Flag of Spain

The national flag of Spain, called Bandera de España in Spanish, has three horizontal stripes. The stripes are red, yellow, and red. The yellow stripe is twice as tall as each red stripe. In the middle yellow stripe, there is the coat of arms of Spain.

The design started as a naval flag in 1785 by Charles III of Spain. At first, people used it mainly for ships and near the coast.

During a big war called the Peninsular War, people also began using this flag on land. It stood for hope and bravery for many. By 1843, the flag was used by all of Spain's armed forces. Even though the coat of arms has changed a few times, the red and yellow colors have stayed the same since the 1700s.

Spanish flag legal framework and specifications

The flag of Spain has three horizontal stripes: red, yellow, and red. The yellow stripe is twice as wide as each red stripe. These rules are from the Spanish Constitution of 1978.

There are special rules about using the flag, and the colors are defined in a Royal Decree. The flag can show the coat of arms of Spain in the middle stripe, and its position depends on the flag's size.

Flag protocol

The Spanish flag should always be shown flat and horizontal. You can see it on public buildings, homes, businesses, ships, and during special events. In Spain and other countries, government offices must display the flag all day and night, and make sure it is lit up when it is dark. The flag needs to stay clean and in good shape.

When there is a time for mourning, the flag can be shown in two special ways. One way is to raise it to the top of the pole and then lower it to about one-third of the way down. Another way is to attach a black ribbon, about ten centimetres wide, to the bottom of the flag.

When many flags are shown together, the Spanish flag is always placed first. After that come flags from other countries, the flag of Europe, flags from groups that help people around the world, military and government flags, flags from local areas of Spain, city flags, and any others. When foreign flags are shown with the Spanish flag, they are arranged in alphabetical order using the Spanish language, unless a different language is chosen for a special meeting or event in Spain. The flag of Europe has been used since Spain joined that group. The flag of NATO may also be used in Spain because Spain is part of that group too.

When the Spanish flag is shown with other flags, it should be the largest and placed in the most important spot, following the proper rules.

Other flags currently in use

High Civil Authorities' flag

Yacht ensign

Customs Service ensign

Spanish Navy jack

Civil authorities

Some important leaders in Spain can use a special flag to show their job.

Yacht ensign

The Yacht ensign is a special flag for Spain. It has a blue crown in the middle. This flag was made in 1875 and is still used today.

Naval jack

The Spanish naval jack is a square flag used on Navy ships. It shows symbols from different parts of Spain.

Flags for Armed Forces

The Spanish Armed Forces use the country's flag. Their flags are square and have the name of their unit on them.

Army unit flag

Royal Standards of Spain

See also: Royal Standard of Spain

Royal standard

Princess of Asturias's standard

Royal standard of King Emeritus

The King of Spain uses a special flag called the Royal Standard. It is a red square with the King's coat of arms in the middle.

The Princess of Asturias, the future queen, also has her own special flag. It is a light blue square with her coat of arms in the middle.

History

While the idea of a national flag did not exist in the Middle Ages, the symbol of Spain was the Royal Shield. It was often made of different flags with images and symbols that showed the values the troops or the King stood for.

The Cross of Burgundy came to Spain after Joanna of Castile married Philip the Handsome, Duke of Burgundy in 1496. This flag was the main symbol of Philip the Handsome. It brought a new design to Spain that would become an important symbol, even though it came from another place. The flag was usually sewn on white or yellow cloth.

When the House of Habsburg took the Spanish throne in the middle of the 16th century, each army group had its own flag. These flags often showed the arms of the leader above the Cross of Burgundy. To represent the King, they used another flag called the "Coronela". During the time of Charles I (Charles V as Holy Roman Emperor), this flag was made of yellow silk with the royal shield sewn on it.

The arms of Bourbon-Anjou were added in 1700 when Philip V became King of Spain. He made several changes to the royal arms. Philip V also changed the look of Spain’s flags. He was the first to give Spain one shared symbol. He put the Cross of Burgundy and the Royal coat of arms on white cloth. This was not yet a national flag, but it was an early try, like other countries in Europe were doing.

King Charles III asked Antonio Valdés y Fernández Bazán, the Secretary of State and Minister of the Navy, to design a new flag for the navy. The flag needed to be easy to see, even in bad weather, and not look like the sails or other countries’ flags. Valdés’ team made twelve different designs.

Finally, Charles III, with a Royal Decree on May 28, 1785, chose a new national flag. The design used red and yellow colors, with three horizontal stripes: red, yellow, and red. The yellow stripe was made twice as wide as the red stripes so that the coat of arms could be bigger.

In the 19th century, the red and yellow flag was also used in army camps and border forts, though the army flags looked different from the navy flags because of the coat of arms.

On 14 April 1931, the monarchy ended and the Second Spanish Republic began. This change was shown by a new flag with three colors: red, yellow, and murrey. The coat of arms was changed to a design from old coins.

Article 42 section 12 of the Spanish Constitution of 1978, which was created when Spain became a democracy again, says that the flag “is made of three horizontal stripes, red, yellow and red, with the yellow stripe twice as wide as each red stripe.” The current coat of arms was adopted on 19 December 1981.

Unofficial flags and uses

The nickname Red-Weld is sometimes used to talk about Spain's flag in a fun way. Over time, people have made some unofficial flags to show support for Spain in different situations.

For example, during the 1990s, some people started putting a special bull symbol on the flag when watching football games. You can often see this flag at sports events with Spanish teams.

The flag from a time called the Second Republic, which has a blue stripe, is used by some groups who do not like the current monarchy.

The colors of Spain's flag also appear in logos, like the one for Shell, because of historic ties between Spain and places like California. Spain's flag is also part of symbols for some cities and states, like Texas and Mobile, Alabama.

There have also been ideas about combining Spain and Portugal into one country, with new flags that mix their colors and symbols.