Belgium
 |
| |
| Use |
National flag |
| Proportion |
13:15 |
| Adopted |
January 23, 1831 |
| Design |
A vertical tricolour of black, yellow, and red. Technically the national flag, but rarely seen. |
.svg.png) |
| Variant flag of Belgium |
| Use |
National flag and civil ensign  |
| Proportion |
2:3 or similar |
| Design |
As above. Much more common than the official version. |
 |
| Variant flag of Belgium |
| Use |
State ensign |
| Proportion |
2:3 |
| Adopted |
1950 |
| Design |
As above, with the central pale defaced by a lion rampant ensigned by a crown, both sable (black), the lion armed and langued gules (red). |
 |
| Variant flag of Belgium |
| Use |
Naval ensign |
| Proportion |
2:3 |
| Adopted |
23 February 1950 |
| Design |
A yellow saltire on a white field, bordered above and below in red and to the left and right in black, charged on the top with a crown above crossed cannons and on the bottom by a fouled anchor. |
The national flag of Belgium (Dutch: Vlag van België, French: Drapeau de la Belgique, German: Flagge Belgiens) is a tricolor of three bands of black, yellow, and red. The colours were taken from the coat of arms of the Duchy of Brabant, and the vertical design may be based on the flag of France. When flown, the black band is nearest the pole (at the hoist side).
Officially, the national flag has the unusual proportions of 13:15, but is rarely seen in this configuration. Instead, a flag in a common 2:3 or similar ratio is used in most cases, even by most government bodies and official organisations.[1]
Previous flags
After the death of Charlemagne, the present-day territory of Belgium (except the County of Flanders) became part of Lotharingia, which had a flag of two horizontal red stripes separated by a white stripe.[2] The territory then passed into Spanish hands, and after the coronation of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor yellow and red, the colours of Spain, were added. From the 16th century to the end of the 18th century, the colours of what is now Belgium were red, white and yellow.[2] Occasionally the red cross of Burgundy was placed on the white section of the flag.[2]
During the period of Austrian rule, a number of different flags were tried, until the Austrian Emperor imposed the Austrian flag. The population of Brussels was opposed to this, and following the example of France, red, yellow and black cockades began to appear; those being the colours of Brabant.[2] The colours thus correspond to the red lion of Hainaut, Limburg and Luxembourg, the yellow lion of Brabant, and the black lion of Flanders and Namur.[2]
Independence and adoption of current flag
The early revolutionary variations of the Belgian tricolour
On August 26, 1830, the day after the rioting at the Brussels Opera and the start of the Belgian Revolution, the flag of France flew from the city hall of Brussels. The insurgents hastily replaced it with a tricolour of red, yellow and black horizontal stripes (similar to the one used during the Brabant Revolution[2] of 1789-1790 which had established the United States of Belgium) made at a nearby fabric store. As a result, Article 193 of the Constitution of Belgium describes the colours of the Belgian nation as Red, Yellow and Black instead of using the order shown in the official flag.[3]
On January 23, 1831, the stripes changed from horizontal to vertical and October 12 saw the flag attain its modern form, with the black placed at the hoist side of the flag.[2] It is suggested that the change occurred to more clearly distinguish the flag of Belgium from the Dutch flag (which also has three horizontal stripes) - especially important during naval battles. Some see the change to vertical stripes as a gesture of sympathy with the French, again clearly separating the Belgians from the Dutch.[2]
Design and specifications
The official guide to protocol in Belgium states that the national flag measures 2.60 m tall for each 3 m wide,[2] giving it a ratio of 13:15. Each of the stripes is one-third of the width of the flag. The yellow is in fact yellow and not the darker gold of the flag of Germany, which is a somewhat similar black-red-gold tricolour.
| Colour scheme |
Black |
Yellow |
Red |
| Pantone[2] |
|
Black |
|
Yellow 115 |
|
Red 32 |
| CMYK[2] |
|
0-0-0-100 |
|
0-8.5-79-0 |
|
0-94-87-0 |
| RGB[4] |
|
0-0-0 |
|
255-233-54 |
|
255-15-33 |
| Hexadecimal |
|
#000000 |
|
#FFE936 |
|
#FF0F21 |
Variants
The flags on the
Royal Palace of Brussels and
of Laeken indicate whether the king is in Belgium or abroad. They have the unusual ratio of 4:3, making them taller than they are wide.
National flag and civil ensign
The "national" flag has the unusual proportions of 13:15, but is rarely seen. A flag in a 2:3 or similar ratio is used in most cases, even by most government bodies.[1] The unusual proportions of 13:15 may stem from a 19th-century directive by the Ministry of Foreign affairs that the official flag is 2.60 metres high by 3.00 metres long.[3]
The 2:3 flag is technically the civil ensign, the correct flag for use by civilians at sea.[5]
Naval ensign and jack
The naval ensign of Belgium has the three national colours in a saltire, on a white field, with a black crown above crossed cannons at the top and a black anchor at the bottom. It was created in 1950, shortly after the Belgian Navy was re-established, having been a section of the British Royal Navy during World War II, and it is reminiscent of the white ensign of the Royal Navy.[6]
There is also an official Belgian naval jack, which is the same as the national flag, except in a 1:1 ratio, making it square.[6]
Royal standard and flags on the royal palaces
The royal standard of Belgium is the personal standard of the current king, Philippe, and features his monogram, an 'F' (for the Dutch 'Filip'), crossed with a 'P' in the four corners. The designs of royal standards of past monarchs have been similar.[7]
Notably, the flag of Belgium flown on the Royal Palace of Brussels and the Royal Palace of Laeken is in none of the proportions above. It has the irregular 4:3 ratio, making it taller than it is wide.[7] The stripes remain vertical. These proportions are explained as an aesthetic consideration, as the palaces are large, and the flags are thus viewed from far below, which makes them look more normal due to foreshortening.[7]
The flags are flown above the palaces when the king is in Belgium, not necessarily just in one of the palaces. The flags are not flown if the king is on a state visit to another country or on vacation outside Belgium,[7] There have been exceptions to this rule, but in general presence or absence of the flag is a reasonably reliable indicator of whether or not the king is in the country.
Protocol
The
Belgian Senate building is one of the few to use the official national flag in the 13:15 ratio.
As Belgium is a federal state, the flag of Belgium and the flags of the communities or regions in principle occupy the same rank.[2] Nonetheless, when flags are raised and lowered or carried in a procession, the national flag takes precedence over all the others.[2]
The order of precedence is:[2]
- The national flag of Belgium
- The flag of the community or region of Belgium
- The European flag
- The flags of the provinces of Belgium, in alphabetical order in the local language, if more than one is flown
- The flag of the municipality
If there is a visiting head of state, that country's flag may be set second in precedence, all other flags dropping a rank.[2]
Related and similar flags
Flags related to the flag of Belgium
Flags that are similar to the flag of Belgium
See also
References
- 1 2 See for example the Belgian Federal Government's website, where they do not display the official proportions of the national flag: "Belgian Flags". Belgian Federal Government. 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Van den Bussche, E., Chief of Protocol, Belgian Federal Department of the Interior (2008). Noble Belgique, ô Mère chérie - LE PROTOCOLE EN BELGIQUE (PROTOCOL IN BELGIUM) (in French). Heule: Editions UGA. ISBN 978-90-6768-935-9.
- 1 2 "Belgium". Flags of the World. June 6, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
- ↑ Converted from CMYK using an online colour converter.
- ↑ "Civil flag and Ensign of Belgium". Flags of the World. April 17, 2009. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
- 1 2 "Belgium: Naval ensign and jack". Flags of the World. July 7, 2006. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
- 1 2 3 4 "Belgium: Royal standard". Flags of the World. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
External links
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