Pilot flag (Pilot Call flag), ratio = 2:3, Source, by:
Flags of the World,
Flags of the World, This type of flag was abolished in the 20th century, today is: Pilot on board Call for Pilot
1940–1945, Flag of "Free France", ratio = 2:3, Source, by:
Flags of the World
Honour-jack for Second World War vessels ratio = 2:3, Source, by:
Flags of the World
to ca. 1958, flag for General Governors of the colonies, ratio = 2:3, Source, by:
Flaggen Enzyklopädie
1974–2020, Colours of the flag, Source, by: Wikipedia (DE)
The today's flag of France shows the colors blue, white and red in three vertical stripes, and is named "The Tricolor". It is considered to be the first and famousest national flag in the world, and it was model for many flags in the world. The colors blue, white and red have their roots in the combination of the colors of the town Paris (blue and red) with the royal white of the Bourbons. They were officially introduced on the 4th of October in 1789 for the french cockade. The today's arrangement and sequence of the flag's colors were designated not until the year 1794.
The history of the flags of France begins with the Franks. King Clovis designated about the year 500 the blue cloak of St. Martin as field sign and as a sign of victory, which was also presented in a plain blue flag. The cloak was captured in 1356 by the English and it was lost. Another important flag was the "oriflamme" of Charlemagne. It was handed over to him by Pope Leo III. at the imperial coronation on Christmas in the year 800. It was a red flag with golden embroidery, which showed a sun and its rays. Presumably it had a number of ends that could explain its name "oriflamme". Auri Flamme means Golden Flame. This flag was captured in 1415 by the British, too, and it was lost.
King Clovis replaced – inspired by a dream he had at the time of his own baptism – golden toads on one of his blue banners by golden lilies. Lilies were and are widely regarded as the symbol of the Virgin Mary. The motif of that banner banner, a plain blue bunting sewn with golden lilies, was possibly rediscovered by King Louis VI. in the early 12th century, and it became re-created as the Banner of France. The lily banner became widespread, because it was more than just a famous single piece like its predecessors. It became the royal and even national symbol, that was also adopted by the Valois (1429-1589) and by the Bourbons (1594-1792). The Capetians, who became kings of France in 987, took over from the Merovingians Clovis's blue coat of arms, sprinkled with golden lilies. From 1365 (other sources mention 1376), however, the number of lilies was reduced to three, which was also practiced on the banners.
The color white as the royal color of the Bourbons – supposedly originated in the banner of Jeanne d'Arc – has become more and more important with the beginning of their rule. By royal decree, a single-coloured white flag in 1638 was introduced as merchant and sea flag. From 1661 it was allowed for individuals to use as merchant flag a blue flag with a white cross. When they were at sea in royal order they had to use this merchant flag added by the crowned lily shield of France (version as greater coat of arms) in the middle. Only royal ships continued to use the white flag. This rule was renewed in 1661, 1670 and 1765. The single coloured, white flag let us of course think about surrender, what is quite right. However, there was – if you wanted to capitulate in the 17th and 18th centuries – initially a practice to use a bunting in the colours of the enemy. In this way they surrendered at that time against the French, with their white flag. A white cloth was readily available and at hand, so that this tradition prevailed, and white is until today the colour of surrender and of the peace envoys.
For ceremonial purposes there also existed a white, with golden lilies sprinkled flag, that represented the House of Bourbon. When the king was present, was used this white, with golden lilies sprinkled flag, added by the by two angels held greater arms of France in the middle. These regulations were partially re-introduced with the restoration of the monarchy in 1814, but were abolished again in favor of blue-white-red in 1830 with the beginning of the reign of the "citizen king" Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orleans.
King Clovis replaced – inspired by a dream he had at the time of his own baptism – golden toads on one of his blue banners by golden lilies. Lilies were and are widely regarded as the symbol of the Virgin Mary. The motif of that banner banner, a plain blue bunting sewn with golden lilies, was possibly rediscovered by King Louis VI. (Capetians) in the early 12th century, and it became re-created as the Banner of France. The Capetians, who became kings of France in 987, took over from the Merovingians Clovis's blue coat of arms, sprinkled with golden lilies. From 1365 (other sources mention 1376), however, the number of lilies was reduced to three. From the end of the 16th century, the coat of arms of France was also combined with the coat of arms of Navarre. After the revolution (1789) only an emblem was introduced that showed a bundle of lictors in an oak wreath. In 1799 a blue shield was adopted as the coat of arms, with a golden eagle holding thunderbolts and lightnings in its claws. This symbol was placed on an imperial coat of arms from 1804 to 1814 (Napoléon I.). After the restoration, the lilies were relevant again until 1831. After that there were used often changing symbols, the goddess of freedom, bundles of lictors or the letter combination RF, also EF. Sometimes a wreath of oak and olive branches appears (northern and southern France). Since 1848 France uses a state seal, which shows the goddess of freedom with a bundle of lictors (symbol of the law) and diverse allegorical objects.
The French cockade was – like the naval and war flag, and also the trade flag
for royal ships – single-coloured white. White was the royal color of the
Bourbons, who ruled over France from 1594 to 1792. The color combination of
blue, white and red as the colors of France has its origin in the French
revolution of 1789, when blue and red, the colors of the city of Paris, had been
combined with the previous white. On the flags this was visible from 1790, and
the today's known French flag was introduced in 1794. Presumably there were
already blue-red cockades for Paris, and these were simply put on the royal
white cockade. Thus a blue-red-white cockade was created as a capstick.
In the years 1804-1805, the cockade was officially changed in blue-white-red, which could not be fully achieved, because the old and experienced soldiers preferred to keep the old cockade, with the intention to distinguish themselves from the inexperienced newcomers with the new cockade.
The after revolution and the era of Napoleon following defeat of France, the Bourbon monarchy was restored in 1814, and the old monochrome white cockades were introduced again as capsticks. After the revolution of 1830, Louis-Philippe, the Duke of Orleans, became "civil king", and they remembered the color combination of blue, white and red, and the blue-white-red flags and cockades were reintroduced an keeped valid until today.
The until the French Revolution existing provinces (or governorates) have been historically grown structures, which had their roots oftenly in former fiefdoms of the French crown, historic counties and duchies. They oftenly existed for hundreds of years and had preserved regionality (e.g. cultural particularities and regional languages). On the occasion of the French Revolution such phenomena were of course not desirable, and as part of their bloody and violent egalitarianism any regional references were eliminated. Shortly after the French Revolution the provinces were dissolved and France became divided into many départements, which should have approximately the same size and the same status. The départements were named after rivers or mountains, to use never and in no circumstances the name of an old province. However, there was no success in cutting the connections of the people of France to their respective regions, so that administrative regions were re-created in 1960, to have a better control in regional administrative processes. In this way became départements, which were placed in a historical province, administratively grouped to an oftenly historically named region. The resulted structures coincide only approximately with the boundaries of the old provinces. In the strictly centralist France any regionality is avoided, so that even the official flags of these regions mostly look like flags of companies, unloving, unhistorical, technocratic and modernistic, and these flags should not be a subject of any lexical considerations here. Only in a few of that regions, exist official flags which remember the historical models. But, even the existence of these today's regions is douptful, because in 2014 was passed a territorial reform valid from the year 2016, that reduces the number of the existing regions by merging to nearly the half. However, there exist unofficial flags in nearly all of these regions, which should remember the old provinces and the old heraldry.
Wikipedia Link to the regions of France: click here
FOTW Link to the regions of France: click here
1483–1498 · reign of Karl VIII.: the Brittany comes to the French crown
1572–1705 · Huguenot wars
2nd of August in 1589 · Henry III., king of France, dies after an assassination, the house Valois dies out, Henry III. designates his brother-in-law Henry III., King of Navarre from the house of Bourbon, as his successor
25th of July in 1593 · Henry III., King of Navarre, converts to Catholicism
27th of February in 1594 · Henry III. is crowned as Henry IV. to the king of France
1789 · revolution, the king gets unseated
1791 · France becomes a constitutional monarchy
1792 · France becomes republic ("First Republic")
1792–1795 · terror of the jacobins
1793 · execution of king Louis XVI.
1795–1799 · reign of the "directorate"
9th of November in 1799 · coup d'état by Napoléon Bonaparte
1802 · Bonaparte becomes consul
1804 · Bonaparte becomes emperor (Napoléon I.)
1804–1815 · Napoléonic wars in Europe
1814 · Ludwig XVIII., Bourbon house, brother of Louis XVI., becomes king
1830 · Louis-Philippe, duke of Orleans, becomes "bourgeois king"
1848 · revolution, fall of the monarchy, declaration of the republic ("Second Republic"), prince Louis Napoléon (nephew of Napoléon I.) becomeBretagnes president
1851 · coup d'état by Louis Napoléon
1852 · Louis Napoléon becomes emperor of France as Napoléon III.
1870 · a as result of the German-French gets the monarchy unseated, declaration of the "Third Republik"
French colonies do nearly all not have an own officiall flag. There is to hoist the French Tricolor. But for touristic or regional purpose some colonies have unofficial flags.
Pilot on board
Call for Pilot
