Flag / National / Belgium

Kingdom of Belgium, Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie
Brussels
30,528 km2
10,348,276 (July 2004 est.)
Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)
Europe
Neu:
more flag graphics for Belgium animated and waving flags of Belgium black and white Belgium flag like in a colouring book

In the region of the today's Belgium, which since the 14. century belong to the Duchy Burgund (since 1383 Flandern, since 1436 Hennegau and Brabant, since 1477 Lüttich and Luxembourg) was showed the red, boughed, burgundic diagonal-cross on white flags. After these territories came to the Spanish Habsburgs (Spanish Netherlands) in 1555 there were flags in use, which the habsburg-colours (red and white) connect with the Spanish colours (red and yellow) in one in the colours red, white and yellow horizontal three-striped flag. Occasionally appears in the middle white stripe the burgundic cross.
This flag gets maintained in this time, too, as the today's Belgium came to the Austrian Habsburgs. Emperor Josef II. forbid the usage of this flag on 9th of march in 1786. There was only allowed to use the red-white-red Austrian flag. The people decorate in protest their caps with red-yellow-black cockades, the colors of Brabant.

In 1795 Belgium came to France, and in 1815 it became element of the United Netherlands (Netherlands + Belgium). During the rebellion against the Dutch government in the year 1830 was in use the French tricolor as freedom-symbol, mainly from supporters of France. The editors of a Brussels newspaper, Edouard Ducpétiaux and Lucien Jottrand, and Alexandre Van Hulst a civil servant of the war department favor a flag with three horizontal stripes in red, yellow and black, which finally achieves in the fights in September 1830. The provisional Belgian government recognize her as state symbol, and hoist her up at the declaration autonomy on 4th October in 1830.

Since the 23rd of January in 1831 the stripes of the flag were arranged vertically, however in the sequence red, yellow and black. After the election of Leopold I. from Saxon-Coburg-Gotha to the Belgian king, the stripes of the flag were arranged since the 12th of October 1831 in the today usual sequence.

The coat of arms of the state was introduced in 1830. There is in use a little and large coat of arms. It shows in the black shield a golden lion of Brabant with red claws. The shield carries the royal crown, beneath the shield a red ribbon with the french motto: "L'Union fait la force" and in Dutch "Eendracht maakt macht" => "Unity makes strong". Behind the shield two crossed scepters, which represent the king as sovereign (lion scepter) and supreme judge (oath-hand scepter). The shield adorns a necklace with the great cross of the Leopold-Order.

Text mit freundlicher Genehmigung von Flaggenlexikon.de