Last modified: 2000-01-14 by dov gutterman
Keywords: austrohungarian empire | austria | hungary | landesfarben |
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by Giuseppe Bottasini, 21 June 1996
Austria-Hungary is often referred to as black-yellow monarchy.
I think the black-yellow flag was used for the whole, at least
until 1867.
Zeljko Heimer, 1 December 1995
by Giuseppe Bottasini, 21 June 1996
This was the joint Austro-Hungarian flag brought in sometime
after the 1867 "Ausgleich" or "Compromise",
which gave Hungary home rule. The version I'm familiar with was
the joint naval ensign which has crowned shields for Austria (red-white-red)
and Hungary (traditional Hungarian arms) on the white stripe(s).
Presumably at some point the black-over-yellow of "Cisleithania"
was dropped for the red-white-red once more.
Roy Stilling, 1 December 1995
by Zeljko Heimer, 22 September 1996
The 1911 issue of Encyclopaedia Britannica gives the Austro-Hungarian
Merchant Naval flag as horizontal red-white-red towards the hoist
and red-white-green towards the fly, each half containing a set
of arms: gules a fess argent on the Austrian half, and party per
pale fessy of eight gules and argent, and gules, a Lorraine cross
argent on a mount vert. Both shields were fimbriated in yellow
and surmounted by crowns.
James Dignan, 4 December 1995
by Zeljko Heimer, 22 September 1996
Red-white-red with shield in the first third of the white stripe golden bounded and crowned in red stripe above.
The state flag of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was a horizontal
tricolor, red-white-red, charged with the crowned state arms. It
was the same as the naval ensign except that
in the naval ensign, the arms were set toward the hoist.
Austria-Hungary also had a horizontal yellow-black bicolor as its
war flag, and in earlier times this was also the state flag.
Tom Gregg , 17 October 1999
by Jorge Candeias
11 August 1999
Imperial standard - 1897 : yellow with black-yellow-red-white
triangles at borders and imperial eagle in the middle.
Zeljko Heimer, 22 September 1996
Another image from that good old flag plate with lots of
errors (is it really Lawrie's flagchart (1842), as Jarig
suggests? If so, this image should be there too).
This is supposed to be the austrian imperial flag from sometime
in the XIX century. My image is rather sketchy , but it's more or
less like the one found at the
flag plate.
This is probably a wrong depiction of the flag described above as
the Imperial Standard of 1897 (but in that case, the flag plate
couldn't be Lawrie's flagchart...) . it checks more or less,
except in the border. And there's where I was more faithful to
the original, IMHO...
Jorge Candeias 11 August 1999
On Laurie's flagplate there is a yellow field with black-yellow-red-lightblue
borders and imperial eagle in the middle; the eagle holds a
shield horizontally divided WRW; between the eagle's heads
imperial crown. It would suggest to be a flag in use c. 1840.
This too looks like a bad copy of an image on Laurie's flagchart
Jarig Bakker 11 August 1999
Admiral: same pattern as war ensign, quadratic flag bordered with black-yellow triangles.
Imperial and Royal General: war
ensign with black-yellow-black canton.
*I have seen the Imperial and Royal General flag with three
imperial eagles, one to the right of the shield, one to the left,
and the third under the shield (in the red stripe) - Jaume Ollé
Kommodore: trianuglar pennon of war ensign pattern.
Jack: same as war ensign.
Zeljko Heimer, 22 August 1996
Lieutenant General: as for Imperial and Royal General flag, but with three yellow eight-pointed stars in the side of the eagles
Division General: as for Lieutenant General's flag, but only two eight-pointed stars (the star in the red stripe missing)
Brigadier General: as for Lieutenant General's flag, but only the yellow eight-pointed star in the red stripe.
The yellow eight-pointed star als appears on a square flag
with the pattern of the War flag (with a border of more black and
yellow triangles) for the admiral, vice-admiral, and contra-admiral.
Jaume Ollé
Austria-Hungary 1913: The state ensign is a red white red
horizontal tricolor with the state shield on the white stripe
near the hoist, fimbrated yellow, with an imperial crown. The
mercantile ensign is as described earlier. Of course there was no
Austria-Hungary in WW II, and Austria's flag was as it is today.
Nathan Augustine, 5 December 1995
The flag that were flown during World War in the Austro-Hungarian
Empire is the traditional flag of Austria and probably the most
popular flag in the German speaking part of the Empire. The
National Flag however was a black and yellow horizontal bicolor.
The ensign at the start of the war was Austria with a crowned
shield of Austria offset towards the staff, after October 1915,
this was altered by placing a crowned shield of Hungary in the
fly. Also popular was the merchant flag which was similar to the
post-1915 ensign except that the fly half of the bottom stripe
was green rather than red.
Norm Martin , 3 November 1997
