In most of Europe, formal coats of arms appeared as early as the 1100s. But Russia followed a different path. Its symbols were shaped by Orthodox Christianity, Byzantine art, nomadic cultures, and the big ambitions of powerful tsars.
Unlike other countries, Russia didn’t start using official coats of arms until the 1600s. Before that, rulers used different kinds of markings to show their power and identity.
If your family came from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, or Eastern Europe, there's a chance their history is connected to this unique world of symbols!
What Shaped Russian Heraldry?
While Western Europe was busy inventing knights in shining armor, early Russian rulers had their own system of visual power.
A famous early dynasty, the Rurikids, used trident-like symbols on coins, weapons, and seals. These were personal signs, not official coats of arms like we see today.
Some of these early signs looked like tamgas. These are marks used by Eurasian nomads to brand their livestock (Yes, a cow brand turned royal. Who would’ve guessed!). Over time, these simple signs began to show family lines, territory, and leadership.
Fun fact: These brand-like symbols even made their way into German heraldry, where they were adapted into more formal family crests!
As time went on, Byzantine (old Greek) influence crept in and the Russian seals started to include angels, mythical creatures, and warrior figures, possibly due to Greek artisans crafting these emblems.
When Did Russian Heraldry Become Official?
Russia didn’t fully embrace formal heraldry until the 17th century.
While Europe was color-coding bloodlines for centuries, Russian nobles mostly relied on seals and symbols to show rank and family. But the winds changed under Peter the Great, who admired Western European customs, including coats of arms!
By the 18th century, Russian noble families began to register their Russian family crests to the General Armorial of the Noble Families of the Russian Empire.
Symbols in Russian Heraldry
Walk into a Russian government building or open a passport and you’ll find two familiar symbols:
1. The Double-Headed Eagle
Borrowed from the Byzantine Empire, this eagle looks both east and west, symbolizing Russia’s position as a bridge between continents and empires. It was first adopted during the reign of Ivan III in the 15th century, but its modern, muscular form comes courtesy of Peter the Great in the 18th century.
While the imperial eagle of the Russian Empire was traditionally black, today’s Russian coat of arms features it in gold, holding a scepter and orb, which symbolizes divine right and autocracy.
2. Saint George Slaying the Dragon
This dramatic scene isn’t just for church murals. A horseman (commonly accepted to be Saint George) skewering a dragon is the official arms of Moscow and also sits at the center of Russia’s national coat of arms as an inescutcheon (a smaller shield within the larger one).
Together, these two images represent the spiritual and political might of the Russian state. They’ve been used by tsars, reimagined by emperors, banned by Soviets, and restored in the 1990s.
Famous Russian Family Crests
House of Romanov
The last and most powerful imperial dynasty of Russia, the House of Romanov, ruled from 1613 to 1917. That’s over 300 years of power! Their family crest, like their reign, was larger than life: full of ancient symbols, mythological creatures, and a not-so-subtle message of divine authority.
One version of their arms reads:
Argent, a griffin gules, holding a sword in its right paw and a shield bearing a black eagle in its left. Framed by a border of eight lion heads, alternating in red and gold.
The Romanov dynasty came to a tragic end in 1918 during the Russian Revolution. Once rulers of a vast empire, the family’s downfall marked the collapse of imperial Russia, turning their coat of arms from a symbol of absolute power into a poignant reminder of a vanished world.
House of Kvashnin‑Samarin
This family’s arms include a white eagle, a horseshoe, and an arm wielding a sword, which are symbols tied to military prowess and nobility.
House of Uvarov
The Uvarov family was a prominent noble house in Imperial Russia, best known for its contributions to education, science, and public service. The most famous member, Count Sergey Uvarov, served as Minister of Education under Tsar Nicholas I and coined the influential doctrine of "Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality." This is the slogan that shaped Russian imperial ideology throughout the 19th century.
The Uvarov Russian family crest is a mix of Polish heraldry and Orthodox influence, which includes a golden Polish star, a cross, a silver moon, an arm holding a sword, and rafter beams.
House of Pushkin
While not a ruling family, the Pushkin lineage holds a legendary place in Russian cultural nobility. Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (1799–1837) is considered the greatest Russian poet. His works shaped the Russian language itself.
Pushkin’s noble roots ran deep, as his father belonged to an old aristocratic family, while his maternal great-grandfather was Abram Gannibal, an African-born general and the godson of Peter the Great.
His coat of arms features a red cushion with a crown, a blue eagle, and an arm holding a sword. Fitting for a man whose words strike like blades!
Russian Heraldry During Revolution
During the Soviet era, heraldry was dangerous. Noble titles were stripped, family lands were seized, and coats of arms were often destroyed, hidden, or forgotten to avoid political persecution.
Some families buried their crests in Bibles. Others passed them down through whispered stories. And many of these symbols are left for heraldic researchers to uncover.
If your ancestry traces back to Eastern Europe or Russia, there's a chance a forgotten coat of arms is part of your family’s story, and finding your family crest might be the place to start.
What The Tsars Left Behind
Across centuries of shifting rule, from the rise of the Rurikids to the fall of the Romanovs, from imperial grandeur to Soviet suppression, one thing quietly endured: the family crest. These emblems have outlived tsars, revolutions, reforms, and even exile!
Find your family crest to start tracing your family’s story back to this part of the world!
Image Credits:
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Throne of the Tsar, the Empress and the Empress Mother in the Grand Kremlin Palace via Wikimedia Commons, source
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Illustration from the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary via Wikimedia Commons, source
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Mosaic image of the state eagle via Wikimedia Commons, source
