The

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and national symbol, symbolizes a given nation. It is Fly (flag), flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanin ...

of the

Kingdom of Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southe ...

is a

tricolour A triband is a vexillological style which consists of three stripes arranged to form a flag. These stripes may be two or three colours, and may be charged with an emblem in the middle stripe. Not all tribands are tricolour flags, which requires t ...

consisting of three equal vertical bands displaying the national colours: black, yellow, and red. The colours were taken from the coat of arms of the

Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant, a Imperial State, state of the Holy Roman Empire, was established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant of 1085–1183, and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries. The Duchy comprised part of the Bu ...

, and the vertical design may be based on the

flag of France The national flag of France () is a Tricolour (flag), tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue (Flag terminology#Description of standard flag parts and terms, hoist side), white, and red. The design was adopted after the French Rev ...

. When flown, the black band is nearest the pole (at the hoist side). It has the unusual proportions of 1315, and therefore, unlike the flags of Switzerland and the Vatican City, it is not a perfect square. In 1830, the flag, at that time non-officially, consisted of three horizontal bands, with the colors red, yellow and black. On 23 January 1831, the National Congress enshrined the tricolor in the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

, but did not determine the direction and order of the color bands. As a result, the "official" flag was given vertical stripes with the colors black, yellow and red.

Previous flags

After the death of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

, the present-day territory of Belgium (except the

County of Flanders The County of Flanders was one of the most powerful political entities in the medieval Low Countries, located on the North Sea coast of modern-day Belgium and north-eastern France. Unlike the neighbouring states of Duchy of Brabant, Brabant and ...

) became part of

Lotharingia Lotharingia was a historical region and an early medieval polity that existed during the late Carolingian and early Ottonian era, from the middle of the 9th to the middle of the 10th century. It was established in 855 by the Treaty of Prüm, a ...

, which had a flag of two horizontal red stripes separated by a white stripe. The territory then passed into Spanish hands, and after the coronation of

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...

, 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. Occasionally, the red

Cross of Burgundy The Cross of Burgundy (; ; ; ; ; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Cruz de Borgonha'') is a saw-toothed (wiktionary:raguly, raguly) form of the Saltire, Cross of Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Burgundy, and a historical banner and battle fla ...

was placed on the white section of the flag. During the period of Austrian rule, a number of different flags were tried. Eventually, the Austrian emperor imposed the Austrian flag. The population of

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

was opposed to this, and, following the example of France, red, yellow and black

cockade A cockade is a knot of ribbons, or other circular- or oval-shaped symbol of distinctive colours which is usually worn on a hat or cap. The word cockade derives from the French ''cocarde'', from Old French ''coquarde'', feminine of ''coquard'' (va ...

s began to appear, those being the colours of Brabant. The colours thus correspond to the red lion of Hainaut, Limburg and

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

, the yellow lion of Brabant, and the black lion of Flanders and

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

Independence and adoption of current flag

On 26 August 1830, the day after the rioting at the

La Monnaie The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie (, ; , ; both translating as the "Royal Theatre of the Mint") is an opera house in central Brussels, Belgium. The National Opera of Belgium, a federal institution, takes the name of this theatre in which it is ho ...

opera house and the start of the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was a conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. The ...

, the

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 The Brabant Revolution or Brabantine Revolution (, ), sometimes referred to as the Belgian Revolution of 1789–1790 in older writing, was an armed revolution, insurrection that occurred in the Austrian Netherlands (modern-day Belgium) between O ...

of 1789–1790 which had established the

United States of Belgium The United Belgian States ( or '; ; ), also known as the United States of Belgium, was a short-lived confederation, confederal republic in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium) established under the Brabant Revolution. It existed from Jan ...

) made at a nearby fabric store. As a result, Article 193 of the

Constitution of Belgium The Constitution of Belgium (; ; ) dates back to 1831. Since then Belgium has been a parliamentary monarchy that applies the principles of ministerial responsibility for the government policy and the separation of powers. The most recent major ...

describes the colours of the Belgian nation as ''Red, Yellow, and Black,'' the reverse order shown in the official flag. On 23 January 1831, the stripes changed from horizontal to vertical, and on 12 October, the flag attained its modern form, with the black placed at the hoist side of the flag.

Design and specifications

The official guide to protocol in Belgium states that the national flag measures tall for each wide, 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 The national flag of Germany () is a tricolour (flag), tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: Sable (heraldry), black, Gules, red, and Or (heraldry), gold (). The flag was first sight ...

, which is a black-red-gold tricolour, striped horizontally.

Variants

National flag and civil ensign

The national flag has the unusual proportions of 13:15. The 2:3 flag is the

civil ensign A civil ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by civilian vessels to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from the state ensign and the naval ensign (or war ensign). It is also known as the merchant ensign or merchant flag ...

, the correct flag for use by civilians at sea. File:Flag of Belgium.svg, Flag of Belgium File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg, Civil flag of Belgium

Government Ensign of Belgium

The Belgian government ensign is used by state-owned vessels and government agencies operating at sea, including customs, police, and coast guard vessels, as well as official transport ships for Belgian authorities and maritime service vessels like those for pilotage, hydrography, and lighthouse maintenance. It distinguishes these ships from civilian vessels (which use the national flag) and navy. The Belgian government ensign consists of a vertical tricolour of black, yellow, and red defaced by a lion

rampant In heraldry, the term attitude describes the ''position'' in which a figure (animal or human) is emblazoned as a Charge (heraldry), charge, a Supporter (heraldry), supporter, or as a Crest (heraldry), crest. The attitude of a heraldic figure alwa ...

ensigned by a crown, both

sable The sable (''Martes zibellina'') is a species of marten, a small omnivorous mammal primarily inhabiting the forest environments of Russia, from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, and northern Mongolia. Its habitat also borders eastern Kaz ...

(black), the lion armed and langued

gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). Gules is portrayed in heraldic hatch ...

(red). File:Government Ensign of Belgium.svg, Government Ensign of Belgium

Naval ensign and jack

The

naval ensign A naval ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by naval ships of various countries to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from a country's civil ensign or state ensign. It can also be known as a war ensign. A large v ...

of Belgium has the three

national colours National colours are frequently part of a country's set of national symbols. Many states and nations have formally adopted a set of colours as their official "national colours" while others have '' de facto'' national colours that have become well ...

in a

saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a Heraldry, heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup"). From its use as field sign, the saltire cam ...

, on a white

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

, 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 The Belgian Navy, officially the Naval Component (, ; , ; , ) of the Belgian Armed Forces, is the Navy, naval service of Belgium. History Early history The Belgian Navy was created as the ''Marine Royale'' () on 15 January 1831. This force ...

was re-established, having been a section of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and it is reminiscent of the

White Ensign The White Ensign, at one time called the St George's Ensign because of the simultaneous existence of a crossless version of the flag, is an ensign worn on British Royal Navy ships and shore establishments. It consists of a red St George's Cr ...

of the Royal Navy. There is also an official Belgian

naval jack A jack is a flag flown from a short jackstaff at the bow (front) of a vessel, while the ensign is flown on the stern (rear). Jacks on bowsprits or foremasts appeared in the 17th century. A country may have different jacks for different pu ...

, which is the same as the national flag, except in a 1:1 ratio, making it square. File:Naval Jack of Belgium.svg, Naval Jack of Belgium File:Belgian Navy commissioning pennant.svg, Belgian Naval pennant File:Special civil ensign.gif, Special civil ensign File:Naval auxiliary ensign.gif, The Belgian Naval Auxiliary Ensign

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 A monogram is a motif (visual arts), motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbo ...

, 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. The flags are flown above the palaces when the monarch is in Belgium, not necessarily just in one of the palaces. The flags are not flown if the monarch is on a state visit overseas or on holiday outside of Belgium. 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 monarch is in the country. File:Flag of Belgium (with crown).svg, Flag of Belgium (with crown) File:Royal Standard of King Philippe of Belgium.svg, Royal Standard of King Philippe of Belgium

Military flags of Belgium

The flags of the Belgian

Land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of Earth not submerged by the ocean or another body of water. It makes up 29.2% of Earth's surface and includes all continents and islands. Earth's land sur ...

Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

, and

Naval A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operatio ...

Components represent their different branches in the Belgian military. The flag of the

Belgian Land Component The Land Component (, ), historically and commonly still referred to as the Belgian Army (, ), is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land Component i ...

was adopted on september 1st 1982 The flag is white with the Army shield topped by a Royal crown. The Army shield is red with a black embattled wall. The shield is charged with a raised sword hold by two hands, the sinister one being bare and the dexter one covered with a gauntlet. The dexter hand is placed over the sinister one. The sword and the hands are all yellow.The Royal crown is yellow with a red cap, decorated with white pearls and gems. The number, shape and colour of the pearls and gems vary from flag to flag The flag of the

Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air and Space Component (, ) is the Air force, air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force (; ). It was founded in 1909 and is one of the world's oldest air services. ...

was adopted on 4 February 1948. The flag of the

Belgian Air Component The Belgian Air and Space Component (, ) is the Air force, air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force (; ). It was founded in 1909 and is one of the world's oldest air services. ...

is the badge of the air force and

roundel A roundel is a circular disc used as a symbol. The term is used in heraldry, but also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of differ ...

of the Air force on a blue field. The flag of the

was adopted on 2nd of march 1950. The ensign reminds the White Ensign of the Royal Navy, from which the Belgian Navy was re-established.The St. Andrew's cross was derived from the

, which decorated the ensigns of the Belgian ships during the Burgondian rule. The colours of the cross are the national colours.The crossed cannons highlight the military status of the ensign. The crown is the emblem of the kingdom, The anchors symbolize the ship's crews. File:Flag of the Belgian Land Component.svg, Flag of the

File:Air Force Ensign of Belgium.svg,

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

Ensign of Belgium File:Naval Ensign of Belgium.svg, Naval Ensign of Belgium

Historical flags

Belgium has had several flags throughout its history, reflecting different periods of smaller and bigger kingdoms such as the

(1183 – 1795) and the

(863 – 1794) ... Or full rule over all Belgians like the

Austrian Netherlands The Austrian Netherlands was the territory of the Burgundian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire between 1714 and 1797. The period began with the acquisition by the Austrian Habsburg monarchy of the former Spanish Netherlands under the Treaty of Ras ...

(1556 – 1715),

Spanish Netherlands The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...

(1715 – 1795) and much more up until the independence of

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

in 1831 after the

Belgian revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was a conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. The ...

. File:Oriflamme of Charlemagne.png, Imperial Orilflamme of

(800 – 888) File:Generieke vlag van Vlaanderen.svg, Flag of the County of Flanders (863 – 1794) File:LuikVlag.svg, Flag of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège (980 – 1795) File:Generieke vlag van Henegouwen.svg, Flag of the County of Hainaut (1071 – 1795) File:Hertogdom Brabant vlag.png, Flag of the Duchy of Brabant (1183 – 1795) File:Flag of Cross of Burgundy.svg, Flag of the Spanish Netherlands (1556 – 1715) File:Austrian Low Countries Flag.svg, Flag of Oostenrijkse Nederlanden (1715 – 1795) File:Flag of the Brabantine Revolution.svg, Flag of the United Belgian states (1789 – 1790) File:Flag of Belgium (1830).svg, First Belgian flag (1830 – 1831) File:Flag of Belgium.svg, Belgian flag (1831 – present)

Revolutionary flags

These flags were used during Belgian (or Brabantian) revolution, when the Belgian people fought for their independence: File:Flag of the Brabantine Revolution (with lion).png, Flag during the

Brabant revolution The Brabant Revolution or Brabantine Revolution (, ), sometimes referred to as the Belgian Revolution of 1789–1790 in older writing, was an armed revolution, insurrection that occurred in the Austrian Netherlands (modern-day Belgium) between O ...

, with lion (1789 – 1790) File:Flag of the Liege Volunteers 1830.png, Flag during of volunteers of Liege (1830 – 1831)

Protocol

As Belgium is a

federal state A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governing status of the c ...

, the flag of Belgium and the flags of the communities or regions in principle occupy the same rank. Nonetheless, when flags are raised and lowered or carried in a procession, the national flag takes precedence over all the others. The order of precedence is: #The national flag of Belgium #The flag of the community or region of Belgium #The

European Flag The flag of Europe or European flag consists of twelve golden stars forming a circle on a blue field. It was designed and adopted in 1955 by the Council of Europe (CoE) as a symbol for the whole of Europe. Since 1985, the flag has also been ...

#The flags of the

provinces of Belgium The Kingdom of Belgium is divided into three Communities, regions, and language areas of Belgium, regions. Two of these regions, Flanders and Wallonia, are each subdivided into five provinces. The third region, Brussels, does not belong to any p ...

, in alphabetical order in the local language, if more than one is flown #The flag of the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

If there is a visiting

head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

, that country's flag may be set second in precedence, all other flags dropping a rank.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flag Of Belgium

National symbols of Belgium

Tricolor flags Vertically symmetrical flags