Portugal - historical flags

Last modified: 2005-08-26 by jorge candeias
Keywords: kingdom of portugal | reino de portugal | coat of arms: escutcheons | bezants | shield | crown |
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• Historical flags of Portugal
• First period: 1143-1495
• From 1495 to this day
• Sea merchant flags
• Order of Christ flags
• Flags of the "Companhias"
• Origins of the current portuguese national flag
• Proposals for the republican flag (1910-11)
• Colonial flags
• Doubtful portuguese historical “reconstructed” flags

• Portugal

Historical flags of Portugal

From a purely vexilological point of view, the national flags of Portugal can be classified into four historical periods:

1. The five heraldic banners from 1143 to 1495, usualy depicted as square; the first three are not sure to have been used as flags.
   
   
2. From 1495 to 1830, were used flags of white charged with the coat of arms; three variations existed. This period includes 60 years of spanish domination (1580-1640), during wich Portugal, as a separate realm ruled by the same king -- Filipe II, III and IV (called I, II and III in Portugal) --, was allowed to use its own flags both in land and at sea.
   
   
3. The liberal flag, a vertical bicolor of blue and white charged with the coat of arms, was used for 80 years (1830-1910), but was probably the first Portugal's flag, in the modern sense of the word.
   
   
4. The modern, republican flag.

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