The flag and coat of arms of Normandy are symbols of the

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

region of northwestern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Normandy

The traditional provincial flag, ''gules, two lions passant or'', is used in both former regions of France:

Lower Normandy Lower Normandy (, ; ) is a former administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, Lower and Upper Normandy merged becoming one region called Normandy. Geography The region included three departments, Calvados, Manche and Orne, that cover ...

and

Upper Normandy Upper Normandy (, ; ) is a former administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, Upper and Lower Normandy merged becoming one region called Normandy. History It was created in 1956 from two departments: Seine-Maritime and Eure, when Norm ...

. It is based on the design of arms which had been attributed by medieval heralds to

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

, ultimately related to the 12th-century

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

of the

House of Anjou Angevin or House of Anjou may refer to: *County of Anjou or Duchy of Anjou, a historical county, and later Duchy, in France **Angevin (language), the traditional langue d'oïl spoken in Anjou **Counts and Dukes of Anjou *House of Ingelger, a Franki ...

. The red flag with two leopards is nicknamed ''les p'tits cats'' ("the little cats") in

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

. It can also be called other names though. The three-leopards version (known in Norman as ''les treis cats'', "the three cats") may also be seen, which is based on the coat of arms of

Richard I of England Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...

. The arms ''De gueules aux deux léopards d'or, armés et lampassés d'azur, passant l'un sur l'autre'' (Gules two leopards passant gardant in pale or armed and langued azure) was described by Jacques Meurgey in 1941.Jacques Meurgey, ''Notice historique sur les blasons des anciennes provinces de France'', 1941 In 1939, Jean Adigard des Gautries created the Flag of

Saint Olaf Saint Olaf ( – 29 July 1030), also called Olaf the Holy, Olaf II, Olaf Haraldsson, and Olaf the Stout or "Large", was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. Son of Harald Grenske, a petty king in Vestfold, Norway, he was posthumously given the ...

, a

Nordic cross flag A Nordic cross flag is a flag bearing the design of the Nordic or Scandinavian cross, a cross symbol in a rectangular field, with the centre of the cross shifted towards the hoist. All independent Nordic countries have adopted such flags in ...

inspired by the

Papal Cross The papal cross is a Christian cross, which serves as an emblem for the office of the Pope in ecclesiastical heraldry. It is depicted as a staff with three horizontal bars near the top, in diminishing order of length as the top is approached. ...

borne on a standard by William the Conqueror. The '' Le Mouvement Normand'' adopted this flag in the 1970s, and it is used unofficially by some associations and individuals, especially those with an interest in the

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

origins of the Normans, who are also of Celtic (

Belgae The Belgae ( , ) were a large confederation of tribes living in northern Gaul, between the English Channel, the west bank of the Rhine, and the northern bank of the river Seine, from at least the third century BC. They were discussed in depth b ...

and

Gauls The Gauls (; , ''Galátai'') were a group of Celts, Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age Europe, Iron Age and the Roman Gaul, Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). Th ...

) and Continental Germanic (

Franks file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...

) origins. Another flag in the area combines the Saint Olaf and ''P'tit Cats'', and is called the ''Croix de Falaise'' (

Falaise Falaise may refer to: Places * Falaise, Ardennes, commune in France * Falaise, Calvados, commune in France ** The Falaise pocket, site of a battle in the Second World War * La Falaise, commune in the Yvelines ''département'', France * The Falaise ...

cross). File:Arms of William the Conqueror (1066-1087).svg, Arms attributed to

(1066-1087). File:Flag of Normandie.svg, Two leopard Flag File:Flag of Normandie (three-leopard version).svg, Three Leopard Version File:Flag of Normandy.svg, File:Normandy flag falaise.svg, Olaf Cross and Leopards Flag (''Croix de Falaise'')

Channel Islands

The three-leopard is used by some associations and individuals, especially those who support reunification of the regions.

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

and

Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...

use three leopards in their national symbols. Image:Coat of arms of Guernsey.svg, Image:Coat of Arms of Jersey.svg, Image:Norman flags on parade.jpg, Two-leopard and three-leopard flags at a

Norman language Norman or Norman French (, , Guernésiais: , Jèrriais: ) is a ''Langues d'oïl, langue d'oïl'' spoken in the historical region, historical and Cultural area, cultural region of Normandy. The name "Norman French" is sometimes also used to des ...

festival in Jersey. Image:Fête Nouormande 2008 Jèrri 3.jpg, Two-leopard and three-leopard flags at a concert of Norman music. Image:Coat of arms of Sark.svg, Coat of arms of Sark Image:Flag of Sark.svg,

Ireland

Norman symbols can also be seen in Ireland, through the influence of Anglo-Norman noble families who settled in Ireland in the 12th and 13th centuries, following the

Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land in Ireland over which the List of English monarchs, monarchs of England then claimed sovere ...

. Image:Carlow_County_Crest.svg, Image:Portlaoise COA.svg,

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

The coat of arms and flag of Normandy are present in the

and the unofficial

flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Pierre and Miquelon ( ), officially the Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (), is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, located near the Canada, Canadian prov ...

, an overseas territory of France in North America. They symbolize the Norman heritage of the islands. Flag_of_Miquelon-Langlade.svg, alt=A rectangular flag displaying the upper part of a French tricolor with a yellow star on the left. A green horizontal band is defaced by a black and white bird holding folded Basque, Breton and Norman flags from its beak. On the bottom blue band, there are three white fish., Flag_of_Saint-Pierre_and_Miquelon.svg, alt=A yellow sailing ship on a blue background with white waves. On the left (mast) side, from top to bottom, a Basque flag, an Breton ermine rectangle and two yellow Norman lions on red., Armoiries SaintPierreetMiquelon.svg, alt=Crest: A naval crown Or. Shield: Azure, sailing in the sea proper a carrack Or, on a chief gules a pale ermine between in dexter a saltire vert surmounted by a cross argent, and in sinister two lions passant gardant in pale of the second armed and langued of the first. Motto: "A mare labor". Other elements:Behind the shield two anchors saltireways sable,

References

External links

Description of the flag of Normandy
{{Subnational flags of France Flag and coat of arms