Historical Flags of Egypt

Despite having to regain his title as sultan twice after being disposed by rivals, Sultan an-Nasir Mohammad managed to lead the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt to its furthest territorial conquests by 1317. The Ottomans absorbed Egypt into their empire as an eyalet after defeating the Mamluks in 1516 during the Battle of Marj Dabiq. An eyalet was a term used to describe a province under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. The Sultanate of Egypt was a short-lived protectorate state established over the country by the British after they took full control of the area from the French and the Ottoman Empire. The Kingdom of Egypt was established by the British in 1922 as a means of placating Arab demand for an independent state, but it allowed Great Britain to retain control of Egypt’s foreign policy and military affairs until Egypt declared itself a republic in 1953.

Historical Flags of Afrcia

The flag for the Federal and Islamic Republic of the Comoros was used from 1996 until 2001. Since becoming independent from France in 1975, the flags of the Comoros have featured the crescent and four stars. The stars represent the number of island’s in the Comoros Archipelago. The Congo Free State existed from 1885 until 1908, and was under the private control of Belgium’s King Leopold II through an agreement reached during the 1884-1885 Berlin Conference. In 1908, the territory was administrated directly by the government of Belgium. The Ethiopian flag of 1897 featured a lion wearing a crown and carrying a staff with a cross finial. The design was changed in 1974 after the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie. Rwanda achieved independence from Belgium in 1962 and adopted a tricolor with a large “R” to distinguish it from Guinea’s flag.  A new flag was introduced in 2011 following a brutal civil war. 

Historical Flags of South Africa

The Boers, Dutch colonists living in South Africa, wanted to establish their own country independent from British rule. The Natalia Republic was a Boer state and existed from 1839 to 1843. The territory had been part of the Zulu Kingdom and was ceded to Piet Retief, a Boer leader in 1838. The Natalia Republic was taken over by the British in 1843. The Boers, determined in having their own country, set up the Orange Free State in 1854. This entity prospered politically and economically until the outbreak of the Second Boer War; 1899 - 1902. With a British victory in the Second Boer War, the Orange Free State was also absorbed into Britain’s South African holdings. The Red Ensign was South Africa’s flag from 1902 until 1928. The flag from 1928 to 1994 featured three banners on the center horizontal stripe: the British Union flag, the Orange Free State flag, and the South African Republic flag.

Historical Flags - Canada

French colonial holdings in North America, New France, reached its peak in 1712 with territory stretching from Newfoundland to the Rocky Mountains and from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. When Canada became independent in 1867, a distinctive new Canadian flag was needed to represent the country. Canada had been using the same flag as the United Kingdom. The new flag depicted a quartered shield containing the four coat of arms of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec, the first four Canadian provinces. The need for a redesigned flag became evident as more provinces were added to the Canadian Confederation. The 1921 Red Ensign replaced the quartered shield of the original four provinces with the Canadian national coat of arms. In 1964, Prime Minister Lester Pearson proposed a new design for the Canadian flag. Several designs were submitted and all incorporated a maple leaf.

Historical Flags - Canada - Red Ensign Shield

The first Canadian flag was known as the Red Ensign. It featured a quartered shield, also known as an escutcheon, to represent the first four original provinces of Canada: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec. A redesign of the Canadian flag was adopted in 1921 and abandoned the practice of adding the coat of arms of each new province as they joined the Canadian Confederation. The new design was divided into five sections. The top left corner contains three lions to represent England. A lion surrounded by fleurs-de-lis in the top right quarter represents Scotland. The Irish Tara harp is found in the third quarter; it is also depicted in Ireland’s coat of arms. The fleurs-de-lis, a symbolic icon of Canada’s French history occupies the fourth quarter. The bottom of the shield bears a sprig of three maple leaves, a symbol adopted by Canada in the early 19th century and the center piece of its national flag.

Historical Flags of the Americas

Prior to independence, the Dutch colony of Suriname adopted its own flag in 1959. The five connected stars represented the five primary ethnic groups of Suriname. The flag was changed to the current design when independence was granted in 1975. As a British colony, Grenada had used the Union Jack in its flag design. The pattern changed when a new flag depicting a nutmeg was hoisted and used from 1967 until 1974. Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared himself Emperor Jacques I in 1804 and created the Empire of Haiti. His assassination in 1806 brought an end to the short-lived empire. Dom Pedro I founded the Empire of Brazil in 1822 and was succeeded by his son Dom Pedro II in 1831. Dom Pedro II reigned for 58 years. The flag featured 19 stars to represent the 19 Brazilian states. Another star was added in 1870. The flag and empire were replaced in 1889 by a republican form of government.

Historical Flags - United States of America

The Bunker Hill flag supposedly was flown during the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill, a battle fought in Charleston, Massachusetts during the early stages of the Revolutionary War. It is also the flag primarily associated with the New England region. The Bennington Flag was used during the 1777 Battle of Bennington, another battle of the Revolutionary War fought in Walloomsac, New York. It featured 13 stars and stripes as a representation of the 13 rebelling colonies. The Gadsen flag was designed by Christopher Gadsen in 1775. He used an image of a coiled rattlesnake as a warning for the British to watch their step when dealing with the colonists. Despite the name, The Alamo flag was not flown during the 1836 Battle of the Alamo. This flag was based on the Mexican flag and was used by the Texans to show their allegiance to Mexico and the Mexican constitution as drafted in 1824.

Historical Flags - Confederate States of America

The Bonnie Blue flag was used by early groups of secessionists and it had been used by the short-lived West Florida Republic; 1810. Mississippi adopted the Bonnie Blue when it seceded from the Union in 1861 as did some of other seceding states until a national flag could be approved. The Confederate States of America was initially founded by 7 states and its first flag was constantly modified as more states broke with the Federal government. By 1861, the number had reached 13, as many as the original American colonies. In 1863, the Confederate leadership decided to change the national flag and placed the battle flag into the canton of a new design. This was done with the hopes of boosting faltering national morale. The Confederate battle flag was designed by William Miles; he originally designed it as the new national flag. The battle flag is the most recognized of Confederate era symbols.

State Historical Flags - United States of America

Oklahoma’s first flag featured a large star with the number “46” centered in the middle. The number represented the order of Oklahoma’s entry into the Union in November 1907. Mississippi did not have an official state flag prior to seceding from the Union in 1861. The new design featured a magnolia tree on the field and the Bonnie Blue flag in the canton, the first flag used by the Confederate States of America. Louisiana had unofficially used a flag similar to the current banner, a nesting pelican on a blue field. When Louisiana seceded from the Union in 1861, it officially adopted a flag with a star in the canton and a field covered by 13 red and white stripes. Maine, known as the Pine Tree State, had an eastern white pine, Pinus strobus, depicted on its first flag. A single star, representing the North Star, appeared in the canton.

Historical Flags of Asia

The Seljuk Empire ruled over a vast territory stretching from the Hindu Kush to Eastern Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf. The empire existed from 1037 until 1194.The Mughal Empire reigned over Northern India for almost 300 years. It was established when Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the Battle of Panipat in 1526.The Mughal Empire was displaced by the British East India Company and in 1858 was placed under direct control of the British Crown. Taejo Yi Seong-gye founded the Great Joseon Kingdom in 1392. The kingdom survived several invasions from China and Japan. Despite constant struggles against more powerful neighbors, it endured until 1897.The standard of Cyrus the Great, founder of the First Persian Empire, consisted of the Derafsh-e Shahbaz-e-Talayi, a golden falcon with wings spread and holding an orb in each talon.

Historical Flags of Germany - Third Reich

Germany’s national flag from 1935 to 1945, was based on the political flag of the NSDAP, the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei. The national flag had the disc and Hakenkreuz, swastika, slightly off center horizontally in favor of the hoist. The Reichsadler, the imperial eagle, was derived from the Parteiadler, the party eagle. The national coat of arms has the eagle looking over its right shoulder while the eagle representing the party is looking over its left shoulder. Used from 1938 until 1945, the war ensign flag was a slight variation from the previous design. The personal standard used by Adolf Hitler featured a swastika as the centerpiece surrounded by a garland of oak leaves. The corners of the standarte depicted four eagles; two representing the party and two representing the military. The war ensign banner, the national flag, and Hitler’s personal standard were designed by Hitler.

Historical Flags of Germany

The First German Empire, more commonly known as the Holy Roman Empire, emerged in 800 with the crowning of Charlemagne as emperor. The kingdom endured until 1806. Following the Franco-Prussian War. 1870-1871, Germany was unified as a single state under Prussia’s Kaiser Wilhelm I. This marked the era of the Second German Reich. The short-lived empire ended in 1918 with the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Germany was still an empire following World War I, but was often referred to as the “Weimar Republic,” a term derived from the city hosting the nation’s constitutional assembly starting in 1919. In 1945, Germany was divided into four zones of occupation and did not have an official national flag until the current design was adopted in 1949. Since international law requires merchant ships to fly a civil ensign, Germany was assigned the international maritime “C” pennant, but in a swallowtail design.

Historical German State Flags

The state of Brandenburg adopted a new flag in 1945, but the design fell into disuse after East Germany dissolved the old state system in 1952. The current flag is based on the 1945 design and includes the state coat of arms. Hanover was an administrative state set up in the British zone of occupation in 1946. The state existed for less than 100 days and was reformed into the new German state of Niedersachsen. The Kingdom of Prussia emerged as a leading European power in 1701. The evolution of the Prussian state flag centered on the use of the black imperial German eagle; the flag used from 1892 to 1918 was no exception. Württemberg-Baden was a state created within the occupational zone controlled by the United States in 1945. It was reformed by a merger with Württemberg-Hohenzollern and Baden in 1952 to form the current state of Baden-Württemberg.

Historical Flags of Europe

The area of present day Moldovia had been part of the Roman province of Dacia. It was proclaimed The Principality of Moldavia when Dragoş became the first Voivode or ruler of the country in 1346. Bosnia-Herzegovina obtained its independence from Yugoslavia in 1992. The new flag, based on the design of the former Bosnian Kingdom, was replaced in 1998 with the current flag. The Andorran flag used from 1806 until 1866 reflected the country’s close association with Spain. A third stripe was added to acknowledged the bond with France. Yugoslavia was created after World War I by the Treaty of Rapallo. When Yugoslavia declared itself a socialist republic in 1943, a red star was installed as the flag’s centerpiece. The constitute republics making up Yugoslavia began to separate in 1980’s. Serbia retained the flag it had used since 1835, but removed the star in favor of the national coat of arms.

Historical Flags of Oceania

Although the Philippines were under the control of Spain, the short-lived Republic of Biak-na-Bato was proclaimed as the first Philippine Republic in 1897 by Emilio Aguinaldo. The flag consisted of a disc featuring a human face emitting 24 beams of sunlight. The disc, sans the face, is still retained in the current Philippine flag. The Pacific Island Trust Territory was established by the United Nations and was administrated by the United States from 1947 to 1986. It included the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau. The Republic of Ezo existed from January to June of 1869. Located on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, it was the first Asian state to hold an open election. The Tongan flag was adopted in 1862. In 1864, the Red Cross was formed in Geneva, Switzerland and used the reverse pattern of the Swiss flag in tribute, a design matching the Tongan flag of 1862. Tonga changed its flag in 1866.

Historical Flags of Saint Christopher and Nevis

The island of Anguilla had been part of the British colony of Saint Christopher and Nevis. In 1967, Anguilla briefly declared itself as the Republic of Anguilla; the island returned to British control in 1969. Nevis is the smaller of the two islands in the Saint Christopher and Nevis federation. A 1998 referendum failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority votes required for Nevis to be allowed to separate from Saint Christopher. The West Indies Federation was a short-lived political union consisting of several British controlled territories in the Caribbean. Port of Spain, located on Trinidad, served as the capital. The West Indies Federation was dissolved in 1962 with the eventful formation of 9 separate countries. From 1967 until 1983, the flag for the British colony of Saint Christopher, Nevis and Anguilla was a tricolor with a centered palm tree. The flag was changed when independence was granted in 1983.