The evolution of flags in your country.

[Manverulin]

Much better!

 

[Lord_Sidious]

much better whAT?

 

[Manverulin]

Well, before I couldn't see Dida's flags. All I could see was a bunch of HTML tags and names of websites. It was fixed, so then I could see the flags afterwards. So I said "Much better!"

 

[Sims2789]

Independent Bosnia -1878

Bosnia must have had a lot more Muslims then than it does now, since now the Muslim population is 44%.

 

[Sims2789]

...When we became a Republic, in 1889, we adopted a flag that was a cheap imitation of the american flag. Fortunately it lasted very little.
(15 - 19 of November, 1889)

Thanks for the new avatar!

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

Here's the flag that Western Canadian Seperatists (British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan) would use if they succeed in gaining independence. I know it doesn't have much to do with the evolution of the Canadian flag, but it looks nice.

That is actually pretty nice. I think it looks almost as good as the Maple Leaf.

 

[Rammstein]

How do I include images in a post?

 

[Rammstein]

The colors or the Swedish flag have been around since the 13th century. The coat of arms of the ruling class (Folkungarna) was a blue shield with a golden lion on its hind legs. In 1364, King Albrekt of Mecklenburg adopted a blue shield with three golden crowns as a national symbol. In 1448, King Karl Knutsson merged these two symbols into one. It was a blue shield with a golden cross in the middle with the three crowns and the lion in the corner fields.

The greater coat of arms of Sweden:

This symbol slowly evolved into a national flag, and this is what it looks like today:

In 1814, the union between Norway and Sweden prompted a change: in the top left blue field, a mix of the two nations' flags were inserted (commonly known as the "herring salad").

In 1905, Norway gained their independence and the flag was restored to normal.

There is also a variant used exclusively by the Swedish armed forces:

 

[Pangur Bán]

The saltire has, according to medieval chronicles, been used since the reign of the Pictish king Ungus II:

If Scotland were an independent state, it would be the oldest continuously used national flag in the world by a distance. (That honor falls to Denmark, where it was apparently adopted in 1219 by Waldemar II)

First reference occurs in the year 1165 AD, but the story of the first adoption refers to a battle in 832 AD, where Ungus, King of the Picts and Scots, saw a vision during an invasion of Northumbria and adopted the flag upon victory. 1286 is the date when we are certain it was a national symbol.

 

[Sims2789]

...In 1814, the union between Norway and Sweden prompted a change: in the top left blue field, a mix of the two nations' flags were inserted (commonly known as the "herring salad").

In 1905, Norway gained their independence and the flag was restored to normal...

Just curious, what was the name of this new country? Did Sweden just annex Norway and throw them a bone by changing the flag, or was it a Czechoslovakia-like country?

 

[The Yankee]

I think it was a union....called the "Kingdom of Sweden and Norway" or.....Norway and Sweden.....I wonder how they figured out who goes first.

 

[Rammstein]

It was just a union, called Sweden-Norway or "Sweden and Norway". This union was a compromise, Sweden actually wanted to include Norway completely as a conquered province. The origins of this compromise are found in the Kiel Peace between Denmark and Sweden. In the last stages of the Napoleon war, in which Sweden stood aganist France and its allies, Sweden turned on Denmark right after the battle of Lepzig, won and forced a new peace. Part of this peace was an agreement to hand over Norway (then a part of Denmark) to Sweden. The Norwegians themselves refused to accept this, and hence the union compromise.

The event of parliamentarism weakened the union, having been ruled by a monarch, and in 1905, the Norwegians were almost unanimous in wanting to separate themselves and gain independence. After a long conference in Karlstad, Sweden, the union was disbanded and Norway was finally formed. The debate was sometimes rather harsh, and if Sweden hadn't acquiesced, it may have had come to war.

As it is, Sweden hasn't been at war since 1814, which incidentally makes this the longest peace any now existing nation has ever experienced.

 

[Rammstein]

I wonder how they figured out who goes first.

Well, it was Sweden who had claims on Norway, and Norway wouldn't have stood a chance in war against Sweden anyway so they probably didn't linger on that for too long.

Denmark and Sweden have fought many wars, and Denmark has actually ruled over what became Sweden as well. Power has shifted back and forth, and both Denmark and Sweden have been great military powers. One interesting fact though, is that Denmark has ruled over what became Sweden - but Sweden has never ruled over Denmark (though it nearly happened in 1658).

 

[Lord_Sidious]

but norway wasn't occupied by denmark?

 

[NeoDemocrat]

I'm not an expert on this, far from it, but I think I have seen a map where all of Scandinavia, except Finland (if it's even considered a part of scandinavia) was controlled by Denmark...

Don't take my word seriously because I am probably wrong on this

 

[RagingBarbarian]

I'm not an expert on this, far from it, but I think I have seen a map where all of Scandinavia, except Finland (if it's even considered a part of scandinavia) was controlled by Denmark...

Don't take my word seriously because I am probably wrong on this

Yes, denmark once controlled most of scandinavia, iceland and greenland. Most of the scandinavian world.

 

[NeoDemocrat]

Glad I got that right . How did such a tiny country rule so much?

 

[Sims2789]

They also had part of Germany. Here is a map of Europe in 1800, although Denmark controlled Norway(why this map shows Norway as independent is unknown to me):

 

[mrtn]

but norway wasn't occupied by denmark?

Norway had been a part of Denmark for 800 years or something like that.

Personally I prefer the darker colours of the (Sweden -Norway) union flag, apart from the actual herring salad, of course...

 

[NeoDemocrat]

Hm, why are they calling Switzerland not switzerland? Also, Schleswig and Holstein were fought over by Bismarck, no?