National emblem of Belarus
Despite the fact that the Belarusians share a distinct ethnic identity and language, they never previously had a political sovereignty prior to 1991, except during a brief period in 1918 when the short-lived Belarusian People's Republic used the horseman as its emblem. The unique Belarusian national symbols were not created as a result of the foreign rule of the Belarusian territories by Prussia, Poland, Lithuania, and Russia until the 20th century.