Flag and coat of arms of Tartary

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

It is no secret to anyone that the mysterious Tartaria freely spreads on the maps of bygone times, in the vastness of Eurasia. On various maps, it is depicted as a country - with borders and cities, and on some of them you can see the coats of arms and flags of this Empire.

Subsequently, the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union emerged practically within the same borders. Many also know that concepts such as Siberia, Tatars, Russians, Mongols were gradually replaced, which previously had completely different meanings than we are used to operating today.

On various maps, Tartary is depicted as a country - with borders and cities.

But why is Tartaria not mentioned as a state in Russian history textbooks? Perhaps due to the fact that Tartary is not a self-name. Although there is a Russian name - Tataria. So why not tell about the Great Tartary and the names of this country that existed earlier in the world. Isn't that the reason for the silence that Tartary-Tartary was not a country, a state at all?

The emblem, flag and anthem are the symbols of the state.

The first national anthem is considered to be the British one, the first edition of which is dated October 15, 1745. If we assume that Tartary-Tartary was a state and it did have its own anthem, then I think we will never know how it sounded.

In the book "World Geography", published in Paris in 1676, before the article about Tartary, there is an image of an owl on a shield, which is known to many. It can be assumed that this is a coat of arms. We find a similar image in the often cited illustration for the book by Marco Polo, who described his travels across Asia and stay with the "Mongol" Khan Kublai. By the way, Marco Polo found the empire well organized and hospitable.

So what do we have? We have two images of an owl on a shield in two different books, which only hypothetically can be considered as the coat of arms of Tartary-Tartaria.

But maybe Tartary-Tartary had a flag? Let's get a look.

If we look into the collection of sea flags of the world, drawn at the beginning of the 18th century, apparently in France, we will see not one flag of Tartary-Tartary, but two. Moreover, along with the Tatar flags, there are also the flags of Russia and the flags of the Great Mughals. (Note: some of the images are glued together, because you had to copy in parts)

Only the trouble is, the images of the Tatar flags have practically disappeared. But it should be noted that the first Tatar flag is the flag of the emperor of Tataria, and the second is simply the flag of Tartary. True, it is impossible to really determine what is drawn there. But for us it is important that the flags of Tartary are shown in the old drawing along with the flags of other countries, and one of them is imperial.

Now let's look at one more, now the Dutch table of the beginning of the 18th century, where the naval flags of the world are collected. And again we find two flags of Tartary-Tartary, but which are no longer wiped out, and the image on them can be easily made out. And what do we see: on the imperial flag (here it appears as the flag of the Kaiser of Tartaria) a dragon is depicted, and on the other flag - an owl! Yes, the same owl that is in "World Geography" and in the illustration for the book by Marco Polo.

There are also Russian flags, but in the table they are listed as the flags of Muscovy.

Now we know that Tartary-Tartary had flags, which means it was a state, and not just a territory on the map. We also learned that one of the flags of Tartary is imperial, therefore we are talking about the empire.

It remains to find out what colors were used on the Tatar flags.

The answer to this question was found in the "Declaration of the naval flags of all states of the universe", published in Kiev in 1709 with the personal participation of Peter I. Unfortunately, only one copy of the Declaration with a weak resolution was found on the Internet. Now we have learned that black and yellow colors were used on the flags of Tartary-Tartary.

We find confirmation of this in the "Book of Flags" by the Dutch cartographer Karl Allard (published in Amsterdam in 1705 and republished in Moscow in 1709): "The flag of the king of Tartary is yellow, with a black dragon lying and looking outward with a basilisk tail. Another Tatar a yellow flag with a black owl, in which the Persians are yellowish."

It can be assumed that Allard drew the flag of Tartary by mistake, as he allegedly drew by mistake and another flag, which will be discussed below. But what about Peter? Or was he wrong too?

By the way, a yellow flag with a black double-headed eagle appears here among the Russian flags (the third row from the top, the first flag from the middle of the table).

The low resolution of the Expression copy makes flag captions difficult to read. Larger images of the flags of Tatarstan with Russian inscriptions are taken from the Russian-language "Book of Flags" by Alard published in the same year with the Declaration. The text from the book seems to correspond to the Declaration. At least at the maximum magnification of the copy of the Statement in the captions to the Tatar flags, the text shown in the large images is guessed. And in fact, he repeats the signatures to the Tatar flags on foreign plates, only in Russian. But here the autocrat of Tartary is called Caesar.

There were also several tables with Tatar flags - English from 1783 and a couple of tables from the same 18th century. But what is most surprising, a table with the imperial flag of Tartary, published already in 1865 in the USA.

It is very interesting that in the English table of 1783 the first three Russian flags are indicated as the flags of the Tsar of Muscovy, followed by the imperial flag of Russia (Russia Imperial), then the trade tricolor, followed by the admiral and other naval flags of Russia.

And in front of the flags of the Tsar of Muscovy in this table, for some reason, the flag of the Viceroy of Muscovy is located. This flag is present in the same book by K. Allard, but it is not identified and is considered an error. In 1972, the Moscow vexillologist A. A. Usachev suggested that one of the leaders of the Armenian liberation movement Israel Ori, on the instructions of Peter I, went to the Netherlands, where he recruited officers, soldiers and craftsmen on behalf of the tsar, having great powers, which gave Allard reason to call him "Viceroy of Muscovy". However, we must not forget that Ori died in 1711, and the table was published in 1783. The viceroy's flag is placed in front of the king's flag, i.e. it turns out that he is more important. The flags of Russia, including the imperial (imperial) ones, are shown after the flags of the Tsar of Muscovy. It can be assumed that the commotion with the flags of Muscovy and Russia is explained by the political necessity of the formation of a new heraldry by the Romanovs. After all, we are taught that before Peter I we really didn't have flags. But even in this case, the flag of some incomprehensible viceroy of Muscovy, placed in the first place, raises questions. Or maybe in the 70s, early 80s of the 18th century, something happened that is not told to us in history lessons?

But back to the Tartary Empire. If this country had flags (this, as you can see, is confirmed by both domestic and foreign sources of that time), then we can already confidently assume that the shield with the image of an owl is still the coat of arms (or one of the coats of arms) of this the state. Since the sources listed above were about sea flags, therefore, navigation was developed in Tartary. But it is still strange that history has not left us a single name of the Emperor (Kaiser, Caesar) of Tartary. Or are they known to us, but under different names and titles?

It is probably necessary to dwell on the flag of the Emperor of Tataria in more detail. On the last table we have in 1865, this flag is no longer called the imperial one, and there is no other flag with an owl next to it. Probably the time of the empire is already in the past. If you look closely at the dragon, you can immediately find that the imperial dragon of Tataria apparently has no direct relation to the Chyna-Chyna dragons or the Zilant snake on the Kazan coat of arms. In addition, the Kazan kingdom ceased to be a subject of international relations in the middle of the 16th century under Ivan IV the Terrible. Oddly enough, the dragon on the imperial flag of Tartary vaguely resembles the dragon on the flag of Wales, although the colors are completely different. But this is already a topic for heraldry specialists.

Now let's remember the coat of arms of Moscow. In his images of past centuries, Saint George is more likely to conquer a snake. And on the modern coat of arms, neither give nor take the Tatar dragon. It may be an accident, but in my opinion, this is a good topic for a separate study. After all, this snake is now yellow, now black, the snake has two or four paws, and Ivan IV the Terrible generally used a two-headed eagle for some time, whose chest is not a rider with a spear, striking a snake, but a unicorn. In Allard, in the description of the flag of the Tsar of Muscovy, it is indicated that on the chest of the eagle is Saint George without a snake.

It is a pity that in those documents where the flags of the Tartary Empire were found, there are no at least minimal details about the countries to which this or that flag belonged, with the exception of Allard's "Book of Flags". But even there there is nothing about Tartary, only a description of the flags and their colors. However, the most important thing is that the flags of Tartary were found in tables published by different countries and at different times. The casual reader can of course say: "Is it possible to draw a conclusion about the existence of the Empire only from a few designs of flags?"

Indeed, we have only considered symbolism here. We know that on the maps and books of those distant times there were references to Moscow Tataria (with the capital in Tobolsk), Free or Independent Tataria (with the capital in Samarkand), Chinese Tatarstan (not to be confused with Tea-China, which is another state on the maps) and, in fact, the Great Empire of Tartary. Now we have found documentary evidence of the existence of the state symbols of the Empire. We do not know which Tartary these flags belonged to, the whole Empire or some part of it, but the flags were found.

But in the search for the flags of Tartary, two more facts that did not fit into the canonical history were discovered.

Fact 1. In the 18th-19th centuries, the flag of the Kingdom of Jerusalem was depicted among the flags that were modern at that time.

According to canon history, this kingdom ceased to exist in the 13th century. But flags signed by "Jerusalem" and illustrated on the page are in almost all the collections of naval flags reviewed here. Information about the possible use of this flag after the defeat of the crusaders was not found. And it is unlikely that the Muslims who seized Jerusalem would have left the city a flag with Christian symbols. In addition, if this flag was used in the 18th-19th centuries by some order of the Jesuit type, then most likely the authors would have written in the documents. Maybe there are some facts on this score that are known only to specialists?

But that's not all. In the note of a member of the Special Meeting, Lieutenant-Commander P. I. Belavenets "Colors of the Russian State National Flag", published in 1911, suddenly revealed something amazing. And this "something" makes you wonder if Jerusalem was placed in Palestine by a misunderstanding. Think about it, Mr. Belavenets writes that, by imperial command, he brought to St. Petersburg the flag presented by Tsar Peter Alekseevich to Archbishop Athanasius of Arkhangelsk in 1693. In the illustration with the caption "Flags kept in the Cathedral of Arkhangelsk" we see three flags, two of which are the flags of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, with a white-blue-red tricolor attached to one of them. Not otherwise, the Holy City of Jerusalem should be looked for somewhere on the East European Plain, and most likely not in the XII-XIII centuries.

Fact 2. In the 1904 reprint of the 17th century manuscript "On the conception of the sign and banners or ensigns" we read:

“… The Caesarians began to have their sign of the double-headed eagle, from such an event as it will be announced here.

From the creation of the world in 3840, the same from the conception of the building of the city of Rome in 648, and from the Nativity of Christ our God in 102 years, there was a battle between the Romans and the people of Tsysar, and at that time the Romans had a burmister and regimental governor named Kaius Marius. And he Caius for a special sign, instead of the head banner for every legion, he built a single-headed eagle, and the Romans kept that sign until the tenth year after the Nativity of Christ our God, during the reign of Caesar Augustus. And at the same time, great battles still took place between the Romans and the Caesars, and the Caesars beat the Romans three times and took from them two banners, that is, two eagles. And from that date the Tsysaryans began to have a double-headed eagle in the banner, in the sign and in the seal”.

And what do we see in the source?

We see that "Tsysaryans" and "Romans" are not the same thing (well, everyone understands this anyway). That "Tsysaryans" began to have a sign in the form of a two-headed eagle, which means that they are Tsargorodians, that is. Byzantines. What is the so-called. The "Eastern Roman Empire" fought against the so-called. "Western". That the emperor Octavian Augustus (he died 4 years after the events described - I rely on a year from the r.kh.) Was "Caesar" and, if we proceed from the logic of the text, fought on the side of the "Tsysartsev", i.e. the Byzantines against the "Romans". However, according to the canonical history, Byzantium begins its countdown from 330, i.e. 320 years after the events described, when the Roman emperor Constantine the Great (who, by the way, bore the title "August") moved the capital to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople.

We also see an incomprehensible interpretation of the appearance of a two-headed eagle in Byzantium in the aforementioned "Book of flags" by Allard of 1709: "One eagle flew during the time of the old Roman CAESARIES; two kingdoms, that is, from the east and from the west), the double-headed eagle was taken to that place. " Those. both kingdoms, according to Allard, existed simultaneously and independently, and then were united.

"Eh, simplicity," - the same idle reader will say with a wink: "I have found some dubious sources and are casting a shadow over the fence. I suppose the authors have mixed everything up or made up their minds."

May be so. But in the 17th century, the author of the manuscript "On the Conception of the Sign and Banners" knew that Gaius Marius had carried out a reform in the Roman army, which means he was venerating Plutarch. But maybe Plutarch was a little different in the 17th-18th centuries? The reprint of "Conception" was carried out by the Imperial Society of the History and Antiquities of Russia at Moscow University, also not any kind of office. And the publishers of collections of flags in the 18th-19th centuries, given, as it seems to me, the relatively high cost of producing documents, would hardly have published deliberately unreliable collections.

Why did I have to dwell on these two seemingly unrelated facts that seem to have nothing to do with the Tartary Empire? Let's think about it.

Peter I, who personally edited the Declaration in 1709 (this is a fact from canon history), recognizes the existence of Tartary, headed by Caesar. In the Russian-language version of the "Book of Flags" of the same 1709, there are only three "types" of Caesars: "Old Roman Caesars", Caesars of the Holy Roman Empire and Tatar Caesar. In the Declaration, the imperial flag of Russia is yellow with a black two-headed eagle, the "Caesar" flag of the Holy Roman Empire is yellow with a black two-headed eagle, the flag of the Tatar Caesar is yellow with a black dragon (?). On the coins of the Golden Horde during the reign of the khans Uzbek, Janibek and, it would seem, Aziz-Sheikh, there is a two-headed eagle. The coat of arms of Byzantium is a double-headed eagle. The appearance of a two-headed eagle in Byzantium according to one version - after victories (victory) over Rome, according to the other - "after … the union of the two kingdoms" (the word "submissive" is not very clear what it refers to). Along with the consideration of the two-headed eagle and the tricolor, Peter I tries on the flag of Jerusalem (the Kingdom of Jerusalem), or may be entitled to it. The flag of the Kingdom of Jerusalem was in circulation in the 18th-19th centuries. Emperor Constantine the Great made Constantinople the capital of the Roman Empire. He is revered by the Russian Orthodox Church as a saint in the face of the Equal-to-the-Apostles, the Catholic Church does not consider him as such. He is also the first king of Jerusalem.

Yes, there were more questions in our research than there were answers. Let everyone decide for himself whether the Tartary Empire existed as a state or not. History, as a religion, where there are canonical books, there are also apocrypha, which are anathematized by zealous worshipers. But when the flock has many questions, and the preacher does not give exhaustive and understandable answers to them, faith weakens, and religion gradually fades away, and then dies. And on its wreckage…. But, as they say in tabloid books, let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is a completely different story.

Brief conclusions (exclusively for myself):

1. In addition to the image on the maps of the territory of the Empire of Tataria, there are enough images of its flags in the documents of the 18th-19th centuries.

2. The flag is a symbol of the state, not the territory, which means that the Tartary Empire existed as a state.

3. This state existed independently of the state of the Great Mughals and China (modern China).

4. Despite the presence of the imperial flag, we cannot yet say with certainty whether these flags were symbols of the whole of Tartary or any part of it.

5. In a number of the sources considered, there are stretches, inconsistencies and contradictions (the Kingdom of Jerusalem and Rome-Byzantium), which raise doubts about the canonical version, require additional research and even make one doubt whether the dragon should be on the flag of the Tartary Empire or another symbol.

6th and last. I just like the owl flag, because there are many flags with eagles, but one with an owl. Owls are beautiful and useful birds. Among the Slavic and Turkic peoples living on the territory of the former Tataria, as well as among the Greeks, owls are revered. For many other peoples, owls personify dark forces, which is suggestive. I would like all doubts to be dispelled, and a yellow flag with a black owl would be recognized as the flag of the Great Empire of Tartary.

Continuation of the study:

Flag and coat of arms of Tartary. Part 2

Flag and coat of arms of Tartary. Part 3