Chronicle of Russian flags
From time immemorial, the vast expanses of Eastern and Central Europe were inhabited by Slavic tribes. Ancient chronicles and chronicles call the Slavs a brave, warlike and freedom-loving people. By the 9th century, Slavic principalities were formed. Their centers were Pskov, Polotsk, Smolensk, Chernigov, Pereyaslavl and others. Novgorod and Kyiv were considered the largest cities. At that distant time, there was still no single Slavic state, and, naturally, one should not look for a single state banner. There are references to the first Russian flags, or, as they were called, banners. Banner - means a lever, as well as a pole, a pole, a shaft. Indeed, the oldest Russian banners were long poles, on the tops of which tree branches, tufts of grass, horse tails, the so-called banner bangs, were strengthened. Later, pieces of bright-colored fabrics began to be attached to the banners, giving them the shape of a wedge. Often the fabric was attached not to a pole, but to a small cross-beam. The pole ended with a pommel - a guard.
At the end of the 9th century, the Novgorod prince Oleg captured Kyiv and remained here to reign, declaring the city the capital - "the mother of Russian cities." Kievan Rus for the first time united the Slavic principalities from the Baltic to the Black Sea, from the Carpathians to the Don, and became the historical cradle of the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples. There was no state flag yet. There were only princely banners. They were revered. Without a banner, the army did not go on campaigns and did not enter into battles. Princely banners usually had an almost square panel with braids - klintsy, yalovtsy. In 907, Prince Oleg reached Byzantium with his banner and nailed "a shield to the gates of Constantinople." With the introduction of Christianity in Russia, after 988, images of the cross appeared on Russian banners. This symbol was widely used in other European countries as well. Banners acquired the significance of a shrine.
Under Yaroslav the Wise at the beginning of the 11th century, Kievan Rus united vast lands, flourished and became one of the largest states in Europe. The description of the banner of Yaroslav the Wise has not been preserved, but it can be said that the main symbol of Russia is associated with his name - the image of St. George, which later took pride of place both on the coat of arms of Russia and on the standard of its tsars. The name Yaroslav was secular, princely, pagan, and the prince was baptized with the name of George. According to Christian custom, St. George. Since Yaroslav the Wise was considered the first unifier of "all Russia", his "patron" - St. George the Victorious - began to be considered the patron of the entire Russian state.
The unification of Russia was not yet strong, and after the death of Yaroslav, the state was fragmented - divided among his sons into destinies. The strife began. Prince Vladimir Monomakh, who ruled from 1113 to 1125, managed only temporarily to restore the unity of Kievan Rus, but after his death, the state was again split into separate principalities.
The Polovtsian nomads became a terrible enemy of the Slavs. Specific princes under their banners went on campaigns against the enemy. The greatest monument of ancient Russian literature, The Tale of Igor's Campaign, tells of one of these campaigns. The manuscript mentions that in 1185, at the head of the prince's fighting squads, there were “a flag, a white banner, a cholk”, i.e. a red banner, a white banner, a red fringe. Grand Duke Andrei Bogolyubsky transferred the capital of Russia to his city of Vladimir. The banners of the great princes appeared. The grand ducal and princely banners of ancient Russia were huge, up to 8 arshins (6 meters) in length, and heavy. Bogatyrs were selected as contracting officers. During campaigns, the banners taken from the pole were in the wagon train along with armor and weapons. Only before the battle was the command given to "take weapons, put on armor and hoist banners." Usually banners were installed in the center of the troops on a hill. During the battle, the attackers tried to break through to the banner, "hook" it and capture it. In most cases, this decided the outcome of the battle. That is why the banner was constantly in the center of attention of all the fighters, and the chroniclers of the battles personified the course of the battle with the state of the banner. When, for example, they wrote that “the banner stretched like clouds”, then the battle developed favorably, “fall down the banner” - the battle was lost.
The prince's army had more than one banner. The army was divided into regiments: large, right hand, left hand, watchmen. At the head of a large regiment, the great banner of the prince was exhibited, in the remaining regiments - smaller banners. Each princely detachment of the inheritance, as well as the armies of regions and cities, had their own banners. So, for example, in 1216 in the Battle of Lipitsa, Prince George of Suzdal set up 17 banners, and Yaroslav - 13. Feudal fragmentation and civil strife weakened Russia, and in the XIII century, the Tatar-Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan invaded its lands from the south and east, and then Khan Batu. A difficult period has come for Russia. From the north, the troops of Swedish and German feudal lords attacked the Russian lands. On July 15, 1240, squads under the banner of the Novgorod prince Alexander defeated the Swedes on the banks of the Neva. Prince Alexander received the title of Nevsky. And on April 5, 1242, the “Battle on the Ice” took place on the ice of Lake Peipus. The army of Prince Alexander Nevsky defeated the knights of the Livonian Order.
The defeat of the Swedes and Germans contributed to the restoration of the unity of Russia. Although the city of Vladimir still remained the capital, the influence of Moscow, founded by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky in 1147, quickly increased. The unification of Russian lands around Moscow began. The Tatar-Mongol conquerors sought to prevent the unification. Khan Mamai with a huge army invaded the Moscow principality. Moscow Prince Dmitry came out to meet him with fighting squads. On September 8, 1380, the Russians and Tatars converged on the Kulikovo field beyond the Don. On a hill in the camp of Mamai, a Tatar banner was raised, in the center of the Russian squads - a grand ducal banner. In the oldest document, “The Tale and Legend of the Massacre of Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy,” there are the following lines: “Prince the Great Dmitry Ivanovich, seeing his regiments adequately equipped, cheered up his heart, and dismounted from his horse, falling on his knee straight to the great regiment and the black sign, on it does not imagine the image of our Lord Jesus Christ. This banner is called a sign for the first time, in contrast to other banners without the face of Christ. It should be recognized that the question of the color of the banner of Dmitry Donskoy is not indisputable. In some manuscripts, it is listed as "black" - red, in others - as black, but many researchers consider this a misprint. The red color was widespread in Russia, which cannot be said about the black color. However, the ascetic beginnings of ancient Russian painting allow us to think that the banner, with which the people went to battle for the “terrible judgment of God”, was harsh, formidable, black.
Before the start of the battle, Dmitry ordered his neighbor boyar Mikhail Brenk to stand under the grand ducal banner. The chronicler writes that it was strange to see "two great forces converging on bloodshed, on a quick death." The hero Chelubey left the Tatar hordes, the Russian hero Peresvet came out against him. In a deadly fight, both heroes fell dead. A general fierce and bloody battle began. “The Tatars also began to overcome the great banner of the Grand Duke of the undercut,” the brave Brenok and many fighters of his squad fell under him. But the Russians did not give up. A fresh regiment of Bobrok emerged from the ambush. The Tatars trembled and ran. The great battle was won by the Russians. But this victory came at a high price. Few returned to the banner - out of four hundred thousand Russians, only forty thousand survived. Tatars were killed in great numbers. "The Don River bled for three days, the dead were buried for eight days..."
After the Battle of Kulikovo, banners with the image of the face of Christ - signs - became widespread. In the 15th century, the word “banner” came into use, in the 16th century both banners and banners were mentioned, by the 17th century the word “banner” is found less and less and is finally replaced by the word “banner”. In the XV-XVI centuries under Ivan III and Vasily III great Russia was united under the "high hand of Moscow." Ivan III began to be called in the acts as "The Lord of All Russia", and Vasily III was already called "Tsar and Sovereign of All Russia". The Russian state quickly grew and grew stronger. Amazed Europe, at the beginning of the reign of Ivan III, hardly even suspected the existence of Muscovy, squeezed between Lithuania and the Tatars, was stunned by the sudden appearance of a huge empire on its eastern borders.
In the 16th century, faces of Christ and the Mother of God were embroidered on Russian banners, the image of St. George the Victorious. On the white banner of Basil III was the image of Joshua stopping the Sun. Regimental colors have survived. At the head of the regiment now stood a large royal banner. There were smaller banners in the hundreds.
Under Ivan III, the symbol of the double-headed eagle appeared in Russia, which later became the emblem of Russia. The double-headed eagle has long been the coat of arms of the Roman Empire. After the collapse of the empire, Byzantium became its successor, retaining the double-headed eagle in the coat of arms. In 1497, Ivan III married the Byzantine princess Zoya Paleolog, better known as Sophia. The Moscow grand dukes, as it were, became the heirs of Christian Byzantium and received a Byzantine throne with the image of a double-headed eagle as a gift. So the double-headed eagle became the coat of arms of Russia.
The Russian banners of that time were cut with a scarf, that is, one or more oblique wedges were sewn on one side. The rectangular part of the cloth was called the middle, its length was greater than the height; a right-angled triangle - a slope - was sewn to the cloth with its short side, bowstring down. Often the banner was sheathed with a border or fringe. Images on the banners retained a religious character. The banners remained of enormous size, and two or three people were appointed to carry the banner. The banners were given great honors, they were consecrated by the patriarch according to the order of holy icons. In 1547, Ivan IV was crowned on the throne as the "Tsar of All Russia". This title began to be minted on Moscow money, and they received the meaning of All-Russian. However, the autocratic state of Russia did not yet have a single state banner. The princes had their own banners, the king had his own banner. The banner has not yet become a symbol of the state, but remained a symbol of personal power.
In 2010, it was 90 years since the creation of the modern flag of the Czech Republic (then Czechoslovakia).
It's funny that its colors are as follows, because the Poles were ahead of the Czechs, taking the Czech range of national colors.
More about this, as well as how the Slavic states divided the colors for the flags, in our review (Transmission of the Russian service of the Czech foreign broadcasting "Radio Prague" on this topic dated 05/29/2010 see ..
And also let's talk about the pan-Slavic flags of the Slavic states and pan-Slavic colors. In this regard, we will consider the history of the flag of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Slovakia.
Note that the theme of Pan-Slavic flags and Pan-Slavic colors is not so simple: not only are such flags confused. It's funny that the almost identical flags of a number of Slavic countries are not always inspired by the ideas of pan-Slavism, as people usually think about it in Russia.
Pan-Slavic flags of Slavic states and Pan-Slavic colors. How does the history of the flag of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Slovakia fit in with this?
Pan-Slavic flags and Pan-Slavic colorseta: Pan-Slavic fl yeah, they confuse, and not always almost the same flags of a number of Slavic countries are inspired by the ideas of pan-Slavism, as is usually thought in Russia.
Very often you can hear that many Slavic countries adopted the colors of their national flags from Russia, because. in the second half of the 19th century, when the Slavic countries (particularly in the Balkans) gained independence, Russia and its trade flag were incredibly popular in the Slavic world.
Indeed, in 1848 in Prague, on the initiative of Czech supporters of pan-Slavism (i.e., the idea of unity and brotherhood of all the Slavs of the world) and with the permission of the imperial authorities of Austria-Hungary, the First Slavic Congress was held, at which the so-called. pan-Slavic flag: tricolor with three equal horizontal stripes: a blue stripe at the top, a white stripe in the middle and a red stripe at the bottom.
This flag suspiciously resembled the then trade flag of the Russian Empire, introduced by Tsar Peter I: a tricolor of three horizontal equal stripes of white, blue and red.
At the same time, we recall that the idea of \u200b\u200bsuch a tricolor in Russia was borrowed from the Netherlands.
Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich wanted to take the flag of the Netherlands as a basis for the Russian flag, but in practice and on a large scale this idea was implemented in 1699-1700. Peter I, who admired the Dutch and personally drew a sketch of the Russian tricolor, but in a modified form. On the flag of the Netherlands, the colors are in a different order: red at the top, white in the middle, and blue at the bottom.
However, it cannot be said that even those Slavic countries that adopted white, blue and red colors for their flags did so relying solely on pan-Slavic colors. a.
At the same time, many Slavic countries used colors for their national flags that are not pan-Slavic: for example, green in (although there are also white and red colors, just as echoes of the ideas of pan-Slavism and sympathy for Russia, although this is not officially recognized) , or golden color on the blue-gold flag of Ukraine.
But we repeat, even those Slavic countries that adopted exclusively white, blue and red colors for their flags did so for various reasons.
History of the Flag of Slovenia
History of the flag of Slovenia throughout history.
History of the flag of Slovenia throughout history. Here our illustration shows the origin of the flag of Slovenia.
Image under No. 1.: The coat of arms of the Austrian Duchy of Carniolia (Carniolia, 1364-1918), an area where, within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, mainly Slovenes lived.
It is from the colors of this emblem, and not from the identical colors of the commercial flag of the Russian Empire (now the flag of Russia), that the colors of the flag of Slovenia originate.
This version of the origin of the flag of Slovenia is also given on the official websites of the government (the official electronic brochure "Slovenian symbols. Songs of Freedom") and the Slovenian parliament, contrary to what they think about it in Russia;
Images under No. 2 and 3 respectively: Flags of the aforementioned Krajina Duchy that existed before 1918 and the flag of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia that existed after the Second World War (1946-1991);
The image under No. 4 shows the modern (2014) flag of the Republic of Slovenia, adopted in 1991.
On this flag is placed the coat of arms of Slovenia with Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia, with two wavy blue lines symbolizing the sea and rivers, as well as three golden six-pointed stars arranged in a triangle, taken from the coat of arms of the local medieval rulers of the Counts of Celje.
For example, Slovenia, as officially stated, adopted the white-blue-red tricolor, because. in the distant past, these colors were present on the historical flags of one of its lands, and this has nothing to do with the Russian flag.
Official brochure “Slovenian Symbols. Songs of Freedom” (“Slovenian symbols. Songs of Freedom”), issued by the communications office of the Slovenian government in 2011, noting the similarity of the Slovenian flag with the flags of Slovakia and Russia, writes:
“Have you heard that the three equal horizontal stripes of white, blue and red on the Slovenian flag are the same as on the flags of Russia and Slovakia?
So, the state flag of Slovenia is three horizontal stripes of the same size, but different colors: a white stripe on top, blue in the middle, and red on the bottom. In the upper left corner of the flag, between the white and blue stripes, is the coat of arms of Slovenia.
The white-blue-red palette of colors of the flag of Slovenia is based on the colors of the coat of arms of the historical region of Krajna (Carniolia).
During the European Revolution of the Peoples of 1948, the Slovenes chose their national colors (i.e. white, blue and red. Approx. Site) and submitted them for approval to the administration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, of which Slovenia was then a part.
On September 23, 1848, the white-blue-red tricolor was officially proclaimed the Slovenian national flag, and a few months later, the new flag, proudly displayed on Wolfova Street (Wolfova ulica), welcomed the people to Ljubljana for the first time.
After World War II, the tricolor flag became the basis for the flag of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. During this period, the Slovenian flag was supplemented with a large red star. After the declaration of independence of Slovenia on June 25, 1991, the new coat of arms took the place of a star on the Slovenian flag. End of quote.
In turn, the site državni zbor (Slovenian Parliament) writes: “The colors of the flag of Slovenia originate from the colors of the medieval coat of arms of the Principality of Krajna. In 1836 they were recognized by the Austrian emperor Ferdinand I as the colors of the Carniola region, and in 1848 this color scheme was approved by the Austrian Ministry of the Interior.”
Recall that the historical region of Krajna mentioned here is the territory that makes up the main part of modern Slovenia, and the Slovenian nation over the past hundreds of years and until the end of the First World War was associated with the Austrian statehood. With the exception of the early Slovenian state, eventually subordinated to the Avars, the Slovenes until recently did not have their own statehood, and their historical region of Krajina over the past 700 years (with a break for several years of Napoleonic occupation), and until 1918, was owned by the Austrian Habsburgs.
The coat of arms of the Austrian Duchy of Krajna (it was abolished in 1918, and at the same time became part of the Slavic State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (KSHS) under the control of the Serbian royal dynasty, Slovenes did not have their own symbols in the KSHS) was a blue eagle on a white background with red - a golden crescent on the chest (). It can be said that the white-blue-red palette of colors on the flags of Slovenia, including the flag of the modern Republic of Slovenia, simply coincides with the pan-Slavic colors, experts say. However, it should be noted that on the crescent of the coat of arms of Krajina, white fragments were often replaced by golden fragments, as a sign of the German-Austrian affiliation of this region.
The modern flag of Slovenia (2014) can be distinguished from similar flags of other Slavic countries only by the coat of arms: This is an image of Mount Triglav - the highest peak in Slovenia, with two wavy blue lines symbolizing the sea and rivers, as well as three golden six-pointed starslocated in in the form of a triangle, taken from the coat of arms of the local medieval rulers of the Counts of Celje.
History of the Flag of Serbia
History of the flag of Serbia throughout history.
On the image under No. 1 .: The oldest of all known flags of Serbia, this is the flag of the Serbian ruler Stefan Vladislav I (r. 1234 -1243).
The colors of this flag may have been taken into account to a small extent when creating the flag of the first independent Serbian state in modern history - the Principality of Serbia (in the image under No. 2.), after this principality received autonomy from the Ottoman Empire in 1835. (Let's note in brackets that the so-called Serbian cross was placed as a coat of arms on the flag of the Principality of Serbia).
At the same time, it is believed that the choice of colors for the stripes of the flag of the Principality of Serbia was mainly influenced by sympathy for Russia and its then flag (known as the national (commercial) flag of the Russian Empire; identical to the modern Russian flag), as well as sympathy for the ideals of the French Revolution and the French tricolor .
Since then, the flag of the Serbian state has always been three equal horizontal stripes of the so-called. Pan-Slavic colors (red, blue and white), regardless of the political regime. Since then, one or another political regime of Serbia has conveyed its presence on the flag of the country not by changing the colors of the flag, but by changing the coat of arms on it, or using a flag without a coat of arms;
On the image under No. 3.: Flag of the Principality of Serbia from 1835 to 1882;
Image under #4.: Flag of the Kingdom of Serbia from 1882 to 1918. (i.e. from the moment of the transformation of Serbia into a kingdom until the formation of the united South Slavic Kingdom of Yugoslavia). The flag of the Kingdom of Serbia differs from the previous Serbian flags in the coat of arms: the coat of arms depicts a double-headed eagle (the Serbian heraldry adopted the eagle even before the Turkish invasion from Byzantium);
On the image number 5.: The flag of the Socialist Republic of Serbia during the communist Yugoslavia (which lasted the entire post-war period, and until 1991); On the image under No. 6.: The flag of Serbia as part of post-communist Yugoslavia (1992-2004);
On the image under number 7.: The modern flag of the Republic of Serbia. It largely repeats the flag of the times of the Kingdom of Serbia. The same Byzantine eagle on the coat of arms, located in the center of the flag, but the colors of the flag did not change.
Flag of former communist Yugoslavia (1945-1991)
The flag of the former communist Yugoslavia (1945-1991) was a blue-white-red flag, the so-called. Pan-Slavic colors (Picture No. 2.).
The same applied to the flag of the preceding communist Yugoslavia - the flag of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (original name: State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs), which existed in 1918-1941. (Image #1.).
Serbia flag. The history of the flag of Serbia is perhaps the only one of the histories of the flags of the above states that can be directly connected with the ideas of pan-Slavism.
The flag of Serbia was first adopted in 1835, five years after the first Serbian principality was re-established after nearly 300 years of direct Turkish occupation of Serbia. This state was not completely independent, formally it was under the protectorate of the Ottoman Empire (Full independence of Serbia will be achieved only after almost fifty years).
And then in Article 1 of the Constitution of 1835 (known as the Sreteski Ustav, this is the first Constitution of Serbia in history), which determined the flag of Serbia, it was said that "the status of the Serbian state depends on the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Tsar". The Constitution of 1835 also specified that the flag of Serbia was red, white and azure.
Wherein it is believed that the choice of the colors of the flag of Serbia, adopted in1835., was influenced not only by sympathy for Russia and its then flag (known as the national (commercial) flag of the Russian Empire; identical to the modern Russian flag), but also sympathy for the ideals of the French Revolution and the French tricolor. Also, perhaps the description of the most ancient of all known flags of Serbia was taken into account – flaga Serbian ruler Stefan Vladislav I(reigned 1234 -1243). The flag of Vladislav I is described in a written source that has come down to us, dating from 1281, where this flag is said to be "equally red and blue."
By the way, the Serbian Constitution of 1835 did not make Russia very happy, as well as Austria and the Ottoman Empire, because. it guaranteed basic human rights and freedoms, and in the mentioned countries-guarantors of the existence of the then Serbian state, there was no constitution at that time.
Probably, some in Russia at that time were also suspicious of the new Serbian flag, considering that it more reflects the ideas of the French Revolution than the ideas of Pan-Slavism, especially since then the colors of Pan-Slavism were not officially declared, because before the First Slavic flag mentioned above more than ten years of Congress was to pass.
Despite the fact that the Serbian Constitution of 1835, adopted by the prince under pressure from local liberals, was canceled a few weeks after its proclamation, since that time all Serbian states have in their flags a color scheme similar to the first flag of Serbia. But with one change: a white stripe, in order to better comply with the laws of heraldry, is placed below in all subsequent flags.
So, since 1835, the flag of the Serbian state has always been three equal horizontal stripes of Slavic colors (red, blue and white), regardless of the political regime. Since then, one or another political regime of Serbia has conveyed its presence on the country's flag not by changing the colors of the flag, but by changing the coat of arms on it, or using a flag without a coat of arms.
Since 1835, and during the subsequent period of the Serbian principality under the protectorate of the Ottoman Empire, the Serbian cross was the coat of arms of Serbia; during the period of the Kingdom of Serbia - a double-headed eagle (Serbian heraldry adopted it even before the Turkish invasion from Byzantium); during the period of communist Yugoslavia, the coat of arms of the Socialist Republic of Serbia was a red star. Recall that under Yugoslavia, both the flag of Serbia as part of Yugoslavia and the Yugoslav flag itself, which in a different form repeated the traditional colors of the flag of Serbia, simultaneously existed.
History of the Croatian flag
History of the flag of Croatia throughout history.
Image under No. 1.: Flag of Ban Josip Jelačić (Josip grof Jelačić Bužimski), adopted in 1848.
The red, white and blue stripes of the Jelačić flag are usually derived from the colors of his soldiers' uniforms.
At the same time, the flag of modern Croatia originates precisely from the flag of Ban Jelacic, who ruled Croatia as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Thus the colors of the Croatian flag cannot be derived from pan-Slavic colors.
Under number 2 .: Flag of the Croatian banovina (autonomy, created in 1939 by agreement with the government in Belgrade) as part of the previously unified State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (KSHS, Kingdom of Yugoslavia), which Croatia entered back in 1918, after the collapse Austria-Hungary;
Under No. 3.: Flag of the Independent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH), which existed in 1941-1945. under the patronage of Nazi Germany. The NDH was considered an Ustaše state, from the name of the Ustaše national organization (ustaše - lit. "rebels"), which was the ruling party in it;
Image under No. 4.: Flag of the Socialist Republic of Croatia within Yugoslavia, which existed after 1945 and until 1991;
Image No. 5.: The flag of the modern Republic of Croatia with the coat of arms, which is a shield with a checkerboard (šahovnica), complemented by a stylized crown of five historical coats of arms of the regions with Croatian population: Croatia, the Republic of Dubrovnik, Istria, Dalmatia and Slavonia.
The origins of the coat of arms with a checkerboard pattern are believed to go back to the coat of arms of the independent Croatian Principality of the 11th century.
Croatia also does not officially derive the colors of its red-white-blue tricolor from those of Pan-Slavism, much less from its sympathy for Russia.
The flag of Croatia is the same color scheme as the flag of Slovenia, only in a different order: the top stripe is red, the middle stripe is white, and the bottom stripe is blue.
It is believed that this flag was first created in 1848 by ban Josip Jelačić (Josip grof Jelačić Bužimski, years of life 1801-1859, ban (governor) of Croatia from 1848 to 1859, until the time of his death). At the same time, the red-white-blue stripes on the modern flag of Croatia are usually derived from the colors of the uniform of Jelačić's soldiers. Then Jelacic actively participated in the fight against the Hungarian revolution of 1848 on the side of the Austrian troops.
Ban Josip Jelacic did not share the ideas of pan-Slavism, he simply wanted to withdraw Croatia within the framework of Austria-Hungary from the administrative subordination of Hungary.
As you know, since 1102, Croatia was in the Kingdom of Hungary as an autonomous unit, and after the defeat of the Kingdom of Hungary from the Turks in 1526 in the Battle of Mohacs, it was divided between the Ottoman Empire and the Austrian Empire of the Habsburgs, under the speaker of which the Hungarian statehood went along with the remaining patches of the former Kingdom of Hungary not occupied by the Turks.
The Austrian emperor was then also proclaimed the king of Hungary and Croatia, and his interests in Banska Krajina (i.e. most of Croatia) were represented by a ban - the royal governor, in other words, Croatia continued to be part of the Hungarian part of Austria-Hungary.
Jelačić failed to free himself from Hungarian influence, and in 1868 the Hungarian element was even strengthened in the Habsburg Monarchy: the monarchy became dualistic. Note that at the same time the so-called. The Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (existed until 1918), but at the same time the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia was considered the lands of the Hungarian crown with the preservation of self-government but under the control of the Hungarian ministries, and the Emperor of Austria-Hungary from the Habsburgs was the king of Croatia and Slavonia .
Generally, like Slovenia, Croatia did not have its own statehood for 700 years. The Croatian principality became part of Hungary, as already mentioned in the 12th century, after which the Croatian lands were always under foreign control (even the existence of the commercial Republic of Dubrovnik confirmed this fact: it paid tribute either to Byzantium, or to the Ottomans, or to the Venetian Republic).
Based on the foregoing, it is not surprising that the soldiers of Ban Jelacic, even in the service of Austria, act as symbols of a rare manifestation of Croatian statehood.
According to a guide to Croatia published with the assistance of the Croatian Ministry of Tourism, "Ban Jelačić led a liberal-democratic revolution aimed at liberating Croatia from Hungarian occupation and uniting all Croatian lands."
In 1918-1941. Croatia was part of the Slavic State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (KSHS, later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia) under the control of the Serbian royal dynasty), in which since 1939 it had its own autonomy (banovina).
In 1941-1945. there was a so-called. Independent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH) under the patronage of Nazi Germany. Both during the banovina period of 1939-1941 and during the NDH period, the colors of the Croatian flag did not change, as did the main coat of arms.
Also, during the period of communist Yugoslavia, the Socialist Republic of Croatia (existed in the post-war period, until 1991), had a flag with identical colors to the previous and modern Croatian flags: the same red-white-blue stripes, but with a different coat of arms: a large red five-pointed a star in the middle, so the flag was very similar to the flag of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia of the same period, not for nothing that the countries were in the same state - Yugoslavia.
And as in the case of Slovenia, the modern flag of Croatia can be distinguished from similar flags of other Slavic countries only by the coat of arms, though very memorable and older than the Croatian flag: the coat of arms is a shield with a chess cage (šahovnica), complemented by a stylized crown of five historical emblems of regions with a Croatian population: Croatia, the Republic of Dubrovnik, Istria, Dalmatia and Slavonia. The origins of the coat of arms with a chess pattern, according to the mentioned Croatian edition, date back to the coat of arms of the independent Croatian principality of the 11th century.
How the Czechs with the flag were ahead of the Poles, taking the Czech range of national colors. History of the flag of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. View from Prague
How the Slavic states divided the colors for the flags, and here in the illustration: under No. 1: The Czech tricolor is the flag of the current Czech Republic, and earlier Czechoslovakia;
No. 2.: The flag that Czechoslovakia dreamed of and even used from 1918 to 1920, but this flag eventually went to Poland;
No. 3.: Flag of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in 1939-1945. - the only case when the Czech Republic changed its tricolor;
No. 4.: Flag of Slovakia 1939-1945.
During the period of the first independent Slovak state, the Slovaks did not think (like the government in Prague in 1920) that their then flag could be identical to the traditional Russian one (Moreover, these colors were not used in Soviet Russia then). The Slovak state under the leadership of Tiso of 1939-1945 simply used in its flag the traditional colors associated with the Slavic peoples;
No. 5.: Flag of the current independent Slovakia. It has been used since the establishment of this state in 1993.
However, a year before, the newly formed Russia began to use its traditional flag again, so the new Slovak state was forced to add a coat of arms to its flag (Trekhgorye, symbolizing three mountains - Matra, Tatra and Fatra - historical regions inhabited by Slovaks, as well as a Christian cross) .
Note that today some other Slavic countries also have problems with the identity of the colors of the flags - Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia.
The color palette of their flags is all in white, blue and red.
The flags of Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia differ mainly in coats of arms, although it must be answered that, for example, the Croatian coat of arms on the flag of this country in the form of a checkerboard pattern is remembered and is rather difficult to confuse with others (for the history of the flags of Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia, see . in the main text).
The Czech flag was approved by the Parliament of Czechoslovakia in 1920, while in Prague they found that they could not use the flag of the Czech national movement: white and red (which was also a symbol of the newborn Czechoslovak Republic from 1918-1920), because. Poland has already adopted an identical flag.
After deliberation, Czechoslovakia got a tricolor - in white, blue and red colors, i.е. the same colors as the flag of France and the traditional Russian flag, but in Czechoslovakia they were forced to invent a somewhat artificial way of arranging these colors on the flag - just the horizontal and vertical stripes fell away - this arrangement was already taken.
The Czechs remained true to their tricolor even after 1993, when Slovakia fell off Czechoslovakia (although the blue color supposedly symbolized Slovakia), and also in communist times, when the tricolor was the flag of the united Czechoslovak Socialist Republic - Czechoslovakia.
However, we note that the period of the German occupation of the Czech Republic in 1939-1945 and the existence of an autonomous Czech state as part of the Reich - the protectorate of the Czech Republic and Moravia, headed by President Emil Haha - was the only time when the tricolor of the government in Prague was somewhat modified, its colors then simply displayed as horizontal stripes. (Slovakia was then an independent state, as it is now) .
Russian broadcasting "Radio Prague" talked about the fate of the flag of their country in the transfer dated 05/29/2010. Audio of this broadcast of the Russian service of the Czech foreign broadcasting "Radio Prague" from 05/29/2010 also listen to audio file in the site entry:
“The artists of post-war Czechoslovakia (meaning the First World War) faced a difficult task - to create a simple flag, in the traditional Slavic scale, but, moreover, unique, unlike the banners of France and Russia. At the same time, do not forget about Slovakia, so that the flag expresses unity with the rest of the young Republic. For the first two years since the formation of the First Republic, Czechoslovakia was represented by a two-color red and white flag - derived from the traditional symbol of the Czech Kingdom - a silver lion on a red background ... " At first, our national flag was supposed to be white and red, because the white-red banner existed already in the days of Austria-Hungary and wore the colors of the Czech coat of arms.
Under the banners of the same color, the Czechoslovak legionnaires also went. There are documents that say that the Czechs who lived in America created an army consisting of volunteers, which then fought in France.
Then the famous Czech graphic artist Vojtech Preissig proposed a sketch of the flag, which was a bit like the American one. It depicted four stars, which symbolized the Czech Republic, Moravia, Silesia and Slovakia.
However, there are also documents that state that (the first president of independent Czechoslovakia since 1918) Tomas Garrig Masaryk did not want the flag to have other colors than the traditional red and white,” says Ales Brozhek, director of the North Bohemian Scientific Library, which studies the history of the Czech flag.
Why was this flag of Czechoslovakia not approved in 1920? Everything is very simple - the Poles turned out to be more agile - in 1919 they passed a law that approved the white and red flag as the Polish national flag. This was quite logical, since the Polish national emblem is a silver eagle on a red background.
Therefore, the Czech commission, which consisted of heraldry and archivists, was forced to find a different solution. The way out of this situation was the addition of blue to the Czechoslovak flag. The fact that the Slovak flag wore red, white and blue also played a role. And it is the blue color on today's Czech flag that expresses good neighborliness with the Slovaks.
“However, it was not easy at all. There were many counter proposals. This was greatly influenced by the deputies in the Constitutional Committee, who put forward their proposals and wanted to advance due to this.
The first sketch was somewhat different than the accepted flag. Although it had a blue wedge on it, it was short and reached only a third of the length of the flag.
In January 1920, the artist František Kisela suggested that the members of the commission continue the length of the blue wedge to the middle of the flag, thus improving the aesthetic appearance of the sketch. And already at the March meetings of the Revolutionary National Assembly, this sketch was approved,” continues Ales Brozhek.
In view of all the difficulties with the creation of a new flag, a specially established commission began to deal with this issue. Various options were weighed. All kinds of "striped" were immediately discarded.
As a result, they came to the conclusion: to place some blue heraldic symbol on the red and white flag. Among the options considered were the cross, circle, rafter and wedge.
They say that the artist Frantisek Kisela placed various versions of the flag on the ship, and then the commission watched how it looked from afar. Then it was important to create a new flag for the newly formed young state, so there was not much talk about the author of the sketch - he seemed to be lost behind the significance of his creation. And only later, at the end of the 20th century, the question arose: who really is the author of the Czech tricolor?
“Then it was completely unimportant who was the author - a new symbol was created. Therefore, it turned out that in the 1960s a number of articles were published, which said that the author of our flag was the artist Yaroslav Yaresh, and that the flag appeared during the competition of artists. We began to get interested in this issue and found in the National Archives all the documents related to the adoption of new state symbols.
From this it became obvious that the author of the Czech flag was a group of heraldics and archivists, among whom was a man named Jaroslav Kursa, who was very good at drawing. It was he who sketched all the proposals and ideas so that the members of the commission could evaluate whether the sketch was suitable or not.
So, the Czech flag in the form in which we know it today was adopted by law on March 30, 1920. When Czechoslovakia was divided, the flag passed to the Czech Republic, despite the fact that the Slovaks tried to prevent this by appealing to the law, in which there was a provision that limitrophe borders from lat. limitrophus - border) states do not have the right to inherit the symbols of the federation.
“So the Czech deputies in the Czech National Council acted a little treacherously when in December 1992, when they voted that from January 1, 1993, with the emergence of a new state, the old Czechoslovak flag will become the national flag G».
Of course, the symbolism of the Czech flag is interesting. But even here researchers cannot come to a consensus..
According to the most popular version, the blue wedge on the Czech flag signifies the Slovak trimountain, which gave the flag a Slovak format in 1920. (The image of the three mountains, symbolizing the three mountains - Matra, Tatra and Fatra, inhabited by Slovaks of the region, can be seen on the flag of modern independent Slovakia. Note site). At the same time, blue is also the color of a number of Moravian banners.
However, some people, especially from church circles, have criticized the wedge. In their opinion, he resembled freemasons, that is, freemasons, who played a significant role in the emergence of Czechoslovakia. For example, the Minister of Finance Alois Rashin was a famous Freemason.
“Some books say that red is the color of our blood, and white is the purity of our thoughts. The same symbolism was present on the Czech white and red flag. As for the rest - this is no longer about symbolism - some people have problems when they hang out our flag or when they draw it. Sometimes people confuse where the red color should be - at the top or at the bottom. There is a good mnemonic hint for this. A person should imagine a mug of beer, where white foam is on top, and yellow - like red - at the bottom.
My father, an artist, taught me another mnemonic clue. He said: “If you paint a red stripe on top with watercolors, then the red paint will flow down to white and ruin the drawing, but if it’s the other way around, you get a beautiful picture,” Ales Brozhek continues the story.
It turns out that sometimes if the flag is hung vertically, there are also problems - where should the red stripe be - on the right or on the left? The correct option is the white stripe on the left, and the red stripe on the right from the perspective of a person who looks at the flag”, the Russian service of the Czech foreign broadcasting “Radio Prague” broadcast on 05/29/2010.
History of the flag of Slovakia
And now to the flag of Slovakia, which we have already started talking about above. The flag of Slovakia with three equal horizontal stripes: a white stripe at the top, a blue stripe in the middle and a red stripe at the bottom is identical to the design of the national (trade) flag of the Russian Empire and the modern flag of Russia.
The Slovak flag can be distinguished from the current Russian one only by the coat of arms placed on it..
The Slovak coat of arms contains an image of the Lorraine cross on top of three mountains. The cross symbolizes the activities of Saints Cyril and Methodius to spread Christianity during their missionary trips to the Danubian lands, now known as Slovakia. Three mountains symbolize the three levels of the Carpathians: Small Tatras, High Tatras and Small Fatras, an area inhabited by Slovaks for a long time.
Thus, the coat of arms of Slovakia represents both the spirituality and the geography of the Slovak people..
It is believed that the Slovak symbolism was brought back to life in 1848 by Ľudovít Štúr (Ľudovít Štúr, born 1815-1856), a teacher of the Slovak language, a journalist and a member of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Hungary, and his circle.
The seal of the Slovak city of Nitra from the time of the Hungarian king Bela IV was taken as a basis. (1235-1270) depicting a white double cross in a scarlet (dark red) field. It is also believed that in those ancient times the flag of the Slovak regions consisted of two horizontal stripes: white and red.
Stuhr was opposed to Hungarian hegemonism. In general, the history of Slovakia was similar to that of Slovenia. Slovakia had an independent state, namely the so-called. the state of Samo and Great Moravia, only in ancient times.
Then for almost 1000 years Slovakia was part of the Kingdom of Hungary. After the battle of Mohacs in 1526, the Ottoman Empire occupied most of the territory of the former Kingdom of Hungary, and Bratislava (Pressburg) in the period 1531-1783. became the capital of the unoccupied part of Hungary (which became part of the Habsburg Monarchy). In Bratislava, then, meetings of the Hungarian Parliament were held and the coronations of the Habsburgs took place with the crown of the Kingdom of Hungary as part of Austria-Hungary.
After 1686 Hungary was again conquered by the Habsburgs from the Turks. Slovakia continued to be considered part of the Kingdom of Hungary within Austria-Hungary. In 1848, the Slovaks rebelled against the Hungarian rule and fought it on the side of Austria. During the uprising, the Slovaks used a two-color (red and white) flag, and a blue stripe was added a few years later, taking the Russian flag as a model, because. Russians were considered the defenders of the Slavs.
Similar to today's flag of Slovakia (but without a coat of arms on it) was the flag of an independent so-called. the first Slovak Republic (1939-1945), at a time when the Czech Republic and Moravia were occupied by the Third Reich, Slovakia for the first time in 1000 years was able to become an independent country, albeit under the protectorate of Germany.
A year earlier, the newly formed Russia began to use its traditional white-blue-red flag again, so the new Slovak state was forced to add a coat of arms to its historical flag.
The history of the flag of our Motherland is not only interesting, but, I would say, even unique. Raising the flag as part of major state events, with the participation of the first persons of the state, is always accompanied by the performance of the national anthem of the country. This ceremony rightfully marks the greatness of the state and its history. 
And in general, there is no flag on the planet that would not personify some kind of ambition, pride, greatness. And all of them, no matter if they are monochrome or with a complex pattern, with stripes or patterns, with stars or crosses, have their own history.
Initially, among the ancient Slavs, instead of the word "flag", the word "banner" was used, which came from "to pull together, gather a squad." The banner always marked the middle of the army. It was guarded by the best bogatyrs, who were called so - "contractors". The task of the bannerman was not only to hold the banner at any cost in battle, but also to use it to give signs to the entire army. If the banner had a slight inclination towards the enemy, then the enemy was able to push through in battle, if the squad was defeated (the banner fell, did not hold properly, or special signals were given), then the princes also saw this and made proactive decisions.
The oldest banner and symbol of our ancestors, which was used long before the Baptism of Russia, was a red canvas with a pagan symbol personifying the god Svarog. According to a number of versions, Svarog personified the sun in a clear sky, giving life on earth (red color). Later, the symbol of Svarog was replaced by the image of the sun. And, since the Slavs more than once had to defend themselves and their land, such a banner logically identified the modern expression “For the Motherland!”.
From that time, even after the Baptism of Russia, the traditional banner continued to be red. For many centuries, Russian squads under the leadership of Svyatoslav the Great, and Dmitry Donskoy, and Ivan the Terrible fought under red wedge-shaped panels. This is also confirmed by the drawings on the most famous monument of ancient Russian literature - the chronicle "The Tale of Igor's Campaign", that in the XI-XII centuries in Russia there were mainly triangular banners of predominantly red color.
Traditionally red, but with the image of Christ, Russian regiments marched to storm Kazan. And in the annalistic record of 1522 about the siege of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible, it says: “... And the sovereign ordered the Kherugvi to deploy Christians, that is, the banner, on them the image of our Lord Jesus Christ Not Made by Hands.” It should be noted that after 
The baptism of Russia began to be called the banner "banner", which comes from the word "sign". In fact, the banner is a banner, but with the image of Orthodox faces - George, Christ, the Virgin. From the time of the great princes who united Russia, until the era of Peter I, Russian soldiers walked under such banners. Under Tsarina Sofya Alekseevna, it visited the Crimean campaigns, and under Peter I himself, it brought success in the first Azov campaign and in the war with the Swedes. 
Preparing for the second Azov campaign, Peter I in 1696, in the best traditions of his ancestors, made a banner with a central part and a slope. Made of red taffeta depicting saints, it was complemented by a double-headed eagle holding spears entwined with ribbons and a sea with sailing ships. But the banner "lived" not for long due to the euphoria that swept over Peter I throughout Europe.
In Russia, until 1858, although military squads used common symbols to identify the nationwide, Russian essence, there was still no single state national banner. And only in 1883, despite all the disputes and debates of historians and heraldists, Emperor Alexander III, “by the Decree on Flags to Decorate Buildings on Solemn Occasions,” ordered that the white-blue-red tricolor familiar to us today be recognized as the national flag of the country.
The command stated: “On solemn occasions, when it is recognized as possible to allow the decoration of buildings with flags, only the Russian flag was used, consisting of three stripes: the upper one is white, the middle one is blue and the lower one is red.”
It is noteworthy here that this decision was preceded by a number of important events, disputes and even meetings. I will talk about the most important of them.
As early as April 9, 1667, by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (the Quietest), the State Moscow colors were established: black (red), white and azure (blue).
It is difficult to say today on what basis these colors were chosen, but there are a number of assumptions:
1. Supporters of this point of view believe that the correlation of the colors of the flag is associated with the historical regions of the Russian Empire: White, Lesser and Great Russia, which is confirmed from the full title of the tsars and emperors of Russia: “All the Great, and Little and White Russia”, symbolizing the unity of the Great Russians , Little Russians and Belarusians.
2. Others think that everything is much simpler. White is interpreted as the color of freedom and the Orthodox faith, blue is the color of royal power, and red from time immemorial personified the Russian people.
3. There are those who claim that the colors were chosen according to the old Slavic principle, where white meant faith, frankness and nobility, blue meant chastity, honesty and fidelity, and red was endowed with courage, love for life and one's land. 
It is believed that it was the Quietest who introduced the word “flag” into the Russian language to replace the established term “banner”, which was derived from the Dutch name for the pure wool worsted fabric “flagtuh”, which, due to its special strength, was used by Europeans to make flags.
Then Peter I, trying to make Russia a great European power, began to "practice" in creating flags for the Russian fleet and ground forces. And Peter I “made” a great many flags, almost every regiment of the Life Guards had its own banners. For example, the Preobrazhensky Regiment had as many as 16 banners in 1700.
And before the Kerch campaign, Peter I himself drew another drawing of the flag for Russian ships, those very “today's” three horizontal stripes of white, blue and red, and set off under this flag. After the campaign, by separate decrees, this flag became the flag of the entire naval and civil fleet of the country.
After the end of the Patriotic War of 1812 with Napoleonic France, a black-yellow-white flag symbolizing the Romanov dynasty began to be flown in Russia on solemn days. By decree of Alexander II of June 11, 1858, it was introduced as the official coat of arms. The black-yellow-white banner was based on the Russian imperial heraldic tradition: black is from the double-headed eagle, yellow is from the golden field of the coat of arms, and white is the color of St. George. 
And already in 1883, at the behest of Emperor Alexander III, Peter's white-blue-red naval tricolor appeared on the "arena" in the role of the state.
However, both flags continued to share the right to be state flags until 1896, since there was no decree to abolish the previously designated black-yellow-white flag. Yes, and at all national events and celebrations, black-yellow-white and white-blue-red flags began to hang out on the facades of houses.
But the presence of two flags drove many historians and critics into a frenzy and literally led to the formation of two camps. Some diligently tried to show that the white-blue-red version has no Russian roots. So, for example, the Western philosopher Belinsky V.G. has repeatedly stated that “all efforts to pass off the white-blue-red colors as primordially Russian are just completely fruitless work”, that under the black-yellow-white flag Russia has not lost a single war. Others snapped at the fact that in a flag that has a black color, there can be nothing primordially Slavic and, in general, Russian.
Nicholas II put an end to all disputes before his coronation in March 1896. On his personal initiative, a special meeting was held "on the issue of the Russian national flag." As a result of many hours of discussion, it was decided that "the white-blue-red flag has every reason to be called Russian, or national, and its colors: white, blue and red - to be called state." After that, on April 29, 1896, Nicholas II announced that "the national flag in all cases is the white-blue-red flag, all other flags should not be allowed."
And quite recently, in Donetsk, the results of the competition for the best state symbols of the Union of Novorossiya were summed up. Where white, yellow and black colors began to be referred to as the state colors of the flag of Novorossiya. As the competition commission explains, “the white-yellow-black state flag of today's Novorossiya was not chosen by chance, because the connection of its own history is always inseparable from the history of the Russian state and will always be so.”
In 1917, after the February Revolution, Emperor Nicholas II abdicated, and the revolution itself took place not under the national, but under the red flag. The white opposition defended itself to the last under the white-blue-red banner, considering it a true national shrine. And Soviet Russia, after an almost 700-year break, again returned the old Russian red and gold colors as the official symbols on the state flag. 
In 1924, when the USSR was formed, the red flag with a gold sickle and hammer and a red star in a gold frame became the official flag of the state. 
Under these colors, the Russian people won another great victory in their own and world history over fascist Germany, as well as in 1242, Prince Alexander Nevsky, who entered the battle with knight dogs under red and gold flags, just as the enemy under red flags was defeated on the Kulikovo field. banners.
Times have changed, epochs have passed, and with them the flags. So, after the controversial changes in August 1991, the white-blue-red tricolor again became the official flag of our country.
By the way, this is how the flag of the Russian Armed Forces looks now: 
According to scientists, when developing a flag for a young state on the territory of the former Livonia (literally, the country of the Livs), it would be much more logical to take the Livonian green-white-blue banner as a basis. And the current red-white-red is a symbol of the Western Slavs, Wends - an ethnic group that, for the current court historians, did not seem to participate in shaping the history of Latvia. Although it's actually the other way around...
If the leaders of the First Republic relied on an erroneous translation, then the politicians who restored the independence of the republic did not heed the arguments of historians, and later completely adjusted history under ... as if their flag.
Pavel and Mikhail Tyurins sent the results of their scientific research to the heraldry commission when the issue of replacing the flag of the LSSR with the flag - the symbol of independent Latvia was discussed, but did not receive an answer. And the flag is still the same.
Where do national flags usually come from?
There are two main possibilities. The flag can be redesigned. But more often they try to find its roots in the history of the people, among the original symbols of the nation. Thus, they enhance the significance and authenticity of the flag of the territory and the people.
The second path is especially important for nations, which need to emphasize that they inherited the right to independence and separate existence by inheritance, by genus, historically deserved and justified. These include Latvia.
How did they come up with our red-white-red - more precisely, carmine-white-carmine?
The beginning of the red-white-red banner in modern history was laid in 1870 by students from the Terbat (Tartu) brotherhood of young Latvians, who sought to awaken the national consciousness of the people, oppressed for more than seven hundred years by German barons, descendants of the Livonian knights.
They found the first mention of the flag in the “Rhyming Chronicle” (Reimcronic), written at the end of the 13th century by a knight of the Crusader Order (named in “Lachplesis” only as “predatory rabble”), which conquered part of the territories of Livonia.
The chronicle describes the feats of arms and the life of the knights. Among the 12,016 lines of the chronicle, there are several lines that say: "The red flag with a white stripe is the flag of the lettes" (vor war ich uch daz, sagen kan, die banier der Letten ist).
It is known that the Letts are one of the Baltic tribes, the ancestors of the Latgalians. In the 17th-18th centuries, they formed the Latvian nation along with other tribes that inhabited the territory of the Baltic States - Livs, villages, Curonians ...
Creating the symbol of the First Republic of Latvia, its leaders relied on this historical evidence - Atskatu Hronika.
- It seems to be logical?
- Only at first glance. If you do not refer to the original source and do not think about the history of these lands. The original Rhyming Chronicle reports that the flag carried by the Landwehr detachment from Wenden (present-day Cēsis) was red with a white stripe “according to the Vendian custom” (“mit einer banier rot gevar, daz, was mit wize, durch gesniten hute nach wendischen siten"). And it is noted that Wenden - the castle from which the flag is known - is located on the land of the Letts.
But in translations from the original into Latvian, “Wenden” is automatically replaced by “Cesis”, “Vendian custom” - by “Cesis custom”, and “Landwehr detachment” by “Latvian regiment”. And this substitution misleads people about the history of Latvia.
But the distortion of the original meaning did not end there.
The latest translation into Latvian by Bisenieks (1998) does not mention at all that the flag was “according to the Vendian custom”. This phrase is simply omitted. Instead, it is written: “He was first noticed near Cēsis, it is known that he came from there and began to soar on the land of the pilots.” That is, the actual is finally adjusted to the desired.
- Why is it so important for you to mention “according to Vendian custom”?
Because the Wends are the people who, together with the Letts, historically inhabited the territory of present-day Cēsis. These are... Western Slavs. Wen (e) ladies (or venets) they were called by the Germans. In German, the words "wenden", "wendisch" still mean the Slavic peoples.
The Wends lived along the shores of the Baltic Sea, the Vistula, the Oder and in the Carpathian region. Hence the names Wenden, Winden, Windsbach, Windhof, Windsheim. Actually, the name of the capital of Austria Vienna - apparently, from here. By the way, the famous ancient mathematician and geographer Ptolemy called the Baltic Sea Venedian, and the Gulf of Riga was called that right up to the 16th century. There are versions that one of the branches of the Wends lived in the Adriatic - hence the name Venice.
On the territory of the future Latvia, the Vendian Slavs settled first around the Venta River (hence its name, as well as the historical name of Ventspils - Vindava), then in the area of the present Riga Esplanade, and later - in places around the present Cēsis.
Historian Endzelin noted the names of the localities Vindele, Vindeces, Vintieši in Cēsis County. In Riga county: Venezis, Vinda. In Valmiera County - Vente, Vindens, Ventere.
The stone castle of the sword-bearers Wenden (future Cesis) was built next to the already existing castle of the Wends, in the area of the Slavic settlement of the 9th-13th centuries on Orekhovaya Hill. For some time, the city was called in Old Slavonic Kes (isn't it, consonant with Cēsis?!), which means "house".
About Vienna: the Latvian flag is painfully similar to the Austrian!
In 1917, at a meeting of the Latvian Society for the Promotion of the Arts, it was decided, not to be confused with the Austrian flag, to make a different ratio - like 2:1:2 - and shift the color to purple. But still confused!
By the way, our flag is similar not only to the Austrian one, but also to many flags of the territories where the Ven(e)dy-Slavs historically lived. Do you know what flag the island of Candia (now Crete) conquered by the Crusaders and transferred to the Venetians had? Exactly the same, red-white-red!
One of the deities of the Wends was Perun - his temples were draped with red trim. In the religious center of the Baltic Slavs on the island of Rügen (now German), there was a caste of priests with a cult of the sacred horse, and in Kurzeme a similar burial ground was found with rich horse decoration, which suggested its ritual significance.
The high priest of the Wends wore a white robe with a red cloak. In the sea, veins (e) dy went out under red and white flags.
In all cases, the appearance of the red-white-red flag is associated with the Wends and the Crusaders. Our opinion: it was adopted by the Teutonic Order as a symbol of the peoples of Eastern Europe converted to Christianity.
Why are special rights declared in Latvia to the descendants of the Livs, villages, Curonians and the Slavs are removed from government in every possible way?!
Rügen Island
The tribe that lived on the island, which is located on the territory of modern Germany, was called Rugs from ancient times. And the medieval German documents constantly call the Kievan Rus with rugs! The life of Otto of Bamberg calls the inhabitants of Rügen rutheni - Rusyns, Russes!
The island of Rugen - in Slavic Ruyan - was the main shrine of the Western Slavs. Back in the 11th century, pilgrims from all distant Slavic lands went to bow to its main shrine, the four-faced idol of Svyatovit.
It is believed that the island of Buyan, familiar to everyone from the Pushkin fairy tale and having come to it from conspiracies, where it is the seat of Christ, the Mother of God, the saints who replaced the ancient gods in the spells of Orthodox witches, is Ruyan, Ryugen.
In the temples, idols and rituals of ancient Rügen, scientists see much in common with the religion of the Celts. And before that, the island still remembers the druids destroyed by Caesar...
Riga has Slavic roots
The capital of Latvia is named after the cult place of the Slavs of the island of Rügen.
- According to Philip Melanchthon, one of the authors of the Protestant dogma, who lived in the 16th century, the name of Riga was given in honor of the island of Rügen off the coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea, which was a cult place of the Venedian Slavs.
In the emergence of the settlement of Riga, one can see an attempt by the Slavs to revive the lost sanctuary. Just as New Jerusalem was built near Moscow in the 17th century, and the area on the banks of the Istra was named after parts of it: Bethlehem, Galilee, and even the river was renamed the Jordan.
Latvia - Balto-Slavic Republic
In fairness, our country should be called not the Baltic, but the Balto-Slavic Republic.
The Latvian nationality as such was formed in the 17th-18th centuries as the sum of a mixture of all the peoples who lived here by that time - the tribes of the Balts and Slavs.
Historians connect the origin of both the Balts and the Venedian Slavs with the Proto-Indo-European group of peoples. Not surprisingly, the Baltic and Slavic cultures and languages have much in common.
Another confirmation of the historical unity of peoples is the flag.
The name of the country, "Latvia", recalls only one component of the nation - the Latgales-Lettas. Why, then, are special rights declared here for the descendants of other Balts - Livs, villages, Curonians, and in every way the Slavs, who historically shaped the modern image of the country, are removed from government, and in such essential details as the names of localities and heraldry ?! They have been here for a long time, and it is necessary to return their original rights to them - this will only benefit the state.
Flags of Russia throughout history with a brief description, starting with the Baptism of Russia and ending with today's tricolor
Double prong banner 966 - 988
This form of banners was drawn on Arab dirhams of the 10th century. The bident was a symbol of the Khazar Khaganate, and when Prince Svyatoslav the Great crushed the Khaganate, he introduced banners with images of the bident as a symbol of victory over Khazaria.
Scarlet banner of the 11th - 12th centuries
In the XI-XII centuries in Russia there were mainly triangular banners of predominantly red color. There are also yellow, green, white, black banners.
Banner of the "Most Merciful Savior" of the XII - XVI centuries
One of the oldest Russian banners. Used by the troops of Alexander Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoy. Only one such banner has been preserved.
Great banner of Ivan the Terrible 1550 - 1584
At the pole on an azure field, St. Michael is depicted on horseback. Christ is depicted on the slope of the "sugar" color. The banner has a border of "lingonberry color", at the slope there is an additional border of "poppy" color. Religious plots were also depicted on other royal banners. On the scarlet banner of Alexei Mikhailovich, for example, the face of the Savior was depicted.
Banner of Yermak 1581 - 1585
The collection of relics of the Armory still has three banners of Yermak, "under which he conquered the Siberian Khanate of Kuchum in 1582." The cloth has a length of more than 2 meters, one of which is embroidered with images of Joshua and St. Michael (the plot of the image is a scene from the Old Testament), on the other two - a lion and a unicorn, ready for battle
Banner of Dmitry Pozharsky 1609 - 1612
The banner was used by Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin in the Second People's Militia.
Banner of the Great Regiment 1654 - 1701
This banner was used exclusively by the Big Regiment from 1654 to 1701. Canceled by Peter I.
Coat of arms of Alexei Mikhailovich 1668 - 1696
This is the first coat of arms of Russia, established by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1668, together with the first Russian flag (see below). The armorial banner was white with a wide red border, in the center a golden double-headed eagle and emblems of the lands subject to the king were depicted, a legend was placed on the border.
Flag of the Kingdom of Russia (XVII century) 1668 - 1696
The very first state flag of Russia. Approved by Alexei Mikhailovich as the flag of the first Russian merchant ship "Eagle".
Flag of the Tsar of Moscow 1693 - 1720
The flag began to be used by Peter I in 1693. The tsar ordered that this flag be applied to all former tsars of Moscow. It depicts the Russian tricolor and the coat of arms of Russia of the 17th century.
Trade flag of Russia 1705 - 1917
The tricolor, introduced by Peter I as part of the standard of the Moscow Tsar and the army banner, became the flag of Russia in 1705 and was used until 1917.
Standard Russian or Tsarist
Peter's own description: “Standard, a black eagle in a yellow field, like the Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire, having three crowns: two royal and one Imperial, in which St. George with a dragon. In both heads and legs there are 4 sea maps: in the right head is the White Sea, in the left is the Caspian, in the right leg is the Palace Meotis (Sea of Azov), in the left is Sinus Finikus (Gulf of Finland) and the floor of Sinus Botnik (Botanical Bay) and part of the Ost- Zee (Baltic Sea).
State banner of the Russian Empire 1742−1858
In 1742, in connection with the upcoming coronation of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, the state banner of the Russian Empire was made, which became one of the insignia and was used at solemn ceremonies, coronations, and burials of emperors. It consisted of a yellow cloth with a black double-headed eagle on both sides, surrounded by oval shields with 31 coats of arms, symbolizing the kingdoms, principalities and lands mentioned in the imperial title.
State (armorial) flag 1858
By decree of Alexander II of June 11, 1858, a black-yellow-white "armorial" flag was introduced. The flag consists of three horizontal stripes: black, yellow (gold) and white.
Russian national flag 1883
During the second half of the 19th century, historians debated what kind of national flag to consider: white-blue-red or black-yellow-white. The issue was officially resolved on April 28, 1883, when Alexander III ordered the use of the white-blue-red flag exclusively. Black-yellow-white remained only with the imperial family.
State national flag 1914
In 1914, a new national white-blue-red flag was introduced by a special circular of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with a yellow square with a black double-headed eagle added at the top.
Flag of Republican Russia 1917
According to the decision of the Legal Council in April 1917: "The white-blue-red flag, since it does not carry the attributes of any dynastic emblems, can be considered the flag of the new Russia."
Flag of the USSR 1924
The flag was a red rectangular panel with an image in the upper corner, near the staff, of a golden hammer and sickle and above them a red five-pointed star framed by a golden border. He was "a symbol of the state sovereignty of the USSR and the indestructible alliance of workers and peasants in the struggle to build a communist society." The red color of the flag is a symbol of the heroic struggle of the Soviet people for the construction of socialism and communism, the sickle and hammer mean the unshakable alliance of the working class and the collective farm peasantry. The red five-pointed star on the flag of the USSR is a symbol of the final triumph of the ideas of communism on the five continents of the globe.
Flag of the RSFSR 1991 - 1993
State flag of the RSFSR since November 1, 1991. It remained the State Flag until December 11, 1993.
Flag of Russia 1993 - present
The official state symbol of the Russian Federation, along with the emblem and anthem. It is a rectangular panel of three equal horizontal stripes: the top one is white, the middle one is blue and the bottom one is red. Many symbolic meanings are attributed to the colors of the flag, but there is no official interpretation of the colors of the State Flag of the Russian Federation. The most popular decryption is as follows:
White color symbolizes nobility and frankness;
Blue color - fidelity, honesty, impeccability and chastity;
Red color - courage, boldness, generosity and love.
Desecration of the State Flag of the Russian Federation is a crime.
