Flag of the Austrian Empire. The curse of the Habsburgs hangs over Ukraine. Austrian Empire on the Eve of the Revolution

In 2014, State Duma deputy, member of the Supreme Council of the LDPR Mikhail Degtyarev prepared a draft law on amending the federal constitutional law "On the State Flag of the Russian Federation," Izvestia reported. The amendment provided for the change of the existing official flag of Russia from the white-blue-red tricolor to the black-yellow-white standard.

Proponents of this tricolor call it imperial. They are convinced that Russia's golden age is connected precisely with the black-yellow-white banner. It is said that this color combination is more authentic to the original Russian statehood. Hardly…

According to the legislator, reunification with Crimea, the creation of the Customs Union and the growth of patriotic sentiments should take place under the flag of a victorious era in Russian history. In the explanatory note to the bill, the parliamentarian notes that during the period of widespread use of the black-yellow-white imperial flag, the territory of Russia increased significantly.

It was then that the Crimean peninsula and the territory of East Prussia, Alaska, the Caucasus, Poland, the Baltic states, Central Asia and Finland first became part of Russia.

We won brilliant victories under the imperial flag, and it is still capable of uniting all citizens of Russia today. The modern tricolor, which Boris Yeltsin returned in a flurry, was not discussed with the people, no research was carried out, Degtyarev said. - We say: Russia is 1152 years old, not 23 years old, the symbols of the state should personify its great history and great future, spiritual health determines material well-being, and not vice versa.

At the same time, according to financial and economic justifications, 15.5 million rubles are expected to be spent on replacing flags at state institutions and on cars of diplomatic missions and officials of the country.

The two tricolors themselves are indeed a matter of long-standing disputes between different political forces.

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

And someone looks even earlier and claims that the first two Russian state colors appeared in our Fatherland in 1472 after the marriage of Ivan the Third to Princess Sophia Paleolog, along with the adoption of the coat of arms from the Byzantine Empire that fell under the blows of the Turks. The Byzantine imperial banner - a golden canvas with a black eagle crowned with two crowns - becomes the state banner of Russia.

Even before the beginning of the Troubles, the state banner receives the final detail - the eagle's chest is covered with a large coat of arms with the image of St. George the Victorious. A white rider on a white horse subsequently gave legal grounds to the third color of the flag - white. The black-yellow-white flag combined the colors of national heraldic emblems and during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I established itself as a national symbol. For the first time in Russia, a black-yellow-white flag began to be flown on solemn days after 1815, following the end of the Patriotic War with Napoleonic France.

In 1815, in commemoration of 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, as well as cockades, which also spread among civil officials), also acquired a similar color.

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

The "imperial banner" was the official state flag from 1858 to 1883.

Indeed, during this period the Caucasus was finally conquered, and the Balkan campaign was successfully carried out. The Russian Empire did not suffer any major defeats. The flag, which is important for today's supporters, was never used by collaborators during the Great Patriotic War, unlike the white-blue-red banner.

But there is one but...

It was during the official period of the black-yellow-white tricolor that the Russian Tsar, Emperor Alexander II, was killed for the first time in Russian history.

"And your flag is wrong"

Why Alexander II decided to carry out a “color reset” is still an open question. There is a version that after the unsuccessful Crimean War and the inglorious death of his father Nicholas I, the tsar decided to shake up the empire and began by changing the flag. But, in my opinion, everything is much more banal ...

It’s just that, as often happened in Russian history, one day a “learned German” appeared ... In 1857, a new head appeared at the stamp department of the empire’s heraldry department - Bernhard Karl (aka Boris Vasilyevich) Koene, a well-known numismatist and collector. Boris Vasilievich, the son of a Berlin archivist, by that time had a dynamic career in a foreign land: being the protégé of the Duke of Leuchtenberg, who had settled in Russia, Koehne was among the founders of the Russian Archaeological Society and received the position of curator of the numismatic department of the Hermitage.

Baron Boris Vasilievich Koehne (Bernhard Karl von Koehne, 1817, Berlin - 1886) - a major numismatist and heraldist of the Russian Empire. Founder and Secretary of the Russian Archaeological Society

Köhne noted his entry into office by popularly explaining to responsible government officials that the flag of the Russian Empire was incorrect. It's all about the combination of colors: according to the German heraldic school, the colors of the flag should match the dominant colors of the coat of arms. And where, pray tell, do you have a blue color in your coat of arms?

Great coat of arms of the Russian Empire

And really - where? Eagle - black, in gold, St. George - white ...

It didn’t take long to persuade the sovereign, and in the summer of 1858 Alexander II signed a fateful decree:
“Description of the highest approved pattern of the arrangement of the coat of arms of the Empire on banners, flags and other items used for decorations on solemn occasions. The arrangement of these colors is horizontal, the top stripe is black, the middle one is yellow (or gold), and the bottom one is white (or silver). The first stripes correspond to the black state eagle in a yellow field, and the cockade of these two colors was founded by Emperor Paul I, while banners and other decorations from these colors were already used during the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna. The lower stripe, white or silver, corresponds to the cockade of Peter the Great and Empress Catherine II; Emperor Alexander I, after the capture of Paris in 1814, connected the correct coat of arms cockade with the ancient Peter the Great, which corresponds to the white or silver horseman (St. George) in the Moscow coat of arms.

And what about Austria?

The Senate approved the decree, but there was some bewilderment on the political sidelines: “Does this flag remind you of anything? It seems that the Austrians have the same ... ". Indeed, the similarity with the standard of the Austrian Empire was observed. Fortunately, the Austrian heraldists decomposed their coat of arms into only two colors - black and yellow. If it was still white, then embarrassment could happen.

Flag of the Austrian Empire

In addition, the flag of the Kingdom of Saxony (black and yellow) was exactly the same. And the yellow and white state standard of the Kingdom of Hanover, on the contrary, coincided with the new Russian tricolor at the bottom.

Flag of Saxony

All these coincidences gave rise to unnecessary conspiracy theories in Russian society.

Flag of Hanover

The fact is that Saxony and Hanover were the patrimony of two branches of the Welf-Wettin family (from which, by the way, the current Windsor dynasty that rules in Britain comes), and legends began to be born among the people that the Romanovs secretly became vassals of these clans - they swore allegiance to the Germans after unsuccessful Crimean War.

But the statesmen nevertheless decided to explain themselves - what, in fact, did not please the previous tricolor. Thus, the minister of the imperial court, by the name of Adlerberg, complained that it was time to cleanse itself of "foreignness", hinting that the former tricolor had Dutch roots. Yes, and the sovereign himself more than once advised to draw inspiration from pre-Petrine times, and even from Byzantium itself - and the Second Rome also had a yellow-black flag. At this time, many “scientific” articles were published that explained the “natural selection” of the yellow-black-white flag: they talked about the Byzantineism of John III, who gave Russia a double-headed eagle, about Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who allegedly punished the use of yellow-black under threat of execution colors in the state seal...

consolation flag

Solemn passage through Red Square. Chromolithograph from the book "Description of the most sacred coronation of their Imperial Majesties"

After the death of Alexander II, the "standard problem" was inherited by Emperor Alexander III. All this was aggravated by the fact that the German Empire, which had swallowed Hanover and Saxony, and Austria, together with Italy, concluded in 1882 the Tripartite Alliance, which was not the most friendly to the Russian Empire. It was necessary to do something with the state banner.

In 1883, the tsar dismissed Köhne, who by that time had already managed to create the Great Emblem of the Russian Empire, the coat of arms of the Romanovs and formulated new laws in Russian heraldry.

In April of the same year, the emperor returns the former tricolor as official. In the "Austrian" flag, Alexander III changes the alternation of colors to white-yellow-black and gives it the status of the flag of the Romanov dynasty.

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 called. 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, be called state; the black-orange-white flag has neither heraldic nor historical grounds for this.” In particular, the following were given as arguments:

“If, in order to determine the national colors of Russia, we turn to popular 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.

The Great Russian peasant walks in a red or blue shirt on a holiday, a Little Russian and a Belarusian—in white; Russian women dress up 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, on the basis of these signs, for the emblematic expression of Russia, for the Russian national or state flag, the colors established by Great Peter are the most characteristic.

Rozanov. "Fair on Arbat Square" 1877

Fragment of Rozanov's painting "Fair on Arbat Square" 1877

The emperor's decision is met with joy by society. But the fact that the "Kyonevsky tricolor", albeit in a modified form, but still preserved, gives new food to homegrown conspiracy theorists - "The Romanovs still sold Mother Russia to the Welf-Wettins ...".

In modern Russian symbols, the black-yellow-white flag can only be found in the Kursk region - it is an element of the provincial flag.

Since its moderator provided his recent post with an impressive picture - the large coat of arms of the Austro-Hungarian Empire - but on my proposal to disassemble this miracle “by the bones”, he honestly admitted that it was too tough for him. I wanted to fill this gap. However, after publishing a post in the community, I decided that this topic might be of interest to my other friends, so I am duplicating this entry in my own journal.

I’ll make a reservation right away that for convenience of perception I use the words “left” and “right” in the direct meaning, and not in the heraldic aspect (in heraldry, as you know, everything is the other way around: the left part for the viewer is called the right part and vice versa).

To attract attention - a handsome coat of arms:

This coat of arms of Austria-Hungary, the last in its history, was adopted in 1915, when the First World War was already raging. Previously, the symbol of the Habsburg Empire looked simpler and concentrated mainly Austrian elements. Perhaps there was some political meaning in the adoption of a new, more colorful coat of arms: to demonstrate the unification of the peoples of the empire in war conditions, the unity of the constituent parts of the state - the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary - and their internal units. But by 1914, Austria-Hungary was in a clear crisis, in which, in addition to the economy, national movements also played a significant role. True, at that time almost no one demanded independence, they were more and more oriented towards autonomous status: the Czechs, for example, demanded that the dual monarchy be turned into a triune Austria-Czecho-Hungary. There were also projects to create a third entity in the form of the state of the southern Slavs as an integral part of the empire. In a word, in this aspect, Austria-Hungary was somewhat reminiscent of modern Bosnia and Herzegovina, in which it is proposed to add a third to the two existing subjects.

The coat of arms of 1915 clearly demonstrates the entire system of government of Austria-Hungary at that time: it is divided into two halves - the Austrian (Cisleitania) and the Hungarian (Transleitania) - each of which includes the coats of arms of the lands that were part of each entity at that time and having different status (from duchies and margraviates to kingdoms). In some places there are intersections and repetitions - this was also done for a reason, but in accordance with the government system of the state. But the main idea of the entire coat of arms is the unity of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The fastening element here is not only the Latin inscription "Indivisibiliter ac inseparabiliter"("One and indivisible") in the lower part, but also the location of the family coat of arms of the Habsburgs (as emperors of Austria and at the same time kings of Hungary) with the main state orders between the two halves.

We number all the components of the coat of arms by numbers:

As you can see, the left side of the coat of arms symbolizes the Austrian Empire, the middle one - the power of the Habsburg dynasty, the right one - the Kingdom of Hungary. In addition to the traditional names, there was also a designation regarding the Leita River (it is also the Litava, the right tributary of the Danube): Cisleitania ("on this side of the Leita") and Transleitania ("through the Leita, on the other side of the Leita"). Consider each of the parts, moving inside clockwise.

I. Austrian Empire (Cisleithania).
There are five (sic!) shields here, one inside the other. The main shield includes a large Austrian double-headed eagle with a sword, a scepter and an orb in its paws (similar to a Russian eagle, but ours did not have a sword, but the coats of arms were located on the wings), on the chest of which there is a smaller shield. The largest shield is crowned with the traditional crown of the Austrian emperors.
1. Kingdom of Bohemia. On a red background, a white lion in a golden crown, standing on two paws. The center of the kingdom was Prague. It is still used as part of the coat of arms of the Czech Republic, whose historical basis is Bohemia.
2. Kingdom of Dalmatia. On an azure background, there are three golden lion heads in crowns. Center - Zadar. After 1918, the land became part of the SHS kingdom (except for Zadar and Lastovo), then the FPRY (already with Zadar and Lastovo), now almost the entire territory (including the lands of the now defunct Republic of Serbian Krajina) is in Croatia.
3. Duchy of Salzburg. The shield is divided into two parts: in the left half - a black lion standing on two legs, on a golden background, in the right - a traditional Astrian red-white-red banner. Center - Salzburg. Entirely part of Austria.
4. Princely district of Tyrol. On a silver background, a red eagle with golden paws and a crown. Center - Innsbruck. Historical Tyrol by the beginning of the 20th century. was divided between Austria, Italy and Bavaria. After the First World War, the territory of the district was again divided: most (with the village of Tyrol, around which the formation of historical land began) went to Italy, the smaller one remained with Austria. Nevertheless, in the human mind, Tyrol is still associated more with Austria (even the football team of the same name exists in Austria). In the Italian Tyrol, more than two-thirds of the population speaks German, and there was even a separatist movement that resisted Italianization and was remembered for blowing up power lines. The German language now has a special status in the Italian Tyrol.
5. Bosnia and Herzegovina. Center - Sarajevo. Formally, it did not belong to any of the parts of the empire, it was ruled by them jointly, and therefore its coat of arms was included in both halves. It represents a hand with a saber emerging from a cloud - a symbol not so rare in European heraldry and used not only in the Balkans (for example, the Latvian city of Valki still has almost the same coat of arms). I wonder why this militant coat of arms was not remembered in 1992, when Bosnia and Herzegovina withdrew from Yugoslavia?

The five following coats of arms make up the third shield in the second (in its lower part) and represent the Austrian Littoral (plus Vorarlberg, which belonged to Tyrol).
6. County of Gradiska. Silver four-pointed cross against the background of yellow and azure stripes. Together with Goritsa made up . After the Second World War, Gradiska was divided between the SFRY (now this part is in Slovenia) and Italy (the center of the region, the city of Gradiska, was the last to depart).
7. Free Imperial City of Trieste. The coat of arms is divided into two halves: at the top - a black Austrian double-headed eagle on a gold background (a symbol of the city's belonging to the Habsburgs), at the bottom - a golden lily (a traditional symbol of Trieste) against the background of an Austrian red-white-red banner. In addition to the city itself, the land included some surrounding territories. After 1918, all the land passed to Italy, after 1945 it became "free territory" again, until in 1954 the city and the lands to the west of it completely went to Italy, and the lands from the east to the FPRY (now part of these lands belong to Slovenia, part - to Croatia). However, some Slovenian radicals still call the city only "Trst" and dream of annexing it to Slovenia.
8. County of Gorica. The coat of arms consists of two parts, separated by a slash: on the left - three white and three red stripes, repeated in turn, and on the right - on an azure background, a golden lion in a crown, standing on two paws. This is the ancient coat of arms of the counts Goritsky, whose dynasty ended in the 16th century, after which the land passed to the Habsburgs. Together with Gradishka made up princely district of Gorica and Gradishka. Goritsa (aka Gorishka) after the Second World War was divided: one part went to the FPRY, the other to Italy. At the same time, the city of Goritsa, the center of the region, was also divided: the eastern part, which went to the FPRY, was expanded, rebuilt and named "Nova Goritsa". Now in Slovenia.
9. Land Vorarlberg. On a silver background is a medieval red banner of complex shape with a fringe. Center - Bregenz. Interestingly, after the First World War, the inhabitants of Vorarlberg voted in a plebiscite to join Switzerland, but by the will of the Entente, the land remained part of Austria, where it remains today. In addition to the Austrians, many Slavs also live here: Croats, Slovenes and even Bosnians.
10. Margraviate of Istria. The coat of arms - a golden goat with red horns and hooves - is present on today's coat of arms and flag of Croatia. At the same time, Istria today does not belong entirely to Croatia: part of it is located in Slovenia. Prior to that, Istria in 1918 - 1945. was part of Italy, and then passed to the FPRY.

We return to the second shield.
11. Duchy of Bukovina. The coat of arms, approved in 1862, is divided into two parts: the left one is red, the right one is azure, over both parts there is a black buffalo head with three golden six-pointed stars. Center - Chernivtsi (now - Chernivtsi). After 1918, it completely went to Romania, but in 1940 the northern part (with Chernivtsi) went to Ukraine.
12. Margraviate of Moravia. A white eagle in a red cage (there is no historical connection with the Croatian shakhovnitsa) with golden paws and a crown. It is still used as part of the coat of arms of the Czech Republic, in which it is located. Center - Brunn (now - Brno).
13. Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia. On a golden background, a black crowned single-headed eagle with golden paws. It is still used as part of the coat of arms of the Czech Republic, although most of the historical Silesia is in Poland (in 1742 it was recaptured by Prussia). Center - Troppau (now - Opava). According to the original plan, Austrian Silesia was supposed to remain with Austria, but in the end, almost all of it went to Czechoslovakia (several regions to Poland), and in 1938, together with the Sudetenland, it was annexed to Germany. After the Second World War, this part of Silesia again ended up in Czechoslovakia, and after its collapse - in the Czech Republic.
14. Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. In the upper part there is a black jackdaw, in the lower part there are three golden crowns - the symbol of Galicia, and between them there is a red stripe. Previously, two more red and white chess stripes were used, very reminiscent of the Croatian checkerboard (it is interesting that in ancient times even a people with the name "White Croats" lived on this territory), but in the middle of the 19th century. they disappeared. Center - Lemberg (now - Lviv). Galicia - from the name of the city of Galich, and Lodomeria - the Magyarized name of Volyn (it is also Volodymyrshchina with the center in Vladimir-Volynsky). Hungary repeatedly claimed the territory of the kingdom, but its efforts were unsuccessful: Galicia remained in the Austrian part of the empire. Most of the territory of the kingdom (except for Krakow, Przemysl and surrounding lands) belongs today to Ukraine (it also managed to visit the independent Western Ukrainian People's Republic, and then part of Poland), periodically trying to engage in separatism. It is interesting that among the Ukrainian nationalists there was a group of those who proposed turning Ukraine into ... a monarchy. And to enthrone a representative of the Habsburg dynasty, on the basis of the fact that they owned Western Ukraine (i.e. Galicia and Lodomeria). What they can't think of...

We pass to the fourth shield, as part of the second. Most of the lands represented here (except Carniola) make up the territory of today's Austria.
15. Archduchy of Lower Austria. Center - Vienna. After the First World War, together with Upper Austria, it formed the core of the Austrian Republic.
16. Archduchy of Upper Austria. The coat of arms is divided into two parts: on the right - a golden single-headed eagle on a black background, on the left - two red and two silver stripes alternating with each other. Center - Linz. After the First World War, together with Lower Austria, it formed the core of the Republic of Austria.
17. Archduchy of Carinthia. In the left half there are three black lions on a golden background, in the right half there is a traditional Austrian red-white-red banner. Center - Klagenfurt. After the First World War, it remained part of Austria, although there are still often problems with a significant Slovenian population.
18. Duchy of Carniola. On a white background, an azure eagle in a golden crown with red paws and a beak and a curved red-yellow stripe on the chest. Center - Laibach (now - Ljubljana). The territory of Krajna is the basis of modern Slovenia.
19. Duchy of Styria. On a green background, a silver panther on two legs with red claws and a flame from its mouth. Center - Graz. After the First World War, the north and center of the duchy remained part of Austria, and the south went to the Kingdom of the CXC, today it belongs to Slovenia.

Finally, the last, fifth, smallest shield in the middle.
20. Historical coat of arms of the Archduchy of Austria. The red-white-red banner is an ancient symbol of Austria, the legend connects it with the appearance of the Austrian coat of arms of Duke Leopold V. In the Battle of Accra, the Duke fought so fiercely that his entire knight's cloak was saturated with the blood of enemies and only a narrow strip under the belt remained white. This flag, as is commonly believed, served as the prototype of the coat of arms and banner. This is the coat of arms of the state, from which all the power of the Habsburgs began, which gradually grew and grew with new territories. A kind of heart of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Perhaps that is why such a heart was placed in the center of the entire Austrian part of the state emblem.

II. Habsburg dynasty.
21. Family coat of arms of the imperial dynasty of the Habsburgs, divided into three parts: on the left - the family coat of arms of the whole family (on a golden background, a red lion standing on two legs), in the central - the already familiar coat of arms of the Austrian Archduchy, on the right - the coat of arms of the House of Lorraine (in memory of the dynastic union of 1745 when the husband of Maria Theresa of Habsburg, the former Duke of Lorraine Franz I, became emperor of the Holy Roman Empire). As already mentioned, the central location of the Habsburg family coat of arms symbolizes the unity of the two constituent parts of the empire under the rule of the dynasty.

III. Kingdom of Hungary (Transleitania).
A large shield surmounted by the ancient Hungarian crown of St. Stephen with a bent cross (according to legend, thieves tried to steal this crown, putting it in a too small casket, because of which the cross bent). Inside it is a small shield with the coat of arms of Hungary.
22. Dalmatia. Repeated once again, since part of the historical land of Dalmatia was part of Croatia, which in turn belonged to the lands of the Hungarian crown. At the same time, Hungarian Dalmatia did not have a special status, but its coat of arms was registered. Present on today's coat of arms and flag of Croatia.
23. Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia. In the large imperial coat of arms, it was designated by the Croatian shahovnitsa, however, the kingdom also had its own separate coat of arms, combining Dalmatian, Croatian and Slavonian elements. Center - Agram (now - Zagreb). Almost the entire territory now belongs to Croatia (including the lands of the now defunct Republic of Serbian Krajina), only a small piece is in Serbia.
24. Transylvania. The coat of arms is divided into two parts: in the upper part there is a part of an eagle with a sun and a crescent, in the lower part there are seven red fortress towers on a golden background. The parts are separated from each other by a large red stripe. Transylvania did not have a special status within the Kingdom of Hungary, but its coat of arms was prescribed to indicate that the territory belonged to Hungary. After the First World War, it completely went to Romania, under Hitler for some time it was divided between Hungary and Romania, after which it again completely went to the latter. However, the Romanians still have a lot of problems with Transylvania and with the significant Hungarian population that remained there (unlike, say, the Istra Italians, who did not live in the FPRY). The coat of arms of Transylvania is part of the modern coat of arms of Romania.
25. Free City of Fiume. On a red background, a black crowned double-headed eagle sitting on a rock and holding a jug from which water flows. Fiume was the only Hungarian seaport and the main commercial rival of the Austrian Trieste. After 1918, it was occupied by Italy, but until 1924 it retained a free status, after which it was annexed by Mussolini. After the Second World War, it completely went to the FPRY, and after its collapse - to Croatia. It is interesting that the name of the city in both cases means "river": what is the Italian "Fiume", what is the Slavic "Rijeka".
26. Bosnia and Herzegovina. As already mentioned, the territory was jointly administered by Cisleithania and Transleithania, so the coat of arms is present on both halves.
27. Slavonia. On an azure background there is a red stripe with a running marten in a silver edging, above the stripe is a six-pointed golden star. Slavonia did not have an independent status, it was part of the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia. Present on today's coat of arms and flag of Croatia.

Small shield in the center.
28. Kingdom of Hungary. The shield is divided into two parts: the left one includes four red and four white stripes alternating with each other (it is believed that the white stripes symbolize the four rivers of Hungary - the Danube, Tisza, Drava and Sava), the right one depicts a six-pointed cross with a crown on a green three-headed hill (this the symbol also migrated to the coat of arms of Slovakia, but without a crown and with a blue color of the hill). The core of Transleithania became the basis of an independent Hungary after 1918, but in a greatly reduced form.

What's left to add? Perhaps the only thing is that the entire state emblem is supported by traditional heraldic figures: a griffin on the left and an angel on the right.
This motley coat of arms did not last long: in three years, Austria-Hungary would lose the First World War and disintegrate into national states. Many successor countries will also take the components of the imperial coat of arms. Some of these elements will temporarily give way to communist symbols, so that in the early 1990s. back to your place again. And the large coat of arms of Austria-Hungary will remain in history as a monument to this large, but very fragile state.

Thank you for attention.

The Austrian Empire was proclaimed as a monarchical state in 1804 and lasted until 1867, after which it was transformed into Austria-Hungary. Otherwise, it was called the Habsburg Empire, after the name of one of the Habsburgs, Franz, who, like Napoleon, also proclaimed himself emperor.

Inheritance

The Austrian Empire in the 19th century, if you look at the map, looks like It is immediately clear that this is a multinational state. And, most likely, it is, as it often happens, devoid of stability. Looking through the pages of history, one can be convinced that this happened here as well. Tiny multi-colored specks, collected under one border - this is Habsburg Austria. The map shows especially well how fragmented the lands of the empire were. The hereditary allotments of the Habsburgs are small regional areas inhabited by completely different peoples. The composition of the Austrian Empire was something like this.

Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic.
Transcarpathia (Carpathian Rus).
Transylvania, Croatia, Vojvodina (Banat).
Galicia, Bukovina.
Northern Italy (Lombardy, Venice).

Not only the origin of all peoples was different, but the religion did not match. The peoples of the Austrian Empire (about thirty-four million) were half Slavs (Slovaks, Czechs, Croats, Poles, Ukrainians, Serbs. Magyars (Hungarians) were about five million, about the same number of Italians.

At the crossroads of history

Feudalism had not yet outlived itself by that time, but the Austrian and Czech artisans could already call themselves workers, since the industry of these areas had fully developed to the capitalist one.

The Habsburgs and the nobility surrounding them were the dominant force of the empire, they occupied all the highest positions - both military and bureaucratic. Absolutism, the dominance of arbitrariness - bureaucratic and coercive in the face of the police, the dictate of the Catholic Church, the richest institution in the empire - all this somehow oppressed small peoples, united together, as if water and oil were incompatible even in a mixer.

Austrian Empire on the Eve of the Revolution

The Czech Republic quickly became Germanized, especially the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. Hungarian landowners strangled millions of Slavic peasants, but they themselves were also very dependent on the Austrian authorities. The Austrian Empire put heavy pressure on its Italian provinces. It is even difficult to distinguish what kind of oppression this was: the struggle of feudalism against capitalism or purely national differences.

Metternich, the head of government and an ardent reactionary, for thirty years banned any language other than German in all institutions, including courts and schools. The population was mostly peasant. Considered free, these people were completely dependent on the landowners, paid dues, worked out duties reminiscent of corvée.

Not only the masses of the people groaned under the yoke of the residual feudal order and absolute power with its arbitrariness. The bourgeoisie was also dissatisfied and was clearly pushing the people to revolt. The revolution in the Austrian Empire for the above reasons was simply inevitable.

National self-determination

All peoples are freedom-loving and treat with trepidation the development and preservation of their national culture. Especially Slavic. Then, under the weight of the Austrian boot, Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians, and Italians aspired to self-government, the development of literature and the arts, and sought education in schools in their national languages. Writers and scientists were united by one idea - national self-determination.

The same processes were going on among the Serbs and Croats. The more difficult the living conditions became, the brighter the dream of freedom flourished, which was reflected in the works of artists, poets and musicians. National cultures rose above reality and inspired their compatriots to take decisive steps towards freedom, equality, fraternity - following the example of the Great French Revolution.

Uprising in Vienna

In 1847, the Austrian Empire "acquired" a completely revolutionary situation. The general economic crisis and two years of crop failures added spice to it, and the overthrow of the monarchy in France served as an impetus. Already in March 1848, the revolution in the Austrian Empire matured and broke out.

Workers, students, artisans erected barricades on the streets of Vienna and demanded the resignation of the government, not being afraid of the imperial troops, who had advanced to suppress the unrest. The government made concessions, dismissing Metternich and some ministers. Even a constitution was promised.

The public, however, armed themselves rapidly: the workers got nothing anyway, not even voting rights. The students created an academic legion, and the bourgeoisie created a national guard. And they resisted when these illegal armed groups tried to disband, which forced the emperor and the government to flee Vienna.

The peasants, as usual, did not have time to take part in the revolution. In some places they spontaneously rebelled, refusing to pay dues and arbitrarily cutting down the landowners' groves. The working class was, naturally, more conscious and organized. The fragmentation and individualism of labor do not add cohesion.

incompleteness

Like all German ones, the Austrian revolution was not completed, although it can already be called bourgeois-democratic. The working class was not yet mature enough, the bourgeoisie, as always, was liberal and behaved treacherously, plus there were national strife and military counter-revolution.

Failed to win. The monarchy resumed and intensified its triumphant oppression over impoverished and disenfranchised peoples. It is positive that some reforms took place, and most importantly, the revolution finally killed it. It is also good that the country retained its territories, because after the revolutions more homogeneous countries than Austria disintegrated. The empire map has not changed.

Rulers

In the first half of the nineteenth century, until 1835, Emperor Franz I handled all state affairs. Chancellor Metternich was smart and had great weight in politics, but it was often simply impossible to convince the emperor. After the consequences of the French Revolution, which were unpleasant for Austria, and all the horrors of the Napoleonic wars, Metternich most of all longed to restore such order that peace reigned in the country.

However, Metternich failed to create a parliament with representatives of all the peoples of the empire, the provincial diets did not receive any real powers. However, economically rather backward Austria, with a feudal reactionary regime, over the thirty years of Metternich's work turned into the strongest state in Europe. His role was also great in the creation of the counter-revolutionary in 1815.

In an effort to keep the shreds of the empire from complete collapse, the Austrian troops brutally suppressed the uprisings in Naples and Piedmont in 1821, while maintaining complete domination of the Austrians over the non-Austrians in the country. Popular unrest outside of Austria was often suppressed, due to which the army of this country acquired a bad reputation among the adherents of national self-determination.

An excellent diplomat, Metternich was in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Emperor Franz was in charge of the internal affairs of the state. With close attention, he monitored all movements in the field of education: officials strictly checked everything that could be studied and read. The censorship was brutal. Journalists were forbidden even to remember the word "constitution".

Religion was relatively calm, some religious tolerance appeared. The revived Catholics oversaw education, and without the consent of the emperor, no one was excommunicated from the church. Jews were released from the ghetto, and even synagogues were built in Vienna. It was then that Solomon Rothschild appeared among the bankers, making friends with Metternich. And even received a baronial title. In those days - an incredible event.

The end of a great power

The foreign policy of Austria in the second half of the century is full of failures. Continuous defeats in wars.

(1853-1856).
Austro-Prussian War (1866).
Austro-Italian War (1866).
war with Sardinia and France (1859).

At this time, there was a sharp break in relations with Russia, then the creation of All this led to the fact that the Habsburgs lost influence on the states of not only Germany, but throughout Europe. And - as a consequence - the status of a great power.

Heraldry of lands and state formations belonging to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Great State Emblem of Austria-Hungary 1915 represented the following: a golden shield depicting an Austrian double-headed crowned eagle with an imperial shield of Austria on its chest, crowned with the Imperial Crown, holding a heraldic griffin to the left of the viewer (an element of the Great Coat of Arms of the Archduchy of Austria); the large royal shield of Hungary, crowned with the Crown of St. Stephen (an element of the Great Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Hungary), is held by an angel on the right. In the center between the two shields and in the foreground towards the viewer is the family shield of the Habsburgs-Lorraine - a field dissected into three vertical parts: the left one is golden in color with a red lion on its hind legs (the family coat of arms of the Habsburgs); central red with a horizontal silver stripe in the center (historical colors of Austria); right - cut diagonally from the lower right corner to the upper left by a red stripe with three flying silver eagles, a golden field (coat of arms of Lorraine). The shield of the Habsburg-Lorraine is crowned with a royal crown, under it are the highest awards of the empire: the Order of the Golden Fleece, Maria Theresa, St. Stephen, Leopold.

The supporters stand on the branches of a heraldic plant entwined at the bottom with a ribbon with the motto in Latin: ""Indivisibiliter Ac Inseparabiliter"" (Latin: ""One And Indivisible"").

1. The Great Imperial Shield of Austria contains the following elements:

1) There is a silver lion in the red field. Bohemia (Czech Republic).

2) The blue field is crossed by a red belt. At the top is a walking black raven. At the bottom are three crowns. Galicia (Ukraine).

3) In the blue field are three golden crowned lion heads. Dalmatia (Croatia).

4) In a golden field, a black eagle, burdened on its chest with a silver shamrock. Silesia (Czech Republic).

5) The field is dissected. In the right golden part is a black lion. In the left red - a silver belt. Salzburg (Austria).

6) In a blue field, an eagle staggered with gold and red. Moravia (Czech Republic).

7) In a silver field is a red eagle, burdened with a golden shamrock on its wings. Tyrol (Austria).

8) In a field dissected by blue and red, a black bull's head accompanied by three golden molettes. Bukovina (Ukraine).

9) There is a red banner in the silver field. Voralberg (Austria).

10) In the blue field is a golden goat with red horns. Istria (Croatia).

11) In a golden field, a right hand in red, holding a saber, emerging from a silver cloud. Bosnia and Herzegovina.

12) The field is beveled on the right. In the upper blue part is a golden lion. At the bottom are six silver and red bandages. Gorica (Slovenia).

13) In a field crossed with gold and blue, a silver anchor cross. Gradishka (Italy).

14) The field is crossed. At the top is gold - a black double-headed eagle. At the bottom is gold - a lily-shaped spearhead. Trieste (Italy).

On top of the large imperial shield is a small one:

A) There are five golden eagles in the blue field. Lower Austria.

B) Dissected field. In the right part there is a golden eagle, the left part is dissected by four silver and red pillars. Upper Austria.

C) In a green field, a silver "heraldic panther". Styria (Austria).

D) In a silver field, a blue crowned eagle, burdened on the chest with a crescent, divided by a checkerboard pattern of red and gold. Krajina (Bosnia).

D) The field is dissected. In the right golden part there are three black lions. In the left red - a silver belt. Carinthia (Austria).

A small shield is placed on top of everything: in a red field there is a silver belt. Austria.

2. The Great Royal Shield of Hungary contains the following elements:

1) In the blue field are three golden crowned lion heads. Dalmatia (Croatia).

2) In a blue field, a red baldric with a silver border. In the center of the red band is a running black marten. At the top of the blue field is a golden six-pointed star. Slavonia (Croatia)

3) In a golden field, a red right hand emerging from a silver cloud, holding a saber. Bosnia and Herzegovina.

4) In a red field, a black crowned double-headed eagle holding a jug of water in its paws. Fiume (Italy; now Rijeka, Croatia).

5) The field is dissected. There are seven red towers in the lower golden field. In the upper blue field with a red band below, there is a black eagle, above which the sun is located on the right, and a crescent moon on the left. Transylvania (Romania).

6) Chess silver-red field. Croatia.

On top of the large shield is a small shield, cut vertically in two (symbolizing Hungary):

A) The field is cut by eight red and silver bandages.

B) In a red field on three green hills, a silver six-pointed cross emanating from a golden crown.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was divided into two parts: Cisleithania (the lands of the Austrian crown) and Transleithania (the lands of the Hungarian crown)

Great coat of arms of Austria

Lesser coat of arms of Austria

Lands of Cisleithania

Archduchy of Lower Austria

Archduchy of Upper Austria

Duchy of Salzburg

Duchy of Styria

Duchy of Carinthia

Duchy of Carniola

The coastal land (Küstenland) consisted of the margraviate of Istria, the princely county of Gorizia and Gradiska, the city of Trieste with the region.

Margraviate of Istria

Princely County of Gorizia and Gradiska

City of Trieste with area

County of Tyrol

Vorarlberg region

Kingdom of Bohemia (Czech Republic)

Margraviate of Moravia

Duchy of Silesia

Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria

Duchy of Bukovina

Kingdom of Dalmatia

Lands of Transleithania

Great coat of arms of the Kingdom of Hungary.
Separately, I did not find the coat of arms of Bosnia, but it is on this large coat of arms in the lower left corner - a hand with a sword.

Grand Duchy (in other sources, duchy) Transylvania

Free Port City of Fiume

Kingdom of Croatia.

Coat of arms of the united kingdom of Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia
This is where an unsolvable mystery appeared for me, how did Dolmatia, which belongs to Cisleithania, end up in the kingdom belonging to Transleithania?

I got all the info from wikipedia.

Hello dear!
It is probably not a secret for anyone that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, which I consider one of the most significant events in the history of the world over the past 2-3 centuries, for sure.
Could this war have been avoided? I think no. The only thing is that the war could be postponed for several years. To do this, you just had to meet cousins Nika, Willy and Georgie (Tsar Nikolai II, Kaiser Wilhelm II and King George V ), and I think they would agree. But but but....
Now we will not go into the jungle of history and big politics and analyze the possibilities (impossibility) of postponing / canceling the war - not at all. We will simply take as a basis that Europe, not to mention the rest of the world, was different ... completely different.

Nicky, Georgie, Willy

I suggest you briefly walk through the state flags of the world of states, before the impending global catastrophe of 1913.
We immediately discard South America - because there have been practically no changes in their flags since the beginning of the 20th century. Let's not touch Oceania - because there were simply no independent countries there, but there was no way to roam especially in Africa - no matter how you say only 2 independent states - Ethiopia and Liberia, and a few more semi-independent ones.

Map of Europe before the war

In Europe at that time there were only 26 independent states. Most of them have not changed their flags since then, but there were also those that changed this state symbol. First of all, this applies, of course, to the collapsed empires.
One of the most interesting states of that time was the Habsburg Empire, breathing its last. Theoretically, she had opportunities for development, but for this it is necessary to have 3 factors - a strong and sane heir to the throne instead of the aged Joseph II, granting the broadest powers to the Slavic population with the subsequent restructuring of the country into some kind of Austro-Hungarian-Slavic, well, a dozen years of peaceful life. All these factors were literally swept away after the shots in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. It is Franz Ferdinand who is now seen as the figure in which the empire would have had a chance. But it happened the way it happened.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand with his family.

By 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had a chic, in my opinion, state emblem, which you can see here:
Their flag was no less interesting. These are certainly nowhere to be found today.
Base - 3 equal horizontal stripes: inthe top one is red, the middle one is white, the bottom one is half red, half green.
Thus, the national colors of both Austria and Hungary are combined in the flag.

Flag of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1914.

The red-white-red banner of the Austrians, according to legend, originated in the 12th century during the Crusades. Duke of Styria and Austria Leopold V Babenberg, after one of the battles, took off his cotta (outerwear like a tunic), which was soaked with the blood of enemies and the duke himself, dust, sweat and dirt, and it turned out that from dazzling white it became red-white-red. Whiteness remained only under the belt. The Duke liked the combination of colors so much that he decided to make it his personal standard.
According to legend, again, it was the red-white-red cloth that Leopold hung over the highest building of the conquered Accra, which infuriated Richard the Lionheart, who tore off the ducal standard and hung his own, which led to a direct conflict with Leopold. The duke then remembered the offense to the English king, but that's a completely different story.

Duke of Austria and Styria Leopold V

No matter how it was around that time, a cloth of this color is the Austrian national flag.There is an alternative version - red is the color of the beautiful land of Austria, and white is the Danube River, which flows through the country
Red-white-green is the old Hungarian national banner.The red color reminds of the blood shed in the struggle for freedom, white means the purity and nobility of the ideals of the Hungarian people and their readiness for self-sacrifice, and green expresses hope for a better future for the country and its prosperity.

Flag of Hungary with small coat of arms

The scarlet-white colors are the generic symbols of the Arpad princely family, who united the country and rule it. Green came later (around the 15th century) from the coat of arms.
In addition to the stripes on the state banner of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, we see 2 armorial shields. On one, the national flag of Austria, topped with a royal crown, as a symbol of Habsburg power, and on the second, the small coat of arms of Hungary (it was also large) - the right side of the shield with four red and white stripes is again the coat of arms of the Arpads, on the left side is a six-pointed white a cross on a red field, symbolizes the Christian religion, and three green hills represent the Tatra, Matra and Fatra mountain ranges, historically part of Hungary (currently only Matra remains in the country). The emblem is crowned with the so-called crown of St. Stephen (Istvan) with a well-recognized falling cross - it symbolizes the strength and history of Hungary.
Here is such an interesting banner.

Crown of Saint Stephen (Istvan)

Speaking of Austria-Hungary, we cannot but mention the banner of the German Empire. 2 Reich since 1892 existed under the national flag, which was calleddie Schwarz-Weiss-Rot Flagge, that is, the Black-White-Red flag.
The black and white colors were borrowed from the Kingdom of Prussia, which in turn absorbed shades of the Teutonic Order, as well as from the ancestral colors of the Hohenzollerns.

German imperial flag.

The red color was most often found both on the flags of the North German states and cities, as well as on the flags of many states of Southern Germany (Baden, Thuringia, Hesse).

Flag of Hesse

Since Otto von Bismarck played the most direct role in its adoption and rooting, some called the banner of iron and blood.
To be continued...
Have a nice day!