The flag of Spain is a symbol of national pride and the rich history of the country. It was adopted in 1978 after King Charles III ordered a change in the flag. The flag of Spain features three horizontal lines of alternating red-yellow-red stripes, with the middle stripe consisting of the Spanish insignia. Although the flag is simple in design, it holds immense significance, and its colors are shrouded in legend.
Table of Contents
- History of the flag of Spain
- What is the meaning behind the colors of the flag of Spain?
- Interesting facts about the flag of Spain
History of the Flag of Spain
The flag of Spain was adopted in 1978. Before the adoption of the flag, Spain used a banner with a white background and the Kingdom’s coat of arms at the center. However, this flag was often confused with flags of other regions. Hence, King Charles III decided to change the flags used on Spanish warships and ordered for a competition from which the best design for the flag would be adopted. During this competition, 12 finalists were selected, and only one design impressed the king. This design consisted of two red stripes and a yellow one in the middle.
Before 1978, Spain had a long history of using different flags. In 1469, the Catholic monarchs of Castile and Aragon were unified by marriage, and as a result, the kingdom of Spain adopted a flag that symbolized the unification of the two houses. This flag consisted of the heraldic symbols of the two Iberian realms. This involved merging the Castile insignia that consisted of the lion and the castle, as well as the Aragon insignia that was composed of red and yellow stripes.
In the early years of the 16th century, Archduke Philip of Austria married Joanna of Castile, which led to the adoption of a new flag. The new flag had a white background with a Cross of Burgundy at the center that was touching the four corners of the flag. The marriage was purely for political reasons as Spain intended to deter French incursions. After Joanna was declared insane, Philip sought to adopt a flag that would honor his father’s Habsburg’s heritage. This is what led to Spain’s adoption of the Cross of Burgundy, which represented the Burgundy dynasty. During this time, flags representing the nation had a white background whereas flags representing royalty had a yellow background.
The Cross of Burgundy represented Spain from the 17th to the 18th century. Later versions were combined with the arms of royalty. When Charles I came to power, for instance, a coronela consisting of yellow silk and an imperial shield accompanied the cross. At the time, the concept of a national flag did not exist. Hence, each Spanish cavalry had its unique design of the flag. The flag of Santiago, for example, consisted of a red background with the Spanish emblem. For instance, the Bourbonic royal banner of the early 18th century was different from that of the late 18th century with the addition of a royal ribbon at the bottom of the emblem.
Later, Philip III commissioned the design of a flag that could be identified at sea. This resulted in the adoption of the flag with two horizontal red stripes and a yellow line at the center consisting of the royal emblem. The colors of the flag resembled those of the former Kingdom of Castile and Leon. However, the colors did not resemble those of any foreign monarchy. Later, in 1785, naval ships adopted this new flag. This banner proved to be very useful in the sea that in 1793, it was decided that it would also appear in ports and marine forts. By 1843, it was considered a national flag and was in use even on land.
Towards the late 18th and early 19th century, anti-monarchical ideas were strife. In 1870, Queen Isabella II was forced to abdicate in favor of the Italian born Amadeo I. After three years of ruling, Amadeo declared Spain ‘ungovernable’ and abdicated. Spain ceased being a monarchy and became a republic. The only difference of the flag was the removal of the royal emblem. In 1874, a royalist coup d’etat ushered in the rule of King Alfonso XII, and the old flag was restored up until the 20th century with the resurgence of socialist ideology.
In 1923, Spain was under martial law. The country was fractured with ideologies of anarchy, socialist, republican, and communist. In 1931, the republican movement won the elections and prompted the abdication of King Alfonso XII. After this, Spain became a republic once again. The flag of the Second Spanish Republic consisted of a tricolor red, yellow, and violet. The flag symbolized that every Spaniard would be represented in the government.
For most of the 1930s, Spain experienced internal conflict. The country was torn by civil war between the Soviet-backed communist and the fascist group on the other side. Towards the end of 1939, a military coup occurred, and Francisco Franco became the leader of Spain. The flag of Francoist Spain restored the initial two red horizontal stripes and a yellow stripe at the center. The emblem of the flag consisted of a new coat of arms, with the Saint John Eagle in the background of the Coat of Arms. However, when Franco died in 1975, King Juan Carlos I came to power. In 1977, the flag was slightly adjusted with the eagle’s wings appearing relaxed, with the country’s motto was lifted above its head.
In 1978, the emblem consisting of Saint John’s eagle was removed altogether. A new coat of arms was instituted in 1981. Since then, there have been no changes to the national flag.
What is the meaning behind the colors of the Flag of Spain?
Colors
The flag of Spain is made up of colors red and yellow. There are several legends about the colors. According to one legend, the colors were selected to represent the Spanish tradition of bullfighting. Red represents the blood spilled by the bulls whereas the yellow represents the sand in the bullfighting arena. A second legend claims that the yellow represents the sun, whereas the red represents the bloodshed by the Spanish people.
The flag was in use in the 18th century. At the time, the colors represented King Ferdinand II. To date, there is no official symbolism for the colors. However, Spain is the first country to use the colors red and yellow in Europe. Some historians argue that color selection was influenced by the flag used by Pedro III of Aragon in his war against Anjou for Sicily from 1282-1285. Many of King Charles III officials were from Aragon. Others argue that there was no specific meaning intended in the color selection. Instead, the flag was adopted so that Spanish naval ships could be easily identified from other warships. To some, the color red represents hardiness, strength, and bravery, whereas the yellow represents generosity.
Emblem
The flag’s emblem is made up of a combination of six coats of arms. It features a golden castle on a red background, a red-crowned lion on a white background, vertically running red and yellow stripes similar to the banner of the house of Aragon. There’s also a golden chain link, a flower of the lily (fleur-de-lis), and a pomegranate flower at the center. The coat of arms appears with a set of pillars of Hercules with a banner covering both the inscription and the pillars. The words “plus ultra” (further beyond) appear on the banner and above the coat of arms is a large red and gold crown.
The coat of arms was adopted during the reign of King Charles when Christopher Columbus had started his extensive exploration of the Americas. The coat of arms is a symbol of the nation’s sovereignty. It is used by the legislative Cortes Generales, the Government, the Supreme court, and the Constitutional court.
Shape
The flag is of a length to width ratio of 2:3. The yellow stripe at the center is twice the width of each of the red lines. The coat of arms makes up 2/5th of the width of the flag and appears off-centered towards the flag post. There are instances where the emblem appears at the center.
There are exceptions to the proportion of the flag. The flag in Madrid, for instance, has the length to width ratio of 7:11, Castile-La-Mancha’s flag is 1:2, whereas Basque country has the proportions 14:25. When the banner appears in its usual 2:3 dimension, then the vertical axis of the coat of arms appears at a distance of ½ the flag’s width.
Interesting Facts about the Flag of Spain
- The flag of Spain is nicknamed “la Rojigualda.”
- Government offices are expected to hoist the flag 24/7.
- If the flag is hoisted among other flags, then it must be of equal proportions with the rest of the banners and must be raised in an honorable position.
- In the coat of arms, the castle represents the royal family of Castille, while the lion represents the kingdom of Leon. Additionally, the linked chains represent the Kingdom of Navarre, while the pomegranate fruit symbolizes the Moorish kingdom of Granada. Moreover, the alternating four red and five alternating yellow stripes represent the royal family of Aragon. All these are badges of former Spanish empires. Lastly, the pillars of Hercules represent Gibraltar and Ceuta, which are some of the most beautiful places in Spain.
- The Civil flag can be used without the Coat of Arms.
- During times of grief, the flag is flown at half-mast and a black ribbon is sometimes attached to the flag.
- When a Spanish youth completes military service, they are required to recite the Jura de Bandera flag oath.
- Flag etiquette is relatively strict. For instance, disrespecting the flag is forbidden, and the flag should not appear torn, soiled, or damaged.
- The current colors of the flag are associated with Antonio Valdés y Fernández. He drew up 12 different options for a distinctive flag following the order of Charles III in 1785.
Do you know any other interesting facts about the flag of Spain? Share your thoughts below.
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