Online Encyclopedia Search Tool

Your Online Encyclopedia

 

Online Encylopedia and Dictionary Research Site

Online Encyclopedia Free Search Online Encyclopedia Search    Online Encyclopedia Browse    welcome to our free dictionary for your research of every kind

Online Encyclopedia



Flag of Italy

 Flag ratio: 2:3
Enlarge
Image:FIAV_56.png Flag ratio: 2:3

The Flag of Italy, also known as Tricolore, is a tricolour containing three vertical bands of green, white, and red (left, or hoist side, to right). Together with the national anthem, La Canzone degli Italiani (better known as Fratelli d'Italia) is the symbol of Italy.

Contents

Meanings of Colours

The colours represent the three cardinal virtues:

Similarities to other Flags

The Italian flag is similar to the Flag of Ireland, which is green, white and orange, and is the opposite of the Côte d'Ivoire flag, which is orange, white and green. It shows also resemblance with the flag of Mexico.

History

Pre-unitarian flags (until 1848)

As the case of other flags, also this flag was derived by the flag of France, adopted with the French Revolution of 1789. When, in 1796, the French Army led by Napoleon Bonaparte entered into Italy, both the new republics (Repubblica Transpadana, see FOTW http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/it_trapa.html ) and the military group attached to French army adopted the flags similar to the Italian tricolour. Probably, the colors have been choosen according to Legione Lombarda flag: it summed Milan city colors (red and white) to the green of Milan Civic Guard uniforms. The same colors were adopted by the Legione Italiana, formed by soldiers coming from Emilia and Romagna.


The first Italian tricolour was adopted on 7 January, 1797, in Reggio Emilia, as official flag of the Repubblica Cispadana. It was a horizontal tricolour, with red (top), white and green stripes; in the middle, an emblem composed by a quiver, accolade to a war trophy, with four arrows that symbolized the four provinces forming the Po federation; all within a crown of bay.

The Repubblica Cispadana and the Repubblica Transpadana merged into the Repubblica Cisalpina, which adopted the vertical Italian tricolour without emblem in 1798, even if in a square shape. The flag was mantained until 1802, after the republic was renamed Repubblica Italiana (Italian Republic); in 1802 a new square flag was adopted, with a red field carring a white rhombus and a green square in the middle of the white rhombus (see FOTW http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/it-itrep.html ).

After Napoleon became emperor, in 1804, the Repubblica Italiana was turned into Regno Italico (Italic Kingdom), ruled by Napoleon himself; the flag of the Regno Italico was composed by the Repubblica Italiana flag, with Napoleon emblem on the central green square. This flag was in use until the abdication of Napoleon, in 1814.

Independence and Kingdom of Italy

Between the 1848 and 1861, a sequence of events led to the independence and unification of Italy (apart the Venice region, Rome, and Trento and Trieste, which were united to Italy in 1866, 1870 and 1918 respectively); this period is known as the Risorgimento. Throught all this period, the tricolore was the symbol which united all the efforts of the Italian people towards freedom and independence.

1848-1849

As regards Italian flag history, 1848 is a very important year, since many states in Italy changed their flags to reflect the commitment of all Italians to their motherland independence.

The Italian tricolour was adopted as war flag of Kingdom of Sardinia army: it contained Savoy royal house's coat of arms in the white stripe.

In the same year, the Granducato di Toscana (Grand Duchy of Tuscany) became constitutional, and dropped the Austrian flag with Austria-Lorraine great coat of arms, in favour of the Italian tricolour with a simplified coat of arms (see FOTW http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/it_tus.html#1848 ).

The flag of the Regno delle Due Sicilie (Kingdom of the Two Sicilies), which was white with the Borbonic seal in the middle, was modified through the addition of a red and green border. This flag lasted from April 3 1848 to May 19 1849 (see FOTW http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/it-2s.html#1848 ).

In 1848, Venice people revolted against Austrian government, declaring the birth of the Venice Republic. The flag adopted marked the link to Italian independence and unification efforts, being the Italian tricolour with, in the upper green canton, a white rectangle bordered with green/white/red colours and charged with the golden St. Mark's lion (see FOTW http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/it-ven-h.html#hist ).

In 1849 the Repubblica Romana (Roman Republic) adopted the Italian tricolour with (sometimes) a double black 'R' on the white stripe (see FOTW http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/it_rome.html#rep ).

Kingdom of Italy - 1860-1861

In 1860, a new version of the flag of the Regno delle Due Sicilie was adopted: the Italian tricolour with Borbonic seal on the white stripe. Adopted on June 21 1860, dismissed in March 1861, with the kingdom being incorporated into Regno d'Italia (Kingdom of Italy), the flag is depicted in FOTW http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/it-2s.html#1860 .


On 15 April 1861, Kingdom of Sardinia/Piedmont flag (the Italian tricolour with Savoy's coat of arms) is declared national flag of the newly-formed Regno d'Italia (Kingdom of Italy).

The Italian tricolour with Savoy's coat of arms was the Italian flag for 85 years, until the fall of the royal house of Italy.

Italian Republic

In its current form, the Italian flag was adopted on 1 January 1948, with the introduction of the republican constitution, and the end of the rule of the House of Savoy over Italy.


In March 2003, after 207 years in service, its colours have been updated to a lighter green (pantone 18-5642 TC), an ivory-tinged white (11-4201 TC) and a ruby red (18-1660 TC).


National flags
List of national flags | Gallery of national flags
List of national coats of arms




Last updated: 02-10-2005 22:23:49
Last updated: 02-25-2005 14:45:12