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Kingdom of Jerusalem 1099-1291

Regnum Hierosolimi

1099-1162	1162-1291

both by Santiago Dotor

Description
Shape and number of the inner crosslets
Origin of the Jerusalem/Bouillon Arms

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Description

The flag of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem was white with a yellow cross (potent?) and four smaller crosses in the arms.

Nathan Augustine, 24 August 1995

The Crusaders flag/arms of Jerusalem that became known in heraldry simply as Jerusalem cross has 5 crosses: one large cross potent and 4 crosslets, the crosses are yellow and the field is white. One thing the flag is famous for is breaking the "no metal on metal" rule. But I recently discovered that a variant of this flag was used as a civil ensign as late as this century.

Nahum Shereshevsky, 24 June 1997

The Jerusalem Cross consists of a big cross potent and four smaller ones [crosslets] in the four cantons. It signifies the five Holy Wounds of Christ. In 1099 the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem and one year later Baldwin, the brother of Geoffrey of Bouillon, was crowned king of Jerusalem. His symbol was the Jerusalem Cross. Since then it was carried by several royal families on their coats of arms, leading to some confusion. Its origin is probably the papal banner, that Pope Urban II gave to the Crusaders. Source: C. Pama, Heraldiek en genealogie, Utrecht, 1969.

Jarig Bakker, 15 March 1999

Somebody recently wrote about the meaning of the five crosses on Jerusalem standards. Concerning their origin, I forward a couple of explanations. The first comes from a legend, which reported that during the age of Charlemagne, the gunfanon displayed by the Kingdom of Jerusalem was a square white silk banner carrying a red cross and four smaller red crosses, to represent the pains of our Lord. When Geoffrey of Bouillon conquered Jeru