Flag of the Kingdom of France

Common card · No. 435924

The flag of the Kingdom of France was one of the symbols of France under the Monarchy. Before the French Revolution, there was no single flag that legally and practically served all the roles of the modern tricolour flag – especially that of representing the nation or state itself, rather than the king personally. Public buildings did not fly a national flag; instead, they displayed the coat of arms of the relevant authority (royal, ducal, comital, episcopal, etc.), depending on who controlled the building. That said, banners were the portable version of coats of arms and used the same colors and designs. As a result, many different flags were used by the army and navy, either to represent the identity of individual regiments or ships or to show which authority was in command. The same colors and symbols also appeared in servants’ liveries and military uniforms. However, white gradually became the pre-eminent royal and “French” colour, especially from the Hundred Years’ War onwards. By...

Read on Wikipedia · Image John Trumbull, Public domain