FROM PETER THE FIRST... The Russian flag owes its birth to the domestic fleet. Flag of one or another The Russian flag owes its birth to the Russian fleet. The flag of a particular country showed that this ship of the country showed that this ship belongs to it, is its own, belongs to it, is its territory. In 1690 white-blue-red territory. In 1690 the white-blue-red flag became a symbol of the Russian state, the flag became a symbol of the Russian state, and above all - at sea. and above all - at sea. This is exactly the flag that Peter I used. This is the flag that Peter I used.
FLAG AS A SYMBOL OF THE RUSSIAN STATE FLAG AS A SYMBOL OF THE RUSSIAN STATE The flag is constantly raised on the buildings of the authorities of our country. The flag is constantly raised on the buildings of the authorities of our country. It flutters on the masts of Russian ships and is painted on aircraft Russian Federation and its spacecraft. It flutters on the masts of Russian ships, and is applied to Russian aircraft and spacecraft. The flag indicates belonging to Russia. The flag indicates belonging to Russia. The flag is raised during official ceremonies and is flown in military units. The flag is raised during official ceremonies and is flown in military units. On days of national mourning, the flag is lowered or a black ribbon is attached. On days of national mourning, the flag is lowered or a black ribbon is attached.
Over time, banners appeared in Rus' in the form of a canvas attached to a pole. They were called banners and gathered warriors around them.
The banners could have been different shapes, but in Rus' they were often found in the form of an elongated triangle.
Since the 15th century, the word “banner” has been increasingly used to denote banners and banners. From now on, the banner was perceived not just as a sign, but as a relic common to the entire army, like an icon, possessing saving properties. The banners depicted the face of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, saints, scenes from the Bible, the text of the Gospel, and a cross. IN medieval Rus' Military units and military regalia were also called banners. The banner is a symbol of unification. The army met around the battle banner. The banner meant the commander's headquarters or the center of the battle formation. The number of troops was determined by the number of banners. Raising the banner meant declaring readiness for battle, lowering it meant admitting defeat. The loss of the banner was a heavy shame on the entire military unit. Capturing the enemy's banner in battle was considered a special distinction.
It's hard to judge color scheme, but in historical sources they are named: red, green, blue, dark blue, white.
In the XVII-XVIII, a type of banner appeared in Rus' - prapor (a small banner with long tails). Thus, even in the second half of the 7th century there was no state, national flag in Rus', and the royal banner could not be considered such.
By your birth Russian flag obliged to the domestic fleet.
In 1667-1669. In the village of Dedinovo on the Oka, the first flotilla of Rus' was built. It was intended to protect trade caravans sailing along the Volga and the Caspian Sea, and consisted of the three-masted ship “Eagle” and four smaller ships.
By that time, the leading maritime powers already had their own flags, which were raised on ships. The flags served as an identification mark of the ship and the state to which the ship belonged. It is from sea flags that many state phages originate.
It is known that the first flag installed on the ship “Eagle” consisted of white, blue and red colors, but they were not arranged in horizontal stripes. Some historians think so. They believe that the flag consisted of four parts. The blue cross divided the panel into 4 parts, and the white and red colors were arranged in a checkerboard pattern. There is another opinion that the flag looked like the modern Russian flag.
It is known that in 1693 in Arkhangelsk on ships Peter I raised a flag with horizontal stripes (white - blue - red), called the flag of the Tsar of Moscow. In 1690, the white-blue-red flag became a symbol of the Russian state, primarily at sea.
The Russian tricolor (three-color flag) probably arose from the Dutch model. Holland in the 17th century was one of the great maritime powers. Its flag combined the colors orange, white and blue. Soon Orange color was replaced by red.
The arrangement of stripes on the Russian flag was different, and the symbolism of the colors reflected Russian traditions. The order of the colors on the flag is white, blue, red.
Red, the color of blood, seemed to denote the earthly world, blue – the celestial sphere, white – divine light. All three colors have long been revered in Rus'.
The color red was considered a symbol of courage and courage, as well as a synonym for beauty. The blue color was considered a symbol of the Mother of God. White color personified peace, purity, nobility. All three colors also corresponded to the Moscow coat of arms: St. George on a white horse in a blue mantle on a red shield field.
During the era of Peter the Great, other Russian flags appeared. One of them is the St. Andrew's flag - a blue oblique cross on a white field. Apostle Andrew was considered the patron saint of Russia and navigation. St. Andrew's flag has become the flag of the Russian navy; it is hoisted on warships. But the tricolor was not forgotten either. In 1705, the Tsar issued a decree on what the flag should be on Russian merchant ships. The text of the decree was accompanied by a design of a flag of three stripes - white, blue and red. CONTINUED ON THE SITE
MBOU OOSH village Vyazovoe
Prepared by: Vladimirtsev Denis
7th grade student of the MBOU secondary school in the village of Vyazovoe
Head: Ustinov S.A.
history and social studies teacher
2014
Plan
Introduction
1.History of the Russian flag
2.Modern flag of Russia
3.The meaning of the colors of the flag
Conclusion
Bibliography
Introduction
Each state has its own symbols. They personify his system of values and reflect the characteristics historical development, customs and traditions that have developed there. The symbols of the state have their own history, they have come a long way and they contain deep meaning. At the sound of the anthem, the heart begins to beat excitedly. Sports fans paint their faces in state colors, winners of competitions often have tears welling up as moisture rushes up home country. All love for the Motherland is expressed through respect for its symbols. Without their respect, becoming a citizen is impossible. After all, this is a historical memory, a living legend about the past and present, about the life of the state. Russia also has its own symbols - the flag, coat of arms and anthem. One of them, expressing its independence, is the state flag. I learned that the Russian flag has a long history, its appearance has changed at different times. Therefore, I decided to study the history of the emergence of the Russian flag, explore its changes in various historical eras, find out the meaning of the colors of the Russian flag and prove that the history of the flag is connected with the past, the heroic and tragic pages of our Motherland.
1.History of the Russian flag
The history of state flags is inextricably linked with the history of fleets and Russia is no exception. The Russian flag owes its birth to the Russian fleet.
Creator Russian fleet Emperor Peter the Great is considered. Peter the Great himself, in the main maritime document of his time, the Naval Charter, declared and diligently emphasized that he was not the beginning, but only the continuer of the creation of the fleet, the true beginning of which was laid by his father, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
The construction of the first naval ships in Russia began by order of Alexei Mikhailovich five years before the birth of Peter the Great. In 1667-1669. The first Russian flotilla was built in the village of Dedinovo on the Oka River. It was intended to protect trade caravans sailing along the Volga and Caspian Sea from pirate attacks and consisted of a three-masted ship "Eagle" with 22 guns and four smaller ships.
The captain of the ship Eagle asked the government what flags his flotilla should fly. After all, the flag served as an identification mark of the ship, and the state thereby indicated that the ship was under its protection.
In April 1668, Russian ships were ordered to be supplied with large quantities of material in white, blue and red colors. But exactly how these colors were placed on the first flags is unknown.
Some believe that, by analogy with the Streltsy banners common at that time, the first Russian flag was a panel with a straight blue cross and white and red corners.
Others believe that the first state flag of Russia had the same composition that exists to this day: of three horizontal
Estimated appearance of the flag of the ship "Eagle" stripes of white, blue and red colors.
It was the striped white-blue-red flag that was used by Peter I during his first experiments in shipbuilding and his first sea voyage in 1693.
We must not forget that the builders of the first Russian ships were the Dutch, and they also made up their crews. The Russians did not know naval art and completely trusted the Dutch craftsmen in all matters of creating ships. It is likely that when the time came to create the flag and the colors that should be used in it were determined - white, blue and red - the Dutch masters created the flag according to the tradition accepted in their homeland. The flag of the Netherlands at that time was striped, red, white and blue (an orange stripe was also often used instead of red). It is possible that, according to the Dutch tradition, the Russian flag was also composed of three horizontal stripes, and a different arrangement of color stripes was used to clearly distinguish the Russian symbol from the Dutch one.
The history of the first Russian ships was short. In 1670, they came to Astrakhan, but did not have time to begin military service: in the same year, Astrakhan was captured by the troops of Stepan Razin and the ships stationed in it were burned. Along with the ships, their flags also perished, but the memory of the first Russian state white-blue-red flag remained.
In 1688, a minor event occurred, the consequences of which radically affected the history of our country. The young Tsar Peter I, walking through the palace barns in the village of Izmailovskoye near Moscow, found a dilapidated English bot(a large sailing boat), became interested in it, having learned that the boat could sail both downwind and against the wind, he ordered the discovery to be restored. Soon Peter was already sailing on a boat and learning to sail. Passionately interested in sailing, the tsar obtained permission from his mother to transport the boat to Lake Pereyaslavl, where new ships were soon built. The history of the Russian fleet began with these youthful amusements.
The fleet needed the main identification sign - a flag - and flags were not slow to appear on the “amusing” ships of Peter I. It is not known whether flags were used on the boat, but it is significant that horizontal white, blue and red stripes were placed on the sides of the boat. The ships of the Pereyaslav flotilla had flags; information on what they looked like has not been preserved, but it is known that white, blue and red material was purchased for them in equal quantities.
On August 6, 1693, during the voyage of Peter I on the 12-gun yacht “St. Peter”, in the White Sea with a detachment of warships, the so-called “Flag of the Tsar” was raised as a standard for the first time
Moscow" - a panel consisting of three horizontal stripes of white, blue and red
Flag of the Tsar of Moscow
flowers, with a golden double-headed eagle in the middle.
However, the “Flag of the Tsar of Moscow” was not the only flag used in the 1690s – 1700s.In 1697-1700 the first Russian warships used striped white-blue-red flags. The first merchant ships were supposed to use a white flag with a double-headed eagle, however, references to the actualThe use of such a flag has not survived: alreadyfrom the late 1690s Russian merchant ships sail under a white, blue and red flag.
Around 1700, a solid foundation for the Russian flag system was formed. Peter abandons the “Flag of the Tsar of Moscow” and adopts a fundamentally new flag as his standard: a yellow cloth with a black double-headed eagle holding maps of the four seas in its beaks and paws.
On January 20, 1705, Peter I issued a decree according to which “all kinds of merchant ships” should fly a white, blue and red flag.
The three-stripe flag was also used on warships until 1712, when the St. Andrew's flag was approved as a naval flag. The white-blue-red flag becomes the commercial flag (that is, the flag of civilian ships).
Despite the fact that Peter I developed a huge number of flags during his life ( various options St. Andrew's flag, standards of the Tsar of Moscow and the All-Russian Emperor, variants of jacks, etc.), state flag Russian Empire they were never installed.
In 1858, during the reign of Emperor Alexander II, the chairman of the heraldic chamber of the Russian Empire, Baron Kene, drew the sovereign’s attention to the fact that the colors of the state flag of Russiado not match the colors of the state emblem.
By decree of Alexander II of June 11, 1858, a black-yellow-white “flag of coat of arms colors” was introduced:“Description of the highest approved design of the arrangement of the emblem of the Empire on banners, flags and other items used for decoration on special occasions. Location of these
colors are horizontal, the top stripe is black, the middle stripe is yellow (or gold), and the bottom stripe is white (or silver).
Thus, the flag of the coat of arms became the first officially approved state flag of Russia. Russian society did not accept this new symbol of state power: two flags existed in parallel in the empire: black-yellow-white and white-blue-red, and the preference of the population was universally given to the latter.
Emperor AlexanderIIIDuring the coronation, I noticed the contrast in Moscow: the Kremlin was decorated and the entire procession was dressed in black, yellow and white, while in the city white, blue and red colors predominated. A commission of authoritative persons was appointed, which made the following decision:“The white-blue-red flag, established by Emperor Peter the Great, is almost 200 years old. Heraldic data are also noticeable in it: the Moscow coat of arms depicts a white horseman in a blue cloak on a red field... On the other hand, the white-yellow-black colors have neither historical nor heraldic bases behind them.”
Based on the decision of the commission, white-blue-red was approved as the national flag. April 28, 1883 (May 7, 1883, this decision was included in the Collection of Legislation of the Russian Empire) by AlexanderIIIThe “Decree on Flags for Decorating Buildings on Ceremonial Occasions” was issued, which ordered the use of exclusively white-blue-red flags. From that moment on, black-yellow-white was considered the dynastic flag of the reigning house of the Romanovs.
The last Russian Emperor Nicholas II in 1896 finally assigned the white-blue-red flag the status of the only state flag of the Russian Empire.
With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, in order to raise the patriotism of the population, an additional imperial flag “for use in private life” was introduced by a special circular of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It differed from the state flag of the empire by a yellow square with a black double-headed eagle (a composition corresponding to the palace standard of the emperor). The eagle was depicted without titular coats of arms on the wings; the square overlapped the white and about a quarter of the blue stripes of the flag.
However, this flag did not spread; contrary to popular belief, it was never the state flag of the Russian Empire. The new flag was not introduced as mandatory; its use was only “allowed.” The symbolism of the flag emphasized the unity of the king with the people. The white-blue-red national flag existed until 1918.
The fateful year of 1917 opened a terrible and bloody page in our history. The provisional government that seized power in February 1917 changed the coat of arms and anthem of Russia, but the traditional white-blue-red flag was considered a historical national symbol and was retained. However, the power of the Provisional Government was fragile and short-lived; in October 1917 it was overthrown.
The Bolsheviks attached paramount importance to the symbolic assertion of their power, and here, as in any revolution, a special place belonged, first of all, to the flag.
The symbol of the left forces from the middle of the second half of the 19th century centuries, a red cloth served (it also had an interpretation - a cloth the color of blood shed in the struggle for communist ideas). The red color of the revolution did not change even after October events. On the basis of this party symbol, the symbols of the new Soviet state were created.
In the first months Soviet power the role of the state flag was performed by a rectangular red panel that did not have any inscriptions or emblems. However, this type of state flag was not established by any documents.
On April 8, 1918, the issue of the state flag was discussed at a meeting of the Council of People's Commissars. The resolution of the Council of People's Commissars proposed declaring a red banner with the letters “P. V.S.S.” (that is, with an abbreviation of the motto “Workers of all countries, unite!”).
However, this proposal was not accepted. By decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of April 13, 1918, the official flag of the RSFSR was proclaimed a red banner with the inscription: “Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic.” Since 1922, the RSFSR became an integral part of the single state- THE USSR. The national flag of the USSR, according to the Constitution of 1924, was“a red or scarlet cloth with an image on its upper corner near the shaft of a golden sickle and hammer and above it a red five-pointed star framed by a gold border.”
The USSR flag remained this way until 1991.
2.Modern flag of Russia
The historical destinies of Russia made it possible for the return of the white-blue-red flag to our modern life. Back in 1989, on the occasion of the anniversary February Revolution it was raised by protesters on Mayakovsky Square in Moscow and in front of the Kazan Cathedral in Leningrad. In April 1991, the Government Commission of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR approved the use of a three-stripe flag as a new symbol Russian Federation. In the same year (August 22), the Extraordinary Session of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR decided to “consider the historical flag of Russia - a cloth of equal horizontal white, azure and scarlet stripes - as the official National Flag of the Russian Federation.”It is believed that recent history Peter's tricolor flag originates on August 22, 1991, when, as a sign of victory over the putschists, it was hoisted over the White House.
On August 22, 1991, a rally was scheduled, during which the tricolor flag was supposed to fly. All that was left was to find the tricolor, but it wasn’t at hand. Then someone remembered that they had seen him in the office of the then Minister of Foreign Economic Relations Yaroshenko. Here we have to go back to 1990. In the fall, an exhibition of Russian goods was held in Sweden, and Yaroshenko, who came to it, wanted to raise a tricolor flag in front of the pavilion. The artist who designed the exhibition liked the idea, and he sewed a solid, two-by-three-meter banner. However, the Russian commissioner of the exhibition intervened and prohibited such, at that time, amateur performances. Yaroshenko took the tricolor to Moscow and hung it in his office. Now it came in handy. Soon the flag ended up on Krasnopresnenskaya embankment. The rally was in full swing when, to the applause of those gathered, during B.N. Yeltsin’s speech, the red flag of the RSFSR with a blue stripe was lowered, and in its place the historical tricolor number one soared. He married The White house just a day, turning out to be too small for such a grandiose building. Yes, and it was not sewn according to the standards accepted in such cases and which require special durable fabric, which hardly discolors and wears little to withstand rain, sun, and wind. The next day, just such a banner was raised over the White House, and the tricolor taken from the minister returned to its owner.Presidential decrees of 1993 – 1994 the status of this flag as a state symbol was determined, the colors were clearly established: white-blue-red (instead of: white, azure, scarlet). August 22 was declared the Day of the State Flag of the Russian Federation.
According to Article 70 of the Russian Constitution of 1993, state symbols are approved by a special federal constitutional law. The Federal Constitutional Law “On the State Flag of the Russian Federation” was adopted State Duma On December 8, 2000, on December 20 it was approved by the Federation Council, and on December 25 of the same year it was signed by the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin. The law established a description of the State Flag and the procedure for its official use. In Art. The first one says: “The state flag of the Russian Federation is a rectangular panel of three equal horizontal stripes: the top is white, the middle is blue and the bottom is red. The ratio of the width of the flag to its length is 2:3.” Subsequent articles develop the principles of using the National Flag, which is constantly raised on the buildings of federal legislative and executive authorities, and on days public holidays of the Russian Federation, the State flag is hung on the buildings of local governments, public associations, enterprises, institutions, organizations, regardless of their form of ownership, as well as on residential buildings. Article 10 especially emphasizes that the use of the State flag in violation of the rules specified in Federal law, desecration of the flag leads to punishment in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.
3.The meaning of the colors of the Russian flag
Analyzing the literature and sources on state symbols, we can come to the conclusion that there is no consensus on why the colors of our country are present on the flag: white, blue and red. Some sources say that Russian tricolor arose according to the Dutch model. In the 17th century Holland became one of the largest maritime powers. For the flags of their ships, the Dutch chose a combination of three colors - orange, white and blue. Orange was considered the dynastic color of the Orange, who led the fight against Spain for Dutch independence.
In our country, orange was replaced by red, because... red color was considered a symbol of courage and courage. The white color represented faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland. In addition, he was considered free and open.
There is another version: the Russian national flag confirms the traditional Russian idea of the world, including the existence of matter, the human soul and spiritual existence.
The arrangement of the stripes on the Russian flag coincides with the ancient understanding of the tripartite structure of the world: physical, carnal, material world– on the flag it is represented in red; above – the world of the human soul – blue; and even higher - the world of the Divine spirit, Heavenly purity.
There was also this interpretation of the arrangement of colors on the Russian flag: red meant love, blue meant hope, white meant faith.
According to another version, red meant sovereignty, blue was the color of the Mother of God, under whose protection Russia was, white was the color of freedom and independence.
There is another “sovereign” interpretation of the meanings of the colors of the flag, which means the unity of the three fraternal East Slavic peoples: white is the color of White Rus' (Belarus), blue is Little Russia (Ukraine), red is Great Russia.
Currently, the following interpretation of the meanings of the colors of the Russian flag is most often (unofficially) used: White color means peace, purity, purity, perfection; blue is the color of faith and fidelity, constancy; red color symbolizes energy, strength, blood shed for the Fatherland.
Conclusion
The flag is our national shrine. He is given the highest state honors, his dignity is subject to protection both within the country and abroad.
The national flag of the Russian Federation is constantly raised on the buildings of government and administrative bodies. It is hung on public holidays and special ceremonies. Flies on the buildings of Russian diplomatic missions abroad. It develops on the masts of Russian ships. The three-color image of the flag is applied to the aircraft of the Russian Federation and its spacecraft. Every day it soars at the place of permanent residence of Russian military units, etc. In my home village of Vyazovoe, the Russian flag rises on the building of the village administration, a separate fire and rescue station, as well as the school building where I study.
As a result of my research, I found out that the appearance of the white-blue-red flag is associated with the name of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and not, as many believe, PeterI. The year of its appearance is 1688. During the reign of PeterIThe current arrangement of stripes on the flag was established, and it became the flag of the merchant fleet. However, in pre-Petrine times, the tricolor was hoisted on the first Russian warship, the Eagle. Officially, the white-blue-red flag was approved as the state flag on the eve of the coronation of NicholasIIin 1896 During the Soviet period of history, the tricolor was abolished, and then revived again. The birthday of the current flag of the Russian Federation is August 22, 1991.
The colors of the Russian flag in certain eras had different meaning, but always reflected the most best qualities man, the Russian people and everything that surrounds him.
National flag - part Russian history, the embodiment of its heroic and tragic pages, a reflection of the life of the peoples of our country. And therefore we all should know the history of state symbols.
Bibliography
Degtyarev A.Ya. History of the Russian Flag.-M., 2000
Pchelov E.V. State symbols of Russia: coat of arms, flag, anthem.-M., 2004
Constitution of the Russian Federation 1993
Soboleva N.A. Russian state symbols: history and modernity.-M.: 2003.
Federal State Law of December 25, 2005 “On the State Flag of the Russian Federation”
The navy respects traditions, observes old rituals and values symbols. Everyone knows that the main flag is the St. Andrew's banner, which proudly fluttered on the masts and main topmasts of the first imperial sailing ships of Peter the Great's fleet. However, not everyone knows that even then there were other naval flags that differed in function and informational purpose. This situation still applies today.
Birth of St. Andrew's flag
Peter the Great created it, and he also took care of its symbols. He drew the first sea flags himself and went through several options. The chosen version was based on the “oblique” St. Andrew’s cross. It was this version, which became the eighth and last, that served until the October Revolution of 1917. Overshadowed by the cross of St. Andrew the First-Called, Russian ships won many victories, and even if they suffered defeats, the glory of the heroism of the sailors has survived generations and shines to this day.
Saint Andrew the First-Called
The reason why this particular symbol was chosen has a deep meaning. The fact is that the first disciple of Christ, Andrew the First-Called, brother of the Apostle Peter, is considered both the patron saint of sailors (he himself was a Galilean fisherman) and Holy Rus'. On his travels, he visited, among many other cities, Kyiv, Veliky Novgorod, and Volkhov, preaching the Christian faith. Apostle Andrew accepted martyrdom on the cross, while the executioners crucified him not on a straight cross, but on an oblique cross (this is how the concept and name of this symbol arose).
Naval ensign Russia in the final version of Peter the Great looked like a white cloth crossed out with a blue cross. This is how he is today.
In the first years after the revolution, the Bolsheviks did not attach naval power of great importance. During the Civil War, almost all fronts were on the ground, and when devastation came, there was simply no money to maintain complex equipment. The few ships of the river and sea flotillas remaining at the disposal of the new government raised the leadership to maritime traditions, heraldry, symbols, history and the like “ashes of the old world.” workers' and peasants' army and Comrade L.D. Trotsky were treated with contempt.
In 1923, the former officer of the Tsarist Navy, Ordynsky, nevertheless convinced the Bolsheviks to adopt a special flag for ships, proposing a rather strange option - an almost complete copy of the Japanese banner with the sign of the Red Army in the center. This flag of the RSFSR flew on yards and flagpoles until 1935, then it had to be abandoned. Imperial Japan was becoming a likely enemy, and from afar the ships could easily be confused.
The decision on a new Red Navy pennant was made by the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. Even then, some continuity was observed; white and blue colors, borrowed from St. Andrew's banner, but, of course, the new symbol of the USSR Navy could not do without a star and a hammer and sickle, both red ones.
In 1950, it was changed somewhat, reducing the relative size of the star. The flag acquired geometric balance and objectively became more beautiful. In this form it existed until the collapse of the USSR and for another year while there was confusion. In 1992, new (or rather, revived old) St. Andrew's naval flags were raised on all ships. The cross did not entirely correspond to historical tradition, but in general it was almost the same as under Peter the Great. Everything is back to normal.
What flags are there in the navy?
There are different flags in the navy, and their purposes are different. In addition to the usual stern St. Andrew's banners, on ships of the first and second ranks, a jack is also raised, but only when moored at the pier. After going to sea, the stern flag is hoisted on the mast or topmasts (in the very high point). If a battle begins, the state flag is raised.
"Colored" flags
The charter also provides for pennants for naval commanders of various ranks. Naval flags, indicating the presence of commanders on board, are indicated by a red banner, a quarter of which is occupied by a blue St. Andrew's cross on a white background. The color field contains:
- one star (white) - if the commander of a formation of ships is on board;
- two stars (white) - if there is a flotilla or squadron commander on board;
- three stars (white) - if the fleet commander is on board.
In addition, there are other colored flags, with the image of the coat of arms of the Russian Federation on a red background, crossed out by two crosses, St. Andrew's and a straight white one, or with two intersecting anchors on the same background. This means the presence on the ship of the Minister of Defense or the Chief of the General Staff.
Signal flags
Information exchange, as in previous times, can be carried out through visual symbols, including maritime signal flags. Of course, in the age of electronic means they are used extremely rarely and, rather, serve as a symbol of the inviolability of naval traditions, and on holidays they decorate the spherical-gray monotony of ship camouflage with their multicolor, but if necessary they can also perform their direct function. Sailors must be able to use them, and for this they need to study reference books, which contain all the flag signals. These volumes consist of sections that contain transcripts of geographical names, names of ships, military ranks and similar information. Directories come in two-flag and three-flag formats; with the help of many combinations, you can quickly report the situation and transmit orders. Negotiations with foreign vessels are conducted through the International Code of Flags.
In addition to pennants meaning entire phrases, there have always been letter flags with which you can compose any message.
Flags with St. George's Ribbon
All are conventionally divided into ordinary and guards. Distinctive feature serves in the guard in Russia St. George Ribbon, present in the symbolism of the unit. Nautical flags, decorated with an orange and black stripe, indicate that the ship or coastal base belongs to the number of especially famous units. From the initial thought that the tape should become separate element banner, the sailors refused so that it could not wrap around the flag halyard, and now the St. George symbol is applied directly to the canvas in its lower part. Such a Russian naval flag testifies to the special combat readiness and high class of both the ship itself and its crew; it obliges us to a lot.
Marines flag
During the USSR, each branch of the military had its own symbols. For example, the maritime border guards belonging to the State Security Committee of the USSR had their own flag, which was a compilation of the Navy flag in a reduced form on a green field. Now, after the adoption of a single model, there is less diversity, but unofficial symbols have appeared, created by the imagination of military personnel, and therefore, probably, even more loved and revered by them. One of them is the Marine Corps flag. In essence, this is the same St. Andrew's white canvas with a blue cross, but it is supplemented with a patch of this type of troops (a golden anchor in a black circle), the inscription “Marine Corps” and the motto “Where we are, there is victory!”
The Marine Corps was created in Russia earlier than in many other countries (almost together with the fleet), and during its existence it covered itself with unfading glory. In 1669, its first unit was the Eagle team, and in 1705 the first naval regiment of soldiers was formed. It was November 27, and since then this day has been celebrated by all Marines. They fought not only as naval paratroopers, but also took part in land operations, during the Napoleonic invasion, and in other wars (Crimean, Russian-Turkish, World War I, Great Patriotic War). In the armed conflicts of recent decades, they also had to fight, and the enemy knew that if the Marine Corps flag was raised, then the circumstances were very unfavorable for him and it was best for him to retreat.
After a long break, heraldic naval justice was restored in February 2012. From the hands of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral Kuroyedov, received the updated Russian naval flag. Now he flies over all the oceans.
Today in Russia we celebrate the Day of the St. Andrew's Flag, given to the fleet by the first Russian Emperor Peter the Great
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Sergey Antonov
Ask any Russian naval sailor what the two most important colors are associated with the navy, and you will hear the answer: blue and white. And it’s completely natural. These are the colors of one of the most famous naval flags in the world - the Russian St. Andrew's flag. Russia celebrates a holiday in his honor: on this day in 1699, Peter the Great approved the famous oblique blue cross on a white background as a symbol of the Russian navy.
The ships of the Russian Imperial Navy sailed under the St. Andrew's flag for more than two centuries: from 1699 to 1924. This banner overshadowed the most famous naval battles, which made up the glory of Russian sailors: Gogland and Gangut, Sinop and Chesme, Chios and Tsushima. Under this flag, the battleship "Azov" and the brig "Mercury", the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets", the sailing ship "Eagle" and the destroyer "Steregushchiy" went into battle, without caring about the number of enemy ships. A blue oblique cross on a white background shaded the shores of Antarctica, brought there by the sloops Vostok and Mirny, and traveled around globe on the frigate "Pallada" and the corvette "Vityaz". And it has always remained a symbol of the selfless service of Russian sailors to the Motherland.
Gangut battle. Artist Rudolf Yakhnin
Gangut battle. Artist Rudolf Yakhnin. museum.navy.ru
The cross that overshadowed the Russian fleet
There is a beautiful legend about how exactly the first Russian Emperor Peter Alekseevich came up with the design of St. Andrew's flag. Allegedly, after staying up late working on sketches of a naval flag for the nascent Russian fleet, the tsar dozed off right at the table. And when he woke up in the morning, he suddenly saw an oblique blue cross falling on White list in front of his face. So bizarrely it refracted and lay on paper sunlight, passing through the stained glass window on the window of the royal office...
Alas, in reality all this could hardly have happened exactly like this. The first sketch, on which the oblique St. Andrew's cross appeared, was drawn in 1692 at the same time as another - the classic white-blue-red one. Against the background of the same tricolor, the sovereign also depicted an oblique blue cross for the first time, which could hardly have been the result of a successful play of light and shadow.
Peter I. Artist Paul Delaroche (1838)
Peter I. Artist Paul Delaroche (1838). wikipedia.org
The St. Andrew's flag finally established itself as the main naval flag of Russia in 1712, when Peter I signed the highest decree on its widespread use: “the flag is white, through which the blue cross of St. Andrei for the sake of this, that Russia received holy baptism from this apostle.”
There is another reason why Peter the Great chose the St. Andrew's Cross as a symbol of the Russian navy. In 1703, the Russians occupied the island of Kotlin, and thus the cherished dream of the first Russian emperor came true - access to the Baltic Sea. It became the fourth sea for Russia, on which the empire established its rule: together with the Caspian, Azov and White. And thus, the four-pointed St. Andrew's Cross received a completely new meaning for Russia.
Die at the flag post
“All Russian military ships must not lower their flags, pennants and topsails to anyone, under the penalty of deprivation of life,” says the “Naval Charter on everything related to good governance when the fleet is at sea,” written by Peter I in his own hand. This requirement is was strictly observed in the Russian fleet, and there was no dishonor worse for Russian sailors than lowering the flag in the face of the enemy.
So that no one could decide on such madness alone, the stern St. Andrew's flag - and it was and is considered the main one on the ships of the Russian fleet - was always guarded by an armed sentry. Suffice it to say that the same strict security was provided on sailing ships only in the cruise chamber, that is, the ship's storage of gunpowder and cannonballs.
In the book of the Russian naval historian Nikolai Manvelov, “Customs and Traditions of the Russian Imperial Navy,” several amazing facts how the sailors guarding the flag did not leave their posts until the arrival of a new sentry, even after being seriously wounded. For example, the author writes, “during the battle near Port Arthur on January 27, 1904, Nikifor Pecheritsa, a sentry at the stern flag of the armored cruiser Bayan, received shrapnel wounds in both legs, but did not leave his post. They replaced him only after the battle - the officers noticed that the non-commissioned officer was standing in an extremely unnatural position. One of the last to leave his ship in the Korean port of Chemulpo (modern Icheon) was the sentry at the banner of the cruiser "Varyag". The boatswain, Pyotr Olenin, was not relieved throughout the entire battle and miraculously did not die - shrapnel cut his Dutchman and trousers, broke the butt of his rifle and tore his boot. At the same time, the non-commissioned officer himself received only a slight wound in the leg. The sentry at the flag on the mainmast of the armored cruiser "Russia" in the battle with Japanese ships in the Korea Strait on August 1, 1904, temporarily left his post only at the request of the cruiser's senior officer. By that time, he had been repeatedly wounded and was bleeding. It’s not hard to guess that he returned to his place immediately after the dressing.”
Cruiser "Varyag"
Cruiser "Varyag". Photo: wwportal.com
And it must be admitted that what kept the Russian sailors from the idea of lowering the flag in front of the enemy was not the “fine of deprivation of the belly,” but the firm conviction that this act could not be justified. It is not without reason that in the entire history of the Russian fleet, only two cases are known when ships nevertheless decided to lower the flag - but, surprisingly, none of the officers and sailors were punished with death for this. Probably because living with the stigma of an oathbreaker and a coward was a much greater punishment than losing one’s life.
“So that in the future there will be no more cowards for the Russian fleet”
The first incident occurred in May 1829, when the commander of the frigate "Raphael", captain II rank Semyon Stroynikov, in order to save his crew from imminent death, lowered the St. Andrew's flag in front of the outnumbered Turkish squadron. The captured ship became part of the Turkish fleet and 24 years later, during the Battle of Sinop, was burned by a Russian squadron - as required by the royal decree, which forever deleted the name “Raphael” from the list of ships of the Russian fleet. And the dishonored crew was captured and after the end of the war returned to their homeland, where they were almost in full strength - from the captain to the last bilge officer, with the exception of one midshipman who objected to the commander! - was demoted to sailor. In addition, Emperor Nicholas I, by his personal decree, forbade the former commander of the frigate to marry, “so as not to produce cowards for the Russian fleet in the future.” True, this measure was late: by that time Stroynikov already had two sons - Nikolai and Alexander, and their father’s shame did not prevent them from becoming naval officers and rising to the rank of rear admirals.
Two saints on one flag
On June 5 (17), 1819, by imperial decree of Alexander I, the St. Andrew's flag was approved, where a red heraldic shield with the canonical image of St. George the Victorious was depicted on top of the St. Andrew's cross. This is how the symbols of two saints, especially revered in Russia, appeared on one flag: St. George and St. Apostle Andrew.
The second case of lowering the St. Andrew's flag was recorded already during the reign of the last autocrat of the All-Russian Nicholas II. On the second day of the Battle of Tsushima, five ships of the Russian fleet decided to commit dishonor in order to save the lives of 2,280 Russian sailors. As the author of the book “Customs and Traditions of the Russian Imperial Navy” writes, then “ Japanese fleet under the command of Admiral Heihachiro Togo, two squadron battleships, two coastal defense battleships and a destroyer, on board which was the seriously wounded commander of the 2nd fleet squadron, surrendered Pacific Ocean Vice Admiral Zinovy Rozhdestvensky. To the surprise of contemporaries, the admirals of the surrendered warships were treated very leniently. The commander of the 3rd combat detachment of the squadron, Rear Admiral Nikolai Nebogatov, was first stripped of ranks and awards, and then, in 1906, sentenced to death penalty, immediately replaced by 10 years of imprisonment in a fortress. However, he served only 3 years and was released early. The fleet, however, did not forgive him for lowering the flag - Nebogatov’s son, who was studying in the Naval Cadet Corps, was so obstructed that he had to leave the corps and abandon all hopes of becoming a naval officer.” The same replacement of the death penalty with a ten-year imprisonment in the fortress awaited the commanders of the ships that surrendered with Nebogatov.
Return of a Legend
The fact that in the entire two-century-plus history of the Russian navy, the St. Andrew’s flag was lowered in the face of the enemy only twice, and there are examples when our sailors raised the signal “I’m dying, but I’m not surrendering!” and stood until the end, there was much more, it says a lot. First of all, about the pride with which Russian sailors bore their rank and their blue-and-white symbol. And they carried it to the last: after Russia became Soviet, the St. Andrew’s flag continued to flutter over Russian ships, which their crews managed to take from Sevastopol to distant Bizerte. Only there and only after France recognized in 1924 Soviet Russia and refused to recognize the flags of the Russian Empire, the sailors lowered the legendary flags with tears in their eyes.
But Andreev’s colors have not gone away! On the first flag of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet, only St. Andrew's Cross was present - albeit on a red background and adjacent to a red star. But when a new naval flag was approved in 1935, its main colors were returned: a white cloth with a wide blue stripe. Having abandoned all the symbols of the “rotten autocracy,” the Bolsheviks still did not dare to encroach on the symbol of the Russian fleet
And the fleet responded to this decision with dignity. Under the Soviet naval flag, Russian sailors gained no less glory than under Andreevsky, honorably continuing the work of their predecessors and without disgracing their honor. When the country ceased to be Soviet, one of the first decisions of the All-Army Officers' Meeting on January 17, 1992 was a petition to replace the naval flag of the USSR with the naval flag of Russia - St. Andrew's. On the same day, the Russian government adopted a resolution to return the status of the St. Andrew's flag. The presidential decree on the approval of new flags of the country, including the naval one, was signed on July 21, 1992.
* The decree was signed by Peter on December 1, 1699 according to the old style. Due to discrepancies in dates in some sources, December 10 is considered St. Andrew's Flag Day.
