Flag of Prussia
Encyclopedia
The state of Prussia
had its origins in the separate lands of the Margraviate of Brandenburg
and the Duchy of Prussia. The Margraviate of Brandenburg developed from the medieval Northern March
of the Holy Roman Empire
, passing to the House of Hohenzollern
in 1415. The Duchy of Prussia was created in 1525 when the eastern lands
of the Teutonic Knights
were secularized as Polish
fief by Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach
, a member of a cadet branch of the Hohenzollerns. Prince-elector
George William
inherited the Duchy of Prussia in 1618, uniting Brandenburg and Prussia under one ruler; the elector's state became known as Brandenburg-Prussia
. The Kingdom of Prussia
was created when Elector Frederick III assumed the title of Frederick I, King in Prussia
, on 18 January 1701.
Prussia ceased to be a kingdom after the fall of the German Empire
resulting from World War I
, becoming instead the Free State of Prussia. The state of Prussia was abolished in 1947 following World War II
.
was originally a simple black-white-black flag issued on May 22, 1818, but this was replaced on March 12, 1823 with a new flag. The revised one (3:5) was parted black, white, and black (1:4:1), showing in the white stripe the eagle with a blue orb bound in gold and a scepter ending in another eagle. On its breast were the intertwined initials 'FR' for 'Fridericus Rex'. The axis of the eagle is at 2/5 of the flag's total length.
The Prussian war flag
(3:5), adopted November 28, 1816, was originally swallowtailed for one fifth of the total length; the tail was later abandoned. At two fifths it showed the Prussian eagle (two thirds of the flag's height). In the canton the Iron Cross
was placed (one third of the flag's height).
The Iron Cross was established in 1813 during the war against Napoleon I as a decoration for courageous common soldiers. It was renewed in the Franco-Prussian War
of 1870 and in World War I. It also appeared in the canton of the war flag of the German Empire
.
The royal standard of Prussia showed the Iron Cross charged with the shield and crown of the small state arms surrounded by the collar of the Order of the Black Eagle. On the blades of the cross is the motto Gott mit uns
. Between the arms were Prussian eagles along the edges and a royal crown in carré with them, all on a purple or red background.
After the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the Prussian state was slow to adapt its heraldry to republican
forms. Only July 11, 1921 new arms were decreed by the Prussian prime minister. The 'gothic' eagle made way for the more natural-looking flying one and lost all its garments.
On December 12, 1921, the Ministry of State decreed that the Prussian flag was to be only black and white.
On February 24 and April 23, 1922, the ministry issued a service flag similar to the national flag of the 19th century - black borders above and below, being 1/6 of the total height of the flag, with the new eagle.
The Germany national football team
home dress has always been a white jersey and black shorts, the colors of the Prussian flag.
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
had its origins in the separate lands of the Margraviate of Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
and the Duchy of Prussia. The Margraviate of Brandenburg developed from the medieval Northern March
Northern March
The Northern March or North March was created out of the division of the vast Marca Geronis in 965. It initially comprised the northern third of the Marca and was part of the territorial organisation of areas conquered from the Wends...
of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, passing to the House of Hohenzollern
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
in 1415. The Duchy of Prussia was created in 1525 when the eastern lands
Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights
The State of the Teutonic Order, , also Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights or Ordensstaat , was formed in 1224 during the Northern Crusades, the Teutonic Knights' conquest of the pagan West-Baltic Old Prussians in the 13th century....
of the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
were secularized as Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
fief by Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach
Albert I, Duke of Prussia
Albert of Prussia was the 37th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights and, after converting to Lutheranism, the first duke of the Duchy of Prussia, which was the first state to adopt the Lutheran faith and Protestantism as the official state religion...
, a member of a cadet branch of the Hohenzollerns. Prince-elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
George William
George William, Elector of Brandenburg
George William of Brandenburg , of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was margrave and elector of Brandenburg and duke of Prussia from 1619 until his death. His reign was marked by ineffective governance during the Thirty Years' War...
inherited the Duchy of Prussia in 1618, uniting Brandenburg and Prussia under one ruler; the elector's state became known as Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia is the historiographic denomination for the Early Modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenzollern intermarried with the branch ruling the Duchy of Prussia, and secured succession...
. The Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
was created when Elector Frederick III assumed the title of Frederick I, King in Prussia
Frederick I of Prussia
Frederick I , of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia in personal union . The latter function he upgraded to royalty, becoming the first King in Prussia . From 1707 he was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
, on 18 January 1701.
Prussia ceased to be a kingdom after the fall of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
resulting from World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, becoming instead the Free State of Prussia. The state of Prussia was abolished in 1947 following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Flags
The Prussian national and merchant flagCivil ensign
The civil ensign is the national flag flown by civil ships to denote nationality...
was originally a simple black-white-black flag issued on May 22, 1818, but this was replaced on March 12, 1823 with a new flag. The revised one (3:5) was parted black, white, and black (1:4:1), showing in the white stripe the eagle with a blue orb bound in gold and a scepter ending in another eagle. On its breast were the intertwined initials 'FR' for 'Fridericus Rex'. The axis of the eagle is at 2/5 of the flag's total length.
The Prussian war flag
War flag
A war flag is a variant of a national flag for use by the nation's military forces on land. The nautical equivalent is a naval ensign — the battle ensign...
(3:5), adopted November 28, 1816, was originally swallowtailed for one fifth of the total length; the tail was later abandoned. At two fifths it showed the Prussian eagle (two thirds of the flag's height). In the canton the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
was placed (one third of the flag's height).
The Iron Cross was established in 1813 during the war against Napoleon I as a decoration for courageous common soldiers. It was renewed in the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870 and in World War I. It also appeared in the canton of the war flag of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
.
The royal standard of Prussia showed the Iron Cross charged with the shield and crown of the small state arms surrounded by the collar of the Order of the Black Eagle. On the blades of the cross is the motto Gott mit uns
Gott Mit Uns
Gott mit uns is a phrase commonly associated with the German military from the German Empire to the end of the Third Reich, although its historical origins are far older, ultimately tracing back to the Hebrew term Immanuel from the Bible...
. Between the arms were Prussian eagles along the edges and a royal crown in carré with them, all on a purple or red background.
After the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the Prussian state was slow to adapt its heraldry to republican
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
forms. Only July 11, 1921 new arms were decreed by the Prussian prime minister. The 'gothic' eagle made way for the more natural-looking flying one and lost all its garments.
On December 12, 1921, the Ministry of State decreed that the Prussian flag was to be only black and white.
On February 24 and April 23, 1922, the ministry issued a service flag similar to the national flag of the 19th century - black borders above and below, being 1/6 of the total height of the flag, with the new eagle.
The Germany national football team
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
home dress has always been a white jersey and black shorts, the colors of the Prussian flag.
Gallery
External links
- Historical Flags (Prussia, Germany) at FOTWFlags of the WorldFlags of the World is an Internet-based vexillological association and resource. Its principal project is the Internet's largest website devoted to vexillology, containing comprehensive information about all kinds of flags, and an associated mailing list...