Part of the “History of National Flags” Series from Flagmakers
FLAG OF SPAIN - A BRIEF HISTORY
Where In The World
Trivia
The Spanish flag, along with 6 other nations flags, flies over the state of Texas in the United States of America.
Technical Specification
Adopted:
1978
Proportion: 2:3
Design:
A yellow flag with two red stripes running horizontally, at the top and bottom, with 1/4 thickness.
The coat of arms is shown in the middle, a third of the way from the left.
Colours:
PMS: Red: 1805 C, Yellow: 123 C
CMYK: Red: 24% Cyan, 100% Magenta, 100% Yellow, 19% Black; Yellow: 0% Cyan, 25% Magenta,
99% Yellow, 0% Black
Brief History
In 1469, the Catholic Monarchs of Castile and Aragon
were joined by marriage which the Kingdom of Spain.
The heraldic symbols of these two Iberian realms were
combined: the castle and lion of Castile, and the redand-yellow stripes of Aragon.
The Combined Symbols of Aragon and Castile
In the first years of the 16th Century, Joanna of Castile had married Archduke Philip of Austria. This was a political
marriage, intended to deter French incursions. After Joanna was declared insane Philip took Spain on a path of
alignment with his father's Habsburg heritage. The Cross of Burgundy was adopted as the royal standard in honour
of Philip's mother who had come from the Burgundy dynasty. Flags representing the nation generally had white
backgrounds, royal flags with yellow.
The Cross of Burgundy on White
The Cross of Burgundy on Yellow
The Cross of Burgundy went on to represent Spain for the entire 17th Century, and much of the 18th. It was
combined with the arms of royalty in the 18th Century, with two major variants.
The Bourbonic Royal Flag
The Bourbonic Royal Flag
(Early 18th Century)
(Late 18th Century)
Philip III also commissioned the design of a naval flag which could be recognised from a good distance at sea,
against the predominantly white flags of most contemporary naval powers. The flags came in a striking yellow and
red design, notable for the dominant middle stripe.
The Naval Flag of Spain
The Merchant Flag of Spain
(Late 18th and 19th Century)
(Late 18th and 19th Century)
The rise and fall of Napoleon and the anti-monarchal ideals took their effect on Spain. Queen Isabella II was forced
to abdicate in 1870 and was replaced by an Italian-born, Amadeo I. Before even three full years had passed, King
Amadeo famously declared Spain to be 'ungovernable' and abdicated. What followed was almost two years of a
First Spanish Republic. The only difference to the flag was the removal of the crown.
A royalist coup d'etat brought Alfonso XII to the throne and the old flag was crowned again. The monarchy carried
on uninterrupted until the beginning of the 20th Century when there was a resurgence of socialist ideology.
Communist, socialist, republican and anarchist uprisings reached a critical level by 1923 and the Spanish military
imposed martial law. In 1931 the electoral victory of republican candidates prompted King Alfonso XIII to leave, and
the Second Spanish Republic came into being. The new red-yellow-murry colour was to symbolize that every
Spaniard would be represented. However due to the unusual colour they allowed the lower band to also be violet,
purple or lilac, depending on the dyes available.
The Flag of the First Spanish Republic
The Flag of the Second Spanish Republic
The tricolour pattern is a typical republican convention, of French innovation. A civil ensign existed concurrently
without the coat of arms. This wasn't the end of Spain's social strife. For the rest of the 1930s, the country was
wrecked by civil war between an authoritarian fascist coup-in-progress on one side, and a Soviet-backed
communist / socialist regime on the other.
By the end of 1939, the military coup succeeded, and its leader Francisco Franco would be dictator-for-life. The flag
featured the new Coat of Arms of Spain featuring the Saint John eagle.
The Flag of Francoist Spain
The Flag of Francoist Spain
(World War Two)
(Post World War Two)
Franco had arranged to be succeeded upon his death by the Bourbon Spanish monarchy, to resume its centurieslong reign over the country. He died in 1975, and King Juan Carlos I of Spain came to power. In 1977, the national
flag was altered slightly to play down its authoritarian overtones; the bird's wings are relaxed, and the motto is
lifted above its head.
But just a year later, with the approval of the newly appointed monarch, the national flag of Spain was purged of
symbols altogether. In 1981, a new coat of arms was incorporated into the state flag.
The Flag of Spain
(Post-Franco)
The Civil Flag of Spain
The State Flag of Spain
Other Flags of Lithuania
There are many other flags currently in use for different purposes. A lot of the time feature the red-yellow-red of
the Civil Flag of Spain but feature a different emblem.
The High Civil Authorities Flag, which is also the Spanish Presidential Flag, features the ‘Escudo de España’ Coat of
Arms and is square.
The Yacht Ensign features a blue crown in the centre of the yellow strip. It is mostly used for private sports and
leisure boats. The Customs Service Ensign features two-crowned “H”.
The flag used by the Spanish Armed Forces is a more squared version of the state flag charged with the name of the
unit.
The High Civil Authorities’ Flag
The Yacht Ensign
The Customs Service Ensign
The Army Unit Flag
The Spanish naval jack is a square flag made up of four
quarters.
The first being a gold tower with black mortar on a red
background with blue entrance and windows.
The seconding is a red lion with a gold crown. This is
different from the one on the national flag.
The third is four vertical lines on a gold background and
the fourth is gold chains on a red background with a
green centre.
The Spanish Naval Jack
The Royal Standard of Spain
The Royal Standard of Spain is the official flag of the
King of Spain and is usually flown at the King’s official
residence and displayed on his official cars.
The Royal Standard of Spain