The Kroaz Du (Black Cross)
Encyclopedia
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
.
There is uncertainty about its historical origins. Some evidence shows that a flag did exist that displayed a black cross with ermine spots
Ermine (heraldry)
Ermine is a heraldic fur representing the winter coat of the stoat . Many skins would be sewn together to make a luxurious garment, producing a pattern of small black spots on a white field...
, the Breton ducal device
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, in each quarter.
It is widely known that banners with crosses were first used by Crusaders from about 1188. However, very few Breton barons joined the Crusades, so it is more probable that the earliest Kroaz Du was given to Peter I, Duke of Brittany
Peter I, Duke of Brittany
Pierre Mauclerc , also known as Peter of Dreux or Pierre de Dreux, was duke of Brittany jure uxoris from 1213 to 1221, then regent of the duchy from 1221 to 1237 as well as Earl of Richmond from 1219 to 1235.-Biography:He was the second son of Robert II, Count of Dreux...
by Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX, born Ugolino di Conti, was pope from March 19, 1227 to August 22, 1241.The successor of Pope Honorius III , he fully inherited the traditions of Pope Gregory VII and of his uncle Pope Innocent III , and zealously continued their policy of Papal supremacy.-Early life:Ugolino was...
in 1236 or 1237.
A similar banner was used by Breton
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
and French Knights at the Combat of the Thirty
Combat of the Thirty
The Combat of the Thirty [known as Combat des Trente in French] was an episode in the struggle for the succession to the Duchy of Brittany...
in 1351, during the Breton civil war.
The Kroaz Du later saw use by Breton
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
sailors and soldiers, with ermine spots
Ermine (heraldry)
Ermine is a heraldic fur representing the winter coat of the stoat . Many skins would be sewn together to make a luxurious garment, producing a pattern of small black spots on a white field...
in each quarter.
This flag is now used mostly by right-wing nationalists (Adsav
Adsav
Adsav is a Breton nationalist secessionist party active in Britanny, which claims to be neither right-wing or left-wing, although its roots are on the right and it is widely considered to be a far right party....
and some French nationalists in Brittany), and has been largely replaced by the Gwenn ha du
Flag of Brittany
The flag of Brittany is called the Gwenn-ha-du, pronounced , which means white and black in Breton. It is also unofficially used in the département of Loire-Atlantique, although this now belongs to the Pays de la Loire and not to the région of Brittany, as the territory of Loire-Atlantique is...
. The latter is used by moderate nationalists and the general public, including the regional administration.
Similarity with other flags
Negative
- Science and mathematics :* Negative number* Negative mass* Negative energy * Electrical polarity* Negative result * Negative lenses, uses to describe diverging optics, see lens - Photography :...
of the flag of Cornwall
Saint Piran's Flag
Saint Piran's Flag is the flag of Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. The earliest known description of the flag as the Standard of Cornwall was written in 1838. It is used by Cornish people as a symbol of identity. It is a white cross on a black background....
, sometimes known as Saint Piran's Flag. The connections between Cornwall and Brittany are well documented, but the historical links between the two flags, if any exist, are unknown.
It should not be confused with United Baltic Duchy
United Baltic Duchy
The proposed United Baltic Duchy also known as the Grand Duchy of Livonia was a state proposed by the Baltic German nobility and exiled Russian nobility after the Russian revolution and German occupation of the Courland, Livonian and Estonian governorates of the Russian Empire.The idea comprised...
flag, which is similar in appearance; however, the latter is a Nordic Cross
Nordic Cross Flag
The Nordic Cross Flag, Nordic Cross, or Scandinavian Cross is a pattern of flags usually associated with the flags of the Scandinavian countries of which it originated. All of the Nordic countries except Greenland have adopted such flags...
rather than an equilateral cross.
External links
- Bannieloù Breizh, the vexillological and heraldic Society of Brittany (in English) http://banniel.geobreizh.com/www/banniel/en-drapeaux-gwennhadu.asp
- http://www.nationalflaggen.de/flags-of-the-world/flags/fr-bz-du.html