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German States: Brandenburg and Prussia

FLAGS OF GERMAN STATES

From the middle ages to the present

Most images contributed by Jaume Ollé, reduced to FOTW standard by Jorge Candeias.

Part II: Brandenburg and Prussia (1)

1300-1800

In 1525, the Grand Master, Albrecht of Brandenburg secularized the Teutonic order and thereby took over control of Prussia, initially as a fief of Poland. Shortly thereafter, it was inherited by the Elector of Brandenburg, one the princes entitled to elect the Emperor. When in 1660, Prussia became independent of Poland the way was opened to union with Brandenburg and thereby also the foundation of the Prussian state. In 1701, Prussia became a kingdom and from then till 1871, it was in a continuous stage of expansion until it came to be by far the largest German state, almost as large as all the others together.

The flags listed below mostly come from one or more flag charts or books, either directly, or taken from them from Adm. Siegel's book Die Flagge. Where I can I will cite the date. Note that my citing a date does not imply that the flag was adopted then; indeed, in almost every case, it was adopted sometime earlier, since it takes some time for it to get to a chart. I never deliberately cite a flag after it ceased to be used, but since I will only "overrule" a source if I feel confident I can do so, it would surprise me if there were not several such cases. In all cases, the eagle's head is pointed towards the hoist unless otherwise stated. Since most of the data come (directly or indirectly) from flag charts, it is sometimes difficult to be certain whether a minor difference is due to inaccuracy of the source or not. The result is that some of the flags listed as distinct may in fact not be.

1) Elbing, 14th century.

by Jaume Ollé, 17 July 1998

White-red bicolor with crosses in opposite color in each field. (Cross bars slightly larger than vertical) same as part I, no.15.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

2) Elbing, 14th century

by Jorge Candeias, 6 October 1998

Red-white bicolor with crosses in opposite color in each field. No. 1 upside down.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

3) Brandenburg, 1340

by Jaume Ollé, 17 July 1998

A white flag with a red eagle.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

4) Elbing, 15th century, 1695, 1805, 1845, 1862

by Jaume Ollé, 17 July 1998

White-red bicolor with crosses formy in opposite color in each field. Same as part I, no.16
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

5) Danzig

by Jaume Ollé, 17 July 1998

A red flag with at the hoist two crosses formy vertically arrayed. In use until 1457. [Illustrated, Smith FTAAW, p.115]
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

6) Danzig

by Jaume Ollé, 17 July 1998

Like no. 5, but with somewhat smaller crosses with a gold crown above the top crown. In use since 1457. State and merchant flag of the Free City of Danzig 1920-1939.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

by Jaume Ollé, 17 July 1998

Variant of the Danzig flag, believed to be referred to as the old flag.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

7) Royal Prussia

by Jaume Ollé, 18 July 1998

Flag of part of Prussia under Polish rule from 1466-17. A white flag with a black eagle with golden beak and claws. Around the neck is a open golden crown. Emerging from the crown is a silver arm with armor grasping a silver sword.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

8) Old Königsberg

by Jaume Ollé, 18 July 1998

Like no. 1, but with a red crown replacing the top cross.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

9) Königsberg to 17th century

by Jorge Candeias, 6 January 1999

Bicolor white over red. Height of white field 0.3 that of flag. On white field a thin St. George cross. On the red field a white lion rampant with a gold crown.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

10) Duchy of Prussia, 1525-1657

by Jaume Ollé, 18 July 1998

A white flag with a black eagle with golden beak and claws. Around the neck is a open golden crown. On the breast of the eagle a golden letter S (for Sigismund).
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

11) Königsberg, 17th century, 1700, 1716

by Jaume Ollé, 18 July 1998

6 horizontal stripes black-white.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

12) Königsberg, 17th century, 1716, 1737, 1842, 1848, 1862

by Jaume Ollé, 21 July 1998

Seven horizontal stripes white-blue. Towards the hoist a white square field 3/7 the height with a red eagle (without crown or regalia). From Brommer's Atlas, 1862.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

13) Brandenburg, adopted 1657, 1848

by Jaume Ollé, 21 July 1998

A white flag with a red eagle crowned with the electoral cap, in escutcheon a blue shield with the golden scepter of the Reichserbkaemmerers (Imperial hereditary chamberlain).
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

14) Memel, 1685, 1737

by Jaume Ollé, 17 May 1998

Reported dubiously as a horizontal triband green-yellow-green. (Memel is a city then in Northern Prussia, now in Lithuania, where it is called Klaipeda).

See Memel or Mameluks for a discussion on the authenticity of this flag.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

15) Danzig - merchant, 1695, 1756

by Jaume Ollé, 21 July 1998

Red flag with four gold crowned white crosses arranged two and two.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

by Jaume Ollé, 21 July 1998

Variant of the above flag, from a Polish text.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

16) Brandenburg, 1695, 1716, 1756

by Jaume Ollé, 24 July 1998

A white flag with a red eagle crowned (red and gold) and with a gold sword and sceptre. Basically, this is the banner of arms of Brandenburg. The crown raises doubt as to whether this flag is as early as 1695.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

16a) Brandenburg, 1737(?)

by Jaume Ollé, 28 July 1998

17) Brandenburg, 1695, 1716, 1750

by Jaume Ollé, 24 July 1998

Seven horizontal stripes, white-black, towards the hoist a white square field 3/7 the height with a red eagle (without crown or regalia).
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

by Jaume Ollé, 24 July 1998

Variant of above.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

18) Stralsund, 1695, 1805, 1848, 1862

by Jaume Ollé, 24 July 1998

Red flag with a gold sun (with face) at center.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

See Stralsund for the modern flag.

19) Brandenburg, 1700, 1716

by Jaume Ollé, 24 July 1998

A white flag with, somewhat toward hoist, a black eagle (uncrowned) head pointed towards fly somewhat towards fly. In the fly the blue shield with the golden scepter of the Reichserbkaemmerers.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

20) Prussia, 1701

by Jaume Ollé, 24 July 1998

A white flag with a crowned Prussian eagle (a black eagle with the letters FR on the breast) with scepter and orb.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

21) Brandenburg, 1716

by Jaume Ollé, 24 July 1998

A white flag with a black eagle (uncrowned) head. In escutcheon, the blue shield with the golden scepter of the Reichserbkaemmerers.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

22) Brandenburg, 1716, 1737, 1750, 1848

by Jaume Ollé, 24 July 1998

A white flag with a gold crowned two-headed pelican.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

23) Memel, 1737

A horizontal triband green-yellow-green.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

24) Stettin, 1716, 1750, 1805, 1842, 1862

by Jaume Ollé, 24 July 1998

White-red bicolor with squares in opposite color in each field slightly towards hoist.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

24) Stettin, 1716, 1750, 1805, 1842, 1862

by Jaume Ollé, 24 July 1998

Variation according to a Polish book.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

25) Brandenburg West Indies Co., 1737, 1750

by Jaume Ollé, 24 July 1998

A white flag with a black two-headed eagle with a gold crown and gold sword and scepter.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

The flag shown here is from two Dutch flag charts, one of which dates from 1737 and one c. 1750 (the latter is copied in Whitney Smith's book, p.204-5). In both it is listed as Brandenburg West Indies Company. It is not at all improbable that the 1750 chart copied the 1737 one (or an earlier one) so that this may not be a seperate observation. There are however several problems. The worst of them is that I have not been able to find any other reference to the Brandenburg West Indies Company or the Brandenburg East Indies Company. There was in the late 17th and early 18th century a Brandenburg African Company which ran a strong point on the Gold Coast (called I think Grosse Friedrichsburg) and which participated in the slave trade with the West Indies. It sold its colony to the Dutch West Indies Co (GWC) in 1717 (incidentally 20 years before the first of these flag listings). A second problem is that the flag illustrated has a two headed eagle, unlike any other Brandenburg eagle. Indeed the representation is, except for a difference in the crown, exactly like a 1700 flag of the emperor. The two objections (supported in part by the fact that the ships and colony had been sold to the DUTCH West Indies Company) are reason enough to regard this flag as doubtful. Perhaps one of our German members might be able to find out whether there were in fact any other Brandenburg trading companies, other than the African one.
Norman Martin, 3 August, 1998

25a) Brandenburg African Co., ca 1680-1701

by Mario Fabretto, 5 August 1998

Proportions: 2:3? Source: CISV archives
The Brandenburg African Company was created around 1680 and its flag was white, with the red eagle of Brandenburg toped with the electoral hat and the shield of Electoral Brandenburg on her breast. The sword and the sceptre were gold and crosed behind the eagle. On 8 January 1701, Frederich III issued a decree following which the ships of the Company had to fly the white flag with the black eagle of Prussia with a royal crown over her head, the letters "FR" on her breast and a ducal crown around her neck. Later (1707) the ducal crown was substituted by a royal one. An exact design of this flag is not known. This flag was the very first flag with the black eagle of Prussia.
Even well documented flag charts (as the one from Bellin dated 1756) show flags disappeared many years before their publication. For example flags for Brandenburg are present even in the beginning of the 19th century, when all its flags were substituted since 1707 with the Prussian ones.
Mario Fabretto, 5 August 1998

26) Prussia, 1750

by Jaume Ollé, 24 July 1998

A white flag with a crowned Prussian eagle (a black eagle with the letters FR on the breast) with sword and scepter.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)

27) Danzig - merchant, 18th century, 1862

by Jaume Ollé, 24 July 1998

Red flag with three gold crowns arranged vertically, towards hoist.
Norman Martin (20 January 1998)