What is the meaning of the Russian Empire's coat of arms?

I will deal with the basic arms, because the full version is very complex and had seen changes over the years. I will use lay terms, because I am not sure how familiar you are with heraldic terminology. read more

Russian grand dukes (and, later, czars) manifested that claim in their seals and (later, when heraldry was adopted in Russia) coats of arms. The eagle holds a sceptre, a symbol of imperial authority and an orb and cross, signifying that the ruler is a Christian. read more

The coat of arms of the Russian Federation derives from the earlier coat of arms of the Russian Empire which was abolished with the Russian Revolution in 1917 and restored in 1993 after the constitutional crisis. read more

The Russian Coat of Arms is one of the major state symbols of Russia, along with the flag and the anthem. When renamed from the RSFSR into the Russian Federation on December 25, 1991, the country reinstated its old pre-revolutionary coat of arms depicting a two-headed eagle. read more