Flag of Sweden
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State flag and civil ensign of Sweden. Ratio: 5:8.
The triple-tailed flag of Sweden. Ratio: 1:2. Used as the military ensign and naval jack. This flag is also one of the Royal flags, usually used by a non-royal person acting as the Regent ad interim, such as the Speaker of the Riksdag.
The flag of Sweden is blue with yellow Scandinavian cross that extends to the edges of the flag. The dimensions of the Swedish flag are 5:2:9 horizontally and 4:2:4 vertically. The dimensions of the Swedish flag with a triple-tail are 5:2:5:8 horizontally and 4:2:4 vertically.
The square-cut Swedish state flag is identical to the civil ensign. The triple-tailed military ensign is also used as the Swedish naval jack. The Swedish royal flag is identical to the triple-tailed state flag, but usually includes in its center a white field with the greater or the lesser coat of arms with the Order of the Seraphim, which has the King of Sweden as its Grand Master.
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[edit] History
[edit] Myths and theories
According to the mythology, the Swedish 12th century king Eric the Holy saw a yellow cross in the sky as he landed in Finland during a crusade in 1157. Seeing this as a sign from God he supposedly adopted the yellow cross against a blue background as his banner. This legend is however contradicted by the fact that there are no depictions or descriptions of the blue and yellow banner until the mid 16th century, albeit the blue and yellow had been used as Swedish colors at least since king Magnus Birgersson's royal coat of arms of 1275.
It has also been suggested that the Swedish flag might have been a resistance flag against the Danish flag, which is red with a white cross, and which has been known since 1219. According to this theory, the Swedish flag was created during the reign of King Charles Knutsson, who also introduced the Coat of arms of Sweden in 1442. The national coat of arms is a combination of King Albert of Mecklenburg's coat of arms of 1364 and King Magnus Birgersson's coat of arms of 1275, and is blue divided quarterly by a golden cross pattée.
Other historians claim that the Swedish flag was blue with a white cross before 1420, and became blue with a golden cross only during the early reign of King Gustaf Vasa, who successfully liberated Sweden from the temporary tyranny of the Danish King Christian II in 1521.
[edit] Early history
[edit] Double-tailed flag
The exact age of the Swedish flag is not known, but the oldest recorded pictures of a blue cloth with a yellow cross date from the early 16th century, during the reign of King Gustaf Vasa. This flag was a swallow-tailed (double-tailed), and the first legal description of the flag was made in a royal warrant of April 19, 1562, reading "gult udi korssvijs fördeelt påå blott", which translates to "yellow in the cross over the blue". As stipulated in a royal warrant of 1569, the yellow cross was always to be borne on Swedish battle standards and banners. The design and colors of the Swedish flag is believed to have been inspired by the greater Coat of arms of Sweden, which is blue divided quarterly by a cross pattée of gold, and possibly modeled on the Danish flag. Prior to this, a similar flag appeared in the Coat of Arms of King John III's duchy, which is today Finland Proper. The same coat of arms is still used by the province. Not until the reign of King Gustavus Adolphus in the 1620s, there is reliable evidence of a double-tailed blue flag with a yellow cross being carried by Swedish ships.
[edit] Triple-tailed flag
By the mid of the 17th century, the double-tailed flag was changed into a triple-tailed. A Royal warrant of November 6, 1663, regulated the use of the triple-tailed flag, to be used only as a state flag and military ensign. According to the same Royal warrant, merchant ships were only allowed to fly square-cut city flags in their respective provincial colors. I practice, however, the merchant fleet began using a square-cut civil ensign of the state flag. In a government instruction of ship building of 1730, this civil ensign should have the same proportions and colors as the state flag, with the notable difference of being square-cut. It should be pointed out that in the merchant fleet, there was also a common practice to illegally use the war ensign to incorrectly indicate that the ship was armed.
[edit] Blue flag
A Royal warrant of August 18, 1761, stipulated that an all blue triple-tailed flag to be used by the Arméns flotta (literary: the Army's fleet), an amphibious army division that consisted of smaller ships and rowing boats, protecting the inner archipelago along the Swedish coast line. Curiously enough, the Commander of the Arméns flotta had the right to use the ordinary war ensign instead of the blue flag when that was "appropriate". The blue flag was used until 1813.
[edit] Union of Sweden-Norway
[edit] Union flag of 1815
On March 7, 1815, a new uniform military ensign was introduced for the Union of Sweden-Norway. This flag was identical to the triple-tailed military ensign, with a white saltire on red to be included in the upper hoist corner. Proposed by the Norwegian Prime Minister and unionist Peder Anker, the white saltire on a red background was supposed to symbolize Norway, as the country had previously been in a part of Denmark.
The plain square-cut Swedish civil ensign, however, was used in both countries until July 17, 1821, when a Royal regulation stipulated the use of a new square-cut civil ensign (with the Andrew cross included) in "distant waters" (i.e. beyond Cape Finisterre). When the merchant ships were not sailing in "distant waters", they had the right to use any of the square-cut civil ensigns of their respective countries, or the uniform Union civil ensign. This system was in force until 1844.
[edit] Union flag of 1844
A Royal warrant of June 20, 1844, introduced a new triple-tailed military ensign, with a union badge (a cross bearing the colors of both Sweden and Norway) in the upper hoist corner. At the same time, a specific Norwegian military ensign was introduced, a triple-tailed flag based on the Norwegian flag including the union badge. In addition, the new union badge was to be used as the naval jack. The warrant also stipulated that the merchant fleet used their respective countries' square-cut civil ensigns, including the new union badge.
The new naval ensign was well received by the Norwegians, who had demanded their own military ensign since the union was formed. In Sweden, however, the new union badge in particular became quite impopular and was depreciaritory named the Sillsalaten after a colorful dish consisting of pickeled herring and red beet. It is believed that the name was first used in a speech by Lord Brakel in the Swedish House of Lords in Stockholm.[1]
During the 19th century, a number of regulations were issued regarding the use of the flag. As of 1844, two new royal flag was introduced, based on the military ensign, centered a white field with the greater or lesser coat of arms. The royal flag with the lesser coat of arms was also, usually, used at foreign embassies etc. The military ensign was also to be used by civil government ships and buildings, such as the Customs and Harbor pilots and the Royal Mail. For this use, the military ensign would have a white field included with a golden marker: For the Harbor pilots (as of 1881) an anchor with a star; for the Customs (as of 1844) the letter "T" topped a royal crown; for the Royal Mail (as of 1844) a postal horn with a royal crown.
On May 7, 1897, an alternate State flag was introduced. This double-tailed flag was used by government owned ships and buildings, which did not fly the triple-tailed military ensign.
Six years before the union of Sweden-Norway was dissolved, a Royal warrant of October 11, 1899 declared that the union badge be excluded from the Norwegian civil ensign, a flag that de facto had been used for some time as the flag of Norway. The Swedish flag, however, included of the union badge until 1905, when a Royal warrant of October 27, 1905, stipulated the exclusion of the union badge as of November 1, 1905.
[edit] Flag of 1906
On November 1, 1905, the triple-tailed flag also became the Swedish naval jack. The Flag law of June 22, 1906 further regulated the use and design of the flag, notably e.g. was a lighter blue color introduced than was used before. The Swedish state flag became identical to the square-cut civil ensign, and all private use of the triple-tailed flag was prohibited.
[edit] Private use of the State flag
There have been a few notable exemptions regarding the prohibition of private parties to use the State flag. All these privileges were terminated in accordance with the new specific flag regulation of June 22, 1906.
- According to a Royal warrant of October 31, 1786, the Swedish East India Company had the right to use the triple-tailed war ensign in "Indian waters", when not being under immediate protection by the Swedish navy. In the merchant fleet, there was a common practice to illegally use the war ensign to indicate that the ship was armed. [2]
- In 1838, it was decided that private ships, which were contracted by the Royal Mail used a double-tailed flag.
- On February 27, 1832, the Swedish Yacht Club received the right to use the triple-tailed war ensign, including a centered white field with a golden "O" topped with a duke's crown (as of 1878 a royal crown).
- On June 7, 1893, the Gothenburg Yacht Club received the right to use the triple-tailed military ensign, including a centered white field with the golden "G S S" topped with a star.
[edit] Present day legislation
- According to the Swedish law 1982:269, the dimensions of the flag are 10/16 (height/width), the inner blue fields having 4/5 and the outer blue fields 4/9 (height/width). The yellow cross has a thickness equivalent to half the height of an individual blue field.
- According to Swedish law 1983:826, the colors used are established through the NCS to be: Yellow - NCS 0580-Y10R, blue - NCS 4055-R95B.
- The triple-tailed flag is reserved for the Armed Forces, as well as being used as the Royal flag by the King of Sweden (who personally decides about the specific use of the Royal flag. The King may e.g. charge its flags either with the Lesser or the Greater Coat of Arms on a white square field centered on the cross.
When used from a standalone flagpole, the size of the flag is recommended to have a width equaling a fourth of the height of the pole. When used from a flagpole extending from a building the flag is recommended to have a width equaling a third of the height (length) of the pole.
[edit] Trivia
The flag of Wilmington, Delaware, in the United States is modeled after the Swedish flag in remembrance of the short-lived colony of New Sweden.
[edit] See also
- List of flags of Sweden
- Nordic Cross Flag
- Flag days in Sweden
- Flag of Denmark
- Flag of Norway
- Coat of arms of Sweden
[edit] External links
[edit] References
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