June 15, 1219: A really really really old flag

On this day in 1219, according to legend, the flag of Denmark fell from the sky during battle, leading the way to victory. The Danish flag is commonly referred to as Dannebrog, meaning “the Danish cloth” in Old Danish. It is the oldest national flag that is still in use today.

According to legend, the Danish flag fell from heaven during the Battle of Lyndanisse as a divine sign from God of his support for King Valdmar II’s crusade against the pagan Estonians. With the flag in hand, the battle was won. However, a legend is a lend.

The earliest source that indisputably links the red flag with a white cross to a Danish King, and to the realm itself, is found in a Dutch armorial, the Gelre Armorial written between 1340 and 1370 (it's pictured). The book displays some 1,700 coats-of-arms from all over Europe. On page 55 verso we find the Danish coat-of-arms with a banner, displaying the white cross on red. The text to the left of the coat of arms says "die coninc van denmarke" (The King of Denmark). This is the earliest known undisputed color rendering of Dannebrog.

The flag was not unique to Denmark. It was also used in several other small states, including Switzerland and Savoy. The design was that of the war flag of the Holy Roman Empire, as well, its red field symbolizing battle and its white cross suggesting the holy cause for which the battle was being fought.

The flag was first associated exclusively with the state and military. It was not until the middle of the 19^th century that the common people started to make used of it. The first time it was considered belonging to the citizenry as well as the government was when the Danes rallied under the flag during the struggle for a constitution in the 1850s.

Picture Source 1