The meaning of the colors of the current Flag of Spain and its historical origin

In 1785, King Charles III of Spain chose a new flag to be used as the naval ensign on Spanish ships.

These are the exact colors and design pattern of the Flag and Coat of Arms of Spain
Cross of Burgundy: origin and history of the oldest of the flags of Spain

The current flag of Spain was born in this way, being proclaimed as the National Flag in 1843, during the reign of Isabel II. Since then there has been much speculation about the meaning of the colors of this flag, generally based on the -often mistaken- assumption that the colors of flags always have some meaning.

For years, some authors have explained the colors of the Spanish flag by stating things like red symbolising the blood shed by the Spanish in defence of their homeland, as well as bravery and strength, while yellow (traditionally referred to as "gualda") would symbolise the gold and wealth of the Spanish Empire, the generosity of the Spanish people, prosperity, light and even creativity. Obviously, we all want to justify in some way the colors of the flag of the country in which we were born and which we love, but those colors are not always chosen because they have a certain meaning, but for aesthetic or historical reasons.

In the case of Spain, it is not difficult to imagine the possible origin of the colors of the National Flag, although we are not certain. Historically, gules (red) and gold (yellow) have been two very common colors among the coats of arms of the different kingdoms of Spain, five of which appear on the current National Coat of Arms (below these lines).

These colors appeared as the dominant ones in the coats of arms of Castile (in the first quarter - top left - of the current national coat of arms, above these lines), Aragon (third quarter, bottom left) and Navarre (fourth quarter, bottom right). In addition, they also appear in the coats of arms of León (second quarter, top right, used in the crown and in the lion's tongue and claws) and Granada (where they appear in the symbol of this fruit).

The reason for this coincidence in colors is unknown, although it may be due to the fact that Roman standards were often red with yellow lettering and emblems. It should be noted that during the Visigothic kingdom, Roman-style standards continued to be used in Spain, since the flags as we know them today were introduced by the Arabs during the Muslim invasion in 711.

The first flags used by the Christian kingdoms of Spain were heraldic, that is, they were limited to capturing on the flag the symbols of the coats of arms of each kingdom, a custom that had some exceptions, such as the Band of Castile, the royal flag used by the Castilian kings since 1332 (when it was established by Alfonso XI "The Just") and whose best-known version is the one used by the Catholic Monarchs (above these lines) at the end of the 15th century. This flag had its origins in the insignia of the Counts of Castile, which in turn was inspired by the batons of command of the Roman legions. A fact that indicates that the legacy of ancient Rome was still very present in medieval Spain.

The first flag without heraldic origin used to represent Spain was the Cross of Burgundy, which arrived in Spain at the end of the 15th century (following the marriage between Joan, daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile, and Philip, Duke of Burgundy), and which was used for the first time as the emblem of Spain at the Battle of Pavia in 1525. This flag was usually represented with a red cross, with the knots representing the branches cut from two crossed trunks, and a soft background, as we see above these lines. This is an emblem that was made famous by the Spanish Tercios, the best infantry of its time.

In 1556, King Philip II ordered that each Tercio should carry a flag with a yellow background and the Cross of Burgundy in red, representing the monarch. Yellow had already been used in the flags of the Spanish Tercios, but with the imperial coat of arms of Charles V. In this way, red and yellow appeared once again as colors associated with the symbols of Spain.

When King Charles III adopted the new Spanish naval flag in 1785, the Captain General of the Royal Navy, Antonio Valdés y Fernández Bazán, presented several designs, which we can see above. In the first line, the dominant colors were red and yellow. Other proposals also used the color white, which was the distinctive color of the House of Bourbon.

It is unknown what reasons led Charles III to choose the current flag, although it may have been a combination of factors: the traditional colors of the coats of arms of the kingdoms of Spain were also easily distinguishable on the high seas (which was the reason why a new flag was sought). In addition, there was a consultation with the Granada Stockpiling Commission to find out about the availability of fabrics for flags.

The new royal ensign featured a simplified version of the Royal Coat of Arms (an oval with only the coats of arms of Castile and Aragon and the Royal Crown, a custom that would be maintained until 1931, with the arrival of the Second Republic). In addition, a merchant flag distinct from the naval flag was established, which we can see on the right above these lines. This merchant flag was in force until 1927.

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Images: Elentir / Wikimedia / Heralder & Tom-L / Sociedad Española de Vexilología.