We are glad to welcome all lovers of the French language on our website! Today is a page for those who are interested in French history and culture. Today we will talk about the history of the French flag.

The flag of France is not only a national, state, but also a historical, cultural symbol. How it appeared in France, and what events are connected with it - we will tell you about all this in this article.

Briefly about the flag

The flag of France is a tricolor of blue, white and red. It is the national emblem of France in accordance with the second article of the French constitution of 1958. The French are proud of their symbol and call it drapeau tricolore or drapeau bleu blanc rouge, drapeau francais, less often le tricolore, and in military jargon - les couleurs.

The colors of the French tricolor have their origins during the French Revolution of the 18th century. At that time, the Parisian wrestlers wore blue and red cockades. A few days after the storming of the Bastille, the Marquis de Lafayette came up with the idea of ​​attaching a white cockade to the blue and red colors. Although at that time white was the color of the French monarchy. However, people embraced white with enthusiasm as a symbol of purity. Since then, cockades have become tricolor - blue-white-red.

Discutons les couleurs en français - colors of the flag

Friends, imagine the situation that you need to talk about the flag of the French state in French. Notice how you can briefly talk about the flag of France and the origin of its colors:

Le drapeau de la France est le drapeau tricolore de couleurs bleue, blanche et rouge. Il est un emblème national de la France, en conformité avec le deuxième article de la Constitution française de 1958.

La bannière bleue a été utilisée depuis l'époque de Clovis, premier roi des Francs, et a été associée à la couleur des vetements de saint Martin de Tours, le saint patron de la France. Selon la légende, le saint a partagé son manteau (bleu) avec un mendiant à Amiens, et Clovis, après l'adoption du christianisme environ 498 année après qu'il avait été remplacé par une bannière blanche sur le fond bleu.

Couleur blanche est dans la periode 1638-1790. Le blanc est la couleur du drapeau royal et quelques bannières marines. De 1814 à 1830 Le blanc symbolise la France et tout ce qui est en rapport avec l'ordre divin, avec Dieu (d'où le choix de cette couleur comme emblème principal du royaume - selon la doctrine officielle de la puissance du roi avait une origine divine).

Pendant le règne de Hugues Capet et ses descendants, l'étendard des rois de France était l'Oriflamme rouge en l'honneur de Saint-Denys, parce qu'il était le fondateur légendaire de l'abbaye, qui, depuis Dagobert était particulièrement honoree.

History of the French banner

The flag of France has not always been a blue-white-red tricolor. In fact, every French king wanted his own standard, a banner that characterized exactly him and his era.

For example, Charlemagne used a three-tailed red flag with the image of six blue-red-yellow roses as a banner.

Kings Louis VI the Fat, Louis VII the Young, Philip II August, Louis VIII used a blue cloth with golden lilies (the lily symbolized the Blessed Virgin Mary). The number and arrangement of lilies on the banner was very different.

King Charles V of Valois left three lilies on the banner as a symbol of the Holy Trinity. And his son Charles VI, on various occasions, used both a coat of arms with three lilies and a coat of arms strewn with lilies.

During the Hundred Years War, the flag of the French troops was the image of a white straight cross on a blue or red field. Supporters of Joan of Arc preferred white (the symbol of the Blessed Virgin) and wore scarves, headbands, pennants, white banners. After the end of the Hundred Years' War, the flag of France became blue again with three gold lilies on it.

The Bourbon dynasty chose a white banner studded with golden lilies.

As you can see, friends, the lily has dominated the flag for many centuries. But, unfortunately, during the revolution, it was abolished as a reminder of the monarchy and royal power.

Napoleon preferred a white banner depicting golden fasces (bundles of rods with axes) and lictors in the center with four blue and red diamonds at the corners.

Now the flag of France is the national symbol of the country, along with Marianne, the Gallic rooster and others (you can read about the symbols of France on our website). The French are very proud of their state symbols.

Where did the flag of France come from?

The national flag of France consists of three equally sized vertical stripes of blue, white and red. It acquired this appearance in 1794, and before that it had a long and interesting history of formation.

Until the end of the 5th century, it was used as a flag white canvas depicting three golden frogs . After the adoption of Christianity, the first king of the Franks Clovis I started using the blue banner.

There is a legend that the patron saint of France Martin of Tours shared his blue cloak with the beggar, and in 498. Clovis changed white in his honor flag on blue.

According to official doctrine, the power of the king is divine origin , therefore, from the middle of the 17th to the beginning of the 19th centuries, the flag of France was white color as a symbol of all that is divine.

What touches the red, then he is associated with the saint Dionysius, who founded the abbey, which has been revered since the reign of Dragobert I. During the reign of Gouko Capert, the kings used red banners.

The form in which we are accustomed to it, the flag acquired during the French Revolution. As a conciliatory gesture, the blue and red colors of the revolutionary cockades (ribbons folded in circles), as well as the symbols of Paris, were supplemented with the white color of the royal family.

Since then, the blue color symbolizes the saint Martin of Tours, White - Joan of Arc, the national heroine of France, as well as the divine order, and red is the hot fire of the hearts of the French, as well as the saint Dionysius. The whole tricolor embodies the well-known slogan “Freedom, equality, fraternity!”.

The flag and coat of arms of France, along with the national anthem, are considered the main national symbols of the state. These signs have deep historical roots and have undergone various transformations more than once. Let's consider them in more detail.

French flag

After the adoption of Christianity under Clovis the first flag of the country was the blue banner. It had a purely religious significance, and was established in 496.

The blue banner was the sacred sign of Saint Martin, the patron saint of France..

Charlemagne came to power in 800. He changed the color of the flag to red. Under the red sign, French troops managed to conquer many lands.

Louis VI in the 12th century again changed the shade of the flag to blue, and also added to it the emblem of golden lilies.

In 1789, Lafayette (an active figure in the revolution) came up with a tricolor banner for France. The colors denoted freedom, universal equality and fraternity. So the flag began to be painted in blue, white and red stripes vertically.

In addition, the Parisian fighters for the revolution had red and blue cockades in their costume. Officially, the tricolor canvas was approved as a national symbol in 1794. The maritime flag of France has the same shades as the state symbol.

History of the French coat of arms

Before the adoption of the final version, the coat of arms of France was changed almost eight times. The latest version was approved in 1953. The two letters on the modern coat of arms mean "Republic of France" (RF).

The branches of the olive tree on the main symbol of the state are interpreted as peace. The oak pattern can be described as longevity. The base of the coat of arms is decorated with a Roman fascia, meaning justice.

In the 5th century, three toads were depicted on the personal banner of King Clovis. Later, with the adoption of Christianity by the country, heraldic lilies served as the coat of arms. Lilies denoted the patronage of the Virgin Mary, and were also the emblem of the Capetian dynasty.

During the Hundred Years War, the French had a hard time. They often lost to the British until the famous Joan of Arc joined their ranks. Then the coat of arms of France changed again. Lilies, as before, remained on one side of it, and on the second side Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, God and two angels were depicted.

The French Revolution also contributed to the change of the symbols of the monarchy to other signs. Thus, an eagle and a blue disk appeared on the French coat of arms. The proud bird held bundles of lightning in its paws.

Also, bees were added to the coat of arms, which were reputed to be the personal emblem of Napoleon. In 1832, the country's emblem was changed to a drawing of a Gallic rooster.

To date, France does not have a personal coat of arms of the country. Such a choice in favor of abandoning it was made because the French coat of arms consider the monarchy a relic of the past.

The emblem that was adopted in 1953 has no legal force or official status. Much more important than this sign, the French make another emblem.

Marianne is rightfully considered a national treasure and synonymous with France. This sign is a drawing of a young woman wearing a Phrygian headdress.

Such a symbol directly personifies equality and fraternity, as well as the freedom of the French people. The figurine of Marianne is a mandatory attribute of all courts, as well as public authorities.

The profile of this beautiful maiden is on the state seal of the country. The image of the symbol is minted on the coins of France. After all, Marianna is loved and significant for all citizens of the state.

The Phrygian cap on the woman's head dates back to Roman history. Then such a cap was worn by freed slaves. Therefore, the cap was chosen as a symbol of freedom.

In 1970, the image of Marianne ceased to be collective. Since that time, the following persons managed to visit the living prototypes of women:

• Bardo;
• Morgan;
• Mathieu;
• Deneuve;
• La Fressange;
• Caste;
• Tom;
• Marceau.

Actresses, singers and models were chosen as prototypes for their beauty, as well as for their contribution to the cultural heritage of France.

The French flag and coat of arms survived a lot before they received the approval of their contemporaries. It is difficult to imagine a country whose symbolism would change as often and rapidly as it happened in France. Today, the French have decided on the main signs of the state, and they hope that they will bring stability to their native territories.

Origin of flowers

• Blue the banner has been in use since the time of Clovis I, the first Frankish king, and has been associated with the color of the vestments of Saint Martin of Tours, the patron saint of France. According to legend, the saint shared his cloak (blue) with a beggar at Amiens, and Clovis, after the adoption of Christianity around 498, changed the white banner to blue in honor of him.

• White color from to was the color of the royal flag and some naval banners. From to years, it was also the color of the banners of the royal army. The white color symbolizes France and everything that is connected with the divine order, with God (hence the choice of this color as the main emblem of the kingdom - according to the official doctrine, the power of the king was of divine origin).

• During the reign of Hugh Capet and his descendants, the kings of France had red oriflamme in honor of St. Dionysius, since he was the legendary founder of the abbey, which since the time of Dagobert I was especially revered.

History

Middle Ages

By decree of April 15, 1689, merchant ships were forbidden to fly a white flag - merchant ships must sail under a blue flag with a white cross (Fig. 3) - "the old flag of the French state." On the royal warships, a completely white flag was hoisted (Fig. 4).

Interestingly, in the texts of that time, white was not perceived as royal, but as the color of all of France or the kingdom as such. The legend that it was a combination of the colors of Paris and royal white appeared much later. According to this version, on July 17, 1789, the king arrived in Paris and at the Hotel de Ville, the mayor of the city of Balli (in the presence of Lafayette and many others) handed him the cockade of the National Guard. The king attached his white hat to the center and, putting on a hat with a new cockade, went out onto the balcony to greet the Parisians, and in May 1790 issued a decree on wearing only such a cockade.

First flags

The first Republican ensign, the stern ensign of warships, was adopted on October 24, 1790. He was white, the colors of France; a rectangle was depicted in the roof, consisting of three vertical stripes - red, white and blue, “ colors of freedom according to the terminology of the time. The rectangle was surrounded by a white border, the white border was surrounded in turn by another border, consisting of two parts - closer to the pole, blue, and on the other side, red.

The second naval tricolor flag of the republic was adopted on February 15, 1794 - it is to him that the order “blue at the pole, white in the center and red at the end” applies, adopted at the insistence of a member of the Committee of Public Safety, Jean Bon Saint-André, who oversaw the navy. The designs for the flags and pennants were made by the artist Jacques Louis David. On February 17, 1794, this flag was raised by the warships of the Ocean Squadron. On May 20, 1794, this flag was proclaimed the national flag of France.

Napoleonic unification

The banners of the land army since 1791, as well as the banners of the national guard since 1789, consisted of three colors, but according to the custom of that time, they all had different types. So, in the battle on the Arcole Bridge, Napoleon had a white banner with the image of gilded fasces (bundles of rods with axes) lictors in the center with four blue and red rhombuses in the corners. This diversity was then inherent in the banners, for example, on the cockades, the colors were arranged in an arbitrary order and were not subject to any unification.

Initially, military banners often depicted a white straight cross, decorated with red, blue and green. The designs varied from one regiment to another.

The first unification of military colors occurred in 1804: a white square in the center and alternating blue and red triangles in the corners, gold inscriptions were also located in the center. They were called " eagles»Following the example of the vexillums of the Roman Empire (eagles crowned the staff of the banner).

The drawings on the vertical stripes of the banners of the ground forces were preserved until 1812.

Size and colors

For a long time, the tricolor flag had uneven stripes, sometimes a red stripe at the hoist, sometimes a blue one. By decision of Napoleon Bonaparte, the flag took on a modern look: the three stripes should be of equal width, and the blue stripe should always be located near the flagpole.

The colors of the flag were determined and adopted under Giscard d'Estaing.

As of today, the flag must be 50% longer than its width (2:3 ratio) and the stripes must be equal. Ceremonial flags are square in shape, but the stripes on them are the same width. Nautical flags also have a 2:3 ratio, but here the colored stripes are not equal - they have a 30:33:37 ratio.

see also

Links

• The French flag on the Flags of the World website

Notes

Literature

Slater S. Heraldry. Illustrated encyclopedia. - M .: Eksmo-Press, 2007. - 264 p. - ISBN 9785699178056

FRANCE FLAG: description and meaning

The national flag of the French Republic is a rectangular panel, which consists of three vertical stripes of the same size. The pole has a blue stripe, followed by a white one, and then a red one. The sides are related to each other on a scale of two to three.

In the form as we know it now, flag of france approved in one thousand seven hundred and ninety-four. The blue banner in France was first used during the time of the first king of the Franks - Clovis I. Almost until the end of the fifth century, the king used a white banner, which depicted three lilies, and earlier three golden toads. But, with the adoption of Christianity, Clovis I ordered that the blue banner be used in the future. Over its long history, the French banner has repeatedly radically changed its appearance. It was red, which depicted yellow-red-blue roses, blue with a huge number of golden lilies - symbols of the royal family, a white cloth, with slogans written on it, for example, "Jesus Christ" or "Virgin Mary".

The history of the flag of France, the origin of the colors

The blue-white-red "tricolor" was proclaimed the national flag of France on February 15, 1794. It is believed that the blue color symbolizes Saint Martin, the patron saint of the city of Paris. Red is the color of the flames of hearths and hearts. White is the symbol of the French national heroine Jeanne de Arc. According to another version, the three colors of the flag correspond to the three words of the national motto: "Freedom, Equality, Fraternity".

History of the flag of France began in 496, when the Frankish king Clovis I converted to Christianity and changed his white cloth to blue - the symbol of Saint Martin, who was considered the patron saint of France. Bishop Martin of Tours, who lived in the 4th century. and subsequently declared a saint, according to legend, once meeting a ragged beggar on the road, cut off with a sword and gave him half of his blue cloak. For a long time, the Franks had a banner in the form of a blue banner, reinforced with a red cord on a cross.

White color in the period from 1638 to 1790. was the color of the royal flag and some naval banners. From 1814 to 1830, it was also the color of the flags of the royal army. The white color symbolizes France and everything that is connected with the divine order, with God (hence the choice of this color as the main emblem of the kingdom - according to the official doctrine, the power of the king was of divine origin).

More about the flag of France:

Red is the color of the banner of the Abbey of Saint-Denis, designed in 1124. The red color symbolizes the martyr Saint-Denis, the first bishop of Paris. In 1077 King Philip I of France inherits from the allies and military supporters of the Abbey of Saint-Denis the red banner, which from that moment constantly appears next to the own banner of France. After the usurpation of the throne of France by the English pretenders, the wearing of the Oriflamme was abandoned, and under King Charles XII it was decided to use the standard of St. Michael. The standard of Saint-Denis from 1170 became known as the Oriflamme in honor of the standard from the Song of Roland. In the struggle against the Carolingians, the oriflamme becomes a sign of the divine mission of the Capetian king.

Oriflamme (fr. oriflamme from lat. aurum - gold, flamma - flame) - a small standard of the French kings, which originally constituted the altar banner in the abbey of Saint-Denis. Oriflamme was the main military banner of the royal French troops. It was first taken from Saint-Denis by Philip I and used by the troops until 1415, when it appeared for the last time in the battle of Agincourt. Oriflamme was lost in battle four times: at Mons-en-Pevel (1304), at Crecy (1346), at Poitiers (1356) and at Agincourt. It was worn by an honorary banner-bearer (fr. porte-oriflamme) and was mounted on a spear only at the time of the battle; before that, the banner-bearer wore the oriflamme on himself.

January 13, 1188 during negotiations, the Latin Archbishop of Tyre calls on King Philip II of France, King Henry II of England and Count Philip I of Flanders to save the Sacred Land. A new crusade was organized. An agreement was reached that the French would wear a red cross on a white background, the English a white cross on a red background, and the Flemings a green cross on a white background. However, none of these standards would subsequently convey national self-determination.

Subsequently red gold color was chosen for the standards set on the galleys of the Royal French Navy, while the ships of the fleet mainly used white gold standards.

The history of the blue color in the flag of France began in 496, when the Frankish king Clovis I converted to Christianity and changed his white cloth to blue - the symbol of Saint Martin, who was considered the patron saint of France. Bishop Martin of Tours, who lived in the 4th century. and subsequently declared a saint, according to legend, once meeting a ragged beggar on the road, cut off with a sword and gave him half of his blue cloak. For a long time, the Franks had a banner in the form of a blue banner, reinforced with a red cord on a cross.

Since ancient times, the custom has been established in France to abandon the dress in favor of the mantle, as an expression of the desire to leave the world. Tertullian established this custom in the Christian tradition. Since the twelfth century, new blue pigments, dyes, pastels for clothes have appeared, however, outside the borders of painting, the use of which becomes a sign of wealth, because. their production was too costly. Subsequently, the process of becoming a fashion for blue shades in clothes is explained by self-expression against the imperial purple robe. Blue color becomes a symbol of spiritual greatness. It is called the color of the robe of the Virgin, which is used in mourning robes, previously dyed black or dark gray. If the Merovingians during the war used this color as decoration, scenery, then among the Capetians this color was used exclusively only during the coronation. That is why they began to wear blue coats during these ceremonies.

In the first quarter of the XII century. under King Louis VI Tolstoy, a lot of golden fleur-de-lis appeared on the blue flag, and it began to be officially called "Banner of France" . A shield with such an image on an azure field became at the beginning of the 13th century. the first French coat of arms . Heraldic lily is a stylized image of a yellow iris flower, which symbolized the Blessed Virgin in the Middle Ages. In the XIV century, under Charles V or Charles VI (from the Valois dynasty), only three lilies remained on the blue flag, which, most likely, was associated with the dogma of the trinity of the Christian deity - the Trinity.

During the first phase of the Hundred Years War the French suffered several crushing defeats from England, in addition, the situation in the country was complicated by famine and an epidemic of plague. In the battle of Poitiers in 1356, the color of the French knighthood, who fought under the blue flag, was destroyed and King John the Good was captured.

In the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French army was again defeated, after which the French standard, the red Oriflamme, was lost, and a significant part of France was captured by the British. Later, under the leadership of the peasant girl Joan of Arc, the French achieved a turning point in the war. The banner of the patriots was a white cloth with traditional lilies, on one side of which was depicted the French coat of arms, and on the other - God and two angels, the inscriptions "Jesus Christ" and "Mary ".

Jeanne d'Arc supporters widely used white scarves, headbands, feathers, pennants, as their distinctive signs. The white color spoke of holiness and purity and was a symbol of the Blessed Virgin. During the liberation struggle, this color acquired the meaning of a symbol of national independence. After the liberation of France from foreigners, the flag of the French kings again became a blue flag with three golden lilies. But when in 1498 the new Orleans dynasty of kings came to power, for which white was considered a family color, it acquired national significance.

In 1589 the Bourbons came to the throne . Under the founder of the dynasty, Henry of Navarre, a red Navarre shield with a chain appeared in the French coat of arms next to the traditional blue shield with lilies. Both shields, placed on the same mantle, were crowned with a knight's helmet with a crown, and all this was surrounded by the coats of arms of the twelve largest French provinces. Gradually, Lower Navarre turned into an ordinary French province, and only a crowned shield with lilies remained in the coat of arms of the country. He was surrounded by chains of the orders of the Holy Spirit and St. Michael, and supported by two angels. Sometimes the coat of arms was accompanied by the motto: "Saint Denis is with us!" The Bourbon family crest was a blue shield with lilies, divided by a red diagonal. However, the Bourbons legalized the former white flag as the state . In the center of the flag there was then a coat of arms without a motto and a mantle, and the cloth was dotted with golden lilies.

From the beginning of the reign of Henry IV (1589-1610) the royal robes became white with red and blue embroidery on them. The French Guard adopted these three colors and began to use them in their uniforms and as the emblem of the regiment. They retained them even after the revolution, having already become the National Guard. Henry IV even recommended these three colors (blue, white, red) to ambassadors from the Republic of the United Provinces, which had become independent shortly before, and they followed the advice of the French king and made themselves a tricolor flag.

By the end of 1944, France (as a result of the actions of the troops of the anti-Hitler coalition and the Resistance Movement.) was liberated. Tricolor again became the state and national flag, and in 1953 a modified emblem of the 1929 model was officially approved. Therefore, along with the image of Marianne, the announcer's beam is considered a symbol of France, its republican system. Oak and olive branches on a blue oval are symbols of dignity and glory. The inscription in French reads - "Freedom. Fraternity. Equality."

Quite often, the symbolism of the colors of the French flag is associated with this motto: blue - freedom, white - equality, red - brotherhood . The shield is surrounded by a chain of the Order of the Legion of Honor, model 1871. The monogram of Latin letters in the center of the double wreath at the bottom of the chain is the initials of the name "French Republic". On the order itself, around the profile of Marianne, the inscription "French Republic. 1870" is placed. The last figure is the date of the final liquidation of the monarchy and the proclamation of the Third Republic in France. The gold and blue colors of the emblem indicate a certain continuity of national symbols - the royal, Napoleonic and republican periods.

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