THE GERMAN EAGLE

 

 

 

 

 

Almost like in an old German flag: The German Eagle on the Brandenburg Gate in front of the sky over Berlin.

The Iron Cross was added after the Liberation Wars.

 

The history of the German eagle is as old as any common German statehood. Already the Frankish emperor “Karl der Große = Charles the grand! is said to have established it as the Symbol of the Reich and the Kaiser at about the year 800. Of course the eagle above is a Prussian one, but the history of Prussia’s eagle reaches back to the Middle-Ages, when Kaiser Friedrich II. (1194-1250) had allowed the “Hochmeister = Grandmaster” of the Teutonic Order to bear the Reich Eagle as well, despite the Order’s territory in Prussia was independent and not a part of the Reich. A coin shows the German eagle double-headed for the first time in 1325. Since 1433 the “Doppeladler = double-headed eagle” was always used as the Symbol of the Old Reich until it’s end in 1806. Like Prussia had continued to use the Eagle with one head, Austria now started to continue to use the Symbols of the Old Reich and thereby the Doppeladler. Until 1866 it was also the Symbol of the “Deutscher Bund = German Confederation”, which loosely connected the German States. Accordingly the Prussian and the Austrian eagles are both German Eagles like the diverse Reich Eagles.

 

              

(1) This eagle comes from the Medieval “Codex Manesse”(1300-1340)“, where it’s part of picture of Heinrich VI (1165-1197).

 (2) The „Reichsadler = Reich eagle“ in the style of the republican German Reich. The Republic of Austria wanted to join this democratic Reich immediately. This eagle was printed on the constitution of 1919 and is today also being used by the so called “Bundesrepublik Deutschland“*. (About the flags see our main article/ State symbols and miscellaneous!!!)

* The German name is different to the English expression “Federal Republic of Germany“. “Bundesrepublik Deutschland“ means “Federal Republic Germany”. However the state is not Deutschland/ Germany. The word “Deutschland” arose in the 15th century from “das deutsche Land = the German country”. So Deutschland/ Germany is the land, marked by the German culture  -  a culturally defined area - not a state! No other state has ever officially called itself Germany(!), but several included much more of this territory and the German people! Just using this name would be incorrect, manipulating and morally wrong.

 

 

(1) The Reich eagle of the so called “Kaiserreich“ (1871-1918). On it’s breast it shows a coat of arms with the Prussian eagle. This one does the same with the coat of arms of the ruling Hohenzollern line.

(2) Germania with her shield – This picture is from the time of World War I and a little bit modified, so that Mama Germania looks more similar to our Germerika and so that the colour of the shield can be recognized better, which was remarkably old-fashioned at this time  -  Germania still shows an eagle in the medieval design.)

(3) The “Doppeladler = double-headed eagle” of  the Imperial Austria.

 

So far we have only written about the eagle as a symbol of states and monarchs. That’s important, because it’s most of all a state-symbol. However it’s also important to see, that the fight for a German national state also made it a symbol of the people and even of the revolution. It is as diverse as the ideas the eagle was already connected to.

 

    

 

(1) Symbol of the fight for freedom and unity: A female revolutionist from Baden with the liberty cap. The Doppeladler on the banner is cmobined with the motto “FreiEinig = FreeUnited“.

(2) And the catastrophe of the revolution: A tired Germania fallen asleep. On the book next to her is written “Grundrechte = basic rights = civil rights“. Crowned leeches are ready to suck her blood.

 

The old Reich-cities showed the German Reich-eagle too.

(1) The coat of arms of the Swiss canton (political subdivision) of Geneva, which has been adopted from the city of Geneva.

(2) The Swabian city of Rottweil  -  famous for the “Rottweiler“ dogs.

 

The most remarkable eagle for this article we’ve found during our research in an old book of the 19th century. At first sight it looks like a German eagle. At the second sight like an American.  -  Before a third look follows, one should have recognized that German and American are no contradictions! ... -  And this also leads to the right findings: Even in black and white one can see, that it is a German-American eagle, as the normal eagle of the USA does of course have a white head, but this one here doesn’t. Apart from that the stripes on normal US-eagles are “wrong“. While the flag has 7 red and 6 white stripes, the coats of arms on the eagles show 7 white and 6 red stripes.  -  For good Germans an unbearable chaos ...  -  ... and the final evidence: Also Germerika shows the stripes the same way on her Rucksack in the shape of a shield: 7 red and 6 white ones.

 

   

 

A German American Eagle from the 19th century!