"cross pattée. Other historians claim that the Swedish flag was blue with a white cross before 1420, and became blue with a golden cross only during the early reign King Gustav I, who deposed King Christian II in 1521. The exact age of the Swedish flag is not known, but the oldest recorded pictures of a blue cloth with a yellow cross date from the early 16th century, during the reign of King Gustav I. The first legal description of the flag was made in a royal warrant of 19 April 1562 as ""yellow in a cross fashioned on blue""."
"in colours and features. The former flag has a symmetric yellow cross, although the similarities between the two flags may be historically unrelated. According to a legend, the Argentine football team, Boca Juniors' flag and colours were inspired by the flag of Sweden. Flag of Sweden The flag of Sweden () consists of a yellow or gold Nordic Cross (i.e. an asymmetrical horizontal cross, with the crossbar closer to the hoist than the fly, with the cross extending to the edge of the flag) on a field of blue. The Nordic Cross design traditionally represents Christianity. The design and colors"
"as Swedish colours at least since King Magnus III's royal coat of arms of 1275. The dimensions of the Swedish flag are 5:2:9 horizontally and 4:2:4 vertically. The dimensions of the Swedish flag with a triple-tail are 5:2:5:8 horizontally and 4:2:4 vertically. The colors of the flag are officially established through the Natural Color System to be NCS 0580-Y10R for the shade of yellow, and NCS 4055-R95B for the shade of blue. The square-cut Swedish state flag is identical to the civil ensign. The Swedish law does not regulate the design of the Swedish pennant, but it is recommended that"
"This is to represent that Sweden is as constant as a never setting star. The Order's colour is black. This was chosen so that when wearing the black sash, the white, blue and golden cross would stand out and shine as the light of enlightenment from the black surface. The choice of black for the Order's ribbon may also have been inspired by the black ribbon of the French Order of St. Michael, which at the time the Order of the Polar Star was instituted was also awarded to meritorious civil servants. At present, the ribbon of the Order is"
"to bring victory to the Christians. In Swedish national historiography of the 18th century, there is a tale paralleling the Danish legend, in which a golden cross appears in the blue sky during a Swedish battle in Finland in 1157. The ""Splitflag"" and ""Orlogsflag"" have similar shapes but different sizes and shades of red. Legally, they are two different flags. The ""Splitflag"" is a Danish flag ending in a swallow-tail, it is ""Dannebrog red"", and is used on land. The ""Orlogsflag"" is an elongated ""Splitflag"" with a deeper red colour and is only used on sea. The ""Orlogsflag"" with no"
"God he adopted the golden cross against a blue background as his banner. It has been suggested that the Swedish origin legend is chosen to counter a parallel origin story for the Danish flag, also recorded in the 16th century. According to this theory, the Swedish flag was created during the reign of King Charles VIII, who also introduced the coat of arms of Sweden in 1442. The national coat of arms is a combination of King Albert's coat of arms of 1364 and King Magnus III's coat of arms of 1275, and is blue divided quarterly by a golden"
"Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Åland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The flag was designed by Kyösti Varis, an artist from Finland. The full members of the Nordic council all use a Nordic Cross Flag. The Nordic Cross was also use in the Flag of the Kalmar Union. The Kalmar Union was the only time when all Nordic countries were under a single state - hence it has traditionally been a sign of unity before the Nordic Council adopted the swan flag. Flag of the Nordic Council The Flag of the Nordic Council is blue (PMS 300 U), with a"
"not recommended outside Finnish waters to avoid confusion. Officially, however, the yachting club ensign is valid even for international use. Flag of Finland The flag of Finland (, ), also called ""siniristilippu"" (""Blue Cross Flag""), dates from the beginning of the 20th century. On a white background, it features a blue Nordic cross, which represents Christianity. The state flag has a coat of arms in the centre, but is otherwise identical to the civil flag. The swallow-tailed state flag is used by the military. The presidential standard is identical to the swallow-tailed state flag but also has in its upper"
"Flag of Finland The flag of Finland (, ), also called ""siniristilippu"" (""Blue Cross Flag""), dates from the beginning of the 20th century. On a white background, it features a blue Nordic cross, which represents Christianity. The state flag has a coat of arms in the centre, but is otherwise identical to the civil flag. The swallow-tailed state flag is used by the military. The presidential standard is identical to the swallow-tailed state flag but also has in its upper left corner the Cross of Liberty after the Order of the Cross of Liberty, which has the President of Finland"
"Crowns. Several national flags are based on late medieval war flags, including the white-on-red crosses of the flag of Denmark and the flag of Switzerland. The elongated Nordic cross originates in the 18th century due to the rectangular shape of maritime flags. The Red Cross flag originates in 1906 as a colour-switched version of the flag of Switzerland. Crosses in heraldry The cross is a basic design of two intersecting lines (X) used from pre-historic times. Its use was enormously expanded as the Christian cross, from about the 6th century, deriving from a T-shape representing the gibbet (""stauros"", ""crux"") of"
"to choose the colours of any of ""those states with which we have been or are connected with"". Instead, he recommended a tricolour of red, white and blue, ""three colours that now denote freedom, such as we have seen in the French flag of freedom, and still see in that of the Dutch and Americans, and in the Union of the Englishmen"". His eventual choice a few days later of a Nordic cross was clearly based on the tradition established by the other Nordic countries, Denmark and Sweden. This cross represents Christianity. The red and blue colours also explicitly referred"
"civil ministries fly square flags. The Swedish royal flag (""Kungliga flaggan"") is still identical to the triple-tailed military flag, but usually includes in its center a white field with the greater or the lesser coat of arms with the Order of the Seraphim, which has the King of Sweden as its Grand Master. The King personally decides about the specific use of the royal flag. According to early modern legend, the 12th-century King Eric IX saw a golden cross in the sky as he landed in Finland during the First Swedish Crusade in 1157. Seeing this as a sign from"
"Flag of Shetland The flag of Shetland is a white or silver Nordic cross on a blue background. The flag uses the colours of the flag of Scotland, but in the form of the Nordic cross in order to symbolise Shetland's historical and cultural ties with Scandinavia. As with all Scottish flags, its proportions and colour shades are not fixed. It was created by Roy Grønneberg and Bill Adams in 1969, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the transfer of the islands from Denmark in the Kalmar Union to Scotland and the 500 years before as part of Denmark. The"
"His Majesty the King Gustaf V on 26 September 1935. Blazon: ""On blue cloth in the centre the Swedish minor national coat of arms, three yellow crowns placed two and one. In the first corner a mullet with a cluster of rays, all yellow. In the lower part of the rays the coat-of-arms of the regiment; azure, on three bends wavy sinister argent, a crowned lion rampant or, armed gules. The shield ensigned with a royal crown proper."" A new colour was presented by Supreme Commander Håkan Syrén on 10 August 2006. The new colour has three crowns and the"
"all use the Nordic Cross design (Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, in addition to the autonomous regions of the Faroe Islands and Åland), a horizontal cross shifted to the left on a single-coloured background. The United States and United Kingdom both have red, white, and blue. This similarity is due to the fact that the first 13 states of the U.S. were former colonies of the United Kingdom. Also, Australia and New Zealand have very similar flags, which stems from their joint British heritage. Both of these flags feature the Union Jack in one corner, both have royal blue background,"
"Nordic Cross flag The Nordic Cross flag is any of certain flags bearing the design of the Nordic or Scandinavian cross, a cross symbol in a rectangular field, with the center of the cross shifted towards the hoist. All of the Nordic countries except Greenland have adopted such flags in the modern period, and while the Scandinavian cross is named for its use in the national flags of the Scandinavian nations, the term is used universally by vexillologists, in reference not only to the flags of the Nordic countries but to other flags with similar designs. The cross design represents"
"as its Grand Master. Like Sweden's, Finland's national flag is based on the Scandinavian cross. It was adopted after independence from Russia, when many patriotic Finns wanted a special flag for their country, but its design dates back to the 19th century. The blue colouring is said to represent the country's thousands of lakes and the sky, with white for the snow that covers the land in winter. This colour combination has also been used over the centuries in various Finnish provincial, military, and town flags. The first known ""Flag of Finland"" was presented in 1848, along with the national"
"in use by Icelandic nationalist activists from 1897 until 1915, when it was in part abandoned due to its similarity to the Greek jack and the Swedish flag, which critics reasoned would be hard to tell apart at sea, a major issue in a time of war. The white and blue is still used by the Icelandic Youth Association. Flag of Shetland The flag of Shetland is a white or silver Nordic cross on a blue background. The flag uses the colours of the flag of Scotland, but in the form of the Nordic cross in order to symbolise Shetland's"
"and Lithuania. Archbishop Wejryd denied that the clergy of the Church of England was boycotting the ceremony. Brunne confirmed that her coat of arms as Bishop of Stockholm consists of ""the coat of arms for the Diocese of Stockholm, St Erik and the Swedish flag, as well as the Luther rose which was Martin Luther's own. The cross is a reminder that faith in the crucified and risen Christ gives bliss."" In October 2010, Bishop Brunne took part in a rally against racism in Stockholm, after the nationalist Sweden Democrats party entered the Riksdag. The following day, Brunne mentioned the"
"cross, the unit badge in gold in the upper hoist, and the unit number, name or both in gold in the lower hoist. Some regiments have additional marks in the upper fly. The Jyske Dragonregiment, for instance, has Prince Henrik's cipher in the upper fly. The finial is an ornate gold openwork spearhead with the royal cypher in the centre. Attached below the spearhead can be one or more campaign streamers (). The colour is decorated with a gold cord with two tassels and bordered with a thin strip of gold cord. The sleeve holding the colour to the pike"
"a field of yellow, a red griffin head, crowned blue. The Scanian flag has no firm rules related to its mathematical relationships, with the major exceptions, that is has to resemble either the Danish Dannebrog or the Flag of Sweden, or somewhere in between these two flags. For instance, to base the Scanian flag on the Flag of Finland or the English Saint George's Cross by changing the colours, are both considered wrong, as the Cross on the Finnish flag is too wide, and the English one, has a different location of the Cross. A disputed hypothesis claims that the"
"Finland (1917); some of the subdivisions of these countries used this as inspiration for their own flags. The Norwegian flag was the first Nordic cross flag with three colours. All Nordic flags may be flown as gonfalons as well. Note that some of these flags are historical. Also, note that flag proportions may vary between the different flags and sometimes even between different versions of the same flag. The Flag of Greenland is the only national flag of a Nordic country or territory without a Nordic Cross. When Greenland was granted home rule, the present flag - with a graphic"
"the agenda had either red or blue as the predominant colour, depending on the political preferences of the proposers. Flag of Norway The flag of Norway () is red with an indigo blue Scandinavian cross fimbriated in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the ""Dannebrog"", the flag of Denmark. It is difficult to establish what the earliest flag of Norway looked like. During ancient times countries did not fly flags. Kings and other rulers flew flags, especially in battle. Saint Olav"
"organisations, so-called contractual organisations: The first colour of the Home Guard is drawn by Ingrid Lamby and manufactured with appliqué technique by the Engelbrektsson Flag factory. The colour was presented by His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf in 1995. Blazon: ""On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the National Home Guard; the letter H under three open crowns placed two and one, all in yellow"". The second colour of the Home Guard is a double swallow-tailed Swedish flag. The coat of the arms of the Home Guard since 1940. Blazon: ""Azure, the letter H under three open"
"design unique to Greenland - was adopted on June 1985, supported by fourteen votes against eleven who supported a proposed green-and-white Nordic cross. Historical Flag of the Kalmar Union, which united Denmark, Sweden and Norway 1397 to 1523. No pictorial evidence survives of the Kalmar Union's Flag. The flag appearing here is a reconstruction based on references in 1430 letters by King Eric of Pomerania. These flags either do not have official status or represent various private entities. They have not been officially adopted and their use remains limited. Nordic flag designs very similar to Denmark's, Sweden's, and Norway's national"
"Flag of Scania The flag of Skåne, or the Scanian Cross Flag is a provincial flag representing Scania, the southernmost province of Sweden. Some southern Swedish historians and other authorities assert that the flag represents the entire former Eastern Denmark. If so, also the Danish Baltic Sea island, Bornholm as well as the Swedish provinces Halland and Blekinge. The flag is sometimes seen also in Blekinge, but rarely in Halland. The cross flag is used by the Region when the Council is in session, alongside the Swedish national flag, the European Union flag and the Council's own banner, its status"
"had been presented at the Stockholm Palace by His Majesty the King Gustaf VI Adolf. This colour was from 1 July 1994 been carried by both the Svea Life Guards and the Life Guards Brigade. A new colour was presented to the Svea Life Guards and the Life Guards Brigade on 30 April 2000 by His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf at the Stockholm Palace in connection with his birthday. It was used by the two units until the amalgamation with the Life Guard Dragoons (K 1) on 1 July 2000. The colour is also carried by the Guards"
"people the flag's colouring represents a vision of their country's landscape. The colours stand for 3 of the elements that make up the island. Red is the fire produced by the island's volcanoes, white recalls the ice and snow that covers Iceland, and blue is for the ocean and the sky. According to a legend described in Andrew Evans' ""Iceland"", a red cloth with a white cross fell from the heavens, ensuring Danish victory at the Battle of Valdemar in the 13th century. Denmark then used the cross on its flag throughout its territories in Scandinavia as a sign of"
"unit was cited are embroidered in gold in French on the obverse and in Dutch on the reverse, in straight lines. Danish Navy, Army and Air Force units carry a unit colour () and for the Life Guards a battalion colour (), which measures 105 × 140 cm, former horse units a slightly smaller guidon. The flag is a variation of the Dannebrog, with a curvilinear white Dannebrog cross, called the Mantova cross, set with its centre about one-half the width of the hoist from the hoist edge. The royal cypher is embroidered in gold over the centre of the"
"royal decree 5 July 1972. The shield is quartered by a silver cross fimbriated in red, derived from the Danish flag, the ""Dannebrog"". The first and fourth quarters represent Denmark by three crowned lions passant accompanied by nine hearts; the second quarter contains two lions passant representing Schleswig, a former Danish province now divided between Denmark and Germany, the third quarter contains a total of three symbols. The Three Crowns are officially interpreted as a symbol of the former Kalmar Union. The silver ram on blue represents the Faroe Islands and the similarly coloured polar bear represents Greenland. The centre"
"the Finnish coat of arms (and can, for example, also be seen in the coat of arms of Southwest Finland). The cross design symbolises the unity with the other Nordic countries. There are probably no official decision on the cross width but a width of not less than that of the Swedish flag, (i.e. 5:2:9 horizontally and vertically 4:2:4) and not more than that of Finland (i.e. 5:3:11 horizontally and 4:3:4 vertically) should apply. It has rectangular boxes rather than squares in the internal corners of the hoist. The flag is similar to that of Scania, but it is more"
"Units and institutions of the Finnish Defence Force which have not been awarded a colour of their own use the unadorned swallow-tailed Flag of Finland as their State Colour, and the oath of service for NCOs and volunteer enlisted personnel assigned to these are given in its presence. In January 1188, in a meeting between Henry II of England and Philip II of France, it was agreed that both would go on a crusade, and that Henry II would use a white cross and Philip II would use a red cross. Later on, this usage was inverted, and the English"
"has a white cross, but the shape and color of the flag are not indicated (in the beginning of the 14th century it was known that Riga had a black flag with a white cross). After 1582, the flag of Riga was white with a red coat of arms of the city, while in the middle 17th century, thanks to the city's heroism defending against Grand Duchy of Moscow troops, the king of Sweden assigned his royal colors to Riga: a blue flag with a yellow cross, with in the center of the cross two keys were crossed on the"