Hmm German Flags?

[Mad King James]

I've discovered a difference.. It appears the Dukes and Kings of the German states used banners of arms like most royal lines, but the actual state flag was quite simple, usually a bicolor.

Kingdom of Bavaria

Kingdom of Saxony

Duchy of Hesse

Kingdom of Prussia

Kingdom of Hannover

Principality of Anhalt

 

[unmerged(7398)]

Kneejerk Flags of the World check :

Originally posted by Mad King James
Kingdom of Bavaria

Bavaria was a duchy until 1507, than an Electorate until 1806, when it became the Kingdom of Bavaria.
In any event, I don't see reference to a bicolor for Bavaria (whether white over blue, or blue over white) on FotW before the Kingdom of Bavaria, and the lozengy flag is well-documented.

Kingdom of Saxony

FotW says the Electorate of Saxony used a black over yellow bicolor until 1806, and the Kingdom of Saxony used white over green afterwards. (The square black and yellow striped flag with the green crowned bend in the GUFSM was a ducal banner).

Duchy of Hesse

The earliest references to Hesse on FotW seems to be 1806; the red over white bicolor is reported there as a civil flag and ensign, but only end dates are given.

Kingdom of Prussia

The bicolor is given here as the civil flag, again with only an end date.

Worth noting with regard to the mystery start dates (naturally, I didn't stumble upon this note until the very end):

http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de_his.html
Before ca. 1815 national flags and Landesfarben or civil flags etc. were not known i.e. not in use in Germany, there are only a few exceptions.

Most of these bicolors are in fact given as Landesfarben, so I'd be quite dubious about using them 1419-1819.

 

[Mad King James]

I know heh I'm just not sure if people could afford to use such elaborate flags in their everyday lives. It's fine for the duke to use a banner of arms, but flags of merchant vessels (which are basically the flag of the nation at this point) would have to be both very simple and extremely recognizable

 

[Mad King James]

Where it's getting quite complicated is in Bohemia, Poland, Brandenburg and Hesse. They all apparently used the exact same flag or just about.

 

[Mad King James]

I suppose it's a judgement call on whether we should go with the Civic flag, which would be widely used but somewhat confusing, and the banner of arms, which is good for us but not quite accurate for the nation other than perhaps the Duke and his family.

 

[unmerged(8523)]

to be recognizable in-game i guess we should go with the traditional paradox, unless they are shown to be in gross error (like the wrong flag altogether). i wouldn't personally mind playing with ducal banners for some, and state banners for others, especially if too many would look the same otherwise. if you had to, i suppose you could rationalize it as some states truly being nations as opposed to others just being dukedoms, republics, or whatever; but then, this is someone who plays with a 24 bit version of the 1800's holy see instead of the proper papal state arms

stephanos