Last modified: 2004-01-24 by santiago dotor
Keywords: duchy of bavaria | herzogtum bayern | electorate of bavaria | kurfürstentum bayern | bayern-landshut | landshut | banner of arms | lozengy (white-blue) | quartered | lion: rampant (gold) | stripes: 9 | stripes: 7 |
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Most of the [Bavarian historical flags'] information is from Drake-Brockman 1983.
Norman Martin, August 1998
An official flag for Bavaria was adopted only in 1878. The lozenged flag was the flag of Wittelsbach family and it was used since 1337. From ca.1506 the white standard with the arms began to be used. Later a great number of different standards were used. (...) Before 1878 all the flags were unofficial, based on the Landesfarben white and blue, the latter should had been light after a royal decision of 1838.
Mario Fabretto, 3 August 1998
Bavaria (Bayern) was a Duchy until 1507, when it became an Electorate (Kurfürstentum Bayern). It became a kingdom in 1806 (Königreich Bayern), a republic in 1918 and a federal free state (Freistaat Bayern) shortly after that.
Santiago Dotor, 8 September 2000
![[Bavaria 1340 (Germany)]](../images/d/de_bav1.gif)
![[Bavaria 1340 (Germany)]](../images/d/de_bav1v.gif)
both by Jaume Ollé and Jorge Candeias
Square flag lozengy blue-white. Normally with 21 complete pieces (though sometimes with a total count of 21 pieces). Banner of arms of the Duchy of Bavaria.
Norman Martin, August 1998
![[Bavaria Landshut 1500 (Germany)]](../images/d/de_bav2.gif)
by Jaume Ollé
Quarterly: 1 and 4 Bavaria; 2 and 3 Palatinate (a yellow lion crowned red on a black field).
Norman Martin, August 1998
Quarterly: 1 and 4 Palatinate; 2 and 3 Bavaria.
Norman Martin, August 1998
![[Bavaria Electoral 1688 (Germany)]](../images/d/de_bav4.gif)
by Jaume Ollé
A square white flag with crowned arms as in the Ducal Flag of Bavaria-Landshut 1500 with a red escutcheon containing an orb, rotated 315 degrees.
Norman Martin, August 1998
The image is according to the one in The Flag Bulletin [Drake-Brockman 1983]. Note that in the arms from c. 1700 the lions are with face to the left (in banner: the hoist) and the crown has many differences.
Jaume Ollé, 7 May 1998
![[Bavaria 1700 and 1820 (Germany)]](../images/d/de_bav5.gif)
by Jaume Ollé
Five horizontal stripes: white-blue[-white-blue-white]. Used on ducal galley.
Norman Martin, August 1998
![[Bavaria 1700 (Germany)]](../images/d/de_bav6.gif)
by Jaume Ollé
Seven horizontal stripes: white-blue[-white-blue-white-blue-white]. Used on ducal galley.
Norman Martin, August 1998
![[Bavaria 1700 and 1886 (Germany)]](../images/d/de_bav7.gif)
by Jaume Ollé and Jorge Candeias
Nine horizontal stripes: white-blue[-white-blue-white-blue-white-blue-white]. Used on ducal galley.
Norman Martin, August 1998
![[Standard of the Elector 1623-1805 (Bavaria, Germany)]](../images/d/de_bav15.gif)
by Jaume Ollé
Same as the flag of Bavaria-Landshut 1500 with an escutcheon of red containing an orb.
Norman Martin, August 1998
The banner reported in 1860 cannot be correct. The escutcheon with the orb was not used after 1804. It had to do with the Holy Roman Empire — the dukes [later electors] of Bavaria had the dignity of Reichserztruchsess or 'imperial archsteward'.
Theo van der Zalm, 16 June 2001
The gold orb on red is the symbol for the office which the Elector of Bavaria held. Prior to ca. 1630, when the office was held by the Count Palatine of the Rhine, the first and fourth quarters were the Palatinate and the second and third quarters Wittelsbach (Bavaria). The Bavarians probably reversed the order just to distinguish which branch of the family now held the elector's office.
James Weging, 5 October 2001