Blue stripes flag on a white background. St. Andrew's flag

Scottish godbrothers

St. Andrew's flag, which became a symbol of the victories of the Russian Navy, like many other innovations, appeared in Russia during the time of Peter I.

The first ever state flag with the so-called St. Andrew's cross appeared in Scotland.

Apostle Andrew the First-Called was martyred on an oblique cross. According to legend, in 832, King Angus II, who led the army of Picts and Scots, before the battle with the Angles, led by Æthelstan, on the night before the battle, prayed to God for granting victory on the battlefield and made a vow that in case of victory he would announce the holy apostle Andrew the First-Called patron saint of Scotland. In the morning, the clouds over the battlefield formed on blue sky the letter "X", repeating the shape of the cross on which the Apostle Andrew was crucified. Inspired by the Scots and Picts, they defeated the enemy, after which Andrew the First-Called was proclaimed the patron saint of Scotland. The country's flag is a white oblique cross on a blue background.

After the personal union of England and Scotland in 1606, the Scottish oblique cross became part of the common flag of the United Kingdom and is present in it to this day.

The fleet acquired a flag in honor of the heavenly patron of Russia

When, at the turn of the 17th–18th centuries, Peter I thought about a new state symbols, the oblique cross was among the most preferred symbols.

According to legend, the Apostle Andrew visited the lands of future Russia, therefore, starting from the 11th century, he was a particularly revered saint in Russian lands - heavenly patron Russia.

In 1698, Peter I established the first order in Russia, which was the highest award Russian Empire, - Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. There is nothing surprising that among the projects of flags that the tsar himself drew, there was also a flag with an oblique cross.

On December 11, 1699, Peter I approved the flag with a blue oblique cross on a white background as one of the flags adopted for use in the Russian fleet. In fact, the refinement of the flag and status was carried out by the tsar for another two decades, and only the Ship Charter of 1720 established: "The flag is white, across this there is a blue St. Andrew's cross, with which he christened Russia."

"God and St. Andrew's flag are with us!"

From that moment until 1917, the St. Andrew's flag became the main and only one in the Russian Navy. In 1819, it was supplemented by the St. George admiral's flag, which was the St. Andrew's flag, in the center of which a red was placed. heraldic shield with canonical image St. George the Victorious. A similar flag was awarded to a ship whose crew showed exceptional courage and courage in achieving victory or in defending the honor of the naval flag.

Initially, the length of the Andreevsky flag reached four meters. The gigantic dimensions were needed so that the banner fluttering in the wind created a terrifying roar - it was a kind of psychic attack.

The veneration of the St. Andrew's flag in the fleet was extremely great. The commanders of Russian ships, entering into battle, invariably repeated the same phrase: "God and St. Andrew's flag are with us."

The ship that lowered the flag was burned, the captain was forbidden to marry

The ship charter of Peter I, which prescribed to protect the St. Andrew's flag to the last drop of blood, was observed sacredly. In the entire history of the Russian fleet, the flag was voluntarily lowered only twice.

On May 11, 1829, the commander of the Russian frigate Raphael, Captain 2nd Rank Semyon Stroinikov, lowered the flag in front of Turkish squadron out of 15 ships, trying to save the life of the crew.

By personal decree of Emperor Nicholas I, a frigate that disgraced itself was ordered to be burned if it fell into the hands of the Russians. It happened only 24 years later, in the Battle of Sinop, but the will of the emperor was carried out - the Raphael, who was in the Turkish fleet, was burned, and given name never again used for Russian ships.

As for Captain Stroynikov, upon returning from captivity, he was deprived of all awards and titles, and also demoted to ordinary sailors. Moreover, Stroynikov was forbidden to marry, "so as not to have in Russia the offspring of a coward and a traitor." The paradox, however, was that the disgraced captain already had two sons by that time, and both of them later became rear admirals of the Russian fleet.

The second time the flags on Russian ships were lowered in 1905, at the end Tsushima battle, by order of Rear Admiral Nebogatov, who sought to save the lives of the remaining sailors and officers.

In August 1905, for this act, he was deprived of his ranks, and then put on trial, which in December 1906 sentenced Rear Admiral to death penalty, replaced by 10 years in a fortress. Nebogatov served 25 months, after which he was pardoned.

Return

The Andreevsky flag ceased to be the flag of the Russian Navy in 1917. The last St. Andrew's flags on Russian ships were lowered in 1924 in the port of Bizerte in North Africa where the ships of the squadron of the White Army were concentrated.

The darkest page in the history of the St. Andrew's flag was its use as a symbol by collaborators from the Russian Liberation Army (ROA), General Vlasov, who fought on the side of the Nazis.

In January 1992, the government of the Russian Federation decided to return the Andreevsky flag to the Russian Navy instead of the flag of the USSR Navy.

July 26, 1992 on the Day Navy on all warships last time the flags of the USSR Navy were raised, after which, to the sounds of the USSR anthem, they were

lowered. Instead of them, to the anthem Russian Federation St. Andrew's flags were raised.

The only ship where the St. Andrew's flag has not been raised to this day is the Soviet Submarine S-56, which has become a war memorial. In tribute to the feat of Soviet sailors during the Great Patriotic War C-56 hosts a daily ceremony of raising and lowering the flag of the USSR Navy, and Russian symbols are not used

This page uses materials from A.N. Basov's book "The History of Naval Flags", V.A. Sokolov's book "Vexillological Guide to the Flags of the Russian Empire and the USSR", as well as A.N. Basov's letters.

Actually, the navy appeared in Russia only under Peter I. Naval flags, apparently, appeared at the training flotilla of Peter I on Lake Pereyaslavl. As you know, Peter's passion for navigation began with the old English bot. The repaired boat was tested by the tsar on the Yauza and the Prosyany pond in the village of Izmailovo, but they seemed to him too cramped. After that, Peter moved the boat to Pereyaslavskoye Lake, where, under the guidance of master Karshten Brant and other foreign masters, several "small" frigates and yachts were also made. The construction of the Pereyavlavskaya flotilla was completed in 1692.

However, no objective information about the flags on the boat of Peter and on the ships of the Pereyaslav flotilla has been preserved. About them appearance(and even the very existence of such flags) we can only guess...

In 1693, Peter I with several ships undertook a voyage along Northern Dvina and the White Sea. Peter's yacht already had a white-blue-red striped flag with an eagle.

The next milestone in the history of the military fleet was the Azov fleet, which began to be built in the 1690s. In the History of the Russian Fleet, describing the campaign of the galleys of the Azov Fleet of Peter I (1696), S. Elagin wrote the following about the flags: ships of the Azov Fleet. The actual name of the flag, although it is occasionally found in the description books, has not yet been adopted. "The banner that is needed for the sea route: white, blue, red," and "ordinary banner" - this is the characteristic of the flag left by the description books books and documents of that time. In the course, the flag was worn on the upper leg of the main-yard; at anchor, or in the case of retracting the masts ... he was probably flown on the stern flagpole. The expression "raising the flag" did not exist: "banner", whether it was a stern flag or a signal one, was "set" and "lowered". It is not known whether there was a difference for the flagships, from the description books it can only be seen that the Lefort galley had a gold-domed flag, with an eagle. On the vice-admiral's galley there is a banner on the foremast, a badge on the mainmast, a pennant on the mainline, and another pennant on the foremast.

Quote from "The History of the Russian Fleet" by S. Elagin, St. Petersburg, 1864, ch. 1. p. 40.

The appearance of the first naval flag of Russia is associated with the construction in 1669 of the first Russian warship Oryol. According to the surviving evidence for the "Eagle" in 1668, a flag was made, consisting of white, blue and red colors (and for the manufacture of the flag it took an equal amount of fabric of each color), the exact location of the colors is not known, it was ordered to "write" Russian on the flag state emblem (decree of Alexei Mikhailovich of April 24, 1669).

I - Cross flag. Version by P. Belavenets

There are several reconstructions of this flag. According to one of the reconstructions (author P.I. Belavenets), the Eagle flag was divided by a blue cross into 2 red and 2 white fields according to the archer pattern

July 28th, 2014

Hello dear!
Let's continue our theme of the oblique cross in various banners and banners. In the previous parts, we mentioned countries and regions: , today it's time to talk about cities.
Paradoxical as it may seem, but the most cross-flag country will be .... no, not Scotland, but Malta! Already 5 (!) Cities have banners with an oblique cross.
But I propose to start not with them, but with one very beloved city by the famous domestic literary character. The place where everyone is "without exception in white pants" :-)) Yes, yes - I'm talking about Rio. "January River", which is exactly how Rio de Janeiro is literally translated, is based on a banner that pleases the eye of any Russian sailor. The very kind Andreevsky :-)

Flag of Rio

In the middle of the flag there is a modernized (other colors) emblem of the city - a sphere with 3 arrows and a Phrygian cap with a municipal crown and 2 dolphins as shield bearers. Sphere - connection with Portugal; 3 arrows are a symbol of the Patron Saint of the city of St. Sebastian, and a cap is a well-known symbol of freedom. The blue and white color of the flag is the old colors of Portugal. The first Portuguese county had a flag of a straight blue cross on a white panel.



Ostap's dream :-)

Arkhangelsk has never been twinned with Rio, but if you look at the flag ..... Although in fact this very flag is identical to the flag of the entire region, but I decided to recall it here, and not in the previous part. On the St. Andrew's oblique cross, symbolizing essential role, which Arkhangelsk played and is playing for the formation and development of the Russian fleet, the coat of arms of Arkhangelsk is superimposed in the center. As you understand, the city got its name in honor of one of the Archangels (you can read more about the heavenly army here :), and specifically - the Archangel Michael.



Coat of arms Arkhangelsk region and de facto city of Arkhangelsk

This one is depicted on the coat of arms, trampling the devil with a flaming blade in his hand. Everything is beautiful and noble, unless there is one BUT. The fact is that there is some conflict of interest. Saint Michael has his own cross. This is either an equilateral red on a white background, or a golden straight line, or even in the form of a blade on a blue background. But not oblique. Therefore, there is some disharmony in the beautiful flag of Arkhangelsk and the Arkhangelsk region.

He is:-)

Similar to the flag of the 2 previous cities can also be found in Brazil. This is a large millionaire called Fortaleza - the capital of the state of Ceara. In the center of the St. Andrew's cross is the coat of arms of the city - a golden tower among the waters. This is an allusion to the fort of Fortaleza de Nossa Señora de Assunção, from which the city arose. In general, Fortaleza, translated from Portuguese, is a "fortress".

Banner of Fortaleza

3 cities in the state of Florida have an oblique cross in their banners. However, only one has a red cross (like the state flag) - Panama City. In the center of the cross is a medallion with the seal (coat of arms) of the city.

Flag of Panama City

The rest have 2 crosses of other colors. In Hollywood (Florida, not California - it's important not to confuse here) the cross is green.

Hollywood, but not that :-)

At the state capital - Tallahassee - the flag repeats the Scottish one with a medal and a seal in the middle.

And near the town of Coral Springs, the cross is completely tricolor - green-white-blue.

tricolor cross

In Spain, there are also 2 places where we can observe an oblique cross on municipal banners. This is the wine capital of the country, the city of Logroño in the province of La Rioja. This town is also known to football fans. In the now-defunct Deportivo Logrones, Oleg Salenko played for 2 years.

Salenko in Logrones

The red cross in the center crowns the coat of arms of the city. The red cross is an allusion to the Burgundian one, and in the coat of arms we can see the bridge. At the site of the crossing over the full-flowing river Ebro, once upon a time, this city arose.

Flag of Logroño

But Castro-Urdiales, in the province of Canabria, has a slightly different flag. Their cross is white on a green background. This color is not accidental, as this region is often called "Green Spain" - it has the coldest climate in the country, but the richest vegetation. In the center of the flag is a complex coat of arms of the city,which displays it rich history. The basis is the coat of arms of Castile and Leon, the kingdom under whose control the city was once (a little more details can be found here:).

Flag...
The lower part depicts the port and fishing boats - 2 industries that have always fed the city. Between them, apparently, the Biscay whale is depicted - a subspecies of the southern whale of the family of smooth whales, which can theoretically be seen in those latitudes. And on one shield you can see 2 Iberian wolves under one of oldest symbols of that region - the Oak of Guernica, fanned with a cross.

And the coat of arms of Castro-Urdiales

In the Netherlands, the theme of the oblique cross in municipal flags also has a place to be. The community of Katwijk (the birthplace of Dirk Kuyt, by the way), which will soon become one city in the province of South Holland, has a St. Andrew's flag with a red and yellow triangle. These are the colors of the coat of arms that are displayed in the flag.

Banner of Katwijk

One of the most Dutch cities of Breda in South Brabant, in the middle of the 20th century, developed a new banner for itself, in which we can observe 3 small oblique crosses on a red field. The banner is made on the basis of the coat of arms of the city. And in the coat of arms, the crosses appeared because of one of the branches of the princes of Nassau, who owned the code of Breda. Although in general 3 oblique crosses are a very popular topic in Dutch heraldry - I found about 35 coats of arms in my time with a similar one.



Flag of Breda

Well, the most famous flag of the Netherlands, which uses oblique crosses, has become, of course, the capital. In the middle of the red flag on the black stripe that marks the Amstel River, we can see 3 oblique St. Andrew's crosses, and not the letters XXX, as an indicator of adult entertainment, as many people think :-)

Banner of Amsterdam

According to one version, three crosses mean “valor, firmness and mercy”, according to another, they should protect the city from the main misfortunes that it has faced more than once throughout its history - these are floods, fires and plague.

Capital of the Netherlands

Flag of the South African town of Potchefstroom, the first capital Republic of South Africa, is a blue panel with a white and red oblique cross superimposed on it.

Here's one like this :-)

Well, at the end of our story on municipal vexillology, it is worth mentioning Malta. On this wonderful island, everything is tiny, including the cities. But 4 of them have flags with oblique crosses. Luqa, where the international airport is located, has a red cross on a silver background.

Flag of Luqa

The largest town in the northeast of Marschalokk, completely repeats the Russian naval flag.

Marshallokka flag

Zabbar has a white St. Andrew's cross on a red background.

Zabbar.

And 2 cities have very bright flags. One of the so-called 3 cities in the Senglea metropolitan area has yellow flag with a black oblique cross and 5 white shells on it. This city is named after the 48th Grand Master of the Hospitaller Island, Claude de la Sengla. And the banner of the city displays the family coat of arms of this French nobleman.

Flag of Senlea

The coat of arms of the town of Shveki is simply rosy (from the positive point of view of this term) lovely. The yellow-red zigzag hints at fields and valleys, while the white-blue zigzag hints at the waves of the sea.

Flag of Sweden

To be continued...
Have a nice day!

Associated with the construction in 1669 of the first Russian warship "Eagle". According to the surviving evidence for the "Eagle" in 1668, a flag was made, consisting of white, blue and red colors (and for the manufacture of the flag it took an equal amount of fabric of each color), the exact location of the colors is not known, it was ordered to "write" Russian on the flag National emblem. There are several reconstructions of this flag. According to one of the reconstructions (author P.I. Belavenets), the flag of the "Eagle" was divided by a blue cross into 2 red and 2 white fields according to the archer's pattern (similar flags are depicted on the engraving by Adrian Shkhonebek "The Siege of Azov in 1696" (c. 1700). A similar flag, along with other options, is depicted in one of the first books about flags by the Dutchman Karl Allard (1695).The date of publication of Allard's book (1695) should not confuse the reader, at that time the books were printed for a very long time, and corrections and additions were made during the printing process In reality, this version of the flag could appear in the book no earlier than 1698.

Other historians believed that a flag of three horizontal stripes had already appeared on the "Eagle": white, blue and red. Probably the first to express this idea was the historian of the fleet F.F. Veselago

Peter I, carried away by the idea of ​​creating Russian fleet, he himself studied maritime affairs, he went on a boat on Lake Pereyaslavsky, Millet Pond in Izmailovo. Now the small boat of Peter I is kept in the Museum of the Navy. On the surviving engravings, the boat is depicted with the imperial standard on the mast and the flag of the Admiral General at the stern.

According to the historian P.I. Belavenets, on August 6, 1693 in Arkhangelsk, on the armed yacht "Saint Peter", Peter I used a striped white-blue-red "flag of the Tsar of Moscow" with a golden double-headed eagle on the middle lane. In the book of flags by Carlus Alyard, this flag was described as follows:

"The flag of His Royal Majesty of Moscow is divided into three, the upper stripe white, middle blue, bottom red. On a blue stripe of gold with a royal karuna, a double-headed eagle is crowned, having a red mark in its heart, with a silver St. George without a serpent.

Now this flag is kept in the Maritime Museum of St. Petersburg. He got there from Arkhangelsk, where he stayed for many years, having been presented by Peter I to Archbishop Athanasius of Arkhangelsk.

Some historians tend to believe that the white-blue-red flag was borrowed by Peter from Holland (the Dutch flag is almost the same, only the order of the stripes is different). Maybe it is so. But, as we can see, the use of white, blue and red colors on the flag was recorded even under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Peter's father, long before the Western European voyage of Peter Alekseevich. The "Dutch" version is also associated with the head of the construction of the "Eagle" Dutch captain O. Butler. He is credited with the idea to make the flag of a Russian ship modeled on the flags of his homeland.

In 1695, Peter I started a war with Turkey. This served as a powerful impetus for the creation of a navy. Many warships were built. Russian sailors entered the Black and then the Baltic Sea.

In 1697, Peter I established new sample Russian naval flag, which consisted of horizontal white, blue, red stripes. In October-November 1699, the first versions of the St. Andrew's flag appeared. In 1699, when the ship "Fortress" set off for Constantinople, Peter I, instructed by the Russian envoy Emelyan Ukraintsev, drew a three-paneled flag with an oblique cross crossing it.

Especially Peter I emphasized that the Andreevsky flag was chosen by him in honor of St. Andrew the First-Called "for the sake of the fact that Russia accepted from this apostle holy baptism"Additionally, the Andreevsky flag, according to Peter I, showed that Russia has access to four seas. It is very likely that Peter's choice was influenced by the flag of Scotland he saw in Europe (blue with a white St. Andrew's cross). St. Andrew was considered the patron saint of Scotland long before its introduction cult in Russia.The Scottish Order of St. Andrew is known.Peter copied the order and possibly decided to transfer the St. Andrew's flag to Russian soil, only changing its colors.

On engravings with images of ships of that time you can see various transitional types of naval flags(some of them may be true, some are most likely an erroneous reconstruction of the engraver). For example, on the engraving depicting the ship "Prestination" flags of 9 horizontal stripes are depicted on the bow, on the topmast and on the stern; white, blue and red (a similar practice was widespread in Holland). The frigate "Dumkart" is depicted with a "hybrid" flag - the St. Andrew's cross is framed above and below with stripes of national colors.

On the engraving depicting "Poltava" at the stern of the ship flies White flag with the St. Andrew's cross, not reaching the corners of the flag, on the topmast - the imperial standard. However, the engraving of "Poltava" causes certain criticism. The fact is that a red flag with an St. Andrew's cross in the canton is depicted on the bow of the ship, and a flag with an St. Andrew's cross in full cloth is depicted on the stern. This practice is highly questionable. In the Russian fleet, the guis (fore flag) at first repeated the stern flag, and then a single guis was introduced. If there is a "color" flag on the bow, then it must also be like that on the stern. Apparently the author of the engraving somewhat "approximated" the information he had.