Today, 10 of Europe’s 44 countries—nearly a quarter—feature eagles on their national emblems. Some use single-headed eagles, others the double-headed kind, in a range of colors and styles. Yet these nations span different regions, languages, ethnicities, and faiths. So why do they share this powerful symbol?
The eagle’s origin as a European emblem traces back to ancient Rome. As early as the 9th century BC, Romans regarded the eagle as a symbol of power, justice, and divine authority. In 103 BC, Roman Consul Gaius Marius officially adopted the eagle as the insignia of the Roman Legion. Soldiers revered and defended it with their lives.
As Rome expanded, so did the reach of its eagle. It became not just a military symbol but an imperial one—perched atop standards across the empire.
In 330 AD, Emperor Constantine I unified Rome again and made Byzantium—later Constantinople—the new co-capital. To represent unity and dual sovereignty over East and West, he introduced a double-headed eagle.
But after Constantine’s death, civil war split the empire again in 395 AD. The Western Roman Empire kept the single-headed eagle; the Eastern Empire adopted the double-headed version. After the Western Empire’s fall in 476, the single-headed eagle faded—but not for long.
The Germanic tribes who overran Western Rome soon embraced Christianity, positioning themselves as heirs of Roman legacy. The Frankish Kingdom, which unified much of Western Europe, retained the Roman single-headed eagle as a symbol of authority. It spread through their domains—including what would become modern Germany and Austria.
Meanwhile, in the East, the Byzantine double-headed eagle lived on. It came to represent more than just political dominion symbolizing the union of Europe and Asia, church and state, tradition and power.
As the Slavic people migrated and settled across Eastern Europe, they came under Byzantine influence. Serbia and Montenegro adopted the double-headed eagle, echoing their Orthodox Christian roots and ties to Byzantium.
Poland’s white eagle is a rare exception. According to legend, a tribal leader saw a white eagle soaring over Gniezno and took it as a divine sign. Poland, never ruled by Rome or Byzantium, still chose the eagle—but based on its own mythos. Today, it remains the only eagle emblem in Europe not derived from Roman heritage.
As the Ottoman Empire pushed into the Balkans in the 14th and 15th centuries, Orthodox Christian states like Serbia, Montenegro, and Albania rallied around the double-headed eagle. For them, it wasn’t just a symbol of empire, it was one of resistance.
Albanian hero Gjergj Kastrioti, of Byzantine descent, famously revived the double-headed eagle as a banner of independence during his 15th-century revolt. It became the foundation of Albania’s modern national symbol.
The Roman single-headed eagle reemerged in 911 AD with the rise of the Holy Roman Empire—what is now considered the First German Empire. Claiming the Roman legacy, German rulers adopted the black single-headed eagle. Later, the powerful Habsburgs switched to the double-headed eagle after Byzantium’s fall, asserting they were now the true heirs of Rome.
The double-headed eagle spread to Austria and the Czech lands, while the single-headed version remained popular in places like Prussia.
The fall of great empires after World War I—Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, and the Ottomans—reshaped Europe. Yet the eagle endured.
Austria reverted to the single-headed eagle to mark a break from the imperial Habsburgs. Poland, Albania, and the Czech Republic reclaimed their traditional eagle emblems. Romania and Moldova—descendants of Roman Dacians—revived the single-headed eagle as a nod to their Latin roots.
Even after the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, the eagle found its way back. In 1991, the Russian Federation reintroduced the double-headed eagle, signaling its renewed ambition and dual identity as both European and Asian.
Of the 10 countries with eagles in their national emblems—Russia, Germany, Austria, Romania, Poland, Serbia, Montenegro, Moldova, Czech Republic, and Albania—only Poland lacks a Roman or Byzantine connection. For the rest, the eagle is not just a bird; it’s a powerful reminder of empires, beliefs, and the endurance of heritage across centuries.
Source: Bird Guides, X, Reddit
