Reconstruction of the 14th-century flag of the Serbian Empire |
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| Tradition | Byzantine Empire |
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The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in Serbian heraldry and vexillology; the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the emperor (secular and religious) and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and West. The emblem has mostly been depicted as a white eagle (Beli Orao, pl. Beli Orlovi) since 1804.
The Serbian cross is being used together with the Serbian eagle in the contemporary design of the coat of arms of Serbia, following the tradition established by the Kingdom of Serbia of 1882.
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The double-headed eagle itself has a much longer history, and was adopted in late medieval Serbia under the Byzantine influence.
Beginning in the 14th century, it can be seen on inscriptions, medieval frescoes and embroidery on the clothes of the Serbian royal family members.[1][2] King Stefan Nemanja used the symbol, as well as the Serbian Orthodox Church. The entrance of the Zica monastery is engraved with the double-headed eagle. Queen Teodora's golden ring has the symbol. The Nemanyid Dynasty's Coat of Arms was the double-headed eagle (later, post-Imperial houses adopted the symbol as an continuation, like Mrnjavčević and Lazarević for instance). During the reign of Emperor Dushan the Mighty (1331-1345), the double-headed eagle can be seen on everyday objects and state related documents, such as vax stamps and proclamations. In 1339, map maker, Angelino Dulcert, marks the Serbian Empire with the (red) double-headed eagle flag.[3] Tsar Lazar, when renovating the Hilandar monastery of Mount Athos, ingraved the emblem of Serbia at the northern wall.[4] The Codex Monacensis Slavicus 4 (fl. 1371-1389) has richly attested artwork of the Serbian eagle.
The double-headed eagle was officially adopted by Stefan Lazarević after he received the despot-title, the second highest Byzantine title, by John VII Palaiologos in August 1402 at the court in Constantinople.[5]
After the Ottoman invasion and subsequent occupation that lasted for 500 years, the double-headed eagle was forbidden to be used as it was a symbol of Serbian sovereignty and statehood. The Serbian cross; with four fire-steels ("ocila") came into greater use as another symbol of Serbs as it also was used in the Middle Ages.
In 1804, Gavrilovic issued a revolutionary flag, of the Nemanyid eagle, taken from the Stemmatographia.[6] The House of Karađorđević, Serbia's last royal house, had resurrected the Nemanyid Eagle, and it is since the Coat of Arms of Serbia following independence from the Ottomans.
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