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List of Belgian flags

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Flags on a Flemish townhall with (left to right) the European, Belgian and Flemish Community flags
Flags on a townhall in Mechelen with (left to right) the flags of Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium, Europe and Mechelen.
The royal standard of King Albert II

This is a list of flags used in Belgium.

National flag

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Flag Date Use Description
1831–present Flag of Belgium A vertical tricolour of black, yellow, and red with a 13:15 ratio. Technically the national flag, but rarely seen in the officially approved dimensions.

Ensign

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Flag Date Use Description
1831–present Civil ensign of Belgium A vertical tricolour of black, yellow, and red with a 2:3 ratio.
1950–present State ensign of Belgium A vertical tricolour of black, yellow, and red defaced by a lion rampant ensigned by a crown, both sable (black), the lion armed and langued gules (red).

Military

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Flag Date Use Description
1950–present Flag of the Belgian Army The Army badge, crowned, on a white field
Ensign of the Belgian Air Component The Air Component badge and roundel on a blue field.
Naval ensign of the Belgian Navy A yellow saltire on a white field, bordered above and below in red and to the left and right in black, charged on the top with a crown above crossed cannons and on the bottom by a fouled anchor.
Naval jack of the Belgian Navy A vertical tricolour of black, yellow, and red with a 1:1 ratio.
Pennant of the Belgian Navy
Standard of the Admiral Benelux

Sub-national

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Regions and communities

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Flag Administrative division Adopted Description
Brussels-Capital Region 2015 Flag of the Brussels-Capital Region
Flemish Community and the Flemish Region 1973 Flag of Flanders
French Community and Walloon Region 1991–present
(French Community)
1998–present
(Walloon Region)
Flag of Wallonia
German-speaking community 1990 Flag of the German-speaking Community of Belgium

Provinces

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Flag Administrative division Adopted Description
Antwerp 1997
East Flanders 1999
Flemish Brabant 1996
Hainaut
Liège
Limburg 1996
Luxembourg 2018 Azure and white horizontal stripes with the crowned red lion[1]
Namur
Walloon Brabant 1995 Flag and coat of arms of Walloon Brabant
West Flanders 1997

Community commissions in Brussels

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Flag Use
Flag of the Common Community Commission
Flag of the Flemish Community Commission
Flag of the French Community Commission

Municipalities

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Royal standards

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Monarch

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Each royal standard for a monarch is a square rouge ponceau banner of the royal arms, personalised with the king's cypher in each corner.

Flag Date Use
1831–1865 Royal standard of Leopold I
1865–1909 Leopold II
1909–1934 Albert I
1934–1951 Leopold III
1951–1993 Baudouin I
1993–2013 Albert II
2013–present Philippe

Historical flags

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Flag Date Use Description
800-888[2] Imperial Orilflamme of Charlemagne A 3 pointed green field with 8 golden crosses and 6 flowers.
early 1400s[2] Imperial Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor An Imperial Eagle displayed with a halo sable armed and langued gules
862–1797[2] Flag of the County of Flanders A yellow flag with a black lion in the center.
900–1477[2] Flag of the County of Hainaut A yellow quartered banner with black and red lions.
1183–1794[2] Flag of the Duchy of Brabant A golden lion on a black field.
1482–1714[2] Flag of Spanish Netherlands A white flag with the cross of Burgundy.
1713–1740[2] Flag of the Archduchy of Austria A yellow field with a black double headed eagle with a crown on top and carrying the tricolored arms of Austria on his chest.
1781–1786[3] Flag of the Austrian Netherlands A tricolour, with three equal horizontal bands of red, white and gold with the arms of Austria.
1789–1790 Flag of the Brabant Revolution A tricolour, with three equal horizontal bands of red, black and yellow.
~1790s Flag of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, also of the Republic of Liège A bicolour, with two equal vertical bands of red and yellow.
1830–1831 Flag of the Belgian Revolution A tricolour, with three equal horizontal bands of black, yellow and red.
c. 1865 Fanion of the Belgian Legion during the French intervention in Mexico Tricolour of the Mexican Empire, superimposed with the Belgian tricolour to top left.
1883–1920 Flag of Neutral Moresnet A tricolour, with three equal horizontal bands of black, white and blue.

Brussels

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Flag Date Use Description
1991–2015 First version of Flag of Brussels-Capital Region A blue field with a yellow iris with a white border on top.

Wallonia

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Flag Date Use Description
1907 First version of Flag of Wallonia

Colonial

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Flag Date Use Description
1908–1960 Flag of the Belgian Congo A blue flag with yellow five-pointed star.
1936–1960[4] Standard of the governor-general of the Belgian Congo A vertical tricolour of black, yellow, and red, with a yellow star in the upper left canton on a blue field.

Political flags

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Flag Date Use Description
Current
2004–present Flag of the Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest)
1999–present Flag of the Nation
1978–present Flag of the Socialist Party
former
1978–2004 Flag of the Vlaams Blok
1949–1983 Flag of the Order of Flemish Militants Red odal on black background.
1935–1945 Flag of the Rexist Party
1933–1944 Flag of the Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond
1931–1941 Flag of the Verdinaso
other
Flemish strijdvlag as adopted by certain parts of the Flemish Movement
Flag of the Rassemblement Wallonie France
Flag of the Wallonie Libre[5]

House flags of Belgian freight companies

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Flag Date Use Description
1895–Present Compagnie Maritime Belge
1871–1935 Red Star Line

Other

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Flag Date Use Description
1957–present Unofficial flag of Benelux A Dutch tricolour superimposed with a rampant lion and black square
1955–present Flag of Europe A circle of 12 5-pointed gold (yellow) stars on a blue field.

References

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  1. ^ Official email response from the Greffe of the Province of Luxembourg, May 2, 2018
  2. ^ a b c d e f g ""The flags of the Belgians through history" plate". www.crwflags.com. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  3. ^ "Austrian Netherlands (1713–1786)". www.crwflags.com. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  4. ^ "Congo pre-independence – Governors-General flags (1885–1960)". www.crwflags.com. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  5. ^ "QU'EST-CE QUE WALLONIE LIBRE ?". Wallonie Libre (in French).