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Historical Flags (Bavaria, Germany)

Bayern

Introduction
Duchy (up to 1507) and Electorate of Bavaria (1507-1806) (Herzog- und Kurfürstentum Bayern)
Palatinate 14th-18th Centuries (Pfalz)
Kingdom of Bavaria 1806-1918 (Königreich Bayern)
- Royal Flags 1806-1918
Soviet Republic of Bavaria 4th April - 1st May 1919
Republic of Bavaria 1919-1935 (Freistaat Bayern)
Dukedom of Swabia 15th Century (Herzogtum Schwaben)

See also:

Bavaria (Bayern)
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1826-1918 (Saxe-Coburg became part of Bavaria in 1920)
Würzburg before 1815
Historical Flags (Germany)
Germany

Introduction

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. The official flag for Bavaria was adopted by royal decree (11 September 1878) and it was white over light blue. King Louis II stated that all the flags, on land and at sea, were of two horizontal stripes.

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

Soviet Republic of Bavaria 4th April - 1st May 1919

by Santiago Dotor

From 4th April to 1st May 1919: plain red flag. After this the white-blue flag was restored.

Jaume Ollé, 24 August 1998

Dukedom of Swabia 15th Century

Herzogtum Schwaben

This webpage shows the banner of the (fictitous) duke Romulus of Swabia (Schwaben, around Augsburg in Bavaria), from a manuscript of the late 15th century. The banner has a Schwenkel, a long pennant attached to the top of the fly. The text below can be translated as:

Duke Romulus of Swabia
His shield was golden
and therein three black lions.
Who was also the first Christian duke
of Swabia.

Jarig Bakker, 30 April 2000

German vexillologist Gunnar Staack wrote this (my translation follows each paragraph):

Heute gibt es nur eine offizielle Gebietsbezeichnung "Schwaben" und das ist der bayerische Regierungsbezirk Schwaben. Dieser hat eine Bezirksfahne, die am 15.10.1965 genehmigt wurde: "Die Fahne zeigt zwei Streifen in der Farbenfolge Rot-Gelb; sie kann auch mit dem Bezirkswappen geführt werden." Der Wortlaut der Beschreibung des gleichzeitig genehmigten Wappens heißt: "Unter goldenem Schildhaupt, darin ein wachsender, rot bewehrter und golden nimbierter schwarzer Doppeladler, gespalten; vorne gespalten von Rot und Silber, hinten fünfmal schräglinks geteilt von Silber und Rot, überdeckt mit einem goldenen Pfahl. (Quelle "Der Flaggenkurier", Nr.5, Achim 1997)
At present there is only one official territorial division "Swabia" (Schwaben) and that is the Bavarian District of Swabia (Regierungsbezirk Schwaben). This has a district flag, granted 15th October 1965: "The flag has two stripes, red and yellow; it may also have the district coat-of-arms on it." (...) (Source: Der Flaggenkurier, no. 5, 1997.)
[Coat-of-arms blazon translation by Santiago Dotor: "Per pale, dexter per pale Gules and Argent, sinister bendy sinister of six Argent and Gules, a pale Or; on a chief Or, a double-headed eagle issuant Sable, armed Gules and nimbed Or"].

Oberschwaben wird heute das südliche Gebiet Baden-Württembergs zwischen Donau und Bodensee genannt. Eine Flagge gibt es nicht.
Upper Schwaben is at present the name of the southern region of Baden-Württemberg between the Danube and Lake Constance. There is no flag.
Die in der von Jarig Bakker gezeigten Flagge des Herzogs Romulus vorkommenden drei schwarzen Löwen auf goldenem Grund gibt es noch heute im Wappen Baden-Württembergs.
The three black lions on a golden field on the flag of Duke Romulus pointed at by Jarig Bakker are still present on the coat-of-arms of Baden-Württemberg.
Schwaben war im Mittelalter ein deutsches Herzogtum, das nach dem Volksstamm der Sueben benannt war. Es umfaßte das ganze Gebiet des schwäbisch-allemanischen Sprachstammes: die dt. Schweiz, das Elsaß, Südbaden, Südwürttemberg und das bayerische Schwaben bis zum Lech. (Quelle: Brockhaus Enzyklopädie 1973)
Swabia was in the Middle Ages a German Duchy, named after the German tribe of the Suebes. Its realm consisted of the swabian-allemanii speakers: the German part of Switzerland, Alsace, southern Baden, southern Württemberg and the Bavarian Swabia up to the Lech river. (Source: Brockhaus Encyclopaedia 1973).

Jarig Bakker, 3 May 2000

Editor's note: see also Territorial Association of the Danube Swabians (Landsmannschaft der Donauschwaben e.V.).