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The ' ("Imperial Eagle") is the heraldic eagle, derived from the Roman eagle standard, used by the
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
s and in modern coats of arms of Germany, including those of the Second
German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
(1871–1918), the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The same design has remained in use by the Federal Republic of Germany 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 the ...
, originated from a proto-heraldic emblem that was believed to have been used by Charlemagne, the first Frankish ruler whom the Pope crowned as
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
in AD 800, and derived ultimately from the ''
Aquila Aquila may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Aquila'', a series of books by S.P. Somtow * ''Aquila'', a 1997 book by Andrew Norriss * ''Aquila'' (children's magazine), a UK-based children's magazine * ''Aquila'' (journal), an or ...
'', i. e. eagle standard, 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 continu ...
. An eagle statue was erected on the roof of the Carolingian palace, and an eagle was placed on the orb of Emperor Otto III.
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 on ...
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 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 Jerusa ...
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 a coat of arms. An early depiction of a double-headed Imperial Eagle in a heraldic shield, attributed to Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, 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 (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 centur ...
'' (circa 1280) likewise depicts the double-headed Imperial Eagle as the coat of arms of the King of Germany. The Imperial Eagle also is depicted in the seals of free Imperial cities, including that of Kaiserswerth in the 13th century, Lübeck in the 14th century, Besançon, Cheb, and others. Use of the Imperial Eagle in the Imperial coat of arms of a reigning emperor dates to after the
interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next (coming from Latin '' ...
.
Sigismund of Luxembourg Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was a monarch as King of Hungary and Croatia (''jure uxoris'') from 1387, King of Germany from 1410, King of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1 ...
used a black double-headed Imperial Eagle after he was crowned as
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
in 1433; thereafter the single-headed Imperial Eagle represented the title of ''
King of the Romans King of the Romans ( la, Rex Romanorum; german: König der Römer) was the title used by the king of Germany following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward. The title originally referred to any German k ...
'' and the double-headed one the title of '' Emperor''. During the following century, Albert II of Germany was the final ''King-Elect of Germany'' who did not progress to coronation as Emperor. After the German Reformation, beginning with
Ferdinand I Ferdinand I or Fernando I may refer to: People * Ferdinand I of León, ''the Great'' (ca. 1000–1065, king from 1037) * Ferdinand I of Portugal and the Algarve, ''the Handsome'' (1345–1383, king from 1367) * Ferdinand I of Aragon and Sicily, '' ...
(1558), the Holy Roman Emperors ceased to be crowned by the Pope. The Teutonic Order 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 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 Jerusa ...
granted it. The black Imperial Eagle was later adopted when the
Teutonic State The State of the Teutonic Order (german: Staat des Deutschen Ordens, ; la, Civitas Ordinis Theutonici; lt, Vokiečių ordino valstybė; pl, Państwo zakonu krzyżackiego), also called () or (), was a medieval Crusader state, located in Centr ...
was transformed into the Duchy of Prussia 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 ...
of Royal Prussia (1466–1772).


Modern use

In 1804, Holy Roman Emperor Francis II established the Austrian Empire from the lands of the
Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
, and adopted the double-headed eagle, aggrandized by an inescutcheon emblem of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and the
Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...
, as its coat of arms; the Holy Roman Empire was subsequently dissolved in 1806. Since 1919 the coat of arms of Austria has depicted a single-headed eagle. Although not a national symbol 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, the ' was restored as a symbol of national unity: it became the coat of arms of the short-lived
German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
and subsequently the German Confederation 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 inescutcheon became the insignia of the
German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
; the single head was used to represent the so-called ', i.e. it excluded Austria. After World War I the Weimar Republic under President Friedrich Ebert assumed a plain version of the ', which remained in use until 1935. During Nazi rule, a stylised eagle combined with the Nazi
swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It ...
was made the national emblem (') by order of Adolf Hitler in 1935. Despite its medieval origin, the term "'" in common English understanding is mostly associated with this specific Nazi-era version. The Nazi Party 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 the Federal Republic of Germany re-implemented the eagle used by the Weimar Republic by enactment of President Theodor Heuss 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 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'' (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 ''Codex Balduini Trevirensis'' (also known as the ''Balduineum'', or as ''Codex Balduineus''), is an illustrated chronicle made c. 1340 for Baldwin of Luxemburg, archbishop of Trier and brother of the late emperor Henry VII. It covers Henry's I ...
'', 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 of Luxembourg in 1433 File:Bern Münster Passionsfenster detail3.jpg, The '' Reichssturmfahne'' in a stained glass window in Bern Minster, ca. 1450. File:Wernigeroder Wappenbuch 023.jpg, Imperial coat of arms of Frederick III (r. 1452–1493) in the
Wernigerode Armorial The ''Wernigerode Armorial'' (Bavarian State Library Cod.icon. 308 n, known in German as ''Wernigeroder Wappenbuch'' or ''Schaffhausensches Wappenbuch'') is an armorial compiled in southern Germany (possibly near Nördlingen) in the late 15th cen ...
(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 (ca. 1540) File:Wapen 1545 Des Reichs Fahn.jpg, Depiction of the '' Reichssturmfahne'' in a 1545 woodcut File:COA Holy Empire Koifhus Colmar.jpg, Imperial arms at the Koïfhus in
Colmar Colmar (, ; Alsatian: ' ; German during 1871–1918 and 1940–1945: ') is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is ...
(16th century) File:Triple-headed eagle by grunenberg 1483.jpg, The imperial eagle depicted with one, two and three heads (after
Conrad Grünenberg Conrad Grünenberg, also spelled Konrad, Grünemberg, Grünberg (probably born around 1415; died 1494) was a patrician from Constance in southern Germany, known as the author of three books, two armorials and a travelogue: the ''Österreichische ...
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 Hans Ulrich Fisch (1583–1647) was a Swiss painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush ...
(1627)


Modern history

File:Imperial Coat of arms of Germany (1848).svg, Coat of arms of the short-lived
German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
(1848–49); the German Confederation used a similar eagle. File:Imperial Coat of Arms of the Empire of Austria (1815).svg, Coat of arms of the Austrian Empire (1804–1867); also used as the lesser arms of Austria-Hungary (1867–1915). File:Wappen Deutsches Reich - Reichsadler 1889.svg, ' (official design 1888–1918) of the (Second)
German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
File:Wappen Deutsches Reich (Weimarer Republik).svg, ' (1919–1928) of the Weimar Republic File:Parteiadler der Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (1933–1945).svg, ' of the Nazi Party (1933–1945), with head looking on its left File:Parteiadler der Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (1933–1945) (andere).svg, ' of the Nazi Party (1933–1945), with head looking on its left, variant File:Reichsadler der Deutsches Reich (1935–1945).svg, ' (1935–1945) of Nazi Germany, with head looking on its right File:Österreich-Wappen (1934-1938).svg, Austrian coat of arms used during the
austrofascist The Federal State of Austria ( de-AT, Bundesstaat Österreich; colloquially known as the , "Corporate State") was a continuation of the First Austrian Republic between 1934 and 1938 when it was a one-party state led by the clerical fascist Fa ...
''Corporate State'' 1934–
1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...
File:Coat of arms of Germany.svg, ' (1928–1935) of the Weimar Republic and ' (1949–present) of the Federal Republic of Germany File:Coat of arms of Austria.svg, "'" of the Republic of Austria since 1945 File:Austria Bundesadler 1919-1934.svg, The previous design, without the broken chains symbolizing the end of fascism, was used 1919–1934


See also

*
Armorial of the Holy Roman Empire Over its long history, the Holy Roman Empire used many different heraldic forms, representing its numerous internal divisions. Imperial coat of arms Coats of arms of Holy Roman Emperors The ''Reichsadler'' ("Imperial Eagle") was the hera ...
*
Quaternion Eagle The Quaternion Eagle (german: Quaternionenadler; it, aquila quaternione), also known as the Imperial Quaternion Eagle (german: Quaternionen-Reichsadler) or simply Imperial Eagle (german: Reichsadler), was an informal coat of arms of the Holy Rom ...
*
Imperial Eagle beaker An Imperial Eagle beaker (german: Reichsadlerhumpen), or eagle glass, was a popular drinking vessel from the 16th until the late 18th century in the Holy Roman Empire. The enamelled glass was decorated with a double-headed eagle, usually in the s ...
* Aquila (Roman) *
Byzantine heraldry For most of its history, the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire did not know or use heraldry in the Western European sense of permanent motifs transmitted through hereditary right. Various large aristocratic families employed certain symbols to ide ...
* Coat of arms of Austria * Coat of arms of Brandenburg * Coat of arms of Germany *
Coat of arms of Prussia The state of Prussia developed from the State of the Teutonic Order. The original flag of the Teutonic Knights had been a black cross on a white flag. Emperor Frederick II in 1229 granted them the right to use the black Eagle of the Holy Roman Empi ...
*
Coat of arms of Russia The coat of arms of Russia derives from the earlier coat of arms of the Russian Empire which was abolished with the Russian Revolution in 1917. Though modified more than once since the reign of Ivan III (1462–1505), the current coat of arms i ...
* Double-headed eagle *
Coat of arms of Bogotá The official coat of arms of the Capital region, Capital District of Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, was granted by the Emperor Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V to the New Kingdom of Granada on December 3, 1548 in Valladolid. It was used ...


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