You can mark you interesting snippets of text that will be available through a unique link in your browser.


Spain, flag of

Spain, flag of

▪ Flag History

      horizontally striped red-yellow-red national flag with an off-centre coat of arms (arms, coat of). Within Spain private citizens may display the flag without the coat of arms. The flag's width-to-length ratio is 2 to 3.

      Many symbols used today by Spain have origins that, according to tradition, stretch back for centuries. Even when not documented, the myths associated with these symbols are powerful forces for national pride. For example, the lion symbol of León is supposed to have been used by a Roman legion in the 1st century AD, and the gold shield with four red bars of the kingdom of Aragon and modern Catalonia is associated with a 9th-century event in which the grandson of Charlemagne honoured the count of Barcelona for his heroism.

      Under the Bourbon (Bourbon, House of) dynasty in the 17th and 18th centuries, Spanish flags were generally white and bore versions of the coat of arms that included the Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar, Strait of) with its motto proclaiming “Plus ultra” (“More beyond”) to reflect the discoveries by Spanish explorers. King Charles III decided that Spain should have a flag that was clearly distinguishable from those of other countries. From among the proposals submitted to him he chose unequal horizontal stripes of red-yellow-red with the national arms on the yellow near the hoist. Introduced in 1785, it has continued ever since to be the “core flag” of Spain. (The only exception was the 1931–39 flag of the Spanish Republic, which had equal horizontal stripes of red-yellow-purple.) While the basic flag has remained the same, the arms have been altered a number of times to reflect political conditions.

      The simple crowned shield of Castile and León (Castile-León) disappeared from the Spanish flag in 1931; in its place an elaborate coat of arms was added to the flag in 1938, during the early days of the fascist regime of General Francisco Franco. It included the eagle of St. John and the yoke and arrow symbols of Franco's Falange supporters under the slogan “Una, grande, libre” (“One, great, free”). That basic design was modified in 1945 and 1977, but the death of Franco and the resurgence of Spanish democracy under King Juan Carlos called for a new coat of arms. The current design dates from December 18, 1981. The basic shields of the old Spanish kingdoms and the Pillars of Hercules are retained, but a crown is prominently displayed to honour the role of the monarchy in the modern Spanish state. The red and gold colours are traditional but have no official symbolic interpretation.

Whitney Smith
 

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

  
Share  

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Flag of Spain — Infobox flag Name = Spain Article = Nickname = Rojigualda. Image size = 200px Use = 100100 Symbol = FIAV|normal Proportion = 2:3 Adoption = December 6, 1978 (current version, as established on the Spanish Constitution) Design = Three horizontal… …   Wikipedia

  • Flag of Denmark — Name Dannebrog Use Civil and state flag and civil ensign …   Wikipedia

  • Flag of Europe — Use National …   Wikipedia

  • Flag of Chile — Use National flag and ensign Proportion …   Wikipedia

  • Flag of Burma — (Myanmar) မြန်မာ နိုင်ငံတော်အလံ Use National flag and civil and state ensign …   Wikipedia

  • Flag of New Mexico — Flag of the State of New Mexico Proportion 2:3 Adopted since 1925 Designed by Dr. Harry P. Mera The flag of the state of New Mexico consists of a red sun symbol of the …   Wikipedia

  • Flag of Cuba — Use National flag and ensign Proportion 1:2 …   Wikipedia

  • Flag of Puerto Rico — The flag of Puerto Rico consists of five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large, white, five pointed star in the center.Though there are specific… …   Wikipedia

  • Flag of India — Indian flag redirects here. For flags used by Native American people, see the tribes respective articles, for example the Navajo Nation. Flag of India Tirangā Name India Use National …   Wikipedia

  • Flag of Norway — See also: List of flags of Norway Flag of Norway Use Civil flag and ensign …   Wikipedia

  • Flag of the Philippines — Infobox flag Name = Philippines Nickname = Pambansang bandila ( National Flag ) Article = the Use = 111111 Symbol = Proportion = 1:2 Adoption = June 12, 1898 Design = A horizontal bicolor of blue over red, with a white equilateral triangle at the …   Wikipedia

Фильмы

  • Unforgettable Years, 1957 — A history of Russia from 1917 through 1957 overview on an occasion of 40th Anniversary of the Great October Revolution of 1917
  • Peru - one thousand and three years., 1972 — The film is about one of the countries in Latin America - Peru, about today's life of the country, about first reformations by the revolutionary military government.
  • Soldiers of the People. Soldiers of the World., 1980 — About the history of the Warsaw Agreement, goals and tasks of this military-political allience, which is supposed to protect conquests of the countries of the socialist allience.