Byzantine flags and insignia
For most of its history, the
Imperial insignia
Single-headed eagle
The single-headed Roman
Double-headed eagle
The emblem mostly associated with the Byzantine Empire is the double-headed eagle. It is not of Byzantine invention, but a traditional Anatolian motif dating to Hittite times, and the Byzantines themselves only used it in the last centuries of the Empire.[11][12] The date of its adoption by the Byzantines has been hotly debated by scholars.[9]
In 1861, the Greek scholar
The double-headed eagle has been shown to derive from Central Asian traditions, and spread to the eastern Mediterranean with the
The
Within the Byzantine world, the eagle was also used by the semi-autonomous
Other Balkan states followed the Byzantine model as well: chiefly the
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Michael VIII Palaiologos standing on a suppedion decorated with single-headed eagles
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John VI Kantakouzenos standing on a suppedion decorated with gold-embroidered double-headed eagles
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Manuel II Palaiologos with his family. The two younger sons wear red robes with golden double-headed eagles
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Alexios III of Trebizond and his wife Theodora Kantakouzene, wearing a robe with embroidered golden double-headed eagles
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Arms of the despots Michael and Philip Palaiologos, envoys to the Council of Constance, by Ulrich of Richenthal[41][42]
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Seal of Demetrios Palaiologos, Despot of the Morea
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Banner with the double-headed eagle, used in Western portolans to mark Trebizond in the 14th century
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Arms ofCount palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos, as Despot of Epirus[29]
Tetragrammatic cross
During the
As an insigne, the cross was already in frequent use in Byzantium since
The tetragrammatic cross appears with great frequency in the 14th and 15th centuries: it appears on Byzantine coins during the joint rule of Andronikos II Palaiologos and his son Michael IX Palaiologos, on several Western portolans to designate Constantinople and other Byzantine cities, above one of the windows of the Palace of the Porphyrogenitus, and is described by pseudo-Kodinos as "the customary imperial banner" (basilikon phlamoulon).[43][47][48] On coins, the "B"s were often accompanied by circles or stars up to the end of the Empire, while Western sources sometimes depict the Byzantine flag as a simple gold cross on red, without the "B"s.[49][50] The symbol was also adopted by Byzantine vassals, like the Gattilusi who ruled Lesbos after 1355, or the Latin lords of Rhodes Vignolo dei Vignoli and Foulques de Villaret. It was placed on the walls of Galata, apparently as a sign of the Byzantine emperor's—largely theoretical—suzerainty over the Genoese colony. Along with the double-headed eagle, the tetragrammatic cross was also adopted as part of their family coat of arms by the cadet line of the Palaiologos dynasty ruling in Montferrat.[48][51] It was also adopted in Serbia, with slight changes.[52]
The interpretation of the emblem's symbolism hinges on the identification of the four devices either as letters or as firesteels, a dispute where even contemporary sources are inconsistent, and which has led to much scholarly debate since the time of the 17th-century scholars
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Cross quartered with golden discs, the rendition based on the historian Babuin[46]
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Early 14th-century depiction of Constantinople during the1204 siege by the Fourth Crusade
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Attributed arms of the Latin Empire from the reign of Philip I, who held the title of Latin Emperor of Constantinople from 1273 to 1283
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tornese coin from the joint reign of John V Palaiologosand John VI Kantakouzenos (1347–1353)
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The tetragrammatic cross emblem of thePalaiologos dynasty, from the 15th-century Harley 6163 manuscript
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Imperial banner of theConosçimiento de todos los reynos (ca. 1350)[56]
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Byzantine flag as shown on some portolan charts[57]
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The Byzantine imperial ensign of the 14th century according to Pietro Vesconte's portolan chart.
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The Flag of Salloniq with 10 diagonal stripes and The Byzantine symbol present in the 14th century.
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Bronze denaro of Domenico Gattilusio, lord of Lesbos in 1455–1458, with a large "D" on the obverse, and the tetragrammatic cross on the reverse
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Arms of Stefan Uroš IV Dušan Nemanjic, King and later Emperor of Serbia, who held the title of Emperor of Serbs and Greeks, in the 14th century.
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Serbian Cross variant
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Arms of Serbian Orthodox Church
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Arms ofWilliam IX Palaiologos, Marquess of Montferrat in 1494–1518
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Arms of theDukes of Mantua
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Modern Lesser Coat of arms of Serbia, c. 18th century.
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In modern Greece variants of the Byzantine flag are hoisted sometimes in churches.
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Serbian Orthodox Church flags variants are hoisted sometimes in churches.
Personal and family insignia
Unlike the Western
Another very Western design could be found on one of the now-demolished towers of the seaward
The frequent use of the star and crescent moon symbol, which appears on coins, military insignia and, perhaps, as a sometime municipal emblem of the imperial city, appears to be connected to the cult of Hecate Lampadephoros ("light-bearer") in Hellenistic-era Byzantium.[59][60] In AD 330, Constantine the Great used this symbol while re-dedicating Constantinople to the Virgin Mary.[61]
It is known that Anna Notaras, daughter of the last megas doux of the Byzantine Empire Loukas Notaras, after the fall of Constantinople and her emigration to Italy, made a seal with her coat of arms which included two lions facing each other, each holding a sword on the right paw, and a crescent with the left. However, this most likely represents a design that was created after her emigration to Italy.[62] On the other hand, the adaptation of Byzantine forms to Western uses can be seen with the seal of Andreas Palaiologos, which includes the imperial double-headed eagle on an escutcheon, a practice never used in Byzantium.[63]
Military flags and insignia
The
In the late 6th-century
Illuminated chronicles, such as the
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Scene of a battle from the 13th-century Madrid Skylitzes
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Example of a military banner appearing in the Madrid Skylitzes
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Example of a military banner appearing in the Madrid Skylitzes
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Example of a military banner appearing in the Madrid Skylitzes
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Example of a military banner appearing in the Madrid Skylitzes
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Example of a military banner appearing in the Madrid Skylitzes
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Example of a military banner appearing in the Madrid Skylitzes
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Example of a military banner appearing in the Madrid Skylitzes
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Example of a military banner appearing in the Madrid Skylitzes
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Historical re-enactorsof Byzantine soldiers, with flags inspired by the Madrid Skylitzes
According to the Stratēgikon, the colours of the standard reflected a unit's hierarchical subordination: the banda of the regiments of the same brigade (
In the late Byzantine period, pseudo-Kodinos records the use of the Palaiologan "tetragrammatic cross" (see above) on the imperial ensign (Greek: βασιλικόν φλάμουλον, basilikon phlamoulon) borne by Byzantine naval vessels, while the navy's commander, the megas doux, displayed an image of the emperor on horseback.[79]
Ceremonial insignia
From the 6th century until the end of the empire, the Byzantines also used a number of other insignia. They are mostly recorded in ceremonial processions, most notably in the 10th-century De Ceremoniis, but they may have been carried in battle as well. When not used, they were kept in various churches throughout Constantinople.[80] Among them were the imperial phlamoula of gold and gold-embroidered silk, and the insignia collectively known as "sceptres" (σκῆπτρα, skēptra), which were usually symbolical objects on top of a staff. A number of them, the so-called "Roman sceptres" (ῥωμαϊκὰ σκῆπτρα, rhōmaïka skēptra) resembled to old vexilla, featuring a hanging cloth (βῆλον, vēlon, from Latin velum).[81][82] Further insignia of this type included the eutychia or ptychia (εὐτυχία or πτυχία), which probably bore some representation of Victory.[83][84]
A further group, collectively known as skeuē (σκεύη), is mentioned in the De Ceremoniis, mostly old military standards handed down through the ages. They were the laboura (λάβουρα), probably a form of the labarum; the kampēdiktouria (καμπηδικτούρια), descendants of the batons of the late Roman drill-masters or campiductores; the signa (σίγνα, "insignia"); the drakontia (δρακόντια) and the banda.[85] The drakontia are clearly the descendants of the old Roman draco, and the term draconarius for a standard bearer survived into the 10th century. It is not certain, however, what the later standards looked like. According to the description of Niketas Choniates, they still included the windsock that was the draco′s distinctive feature, but this may be a deliberate archaicism. At any rate, the use of the dragon as an image is attested well into the 14th century.[84][86]
Pseudo-Kodinos also enumerates various banners and insignia used in imperial processions: one named archistratēgos (ἀρχιστράτηγος, "chief general"); another with images of renowned prelates and eight streamers known as oktapodion (ὀκταπόδιον, "octopus"); another in the form of a cross with the images of
See also
Notes
- ^ For a survey of the evidence available at the time, cf. Tipaldos 1926, pp. 206–222.
References
- ^ a b Cernovodeanu 1982, p. 409.
- ^ ODB, "Coats of arms" (A. Kazhdan), pp. 472–473.
- ^ ODB, "Insignia" (A. Kazhdan), pp. 999–1000.
- ^ Crouch 2002, p. 28. "Current consensus places the beginnings of a systematised and self-conscious use of heraldry by aristocrats in the mid twelfth century."
- ^ Cernovodeanu 1982, pp. 409–411.
- ^ Cernovodeanu 1982, pp. 411–412.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 129–130.
- ^ Babuin 2001, pp. 15–16.
- ^ a b c ODB, "Eagles" (A. Cutler), p. 669.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, p. 130.
- ^ von Koehne 1871–1873, p. 1.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 119–126.
- ^ a b Soloviev 1935, p. 120.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 119–121, 130–132.
- ^ Cernovodeanu 1982, p. 412.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, p. 121.
- ^ Androudis 2017, p. 184.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 126–127.
- ^ Androudis 2017, pp. 185–186.
- ^ Cernovodeanu 1982, pp. 412–413.
- ^ Verpeaux 1966, p. 171.
- ^ Verpeaux 1966, pp. 144–145.
- ^ Verpeaux 1966, p. 148.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 133–135.
- ^ Babuin 2001, pp. 37–38.
- ^ a b von Koehne 1871–1873, p. 6.
- ^ von Koehne 1871–1873, pp. 7–8.
- ^ Cernovodeanu 1982, pp. 413–414.
- ^ a b Osswald 2018.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 134–135.
- ^ Babuin 2001, p. 37.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, p. 136.
- ^ Babuin 2001, pp. 36–37.
- ^ Androudis 2017, pp. 187–196.
- ^ Androudis 2017, pp. 179–184.
- ^ Androudis 2017, pp. 190–192.
- ^ Androudis 2017, pp. 196–201.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 137–149, 153–155.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 150–153.
- ^ Babuin 2001, pp. 42, 52, 56.
- ^ von Koehne 1871–1873, p. 8.
- ^ Cernovodeanu 1982, p. 414.
- ^ a b Babuin 2001, pp. 38–39.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, p. 155.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 156–158.
- ^ a b Babuin 2001, p. 39.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 155, 157–158.
- ^ a b Grierson 1999, p. 88.
- ^ Babuin 2001, pp. 39–40.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 158–159.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 159, 160.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 161–162.
- ^ a b Tipaldos 1926, pp. 209–221.
- ^ Grierson 1999, pp. 88–89.
- ^ Soloviev 1935, p. 159.
- ^ Martins 2007.
- ^ Guillem Soler's portolan chart of c. 1380; Catalan Atlas of 1375
- ^ a b van Millingen 1899, pp. 189–190.
- ^ Holmes 2003, pp. 5f.
- ^ Limberis 1994, p. 15.
- ^ Cathedral of Learning (March 4, 2012). The Turkish Nationality Room Dedication Book. University of Pittsburgh. p. 3.
- ^ Tipaldos 1926, pp. 221–222.
- ^ Tipaldos 1926, p. 208.
- ^ Grosse 1924, pp. 359–364.
- ^ Dennis 1981, pp. 51–52.
- ^ Babuin 2001, pp. 7–9.
- ^ a b Dennis 1981, p. 52.
- ^ Grosse 1924, p. 365.
- ^ Dennis 1981, pp. 52–53.
- ^ Dennis 1981, p. 53.
- ^ Dennis 1981, pp. 58–59.
- ^ Tsamakda 2002, p. 312.
- ^ Babuin 2001, p. 33.
- ^ Dennis 1981, pp. 54–55.
- ^ Grosse 1924, pp. 368–370.
- ^ Dennis 1981, pp. 56–57.
- ^ Dennis 1981, p. 57.
- ^ Haldon 1990, pp. 245–247.
- ^ Verpeaux 1966, p. 167.
- ^ Haldon 1990, pp. 271–273.
- ^ Babuin 2001, pp. 10–13.
- ^ Haldon 1990, pp. 271–272.
- ^ Babuin 2001, p. 13.
- ^ a b Haldon 1990, p. 272.
- ^ Haldon 1990, pp. 272–274.
- ^ Babuin 2001, pp. 13–15.
- ^ Verpeaux 1966, pp. 195–196.
- ^ Verpeaux 1966, p. 196.
- ^ Hendy 1992, pp. 175–176.
Sources
- Androudis, Pascal (2017). "Présence de l'aigle bicéphale en Trebizonde et dans la principauté grecque de Théodoro en Crimée (XIVe-XVe siècles)" (PDF). Byzantiaka (in French). 34: 179–218. ISSN 1012-0513.
- Babuin, A. (2001). "Standards and insignia of Byzantium". Byzantion: Revue internationale des études byzantines. 71 (1): 5–59.
- Bees, Nikos A. (1912). "Zum Thema der Darstellung des zweiköpfigen Adlers bei den Byzantinern". Repertorium für Kunstwissenschaft (in German). XXXV: 321–330.
- Cernovodeanu, Dan (1982). "Contributions à l'Étude de l'héraldique byzantine et post-byzantine". Jahrbuch der Österreichischen Byzantinik. 32 (2): 409–422.
- ISBN 9781843830368. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
- Dennis, George T. (1981). "Byzantine Battle Flags". Byzantinische Forschungen. 8: 51–60.
- Fourlas, A. (1980). "Adler und Doppeladler. Materialien zum "Adler in Byzanz". Mit einem bibliographischen Anhang zur Adlerforschung". Philoxenia: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Kötting gewidmet von seinen griechischen Schülern (in German). Münster: Aschendorff. pp. 97–120. ISBN 9783402036518.
- Gerola, G. (1934). "L'aquila bizantina e l'aquila imperiale a due teste". Felix Ravenna (in Italian). 43: 7–36.
- Grierson, Philip (1999). Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection, Volume 5 Part 1: Michael VIII to Constantine XI, 1258–1453. Introduction, Appendices, and Bibliography. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks. ISBN 978-0-88402-261-9.
- Grosse, Robert (1924). "Die Fahnen in der römisch-byzantinischen Armee des 4.-10. Jahrhunderts". .
- Hendy, Michael F. (1992). Byzantine coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection, Volume 4, Parts 1-2. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks. ISBN 978-0-88402-233-6.
- Haldon, John (1990). Constantine Porphyrogenitus. Three treatises on imperial military expeditions. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.
- Holmes, William Gordon (2003). The Age of Justinian and Theodora.
- ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
- Limberis, Vasiliki (1994). Divine Heiress. Routledge.
- Macrides, Ruth J.; Munitiz, Joseph A.; Angelov, Dimiter (2013). Pseudo-Kodinos and the Constantinopolitan Court: Offices and Ceremonies. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate. ISBN 978-0-7546-6752-0.
- Martins, António (17 December 2007). "Other Byzantine flags shown in the "Book of All Kingdoms" (14th century)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
- Osswald, Brendan (2018). "Les armoiries des Tocco de Céphalonie dans la citadelle intérieure de la forteresse d'Arta". Bulletin de correspondance hellénique (in French). 142 (2): 803–844. doi:10.4000/bch.689.
- Popović, Bojan (2009). "Imperial Usage of Zoomorphic Motifs on Textiles: the Two-Headed Eagle and the Lion in Circles and Between Crosses in the Late Byzantine Period". Ikon. 2: 127–136. ISSN 1846-8551.
- Soloviev, A. V. (1935). "Les emblèmes héraldiques de Byzance et les Slaves". Seminarium Kondakovianum (in French). 7: 119–164.
- Tipaldos, G. E. (1926). "Εἶχον οἱ Βυζαντινοί οἰκόσημα". Ἐπετηρίς Ἐταιρείας Βυζαντινῶν Σπουδῶν (in Greek). III: 206–222. hdl:11615/16885.
- Tsamakda, Vasiliki (2002). The Illustrated Chronicle of Ioannes Skylitzes in Madrid. Leiden: Alexandros. ISBN 978-9-0806-4762-6.
- van Millingen, Alexander (1899). Byzantine Constantinople: The Walls of the City and Adjoining Historical Sites. London: John Murray Ed.
- Verpeaux, Jean, ed. (1966). Pseudo-Kodinos, Traité des Offices (in French). Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.
- von Koehne, Bernhard (1871–1873). "Vom Doppeladler". Berliner Blätter für Münz-, Siegel- und Wappenkunde (in German). 6: 1–26.
External links
- Tetragrammkreuz (article on the tetragrammic cross) at heraldik-wiki.de (in German)
- Heraldry In Byzantium & The Vlasto Family
- Byzantine Heraldry at heraldica.org
- Byzantine Empire at Flags of the World