The (Black Cross, ) is a flag of

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

, used as an emblem of the independent duchy in the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. In the

Breton language Breton (, , ; or in Morbihan) is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic languages, Celtic language group spoken in Brittany, part of modern-day France. It is the only Celtic language still widely in use on the European mainland, albei ...

, means cross and means black.

Origins

There is uncertainty about the chronology of its origins. It clearly evolved from the flags of the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

and some evidence shows that the black and white colors were taken from the ermine spots that formed the coat of arms of the dukes of Brittany (adopted early in the 14th century and also used as a standard called the plain ermine flag). It is widely known that the warriors of the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...

used the emblem of the red cross (later known as the

St George's Cross In heraldry, Saint George's Cross (or the Cross of Saint George) is a red cross on a white background, which from the Late Middle Ages became associated with Saint George, the military saint, often depicted as a crusader. Associated with ...

). Banners with crosses of distinct colors by nation were first used by

Crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

rs from about 1188. However, very few Breton barons joined that

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. F ...

, so it is more probable that the earliest was given to

Peter I, Duke of Brittany Peter I (; 1187 – 26 May 1250), also known as Peter Mauclerc and Peter of Dreux, reigned as Duke of Brittany alongside his wife Alix, Duchess of Brittany, Alix from 1213 to 1221, and was regent of the Duchy of Brittany, duchy for his minor so ...

Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX (; born Ugolino di Conti; 1145 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decretales'' and instituting the Pa ...

in 1236 or 1237.

Late medieval usage

The black cross standard became widely used as the emblem of the Breton soldiers and as the flag for the ships from the end of the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

in the 15th century. Belligerent armies then identified themselves with flags inherited from the Crusades: red cross on white for the English, white cross on blue or red for the French, black cross on white for the Bretons. It was often combined with the ducal coat of arms, hence a flag with ermine spots in each quarter. Some miniatures of the 15th century depict events of the previous century (at the beginning of the Hundred Years' War) by representing Breton knights with the black cross, but it is not really known if the

Bretons The Bretons (; or , ) are an ethnic group native to Brittany, north-western France. Originally, the demonym designated groups of Common Brittonic, Brittonic speakers who emigrated from Dumnonia, southwestern Great Britain, particularly Cornwal ...

fought under this emblem during that century.

Later use

The was the flag representing Brittany on nautical charts of the 16th century. After annexation of 1532, there was never any treaty of union, the admiralty of Brittany kept using the black cross flag for Breton ships (with a modified design). It also remained the basis for the flags of

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

and temporarily for those of

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo language, Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. The Fortification, walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth ...

and Brest. The black cross was largely forgotten after the French Revolution, but some Catholic groups and scouts used it again at the end of the 19th century. This flag has been largely replaced by the during the 20th century. The latter is used by moderate nationalists and the general public, including the regional administration. The has been revived since the late 1990s and was briefly regarded as an emblem of right-wing Breton nationalists (like Adsav), but it is now more and more popular. On the basis of medieval miniatures, a version of the flag was adopted as the emblem of the town of Guérande in 1999. It was also used to create the new flag of

Saint-Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Loire-Atlantique Departments of France, department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Oc ...

in 2008.emblemes.free.fr
Drapeaux de Saint-Nazaire (in French)

Similarity to other flags

This flag is an exact negative of the

flag of Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, 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. The

United Baltic Duchy The United Baltic Duchy (; ; ), or alternatively the Grand Duchy of Livonia, was the name of a short-lived state during World War I that was proclaimed by leaders of the local Baltic German nobility. The attempt to establish a new client state ...

flag is similar in appearance but is a Nordic Cross, rather than an equilateral cross.

References

*Les drapeaux bretons de 1188 à nos jours (English: The Breton flags, from 1188 until now) by Philippe Rault, published by Coop Breizh (in French), (1998) *Guide des drapeaux bretons et celtes (English: Guide of Breton and Celtic flags) by Divi Kervella and Mikael Bodlore-Penlaez, published by Yoran Embanner (in French), (2008) {{ISBN, 978-2-916579-12-2

External links

*''Bannieloù Breizh'', the vexillological and heraldic Society of Brittany (in English

*http://www.nationalflaggen.de/flags-of-the-world/flags/fr-bz-du.html Flags of France Medieval Brittany Flags with crosses