Coat of arms of Montenegro

Lore & Background

The coat of arms of Montenegro consists of a golden crowned double-headed eagle, raising his wings in flight, with a scepter in the right and a globus cruciger in the left talon, on red. On the chest of the eagle lays a shield with a golden lion passant. The lion is on a green field with a blue background. The crown above the eagle's heads and the scepter are golden with a cross pattée on top. The globus cruciger is blue with golden waist and cross pattée. The charge is a two-headed eagle, a symbol of Byzantine and ultimately ancient Roman origin, symbolizing either the unity of or the close connections between the church and the state. The motif was used by medieval rulers of Zeta—the House of Crnojević—as well as various other European dynasties. The current layout was taken from that of the Russian Empire, with which the ruling House of Petrović-Njegoš had close ecclesiastical, dynastic and political ties in the 19th century when the new coat of arms was first adopted in its present form.

Reader's Guide

The coat of arms of Montenegro, officially adopted in 2004 and designed by Radoslav Rotković, represents a continuity with historical heraldic traditions dating to the Crnojević dynasty in the 15th century. Its double-headed eagle motif, of Byzantine and Roman origin, was used by medieval rulers of Zeta and later by the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty. The lion passant on the inescutcheon signifies episcopal authority and bears similarity to the Lion of Judah and the arms of Venice. The modern coat of arms placed the lion back on the shield, erasing monarchic initials that appeared under Prince Danilo I and King Nicholas I. Although the inclusion of the Petrović-Njegoš crown caused some controversy at adoption, the configuration proved extremely popular and is widely displayed in public and private spaces as a mark of national pride. The coat of arms is used on the state seal, official buildings, educational institutions, and diplomatic representations, and its use is regulated by law to ensure respect and proper display.

Did You Know?

• The coat of arms was designed by Montenegrin artist Radoslav Rotković in 2004.
• The double-headed eagle motif was used by the medieval House of Crnojević and other European dynasties.
• The current layout was taken from that of the Russian Empire due to ties with the House of Petrović-Njegoš.
• The lion passant on the shield is a sign of episcopal authority and may be a metaphor for the Lion of Judah.

Byzantine Roots and the Birth of the Eagle

The double-headed eagle that anchors Russia's state identity traces its lineage to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. When the Byzantine Empire collapsed, the Grand Dukes of Muscovy positioned themselves as inheritors of that imperial legacy. This claim was cemented when Ivan III married Sophia Paleologue, a connection that gave rise to the 'Third Rome' concept for Moscow and, by extension, for Imperial Russia. Ivan formally adopted the golden Byzantine double-headed eagle into his personal seal, first documented in 1472, asserting sovereignty as a peer of the Holy Roman Empire. By 1497, the eagle appeared on a charter dealing with the allotment of independent princes' possessions, and a gilt version was painted on the walls of the Kremlin's Palace of Facets. The current arms remain directly derived from this medieval original, with their general tinctures matching the fifteenth-century standard.

The Two Pillars of Russian Heraldry

Two heraldic figures form the backbone of Russia's state symbols, both predating Peter the Great. The first is the golden double-headed eagle with raised, extended wings, crowned by two small crowns and one larger crown linked by a ribbon, clutching a sceptre in its right talon and an orb in its left. The second is the silver horseman in a blue cape on a silver horse, piercing a black, overturned dragon with a silver spear. This rider first appeared on the seal of Vasili I of Moscow in 1390, though the dragon was only added during Ivan III's reign. The explicit identification of the rider as Saint George came much later, in a 1730 Imperial decree. Over time, Saint George became the patron saint of Moscow and, by extension, of Russia itself. The eagle bears this red shield on its breast, uniting the two ancient motifs into a single composition.

Modern Adoption and Legal Codification

The current coat of arms was designed by artist Yevgeny Ukhnalyov and formally approved through Decree No. 2050, signed by the President of the Russian Federation on 30 November 1993. It was subsequently enshrined in Federal Constitutional Law No. 2, signed by President Vladimir Putin on 25 December 2000, which retained the 1993 version and established rules for its official use. Interestingly, while the 1993 Regulation and the 2000 Constitutional Law contain slightly different textual descriptions of the emblem, both documents include the identical drawing by Ukhnalyov in their appendices. The modern design retains the imperial crowns, now interpreted as symbols of Russia's unity and sovereignty across its constituent republics and regions, as well as the sceptre and orb as traditional markers of sovereign authority. Notably, the sceptre features a Droste effect, topped by a miniature rendering of the coat of arms itself.

The Soviet Interruption and Symbolic Continuity

Russia's heraldic history is divided into three major periods corresponding to the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the Russian Federation. When the Bolsheviks took power, the double-headed eagle was replaced. The RSFSR coat of arms, adopted on 10 July 1918, featured wheat representing agriculture, a rising sun symbolizing the nation's future, a hammer and sickle for the victory of the working class, and eventually a red star added in 1978, making the RSFSR the last Soviet republic to include that element. After the Soviet era ended, the eagle was restored. The modern arms deliberately omit certain imperial elements—the blue ribbon and the collar of the Order of St. Andrew that once supported the crowns and surrounded the central shield in the imperial version—yet they retain the crowns and regalia. This choice drew objections from Communist critics, even though the Russian Federation is not a monarchy. The eagle thus stands as a bridge between medieval Muscovy and the modern state.

Gallery