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Flying colours: How national flags took shape

Aug 17, 2024 04:58 PM IST

Why so many tricolours? Why red-white-blue in Europe, and green-yellow-red in Africa? Every template has a story. Sample a few, in this week’s Now I Get It.

In a month of flag-waving — the Olympics, protests and, of course, Independence Day — it is clearer than usual that few things define a nation quite like its flag does.

But where do these standards come from?

The idea of a banner to indicate royal identity can be traced to the Zhou Dynasty and a white standard that was used to announce the presence of the king, in 11th century BCE China.

In a time of illiteracy, flags were an easy way to indicate the presence of royalty or aristocracy. They could also be a signal that said royal or aristocrat meant business. And so Ancient Egyptian standards featured religious and militant symbols such as sacred animals, spears, and fan-like shapes to represent a fleet of boats.

The flag of Netherlands is the world’s oldest tricolour still in use. Adopted in 1660, the red stands for bravery and strength; white for peace and honesty; blue for truth and justice. (Wikimedia)

By the 12th and 13th centuries, heraldry became popular among the peerage in Europe, as a sign of elevated status. The coat of arms began as a way to identify soldiers on the battlefield. The symbols typically appeared on armour and pennants, and were later extended for use in a noble family’s livery (thus appearing on chariots, seals and homesteads).

These symbols often involved a shield of some kind, and arrows or spears; sometimes crowns and anchors too. As imagery diversified, local flora and fauna were added, and so we have coats of armour featuring acorns or hare.

Around this time, in the 11th century, Europe was seized by a religious fervour. Amid the Crusades, as Christian armies charged around the world aiming to reinforce this faith and counter Islam, a range of European monarchies altered their own flags in a sign of allegiance. Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway and England all adopted flags of white or red, bearing a simple cross.

Great Britain’s Union Jack is a combination of three crosses, those of St George (patron saint of England), St Andrew (of Scotland) and St Patrick (of Ireland).

Interestingly, the flag of Netherlands is the world’s oldest tricolour still in use. Adopted in 1660, it features horizontal stripes of red, white and blue, representing ideals that are universal in their appeal (red for bravery and strength; white for peace and honesty; blue for truth and justice).

As the Dutch fought and won their war of independence from Spain, this flag would become a symbol of liberty and the republican form of government, and would serve as the template on which later tricolours were based.

Great Britain’s Union Jack is a combination of three crosses, those of St George (patron saint of England), St Andrew (of Scotland) and St Patrick (of Ireland). (Wikimedia)

By the 1790s, when France underwent its bloody revolution, the template was ready and waiting. This country would flip the stripes from horizontal to vertical, and find that the colours suited them perfectly. The red and blue here stand for Paris: blue from St Genevieve, the city’s patron saint, and red for St Denis, first bishop of Paris and beheaded martyr.

The drama and sweeping success of the French Revolution would cement the status of the tricolour, and of red, white and blue as the colours to play with. As country after country went from monarchy to republic, or colony to republic, around the world, through the 19th and 20th centuries, tricolours would bloom, in Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, Belgium.

Former African colonies would draw from the three colours used in Ethiopia’s flag since the 1800s: green, yellow and red — Ethiopia being a source of inspiration because, apart from a five-year occupation by Mussolini’s Italy, it has never been colonised.

India’s tricolour, of course, would take its own path: saffron for strength and courage, white for peace and truth, green for fertility and growth, and the dharma chakra at the centre, as a reminder that all three take effort.

In a month of flag-waving — the Olympics, protests and, of course, Independence Day — it is clearer than usual that few things define a nation quite like its flag does.

But where do these standards come from?

The idea of a banner to indicate royal identity can be traced to the Zhou Dynasty and a white standard that was used to announce the presence of the king, in 11th century BCE China.

In a time of illiteracy, flags were an easy way to indicate the presence of royalty or aristocracy. They could also be a signal that said royal or aristocrat meant business. And so Ancient Egyptian standards featured religious and militant symbols such as sacred animals, spears, and fan-like shapes to represent a fleet of boats.

The flag of Netherlands is the world’s oldest tricolour still in use. Adopted in 1660, the red stands for bravery and strength; white for peace and honesty; blue for truth and justice. (Wikimedia)

By the 12th and 13th centuries, heraldry became popular among the peerage in Europe, as a sign of elevated status. The coat of arms began as a way to identify soldiers on the battlefield. The symbols typically appeared on armour and pennants, and were later extended for use in a noble family’s livery (thus appearing on chariots, seals and homesteads).

These symbols often involved a shield of some kind, and arrows or spears; sometimes crowns and anchors too. As imagery diversified, local flora and fauna were added, and so we have coats of armour featuring acorns or hare.

Around this time, in the 11th century, Europe was seized by a religious fervour. Amid the Crusades, as Christian armies charged around the world aiming to reinforce this faith and counter Islam, a range of European monarchies altered their own flags in a sign of allegiance. Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway and England all adopted flags of white or red, bearing a simple cross.

Great Britain’s Union Jack is a combination of three crosses, those of St George (patron saint of England), St Andrew (of Scotland) and St Patrick (of Ireland).

Interestingly, the flag of Netherlands is the world’s oldest tricolour still in use. Adopted in 1660, it features horizontal stripes of red, white and blue, representing ideals that are universal in their appeal (red for bravery and strength; white for peace and honesty; blue for truth and justice).

As the Dutch fought and won their war of independence from Spain, this flag would become a symbol of liberty and the republican form of government, and would serve as the template on which later tricolours were based.

Great Britain’s Union Jack is a combination of three crosses, those of St George (patron saint of England), St Andrew (of Scotland) and St Patrick (of Ireland). (Wikimedia)

By the 1790s, when France underwent its bloody revolution, the template was ready and waiting. This country would flip the stripes from horizontal to vertical, and find that the colours suited them perfectly. The red and blue here stand for Paris: blue from St Genevieve, the city’s patron saint, and red for St Denis, first bishop of Paris and beheaded martyr.

The drama and sweeping success of the French Revolution would cement the status of the tricolour, and of red, white and blue as the colours to play with. As country after country went from monarchy to republic, or colony to republic, around the world, through the 19th and 20th centuries, tricolours would bloom, in Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, Belgium.

Former African colonies would draw from the three colours used in Ethiopia’s flag since the 1800s: green, yellow and red — Ethiopia being a source of inspiration because, apart from a five-year occupation by Mussolini’s Italy, it has never been colonised.

India’s tricolour, of course, would take its own path: saffron for strength and courage, white for peace and truth, green for fertility and growth, and the dharma chakra at the centre, as a reminder that all three take effort.

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