his grandson became Orthodox).

He became interested in numismatics early and published his first work in this field (“Coinage of the City of Berlin”) at the age of 20, when he was still a student at a Berlin gymnasium. He was one of the active figures and then the secretary of the Berlin Numismatic Society. In 1841–1846 supervised the publication of a journal on numismatics, sphragistics and heraldry.

Köhne met Russia in absentia back in the early 1840s. Famous numismatist Yakov Yakovlevich Reichel, who served in the Expedition for the Procurement of State Papers, the owner of one of the largest numismatic collections, drew attention to the young man, who soon became his assistant in collecting and “representative” in German numismatic circles. After completing his university course, Koehne came to St. Petersburg for the first time.

He returned to Berlin with a firm desire to enter the Russian service and applied for the then vacant chair of archeology at the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (which never happened). As a result of Reichel’s patronage, on March 27, 1845, Koehne was appointed assistant to the head of the First Department of the Imperial Hermitage (the First Department included collections of antiques and coins, it was headed by a major numismatist Florian Antonovich Gilles) with the rank of collegiate assessor. By the end of his life, Koehne had risen to the rank of Privy Councilor (1876).
In St. Petersburg, Koehne developed a vigorous activity. The persistent desire to get into the Academy of Sciences, moreover, in the archaeological “direction”, stimulated not only his active study of archeology, but also his no less active organizational work. In an effort to gain the necessary weight in scientific circles, Koehne initiated the creation of a special numismatic society in Russia, but since archeology inevitably attracted him, he combined these two sciences under one “administrative” name - this is how the Archaeological-Numismatic Society appeared in St. Petersburg (later the Russian Archaeological Society ).
Köhne sought to promote himself and society on a European scale. It contained all the correspondence with foreign scientists. And foreign scientific societies invariably accepted him as their members, so that by the end of his life he was a member of 30 foreign societies and academies (he never got into the St. Petersburg one). By the way, orientation towards the West led to the fact that Koehne tried not to allow reports in Russian at meetings (only in French and German), and only after the ethnographer and archaeologist joined the society Ivan Petrovich Sakharov(1807–1863), the Russian language was restored to its rights.
The second half of the 1850s is Koehne’s “triumph” in Heraldry, when in 1856 he creates the Great State Emblem of the Empire, and in June 1857 he becomes the manager of the Arms Department at the department (with retention in office for the Hermitage). Having headed all practical work in the field of Russian heraldry, Koehne over the next years began a large-scale heraldic reform, trying to unify and give consistency to the body of Russian family and territorial coats of arms by bringing them into line with the rules of European heraldry (for example, turning the figures to the right heraldic side; replacing some that Koehne thought were not suitable for heraldry, figures for others, etc.) and the introduction of new principles and elements (placement of the provincial coat of arms in the free part of the city coat of arms, a system of emblems of the external part of territorial and city coats of arms, reflecting their status, etc. ).
Köne is also the author of the black-yellow(gold)-white state Russian flag, designed in the colors of the main figure and the field of the shield of the Russian state emblem (black eagle in a golden field).
Köhne's career in the Russian Archaeological Society ended with the arrival of the new august leader of the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich. He did not approve the election of Koehne as secretary of the third department of the society (the only case in the entire history of the society), as a result of which at the beginning of 1853 Koehne left its ranks. Konstantin Nikolaevich had a persistent dislike for Koena. In particular, he disapproved of the draft state emblem of 1856–1857.
On October 15, 1862, Köhne was allowed to accept the baronial title, granted on May 12/24 of the same year by the ruler (due to the prince’s infancy Henry XXII) Principality of Reuss-Greiz Carolina-Amalia. In the literature one can find a statement that Koehne owes this title to the state emblem of the Russian Empire he created, but this data needs confirmation. Most likely, the enterprising numismatist simply bought the rights to this title and thus became, probably, the only Baron “Reuss-Greizsky” in Russia.
At the same time, it can be firmly stated that Nicholas II and Tsarevich Alexey understood the problem of the state flag of the Russian Empire and intended to bring its colors to their original form, i.e. white-yellow-black. This is confirmed by the fact that the banner of the Livadia-Yalta amusement company named after Tsarevich Alexei consisted of white, yellow and black stripes.

In addition, for the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov, Tsar Nicholas II approved an anniversary medal using the colors: White-Yellow-Black.

Well, this is another revealing lesson - already on state symbols - do not allow goats into the garden. But we already know how to turn this weapon against themselves.

Education

Whose flag is blue-yellow-red?

There are more than 250 states on our planet, each of which has its own national flag. As a rule, it consists of stripes or other geometric shapes of different colors, symbolizing something important for a particular country. But since there are many states, flags sometimes repeat each other. For example, a blue-yellow-red flag, whose is it? There can be at least two answers to this question.

Where did the flags come from?

The tradition arose several centuries ago and goes back to the times of sea powers. Multi-colored flags gradually moved from sea ships to land ports, and then to entire states. Presumably, the first country to have its own flag was Holland (Netherlands), whose naval and merchant fleets were the most powerful in the 17th-18th centuries. At the same time, a standard for using a rectangular shape for the flag panel appeared.

Gradually the tradition spread to all countries of the world. The largest powers were the first to acquire flags. And then the former colonies, gaining independence, began to choose state symbols for themselves.

Twin panels

But, as the number of independent states and self-governing territories became larger every decade, the creation of an original symbol became an increasingly difficult task. As a result, the flags of many countries around the world turned out to be similar to each other. And some can barely be distinguished at all. For example, the blue-yellow-red flag is vertical. It turns out that two countries in the world use it: Romania and Chad.

However, there is still a slight difference: the Chadian tricolor has a darker shade of blue stripe. Otherwise the flags are identical.

Video on the topic

History of the Flag of Romania

The Romanian symbol was first approved on June 26, 1848, and was used during the Wallachian Uprising in 1821. The blue-yellow-red flag has quite ancient origins. According to many historians, these three colors played an important role in Romanian heraldry in the 15th and 16th centuries, during the reigns of Stephen the Great and Michael the Brave.

A noteworthy fact is that initially the tricolor stripes were located horizontally. This was done in imitation of the flag of France, which became very popular in Europe after the French Revolution. For this reason, the new flag became a symbol of revolutionary changes in Romania.

The meanings of the color stripes were set as follows: blue - freedom, yellow - justice, red - brotherhood. Starting from 1867, they were no longer located horizontally, as on the French standard, but vertically. This served as a symbol of the unification of three lands - Wallachia, Moldavia and Bukovina - into a single state. Thus, the blue-yellow-red flag began to combine the heraldic colors of these territories.

The transformation of the flag did not end there: from 1867 to 1989, the socialist coat of arms was in the center of the tricolor, which was abolished during the revolution and the overthrow of the dictatorial regime of Ceausescu. The blue-yellow-red flag with a coat of arms cut out from it became a symbol of those events. The modern version of the Romanian standard took hold at the end of 1989.

History of the flag of Chad

This Central African country gained independence in 1958 and was previously a colony of France. It is curious that for the first two years the new state continued to officially use the flag of the former metropolis - the French tricolor. Then designs for a new national symbol were proposed. Initially, it was planned to use the colors of the united Pan-African flag (red, black, green), but it was decided to abandon this idea, since other former colonies of France had already taken it for themselves. As a result, the Republic of Chad adopted a blue-yellow-red flag, in which the first vertical stripe symbolizes water and hope, the second - the sun and sand of the desert, and the third - shed blood and the unity of the nation.

Thus, the similarity of the flags of Romania and Chad is explained by French influence in different eras. And although the colors of the flag of the European country were invented before the African one, the current version of the Romanian tricolor was established 30 years later, so the countries do not have any legal claims.

Source: fb.ru

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Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous

State Duma deputy from the LDPR party Mikhail Degtyarev suggested .

Currently, the black-yellow-white banner is used by Russian nationalist, monarchist and patriotic organizations, and football fans.

The Imperial Standard had official status from 1858 to 1883. It is believed that under the black-yellow-white banner Russia has never lost a war.

What is the imperial flag?

The imperial flag is colloquially referred to as the coat of arms of the Russian Empire, approved in the second half of the 19th century. The white-blue-red banner was considered a trade flag, “copied” by Peter I from the Dutch fleet. The Imperial Standard was also called the “flag of Romanov colors”, “state flag”, “national flag”, “flag of armorial colors”.

Flag meaning

The flag consists of three horizontal stripes: black, yellow (gold) and white.

The black color was taken from the coat of arms of Russia, which depicted a black double-headed eagle. The black color symbolized the greatness of Russia, autocracy, state stability, the inviolability of historical borders and invincibility.

The yellow (or gold) color on the coat of arms meant a field over which a black eagle soared. This color also symbolized spirituality, the desire for moral improvement and fortitude.

White (or silver) was known as the color of St. George slaying a dragon with a spear.

About who George the Victorious is,

History of the flag

• Before 1858

The first mentions of the flag date back to the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna. In 1731, dragoon and infantry regiments were ordered to make scarves “according to the Russian coat of arms” from black silk with gold threads.

In 1815, to commemorate the victory over Napoleon (and subsequently on all holidays), solemn tricolor banners began to be hung on buildings; in addition, army symbols (order ribbons, banners, and cockades, which also spread among civilian officials) acquired similar colors.

In 1819, a Zholner badge appeared with the number of the battalion in the regiment, made in the form of three horizontal stripes - black, yellow, white.

Russian imperial flag. Photo: www.russianlook.com

• 1858 - 1917

Officially, the black-yellow-white flag was approved by decree of the emperor Alexandra II dated June 11, 1858. He was the state symbol of the Russian Empire for 25 years.

In 1883, before the coronation of Alexander III, two flags were presented to the emperor for approval: black-orange-white and white-blue-red. The Tsar chose the last one, calling it exclusively Russian. After this, a law was passed according to which only a white-blue-red banner could be used to decorate buildings.

However, black-yellow-white flags were also hung on special days, as during coronation Alexandra III, and subsequently. As a result, Russia had two standards at once: black-yellow-white and white-blue-red.

In order to resolve the issue with the official flag of the empire, on the eve of the coronation Nicholas II in April 1896, a special meeting was convened. It was decided that “the white-blue-red flag has every right to be called Russian or national, and its colors: white, blue and red are called state; the flag is black-orange-white and has no heraldic or historical basis.” In particular, the following arguments were given:

“If, to determine the national colors of Russia, we turn to folk taste and folk customs, to the peculiarities of the nature of Russia, then in this way the same national colors will be determined for our fatherland: white, blue, red.

A Great Russian peasant wears a red or blue shirt on holiday, a Little Russian and a Belarusian— in white; Russian women dress in sundresses, also red and blue. In general, in terms of a Russian person— what is red is good and beautiful...

If we add to this the white color of the snow cover, in which all of Russia is clothed for more than six months, then, based on these signs, for the emblematic expression of Russia, for the Russian national or state flag, the colors established by the Great Peter are most characteristic.”

At the beginning of the 20th century, the black-yellow-white flag was used by Russian right-wing conservative forces, supporters of the Russian Empire and the Emperor. The Black Hundreds “turned over” the standard and interpreted it in accordance with the ideology of the people:

• white - “Orthodoxy” (purity of faith);
• yellow - “autocracy” (the splendor and glory of royal power);
• black - “nationality” (the color of the land to which ordinary people are close).

During the First World War, the Russian government had to use a white-blue-red banner due to the fact that the flags of the enemy states contained black, yellow and white (German and Austro-Hungarian Empires), and the allied countries, on the contrary, had their banners are white, blue and red (USA, France, British Empire).

• After 1917

After the February Revolution of 1917, the Provisional Government designated the white-blue-red flag as the state flag, and abolished the black-yellow-white one as a bearer of the imperial spirit.

In the 30s and 40s of the 20th century, the imperial standard was used by the largest Russian white emigrant anti-Soviet organization - the Russian Fascist Party.

In the late 1980s, a significant part of monarchists and supporters of conservative movements began to use the black-gold-white flag, contrasting it with the white-blue-red one, which, starting in 1988, began to be used by the democratic movement.

During the “August Putsch” in 1991, the black-yellow-white flag, along with the white-blue-red one, was used by opponents of the State Emergency Committee.

Currently, Russian monarchist, nationalist, patriotic organizations and football fans often stand under the imperial banner.

160 years ago, by decree of Emperor Alexander II, the black-yellow-white flag became the state symbol of the Russian Empire

The three-color black-yellow-white cloth was approved by Emperor Alexander II on June 11 (23), 1858 as the National Arms Flag. This state symbol, introduced during the difficult era for the Russian Empire of the beginning of the “Great Reforms” and overcoming the consequences of the lost Crimean War, became a symbol of the rise of the Russian national spirit, marking a new flourishing, revival and greatness of the Russian state.

The description of the flag stated that the upper black and middle golden (yellow) stripes symbolize the State Emblem of the Russian Empire - a black eagle on a golden background, and the lower white stripe is the symbol of St. George the Victorious, depicted on the Moscow coat of arms as a horseman slaying a serpent with a spear. Moreover, the Imperial Decree contains a reference to the historical past of these flowers. Thus, the description states that the cockade made of black and gold colors was founded by Emperor Paul I, while banners and other decorations made of these colors were used even under Empress Anna Ioannovna. The white or silver stripe corresponds to the cockade of Peter the Great and Catherine II.

Emperor Alexander I, after the capture of Paris in 1814, combined the correct armorial cockade with the ancient one of Peter the Great, which corresponds to the white or silver horseman (St. George) in the Moscow coat of arms,”

This is the Highest Approved Description of the Imperial Flag.

However, the historical past of the official national colors of the imperial tricolor goes back much deeper than the era of Peter the Great, Anna Ioannovna and Catherine II. Back in 1497, on the charters of the Sovereign of All Rus' Ivan III, the symbolic imperial coat of arms of Byzantium appears, depicting a black double-headed eagle in a golden field, and it is combined with the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, depicting the white horseman of St. George. It is worth recalling that the Russian Tsar Ivan III was married to the niece of the last Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI, Sophia Paleologus. And the combination of the imperial coat of arms of Byzantium with the symbols of the Grand Duchy of Moscow was the personification of the idea of ​​the Third Rome, expressed at the beginning of the 16th century by the abbot of the Pskov Spaso-Eleazarov Monastery Philotheus: “Two Romes have fallen, the third stands, and the fourth will not exist.”

Thus, black, gold (yellow) and silver (white) colors in their combination became the coat of arms colors of the Russian state. According to the Council Code of 1649 and the General Regulations of 1720, forgery of the official image of the royal seal was classified as a crime against the Sovereign himself and was punishable by death.

Under Peter I, the first Russian Imperial standard was also established in accordance with the coat of arms colors and was a panel depicting a black double-headed eagle in a golden field with St. George the Victorious in white and on a white horse. This order continued in the future. Russian coat of arms colors were preserved on Russian battle banners and cockades. Even the sentry boxes and rifle stands were painted black and yellow. And under Empress Catherine the Great, black, yellow and white colors began to be used for the ribbon and the Order of St. George - the highest sign of military distinction.

Coat of arms of the Russian Empire. Photo: Aleksey Stemmer / Shutterstock.com

The period of the reign of Alexander II, when the black-yellow-white tricolor became the Russian national and state flag, was marked by great reforms in all areas and spheres of public life: the liberation of peasants, the modernization of the Russian army. Under this flag, the conquest of the Caucasus was completed and Central Asia was annexed, a glorious victory was won in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, which marked the beginning of the liberation of the Balkan Slavs from Ottoman oppression.

Soon after the assassination of Alexander II by terrorists and the accession of his son Alexander III to the throne, the Highest Order was issued, according to which, on special occasions, it was prescribed to hang the white-blue-red flag, which appeared in the 17th century and was established by Peter the Great as a commercial one. Despite this, the black-yellow-white flag remained a national Russian symbol and was solemnly raised during important state events - for example, during the meeting of the Emperors of Russia and Austria-Hungary Alexander III and Franz Joseph in Kremsier in August 1885.

In 1896, on the eve of the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II, the Highest Order established a Special Meeting headed by Adjutant General Konstantin Posyet, which decided that

the white-blue-red flag has every right to be called Russian or national and its colors: white, blue and red are called state; the flag is black-orange-white and has no heraldic or historical basis.”

At the same time, the discussion continued in Russian society about what the main state and national symbol should be. In 1910, a new Special Meeting was established under the chairmanship of Comrade Minister of Justice A.N. Verevkin, which was supposed to “clarify the issue of Russian state colors.”

In 1912, in the Russian city of Kharkov, the Orthodox publicist and missionary Evstafiy Voronets published a brochure entitled “How the black, yellow and white colors of Russian state symbolization came about and what they mean,” sharply criticizing the Posyet commission, describing its chairman as a “cosmopolitan.”

More pressing and urgent state affairs and the Japanese war with the foreign revolution prevented the correction of the illegality that occurred then,”

Voronets wrote, expressing the hope that the restoration of the use of the symbol of the original Russian state would soon take place in full.

Established in February 1913 in honor of the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov, the commemorative medal was on a ribbon of black, yellow and white. And the following year, 1914, in accordance with the circular of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Empire, a flag was introduced for use in private life, which was a white-red banner, in the upper left corner of which was placed a yellow square with a black double-headed eagle and St. George the Victorious on a white horse. The flag was supposed to signify the unity of the Sovereign and the people.

However, it was not possible to complete the restoration of the status of the black-yellow-white flag. The First World War broke out, and then the revolution, which brought down the Russian monarchy and the great Russian Empire. The black-yellow-white cloth returned to Russia again in the early 1990s. It was actively used and continues to be used by national-patriotic and monarchist movements. In 1993, the black-yellow-white tricolor (popularly known as the imperial flag) became, along with the state flag of the USSR, a symbol of resistance to the Yeltsin dictatorship. It was also actively used by supporters of the Russian Spring in the former Ukraine.

In Russia, over the past few years, discussions have continued about recognizing the black-yellow-white imperial flag as the official historical symbol of the Russian state and endowing it with the corresponding legal status. Making such a decision at the state level will undoubtedly be an act of respect for the great past of our country.

If you remember, it consists of a top black stripe, a middle yellow stripe, and a bottom white stripe. It was in this form that it was adopted in 1858. But this has always seemed illogical to me - I’ll explain why a little later. No, not the colors themselves, but their arrangement. However, first things first...

There is a lot of debate about the correct arrangement of colors on the flag of the Russian Empire. Which is correct: black-yellow-white or white-yellow-black? Unfortunately, there is a sea of ​​publications on this topic, mostly of an educational nature, where there is no justified explanation of how colors should be positioned correctly. There is only a reference to the highest approved decree No. 33289 of June 11, 1858 “On the arrangement of the coat of arms of the Empire on banners, flags and other objects used for decoration on special occasions.” But the circumstances under which the decree was adopted, the current state situation and who was the author of this document are not indicated.

So until 1858 the flag was different. The order of the colors in it was as follows: starting from the top stripe - white, then yellow and black at the bottom. It existed in this form until its official adoption. Along with it, there was a white-blue-red one... But the white-yellow-black flag before Alexander II, and after that the black-yellow-white flag was perceived by society as an imperial, government flag, in contrast to the white-blue-red flag of the Russian merchant fleet. The imperial flag was associated in the minds of the people with ideas about the greatness and power of the state. This is understandable, what could be majestic in the trade flag, in its very colors, which were artificially tied to Russian culture by Peter I? Of course, one cannot deny all the merits of the Great Emperor, but here he clearly went too far (he simply copied the colors of the Dutch flag).

Coexistence of two flags until the 70s. XIX century was not so noticeable, but the question of the “duality” of the most important state Russian symbol is gradually beginning to arise. This duality is perceived differently by the Russian public. Ardent defenders of the Russian autocracy believed that there could be no talk of any flag other than the imperial one, legalized by the emperor: the people and the government must be united. The opposition to the tsarist regime stood under the trade flags of white, blue and red, which became a symbol of the anti-government political movements of those years. It was these colors that were defended by the so-called. “liberal” circles who shouted to the whole world that they were fighting the despotism and reactionary nature of the tsarist government, but, in fact, they were fighting against the greatness and prosperity of their own country.

During this heated controversy, Alexander II died at the hands of the revolutionaries. His son and successor, Alexander III, on April 28, 1883, gave the white-blue-red flag the status of a state flag, but did NOT CANCEL the imperial one. Russia now has two official state flags, which further complicates the situation. And already on April 29, 1896, Emperor Nicholas II ordered that white-blue-red be considered the National and State flag, also indicating that “other flags should not be allowed.”

Black-yellow-white remained only with the imperial family. The emperor was “persuaded” because supposedly all Slavic peoples were assigned these colors - and this emphasizes their “unity”. And explaining this by the fact that the black-yellow-white flag “does not have heraldic historical foundations in Russia” to be considered a cloth bearing Russian national colors. This begs the question, what historical basis does the trade flag have?

But let's return to the white-yellow-black banner. That is, then, before adoption, the white-yellow-black flag was simply turned over.

The “coup” can also be traced to its author – Bernhard Karl Köhne (he will be discussed at the end of the article in order to fully understand what kind of person got involved in “correcting” Russian heraldry). Upon his accession to the throne, Alexander II decided, among other things, to put the state symbols in order - and to bring them into line with pan-European heraldic standards.

This was to be done by Baron Bernhard Karl Köhne, who was appointed head of the stamp department in 1857. He (Köhne) was born into the family of a secret state archivist, a Berlin Jew, a heretic who converted to the Reformed religion. He came to Russia under the patronage. In heraldic historiography he earned a sharp negative assessment, despite his vigorous activity.

But be that as it may, the flag was accepted and in this form it existed until 1910, when monarchists raised the question of the “correctness” of the flag, since the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov was approaching.

A special meeting was formed to clarify the issue “about the state Russian national colors.” It worked for 5 years, and the majority of participants voted for the return of the imperial white-yellow-black flag with the “correct” arrangement of colors as the main, state flag.

For some reason and why - it is not clear, but they made a compromise - the result was a symbiosis of two competing flags: an eclectic white-blue-red flag had a yellow square with a black double-headed eagle in the upper corner. We fought a little with this in that world war. Further, the history of the imperial flag ends for a well-known reason.

In heraldry, an inverted flag means mourning, Köhne knew this very well, heading the heraldic department of the Empire. The death of the Russian emperors confirmed this. In maritime practice, an inverted flag means that the ship is in distress.

It is clear that colors are still confused and flags are hung upside down, consciously and unconsciously, but for this to happen at the state level and with many years of struggle, special efforts of special people are needed.

The existence of the white-yellow-black flag is confirmed by newsreels, but they are treated differently due to the black-and-white film. Supporters of the black-yellow-white flag explain that on the set of the white-blue-red flag, without being embarrassed by the simple experience of comparing colors, when converting colored flags into black and white mode using any well-known graphic editor. Given this experience, the similarity of the white-yellow-black flag to newsreel footage is greater than the white-blue-red one.

Also, the tricolor in the white-yellow-black arrangement can be seen in artists’ paintings.

V. M. Vasnetsov “News of the capture of Kars” 1878

In Vasnetsov’s painting dedicated to the Russian-Turkish war, a white-yellow-black flag is installed. Interesting fact: the painting dates back to 1878, that is, it was painted 20 years after the release of statement No. 33289 “on the arrangement of coat of arms flowers,” in which they were changed the other way around. It turns out that the people still used uninverted white-yellow-black flags.

[In the center, there is an assumption that this is the flag (blue-yellow-red) of the United Principality of Wallachia and Moldavia, an ally of the Russian Empire in the Russian-Turkish War (1877–1878). There is also an opinion that this is a Pan-Slavic (common Slavic) flag (if the flag wears blue-white-red colors. It is difficult to judge from the reproduction the color of the middle zone). In 1848, at the Pan-Slavic Congress in Prague, the Slavic peoples adopted a common Pan-Slavic flag, repeating the colors of the Russian (white-blue-red) flag.]

And here is Rozanov’s painting “Fair on Arbat Square”. White, yellow and black flags can be seen waving on the roofs of buildings. And along with them are white, blue and red. The picture was painted just during the coexistence of the two flags.

Painting by A.P. Rozanov “Fair on Arbat Square” 1877

No matter how they explain the location of the black stripe at the top: this is the incomprehensibility of God (what if God is light?), and the greatness of the Empire, and the color of Spirituality (referring to the monastic robe).

Also interpreted as: black – monasticism, yellow – gold of icons, white – purity of the soul. But all this is from the category of popular interpretations. Who will come up with something?

It is difficult to guess for yourself the meaning of the colors in this arrangement (black-yellow-white). A logical explanation just doesn't come to mind. But for us, someone “kind” does it himself and slips in his own interpretation, so that no one has even a shadow of doubt about the “correctness” of the arrangement of colors. And if anyone thinks otherwise, they rebuke him: how dare he doubt? The principle “everyone thinks so” or “this is how it is accepted” is in full effect here. They are not looking for the truth, but for public opinion, which, alas, almost never has anything to do with the truth.

But the most important point is missed, that the colors of the imperial flag should be identical to the words that express our entire Slavic essence: Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality. Or, to put it another way: Church, Tsar, Kingdom. What color goes with each of these words? I think the answer is obvious.

Also, along with the flag, the state emblem also underwent changes in 1858. Koehne created it the way we are used to seeing it. Although under Nicholas I it was different.

Coat of arms of Köhne, 1858

For example, the Coat of Arms depicted on coins. Here are the Nikolaev coins, 1858.

But the 1859 coin of Alexander II (The reign of Alexander II, whose years were nicknamed the “era of great reforms”, for Russian Jews, as well as for the country as a whole, was a sharp contrast to the previous one. Reforms in the economy, relative political freedoms, rapid development of industry - all this, like a century earlier in Prussia, created the conditions for Jewish assimilation, which never happened). Here you can clearly see how accurately the eagle was “licked” from the Habsburg coat of arms. A particularly striking detail is the eagle’s tail. And all this in one year with the change of the flag. Magendovids (six-pointed stars) also appeared on coins. Since the Masons are great symbolists, they just wanted to add at least a drop of tar to our heraldry.

A few more coins for comparison:

Back in 1959, a commemorative coin and medal “Monument of Emperor Nicholas I on Horseback” was issued. Magendavids are now so small that they can only be seen under a magnifying glass.

The copper coins were updated, the design changed radically, the stars there are “Soviet” - pentacles.

The image below shows the similarity of the coat of arms that Koehne “composed” with the coat of arms of the Habsburgs.

Habsburg coat of arms

For comparison:

1. The crown acquired a ribbon (although, in my opinion, it looks more like a snake); before this, this ribbon had never been used in Russian heraldry.

2. The wings have fallen off, previously all the eagles had fluffy wings, but now they are absolutely copied from the Habsburgs, even in design, between the large feathers and there are small feathers here and there. The only thing is that our eagle has 6 feathers, versus 7.

3. The combination of a coat of arms and a chain, although this arrangement was used previously, the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle was clearly visible on all previous coins, now it is just a chain, like the Habsburgs themselves.

4. Main Tail. This is clear without comment.

Bernhard Karl (in Russia Boris Vasilyevich) Köhne (4/16.7.1817, Berlin - 5.2.1886, Würzburg, Bavaria) was born into the family of a secret state archivist, a Berlin Jew who converted to the Reformed religion (Köhne himself and his son remained Protestants, despite the fact that they connected their lives with Russia, and the grandson was already Orthodox).

He became interested in numismatics early on and published his first work in this field (“Coinage of the City of Berlin”) at the age of 20, while still a student at a Berlin gymnasium.

He also became one of the active figures, and then the secretary of the Berlin Numismatic Society, and in 1841–1846. supervised the publication of a journal on numismatics, sphragistics and heraldry.

Köhne met Russia in absentia back in the early 1840s. The famous numismatist Yakov Yakovlevich Reichel, who served in the Expedition for the procurement of state papers, the owner of one of the largest numismatic collections, drew attention to the young man, who soon became his assistant in collecting and “representative” in German numismatic circles. After completing his university course, Koehne came to St. Petersburg for the first time.

He returned to Berlin with a firm desire to enter the Russian service and applied for the then vacant chair of archeology at the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (which never happened). As a result of Reichel’s patronage, on March 27, 1845, Koehne was appointed assistant to the head of the First Department of the Imperial Hermitage (the First Department included collections of antiquities and coins, it was headed by the major numismatist Florian Antonovich Gilles) with the rank of collegiate assessor [by the end of his life, Koehne had risen to the rank of Privy Councilor (1876 )].

In St. Petersburg, Koehne developed a vigorous activity.

The persistent desire to get into the Academy of Sciences, moreover, in the archaeological “direction”, stimulated not only his active study of archeology, but also his no less active organizational work. In an effort to gain the necessary weight in scientific circles, Koehne initiated the creation of a special numismatic society in Russia, but since archeology inevitably attracted him, he combined these two sciences under one “administrative” name - this is how the Archaeological-Numismatic Society appeared in St. Petersburg (later the Russian Archaeological Society ).

Köhne sought to promote himself and society on a European scale. It contained all the correspondence with foreign scientists. And foreign scientific societies invariably accepted him as their members, so that by the end of his life he was a member of 30 foreign societies and academies (he never got into the St. Petersburg one). By the way, the orientation towards the West led to the fact that Koehne tried not to allow reports in Russian at meetings (only in French and German), and only after the ethnographer and archaeologist Ivan Petrovich Sakharov (1807–1863) joined the society, the Russian language was restored to his rights.

The second half of the 1850s was Koehne’s triumph in Heraldry, when in 1856 he created the Great State Emblem of the Empire, and in June 1857 he became the manager of the Armal Department at the department (with the retention of the Hermitage). Having headed all practical work in the field of Russian heraldry, Koehne over the next years began a large-scale heraldic reform, trying to unify and give consistency to the body of Russian family and territorial coats of arms by bringing them into line with the rules of European heraldry (for example, turning the figures to the right heraldic side; replacing some that Koehne thought were not suitable for heraldry, figures for others, etc.) and the introduction of new principles and elements (placement of the provincial coat of arms in the free part of the city coat of arms, a system of emblems of the external part of territorial and city coats of arms, reflecting their status, etc. ).

Köhne’s career in the Russian Archaeological Society ended with the arrival of the new august leader, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich. He did not approve the election of Koehne as secretary of the third department of the society (the only case in the entire history of the society), as a result of which at the beginning of 1853 Koehne left its ranks. Konstantin Nikolaevich, apparently, generally had a persistent dislike for Koena. In particular, he disapproved of the draft state emblem of 1856–1857.

On October 15, 1862, Köhne was allowed to accept the baronial title, granted on May 12/24 of the same year by the ruler (during the minority of Prince Henry XXII) of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz, Caroline Amalie. In the literature one can find a statement that Koehne owes this title to the state emblem of the Russian Empire he created, but this data needs confirmation. Most likely, the enterprising numismatist simply bought the rights to this title and thus became, probably, the only Baron “Reuss-Greizsky” in Russia.

Main conclusions

The handwriting of Freemasonry is clearly visible in Russian heraldry, just as the authorship of these “creations” is well known. There is a successful sabotage against the Russian Empire, committed by Jews against the monarchy and the Russian people.

Russia is an Orthodox country, regardless of how many churchgoers and true believers there are currently. Orthodoxy is the foundation on which Rus' was built and stands to this day. This means that there cannot be anything in its symbolism that contradicts Orthodox spirituality.

Based on this statement, then the imperial flag of Russia should be white-yellow-black, and not vice versa. And here's why:

White color is God. White color symbolizes the Divine uncreated (uncreated) light.

On the great holidays of the Nativity of Christ, Epiphany, Ascension, Transfiguration, Annunciation, they serve in white vestments. White vestments are worn during baptisms and burials. The holiday of Easter (the Resurrection of Christ) begins in white vestments as a sign of the Light that shone from the Tomb of the risen Savior, although the main Easter color is red and gold. In icon painting, white color means the radiance of eternal life and purity.

Yellow (golden) – King. These are the colors of glory, royal and episcopal greatness and dignity.

They wear vestments of this color on Sundays - the days of remembrance of the Lord, the King of Glory. In golden (yellow) colored vestments, the days of God’s special anointed ones are celebrated: prophets, apostles and saints. In icon painting, gold symbolizes Divine light.

Blacks are the people of God (see below about the Black Hundreds).

This color also symbolizes crying and repentance. Accepted during the days of Great Lent, it symbolizes renunciation of worldly vanity.

For Vera! (God - Orthodoxy) - White color. King! (Autocracy) – Yellow color. Fatherland! (Russian Land, People) – Black color.

Brothers and sisters, what do you think should be the colors on the imperial flag of Russia? From top to bottom, white-yellow-black, i.e. GOD-KING-PEOPLE or vice versa, black-yellow-white, i.e. PEOPLE-KING-GOD?

The last option is the symbol of liberals, when an insane crowd of people, eager to live according to their passions, rises above the Tsar and God. In our opinion, the black-yellow-white flag is a symbol of the revolution, which took place in Russia several decades after the adoption of this flag.

In addition, we all remember from the Holy Gospel what the Magi offered to the born Lord Jesus Christ: “and entering the house, they saw the Child with Mary His Mother, and, falling down, they worshiped Him and, opening their treasures, brought Him gifts; : gold, frankincense and myrrh! (Matt. 2:11)

Incense, like God, is white. Gold, like the Tsar, is a yellow color. Smyrna, as a person, is black.

We will not blame our faithful Kings for this, since no one is guilty of our betrayal of God and the King, which is still happening today. These external signs are only a reflection of the spiritual state of the people.

It can be firmly stated that the Holy Great Tsar-Redeemer Nicholas II and Tsarevich Alexei understood the problem of the state flag of the Russian Empire and intended to bring its colors to their original form, i.e. white-yellow-black. This is confirmed by the fact that the banner of the Livadia-Yalta amusing (intended for war games) company named after Tsarevich Alexei consisted of white, yellow and black stripes.

This banner belonged to the Tsarevich's regiment. Therefore, there is no doubt that during his supposed future reign it was planned to use exactly this arrangement of colors on the imperial banner...

In addition, for the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov, Tsar Nicholas II approved an anniversary medal using the colors: White-Yellow-Black.

Brothers and sisters, we urge all of you not to be divided among each other based on differences in the arrangement of colors on the imperial flag. And this issue, important for all of us, will undoubtedly be resolved one of the first with the accession to the throne of the coming and promised to the Russian people of God’s Anointed - the Tsar.

Strengthen and help us, Lord! Amen.

Black Hundreds

For a long time, these names were given an extremely negative character, but the phrase “Black Hundred” has been found in Russian chronicles since the 12th century. In medieval Rus', “black people” were called “people of the earth” - “zemskiy” (citizens and villagers), in contrast to “servicemen”, whose life was inextricably linked with the institutions of the state. Thus “h. With." is an association of zemstvo people, and calling their organizations “ch. With." - ideologists of the early 20th century. thereby sought to emphasize that in a difficult time for the country, the unification of “zemstvo people” - “ch. With." - are called upon to save and protect its main foundations...

History of the name

The very name “Black Hundred” can be traced, for example, in the classic course of lectures by V. O. Klyuchevsky “Terminology of Russian History.” The phrase “Black Hundred” entered Russian chronicles starting in the 12th century (!) and played a primary role until the era of Peter the Great. “Black Hundreds” are associations of “zemstvo” people, people of the earth, in contrast to “servicemen”, whose life was inextricably linked with the institutions of the state. And by calling their organizations “Black Hundreds,” the ideologists of the early 20th century thereby sought to revive the ancient purely “democratic” order of things: in a difficult time for the country, the unification of “Zemstvo people”—the “Black Hundreds”—are called upon to save its main foundations.

The founder of the organized “Black Hundreds” V. A. Gringmut in his already mentioned “Manual of the Monarchist Black Hundreds” (1906) wrote: “The enemies of the autocracy called the “Black Hundred” the simple, black Russian people who, during the armed rebellion of 1905, stood up for their defense autocratic Tsar. Is this name honorable, “Black Hundred”? Yes, very honorable. The Nizhny Novgorod Black Hundred, gathered around Minin, saved Moscow and all of Russia from the Poles and Russian traitors.”

© Dmitry Litvin, text, 2016

© Book stall, publication, 2016