The ' ("Imperial Eagle") is the

heraldic eagle The eagle is used in heraldry as a charge, as a supporter, and as a crest. Heraldic eagles can be found throughout world history like in the Achaemenid Empire or in the present Republic of Indonesia. The European post-classical symbolism of the ...

, derived from the Roman eagle standard, used by the Holy Roman Emperors and in modern coats of arms of Germany, including those of the Second German Empire (1871–1918), the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is ...

(1919–1933) and

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

(1933–1945). The same design has remained in use by the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...

since 1945, albeit under the name ' ("Federal Eagle").

History

Holy Roman Empire

The ''Reichsadler'', i. e. the German

Imperial Eagle The eagle is used in heraldry as a charge, as a supporter, and as a crest. Heraldic eagles can be found throughout world history like in the Achaemenid Empire or in the present Republic of Indonesia. The European post-classical symbolism of ...

, originated from a proto-heraldic emblem that was believed to have been used by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

, the first Frankish ruler whom the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

crowned as Holy Roman Emperor in AD 800, and derived ultimately from the '' Aquila'', i. e.

eagle standard An ''aquila'' (, "eagle") was a prominent symbol used in ancient Rome, especially as the standard of a Roman legion. A legionary known as an ''aquilifer'', the "eagle-bearer", carried this standard. Each legion carried one eagle. The eagle had ...

, of the ancient

Roman army The Roman army (Latin: ) was the armed forces deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC–395 AD), and its medieval contin ...

. An eagle statue was erected on the roof of the Carolingian palace, and an eagle was placed on the orb of

Emperor Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was crowned as King of G ...

Emperor Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt o ...

popularised use of the eagle as the Imperial emblem by using it in all his banners, coats of arms, coins, and insignia. The Ottonian and Salian Emperors had themselves depicted with the Roman "eagle sceptre", and Emperor Frederick II depicted the Imperial Eagle on his coins. Before the mid-13th century, however, the Imperial Eagle was an Imperial symbol in its own right, and not used yet as a

heraldic charge In heraldry, a charge is any emblem or device occupying the field of an '' escutcheon'' (shield). That may be a geometric design (sometimes called an '' ordinary'') or a symbolic representation of a person, animal, plant, object, building, or ...

in a coat of arms. An early depiction of a double-headed Imperial Eagle in a heraldic shield, attributed to

Frederick II of Hohenstaufen Frederick II (German: ''Friedrich''; Italian: ''Federico''; Latin: ''Federicus''; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusal ...

, is found in the ''

Chronica Majora The ''Chronica Majora'' is the seminal work of Matthew Paris, a member of the English Benedictine community of St Albans and long-celebrated historian. The work begins with Creation and contains annals down to the year of Paris' death of 1259. ...

'' by

Matthew Paris Matthew Paris, also known as Matthew of Paris ( la, Matthæus Parisiensis, lit=Matthew the Parisian; c. 1200 – 1259), was an English Benedictine monk, chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts and cartographer, based at St Albans Abbey ...

(circa 1250). ''

Segar's Roll A roll of arms (or armorial) is a collection of coats of arms, usually consisting of rows of painted pictures of shields, each shield accompanied by the name of the person bearing the arms. The oldest extant armorials date to the mid-13th centu ...

'' (circa 1280) likewise depicts the double-headed Imperial Eagle as the coat of arms of the

King of Germany This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (''Regnum Teutonicum''), from the division of the Frankish Empire in 843 and the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 until the collapse of the German Emp ...

. The Imperial Eagle also is depicted in the seals of

free Imperial cities In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...

, including that of

Kaiserswerth Kaiserswerth is one of the oldest quarters of the City of Düsseldorf, part of Borough 5. It is in the north of the city and next to the river Rhine. It houses the where Florence Nightingale worked. Kaiserswerth has an area of , and 7,923 inh ...

in the 13th century,

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the state ...

in the 14th century,

Besançon Besançon (, , , ; archaic german: Bisanz; la, Vesontio) is the prefecture of the department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzer ...

Cheb Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře. Before the 1945 expulsion of the German-speaking population, the town was the centre of the German-s ...

, and others. Use of the Imperial Eagle in the Imperial coat of arms of a reigning emperor dates to after the interregnum. Sigismund of Luxembourg used a black double-headed Imperial Eagle after he was crowned as Holy Roman Emperor in 1433; thereafter the single-headed Imperial Eagle represented the title of '' King of the Romans'' and the double-headed one the title of ''

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

''. During the following century,

Albert II of Germany Albert the Magnanimous KG, elected King of the Romans as Albert II (10 August 139727 October 1439) was king of the Holy Roman Empire and a member of the House of Habsburg. By inheritance he became Albert V, Duke of Austria. Through his wife (''j ...

was the final ''King-Elect of Germany'' who did not progress to coronation as Emperor. After the

German Reformation German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, beginning with Ferdinand I (1558), the Holy Roman Emperors ceased to be crowned by the

. The

Teutonic Order The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...

under

Hermann von Salza Hermann von Salza (or Herman of Salza; c. 1165 – 20 March 1239) was the fourth Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1210 to 1239. A skilled diplomat with ties to the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope, Hermann oversaw the expansio ...

had the privilege of displaying the Imperial Eagle in its coat of arms, which privilege Emperor Frederick II granted it. The black Imperial Eagle was later adopted when the Teutonic State was transformed into the

Duchy of Prussia The Duchy of Prussia (german: Herzogtum Preußen, pl, Księstwo Pruskie, lt, Prūsijos kunigaikštystė) or Ducal Prussia (german: Herzogliches Preußen, link=no; pl, Prusy Książęce, link=no) was a duchy in the region of Prussia establish ...

in 1525, and a modified version was used in the

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

Royal Prussia Royal Prussia ( pl, Prusy Królewskie; german: Königlich-Preußen or , csb, Królewsczé Prësë) or Polish PrussiaAnton Friedrich Büsching, Patrick Murdoch. ''A New System of Geography'', London 1762p. 588/ref> (Polish: ; German: ) was a ...

(1466–1772).

Modern use

In 1804, Holy Roman Emperor Francis II established the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...

from the lands of the Habsburg monarchy, and adopted the double-headed eagle, aggrandized by an

inescutcheon In heraldry, an escutcheon () is a shield that forms the main or focal element in an achievement of arms. The word can be used in two related senses. In the first sense, an escutcheon is the shield upon which a coat of arms is displayed. In the s ...

emblem of the

House of Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine (german: Haus Habsburg-Lothringen) originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa of Austria, later successively Queen of Bohemia, Queen of Hungary, Queen of C ...

and the Order of the Golden Fleece, as its coat of arms; the Holy Roman Empire was subsequently dissolved in 1806. Since 1919 the

coat of arms of Austria The current coat of arms of the Republic of Austria has been in use in its first forms by the First Republic of Austria since 1919. Between 1934 and the German annexation in 1938, the ''Federal State (Bundesstaat Österreich)'' used a different ...

has depicted a single-headed eagle. Although not a

national symbol A national symbol is a symbol of any entity considering and manifesting itself to the world as a national community: the sovereign states but also nations and countries in a state of colonial or other dependence, federal integration, or even an e ...

in the modern sense, the ' evoked sentiments of loyalty to the empire.Selzer, Stephan. '. Niemeyer: Tübingen, 2001. Page 167. Following the

revolutions of 1848 in the German states In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

, the ' was restored as a symbol of national unity: it became the coat of arms of the short-lived German Empire and subsequently the

German Confederation The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...

from its restoration in 1850 until its dissolution in 1866. It was once again restored in 1871 when a single-headed eagle with a

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

inescutcheon became the insignia of the German Empire; the single head was used to represent the so-called ', i.e. it excluded

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the Weimar Republic under President

Friedrich Ebert Friedrich Ebert (; 4 February 187128 February 1925) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the first president of Germany from 1919 until his death in office in 1925. Ebert was elected leader of the SPD on t ...

assumed a plain version of the ', which remained in use until 1935. During Nazi rule, a stylised eagle combined with the Nazi swastika was made the national emblem (') by order of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

in 1935. Despite its medieval origin, the term "'" in common English understanding is mostly associated with this specific Nazi-era version. The

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

had used a very similar symbol for itself, called the ' ("Party's eagle"). These two insignia can be distinguished as the ' looks to its right shoulder whereas the ' looks to its left shoulder. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

the

re-implemented the eagle used by the Weimar Republic by enactment of President

Theodor Heuss Theodor Heuss (; 31 January 1884 – 12 December 1963) was a German liberal politician who served as the first president of West Germany from 1949 to 1959. His cordial nature – something of a contrast to the stern character of chancellor K ...

in 1950.

Gallery

Holy Roman Empire

File:Drittes Kaisersiegel Konrads II. mit dem sogenannten Adlerszepter.jpg, Seal of Conrad II (1029), with a depiction of the eagle-sceptre. File:Augustale.jpg, Imperial eagle on a coin of Frederick II (r. 1197–1250) File:Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor.jpg, Arms of

Otto IV Otto IV (1175 – 19 May 1218) was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 until his death in 1218. Otto spent most of his early life in England and France. He was a follower of his uncle Richard the Lionheart, who made him Count of Poitou in 119 ...

as shown in ''

Chronica Maiora The ''Chronica Majora'' is the seminal work of Matthew Paris, a member of the English Benedictine community of St Albans and long-celebrated historian. The work begins with Creation and contains annals down to the year of Paris' death of 1259. ...

'' (ca. 1250), early depiction of a double-headed ' File:Reichsadler Manesse.png, Imperial coat of arms attributed to Henry VI (r. 1191–1197) from ''

Codex Manesse The Codex Manesse (also Große Heidelberger Liederhandschrift or Pariser Handschrift) is a ''Liederhandschrift'' (manuscript containing songs), the single most comprehensive source of Middle High German ''Minnesang'' poetry, written and illustrat ...

'' (c. 1304). File:Tod Heinrichs VII..jpg, Tomb of Henry VII (d. 1313), with the emperor's coats of arms and the imperial eagle ('' Codex Balduini Trevirorum'', c. 1340). File:Karel4 orlice.jpg, Imperial eagle in a seal used by Charles IV in 1349. File:Sceau-Sigismond-Musée historique de Kaysersberg.jpg, Double-headed imperial eagle in the seal used by

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it '' Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

of Luxembourg in 1433 File:Bern Münster Passionsfenster detail3.jpg, The ''

Reichssturmfahne The flag of the Holy Roman Empire was not a national flag, but rather an imperial banner used by the Holy Roman Emperor; black and gold were used as the colours of the imperial banner, a black eagle on a golden background. After the late 13th or ...

'' in a stained glass window in

Bern Minster Bern Minster (german: Berner Münster) is a Swiss Reformed cathedral (or minster) in the old city of Bern, Switzerland. Built in the Gothic style, its construction started in 1421. Its tower, with a height of , was only completed in 1893. It is ...

, ca. 1450. File:Wernigeroder Wappenbuch 023.jpg, Imperial coat of arms of Frederick III (r. 1452–1493) in the Wernigerode Armorial (ca. 1490) File:Quaterionenadler David de Negker.jpg, Quaternion Eagle c. 1510, the eagle displaying the imperial quaternions on its remiges. File:Virgil Solis HWG Wappen des HRR mit Putti.jpg, Imperial arms by

Virgil Solis Virgil Solis or Virgilius Solis (1514 – 1 August 1562), a member of a prolific family of artists, was a German draughtsman and printmaker in engraving, etching and woodcut who worked in his native city of Nuremberg. Biography His prints ...

(ca. 1540) File:Wapen 1545 Des Reichs Fahn.jpg, Depiction of the ''

'' in a 1545 woodcut File:COA Holy Empire Koifhus Colmar.jpg, Imperial arms at the Koïfhus in Colmar (16th century) File:Triple-headed eagle by grunenberg 1483.jpg, The imperial eagle depicted with one,

two 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

and three heads (after Conrad Grünenberg 1483, copy of 1602/4) File:Habsburger Wappenbuch Fisch saa-V4-1985 077r.jpg, Imperial arms of Mathias (r. 1612–1619) by Hans Ulrich Fisch (1627)

Modern history

File:Imperial Coat of arms of Germany (1848).svg, Coat of arms of the short-lived German Empire (1848–49); the

used a similar eagle. File:Imperial Coat of Arms of the Empire of Austria (1815).svg, Coat of arms of the

(1804–1867); also used as the lesser arms of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(1867–1915). File:Wappen Deutsches Reich - Reichsadler 1889.svg, ' (official design 1888–1918) of the (Second) German Empire File:Wappen Deutsches Reich (Weimarer Republik).svg, ' (1919–1928) of the

File:Parteiadler der Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (1933–1945).svg, ' of the

(1933–1945), with head looking on its left File:Parteiadler der Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (1933–1945) (andere).svg, ' of the

(1933–1945), with head looking on its left, variant File:Reichsadler der Deutsches Reich (1935–1945).svg, ' (1935–1945) of

, with head looking on its right File:Österreich-Wappen (1934-1938).svg, Austrian coat of arms used during the austrofascist ''Corporate State'' 1934– 1938 File:Coat of arms of Germany.svg, ' (1928–1935) of the

and ' (1949–present) of the

File:Coat of arms of Austria.svg, "'" of the

Republic of Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ci ...

since 1945 File:Austria Bundesadler 1919-1934.svg, The previous design, without the broken chains symbolizing the end of fascism, was used 1919–1934

References

*Norbert Weyss: "Der Doppeladler – Geschichte eines Symbols", ''Adler'' 3, 1986, 78ff. *Franz Gall: "Zur Entwicklung des Doppeladlers auf den kaiserlichen Siegeln", ''Adler'' 8 (1970), 281ff. * Vladimir Monakhov: Новые-старые цвета России, или Как возвращали орла, ''ГЕРАЛЬДИКА СЕГОДНЯ'' (2003). * Michael Göbl, "Staatssymbole des Habsburger-Reiches - ab 1867 mit besonderer Berücksichtigung des Staatswappens", in: ''Österreichs politische Symbole'' (1994), 11ff.

External links

* P. Diem
Die Entwicklung des österreichischen Doppeladlers
{{in lang, de Imperial Eagle Heraldry of the Holy Roman Empire National symbols of Germany Fascist symbols Nazi symbolism Symbols of Nazi Germany

History

Holy Roman Empire

Modern use

Gallery

Holy Roman Empire

Modern history

See also

References

External links