Coat of arms of Austria-Hungary. Austrian Empire

Blue and yellow colors are not historically characteristic of Ukrainians?

The history of the Ukrainian flag, like everything that relates to the history of Ukraine, is filled with myths and lies. And these myths were created at the end of the 19th century for the illiterate rural population of Galicia and Little Russia. Then, when the population became somewhat more educated, they didn’t come up with anything better to prove these myths than to prove them by juggling facts, or even outright lies. One of these false myths is the story of the Ukrainian ensign. His main thesis is that from time immemorial these colors have been characteristic of the local population since the creation of Rus', and then of the Cossacks.

...And then they moved on to the newly created Ukrainians.

But, even with a superficial examination of this flag legend, one has to admit that for the first time these colors appeared as state symbols in the Austrian Habsburg Empire. These were the banners of the provinces of Austria.

Then these same colors passed to the Galicians from the hands of the Austrian royal family. Both eyewitnesses of those events and political Ukrainian historians write about this. This means that these were colors intended for local Rusyns (there were no Ukrainians in Galicia at that time) of the Austrian province of Galicia, and had nothing to do with greater Rus'-Ukraine.

In March 1848, revolution broke out in the Austrian Empire. The Poles organized their own Polish Guard. The active creation of detachments of the Polish Guard began. This was the reason for the resistance of the Ruthenian population. Thus, the peasants of Old Milyatin refused to join the guard “under the sign of the single-headed eagle” (that is, the Polish one) and demanded to organize the “Russian Guard”.

In April 1848, the Austrian authorities allowed the creation of the Russian National Guard “to maintain order” in their national provinces. In the 19th paragraph of its Charter it was noted that “each battalion is a banner, and each flag is a standard, decorated with the colors of the region.”

On May 2, in Lemberg (Lvov), the Main Russian Council was created, consisting of Uniate priests (there were no other intelligentsia there. - Author), which took a loyal position regarding the Austrian government. The local guards addressed the question about symbolism to her. On May 16, 1848, Grigory Shashkevich, on behalf of the members of the Russian Council in Stanislav, asked in a letter to the Main Russian Council, “which is the Russian cockade?”

During the Slavic Congress in Prague (June 2-16), the Ukrainian and Polish delegations agreed that the detachments of Poles and Rusyns of the National Guard in Galicia “will have the coats of arms of both nations next to them for their differences.”

In June, a blue and yellow flag appeared on the Lviv City Hall, hung by unknown people. Members of the Rada hastened to dissociate themselves, declaring that “it wasn’t the Rusyns who did it, and they don’t know who did it.” That is, no one knew what these colors were or how to interpret them. “Zorya Galitskaya” replied at the end of June that “the coat of arms, or banner of Galician Rus': that is, a golden lion in its lap, backing onto a rock.”

For their faithful service to Franz Joseph, the Russian Galicians were awarded the latter nickname “Tyroleans of the Middle East,” and he granted them a blue and yellow flag. Modern Ukrainian nationalists have not found anything better than to declare this symbol of the Austrian provinces and the German-Habsburg “weasel” as a symbol of the entire “independent Ukraine”.

On September 20, 1848, the Main Russian Council issues an appeal to the Ruthenian people in the matter of organizing detachments of the National Guard. Such detachments are being created in Stryi, Drohobych, Yavorov, Berezhany and other cities and villages.

But historical events left their mark in the memory of the people and some still remembered those events when local Russian troops took part in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, on the side of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) against their long-time ally from the times of the Galicia-Volyn principality - Teutonic Order, under a blue banner with a golden lion. Therefore, we took the colors of the badges of those regiments as a sample.

The Polish chronicler Jan Dlugosz left a description of the banners of troops from Russian lands who came to the army with the crusaders.

But the rural population, who yesterday were serfs, did not know all the heraldic subtleties, therefore, turning on behalf of the rural communities to the Russian Rada, “many deputies asked that they now send the Russian standard from Lvov for the village, for there are no good artisans here who would have such standar honestly sdilaty mogly."

The Main Russian Rada, which called themselves Rutenians, took the hint with the episode of the blue and yellow flag, which was already in use in the provinces of Austria and, in order not to quarrel with the monarch, adopted these colors, fortunately there was some local justification. Therefore, flags with two horizontal stripes “in Russian colors” became widely used - blue-yellow and yellow-blue (the first, according to the rules of vexillology - the science of flags - marks the top color). And already at meetings of the local community the colors used in the Austrian Empire were present.

Describing the first congress of Ukrainian scientists in Leo, Yakov Golovatsky writes: “On the 7/19 of Thursday, 1848, a cathedral of Russian scientists and lovers of popular education was opened... On the 2nd year, all the members of the assembly and many gathered to open the cathedral guests with signs of the Russian people to the museum salo. The eyes of all those present were struck with a strong impression by the red decoration of the walls. For the first time, the Rusyns saw a place where everything reminded them of the people - Under the image of the sovereign monarch there rested two banners of the Synozhov... the windows and pillars were decorated with people. barva - with these latter stirrups at a pair of ensigns, also with a synozhov barva "...

Yakov Golovatsky - witness...

You need to know that no one will ever dare to place flags and banners of colors not approved by him with the portrait of the monarch. The explanation that Golovatsky gave for the symbolism of the colors of the flag has since been used by modern deputies, despite the increased level of education of the local population: “the barva people enlightened us and depicted not wealth, abundance, but a strong, generous will, good intention. Blue color, as pure the sky of southern Rus', clear, weathery, like the soul of the broad, unspeakable Rusyn, depicting the peace and tranquility that was before the development of our popular needs. The golden color, like those dawns in the clear sky, depicted the clear light to which we strive to live.” But now, instead of lightning, the emphasis is on the color of the wheat.

In heraldry, as a science, they have a completely different meaning. The fact that the current colors of the flags were approved in the Habsburg royal family is confirmed by the famous in Galicia, holder of the Austrian Order of the Knight's Cross of Leopold, Kost Levitsky: “Afterwards a letter from Caesar Franz Joseph arrived with the date: Olomouc, March 10, 1849: “I call for the deployment of a battalion Russian archers, in this way, as the battalions of hunters in lower Austria and Styria were then organized, - with a warning about joining the cavalry service, which I also recognize as the proposed national system. The formation should be managed by my Ministry of War, and it has the “Head Russian Rada” in Lvov to declare for this new proof of its patriotic activity - recognition of my complete satisfaction.”

The ribbon for the flag of the Russian National Guard Corps was embroidered by the mother of Emperor Franz Joseph, Archpriest Sophia. On this tape she placed the inscription: “Treue fuhrt zum Siege - Sophie Erzherzogin von Oesterreich.” (“Loyalty leads to victory - Sophia, Archduchess of Austria”!.

As we see, no hint of a connection with any Cossacks, Bogdan Khmelnitsky, is given here. Yes, it’s hard to imagine that the cissar of Austria would be concerned about the two-hundred-year-old history of some Orthodox Cossacks in the distant Ukraine of Poland and Russia. These Cossacks with their regimental badges appeared as arguments later, when the population of Little Russia had to come up with a new story in which they would appear as a special non-Russian people of the outskirts of Poland. Therefore, the ideologists of the new people tried to hide the role of the Habsburgs in the history of the emergence of a new symbol.

The fact that the blue-yellow colors have nothing to do with Rus'-Ukraine is also evidenced by the fact that for the first time on the territory of modern Ukraine it appeared together with the Galician archers, who were skillfully directed by the Jesuits and Germans on the eve of the war with Russia: “Not The archers also forgot about connections with Greater Ukraine. In particular, members of their organizations Vasily Semets, Yulian Okhrimovich and Ivan Lizanivsky were sent there from Lvov for revolutionary work. They took part in the organization and activities of some Eastern Ukrainian secret student societies, made reports, and initiated a number of actions. It was behind their initiative that the Ukrainian students of Kyiv in March 1914, on the occasion of the Shevchenko holidays, first demonstrated under yellow-blue flags.

As we see, with the help of such narrow-minded Galicians, these colors of the Habsburg Empire first penetrated the territory of Little Russia in 1914 and began to poison the life of the local population.

Also, all the words about yellow Cossack banners turn out to be lies. Upon closer examination, it turns out that the Little Russian Cossacks, who called themselves Russians, remembered the historical colors of Rus'. Moreover, according to the “History of the Rus,” they considered themselves successors and heirs to the glory of the Russian princes.

Since the Cossack hetmanship was a kind of centralized military formation, the banner of this formation is the symbol of the entire Cossacks, despite the fact that other colors were used in regiments and hundreds that could be distinguished in the dust of battles. But this was not caused by the national differences of these regiments and hundreds, but by the military necessity in battle to determine the location of this or that regiment or hundreds, since there were no radio stations at that time.

Here are the flags of the Cossack hundreds of the Kyiv and Chernigov regiments, as well as the Kyiv magistrate, captured by the Lithuanian hetman Janusz Radzivil in 1651. Among the flags are three Kyiv banners with a bow and arrow in a ring - the coat of arms of the then Kyiv.

As you can see, there are only three flags with a yellow field, five with a blue field and nine with a red field. Moreover, there are also mirror images of the design of the flags, which indicates the practical military use of the flag. Therefore, adding second-rate flags of Cossack hundreds to the history of the Ukrainian flag is a consequence of the ignorance of farmers with degrees.

Thus, it can be concluded that the blue and yellow flag granted by the Habsburgs first appeared in Galicia only after 1848 as a symbol of the local Russian population, which was not Polish. This flag then, with the development of political Austrophilian Ukrainianism, was brought to Ukraine in 1914. And after the collapse of Tsarist Russia, with the help of the Galicians, members of the Central Rada, an attempt was made to impose it as a state flag on the entire people of Rus'-Ukraine. But, since in heraldry all colors have their own symbolism, the fate of those people who use certain colors in their coats of arms is also symbolic. They reflect their character traits and destiny. The dying Habsburg Empire, along with the flag, transmitted its virus of death to its fans.

The first to feel the evil fate of the new banner were members of the Central Rada. The workers and the poor did not accept it and threw its carriers to the Zbruch River, closer to the place of his birth. But here the spiritual kinship of blue-yellow with the Austro-Germans was also revealed. With their help, he returned to Ukraine three times. The first time, with the help of the Germans, thanks to the “bread agreement”, the Central Rada returned again under this flag to Kyiv. Thus, the yellow color of treason confirmed the character of the admirers of its colors.

But now the Germans did not need such holders of the yellow-blue flag, and they dismissed them to their homes, putting their servant General Pavel Skoropadsky in their place. He tried to change the karma of the flag and turned it over - the flag became blue and yellow. But it didn't help. Less than six months later, they had to turn it down, leave their homeland and flee to their patrons, and in 1945 their servant Pavel Skoropadsky died in Berlin under a bombing, repeating the fate of many traitors to his people.

At this time, the parents of the flag, the Habsburg state, also died, and this was a direct indication of the danger of the colors of the gift of the late state. But the narrow-minded Galician Ukrainians, not understanding the signs of the fate of their like-minded people in Ukraine, did not let him out of their hands.

Simon Petlyura also loved blue and yellow...

The Petliurists, another lovers of yellow and blue, again tried to reverse the fatal fate of the flag. Did not work out. Simon Petlyura found himself in the same place as the previous Central Rada. Here he met the first adherents of this banner, representatives of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic, whom the Poles with their yellow-blue flag sent across the Zbruch to Petliura. The flag's reputation was confirmed. And again the color of treason had a fatal influence on the minds of his fans. First, the ZUNR members betray Petliura and go to Anton Denikin, and then Petliura sells the territory of Galicia to the Poles, together with his friends from the ZUNR, and now, but only instead of the Turks, after 250 years he brings the Poles to Kyiv. But the fatal flag turned out to be stronger here too. The Poles did not allow Petliura to govern, and then he had to flee his homeland. And for such persistence and betrayal, the flag took cruel revenge on him: he was shot dead in a foreign land.

The historical red color of the Russians has returned to the territory of Ukraine. The country was moving away from the plow to airplanes, tractors, and hydroelectric power plants. But in the homeland of the appearance of the fatal flag in Galicia, near Poland, a new generation was growing up, who were called OUN members, and who, although they were devout, had little understanding of heraldry, and therefore did not understand the fatal role of blue and yellow in the fate of their predecessors. In addition to this, they actively began to worship another fatal symbol of history - Ivan Mazepa, who, after the anathema of the Orthodox Church, died in a foreign land. And fate does not forgive such inattention to its signs.

The OUN members began to be used by the enemies of the Slavs - the German fascists, against their own people. The colors of the flag played their fatal role here too. The yellow color of betrayal and money pulled them into the maelstrom of fratricidal war. Under the yellow and blue, they became policemen and punitive forces in occupied Ukraine and Belarus, SS men in the Galicia division. The last time during the Nazi occupation, this Habsburg legacy hung over the police department of the Ukrainian Auxiliary Police in Kyiv.

But the fate of the flag is inexorable. Bandera and SS men were expelled and scattered throughout the world, and Stepan Bandera fell in Munich at the hands of his former accomplice.

No matter how much you wrap the flag, the blood will remain on it...

It would seem that history should teach the people who suffered so many fratricidal conflicts, betrayals and betrayals under this Habsburg gift. But this does not reach the intelligentsia of the people inhabiting the territory of ancient Rus'. As soon as the generation of victorious landowners and fascists began to leave, their narrow-minded grandchildren, with the obsession of drug addicts, again reached for the fatal gift of the Habsburgs, infected with the death virus.

What was built, defended, consolidated, erected with the blood of millions of workers and peasants, they decided to take away into their pockets, corners and closets. World eaters, speculators and capitalists were again called the saviors of the nation. Symbols of power from the past were perfect for this purpose: the dying gift of the Habsburgs, the yellow-blue flag and the anathematized Mazepa. The latter spreads the curse of the ancestors on everyone who has his image in their pocket.

An entire generation of Komsomol members and Communist Party workers betrayed the cause and ideals of the heroes of the Civil and Great Patriotic War, their oath to serve the working people, and adopted the yellow color of profit and treason. They began to serve yesterday's thieves and swindlers, oath apostates, renegades. The result was immediate. Industry was destroyed, followed by science and education. The reverse process began for the plow. The population of Ukraine has decreased by eight million people and continues to decline. Many millions of residents are forced to leave for foreign lands. Once again fate punishes, but already a whole generation for his choice...

But this interpretation, in principle, does not raise any objections...

Today, a new generation of capitalists has come to power. But above them the same symbol of the Habsburgs develops, a symbol of treason and profit, which brings misfortune to those on whom it casts its shadow. Therefore, one conclusion can be drawn from the lessons of history - until the Habsburg flag is replaced with the flag of our ancestors - red, misfortunes will haunt this population, which renounced the name of their ancestors, the name of their state and took control a banner alien to him and called himself Polish Ukrainians...

The Austrian Empire was proclaimed as a monarchical state in 1804 and lasted until 1867, after which it transformed into Austria-Hungary. Otherwise, it was called the Habsburg Empire, after the name of one of the Habsburgs, Franz, who, like Napoleon, also proclaimed himself emperor.

Inheritance

The Austrian Empire in the 19th century, if you look at the map, looks like this. It is immediately clear that this is a multinational state. And, most likely, as often happens, it is devoid of stability. Looking through the pages of history, one can be convinced that this happened here too. Tiny multi-colored specks collected under one border - this is Habsburg Austria. The map especially shows how fragmented the lands of the empire were. The Habsburg ancestral allotments are small regional areas inhabited by completely different peoples. The composition of the Austrian Empire was something like this.

• Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic.
• Transcarpathia (Carpathian Rus').
• Transylvania, Croatia, Vojvodina (Banat).
• Galicia, Bukovina.
• Northern Italy (Lombardy, Venice).

Not only did all peoples have different origins, but their religions also did not coincide. The peoples of the Austrian Empire (about thirty-four million) were half Slavs (Slovaks, Czechs, Croats, Poles, Ukrainians, Serbs. There were about five million Magyars (Hungarians), about the same number of Italians.

At the junction of history

Feudalism had not yet outlived its usefulness by that time, but Austrian and Czech artisans could already call themselves workers, since the industry of these areas had fully developed to capitalist.

The Habsburgs and the nobility surrounding them were the dominant force of the empire, they occupied all the highest positions - both military and bureaucratic. Absolutism, the dominance of arbitrariness - bureaucratic and security forces in the form of the police, the dictates of the Catholic Church, the richest institution in the empire - all this one way or another oppressed small nations, united together, like water and oil are incompatible even in a mixer.

The Austrian Empire on the eve of the revolution

The Czech Republic was quickly Germanized, especially the bourgeoisie and aristocracy. Landowners from Hungary strangled millions of Slavic peasants, but they themselves were also very dependent on the Austrian authorities. The Austrian Empire put harsh pressure on its Italian provinces. It is even difficult to distinguish what type of oppression was: the struggle of feudalism with capitalism or based on purely national differences.

Metternich, the head of government and an ardent reactionary, for thirty years banned any language other than German in all institutions, including courts and schools. The population was mainly peasant. Considered free, these people were completely dependent on the landowners, paid quitrents, and performed duties reminiscent of corvée.

It was not only the masses of the people who groaned under the yoke of residual feudal orders and absolute power with its arbitrariness. The bourgeoisie was also dissatisfied and clearly pushed the people to revolt. The revolution in the Austrian Empire for the above reasons was simply inevitable.

National self-determination

All peoples are freedom-loving and respect the development and preservation of their national culture. Especially Slavic ones. Then, under the weight of the Austrian boot, the Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians, and Italians strove for self-government, the development of literature and the arts, and sought education in schools in national languages. Writers and scientists were united by one idea - national self-determination.

The same processes took place among the Serbs and Croats. The more difficult living conditions became, the brighter the dream of freedom blossomed, which was reflected in the works of artists, poets and musicians. National cultures rose above reality and inspired their compatriots to take decisive steps towards freedom, equality, and fraternity - following the example of the Great French Revolution.

Uprising in Vienna

In 1847, the Austrian Empire achieved a completely revolutionary situation. It was made more acute by the general economic crisis and two years of crop failures, and the impetus was the overthrow of the monarchy in France. Already in March 1848, the revolution in the Austrian Empire matured and broke out.

Workers, students, and artisans erected barricades on the streets of Vienna and demanded the resignation of the government, not being afraid of the imperial troops who advanced to suppress the unrest. The government made concessions, dismissing Metternich and some ministers. Even a constitution was promised.

The public, however, quickly armed itself: the workers in any case received nothing - not even voting rights. The students created the academic legion, and the bourgeoisie created the national guard. And they resisted when these illegal armed groups tried to disband, which forced the emperor and the government to flee Vienna.

The peasants, as usual, did not have time to take part in the revolution. In some places they spontaneously rebelled, refusing to pay rent and arbitrarily cutting down the landowners' groves. Naturally, the working class had more consciousness and organization. Fragmentation and individualism of labor do not add cohesion.

Incompleteness

Like all German revolutions, the Austrian revolution was not completed, although it can already be called bourgeois-democratic. The working class was not yet mature enough, the bourgeoisie, as always, was liberal and behaved treacherously, plus there was national discord and military counter-revolution.

Failed to win. The monarchy renewed and intensified its triumphant oppression over impoverished and disenfranchised peoples. It is positive that some reforms took place, and most importantly, the revolution finally killed it. It is also good that the country retained its territories, because after the revolutions, more homogeneous countries than Austria fell apart. The empire map has not changed.

Rulers

In the first half of the nineteenth century, until 1835, all state affairs were managed by Emperor Franz I. Chancellor Metternich was smart and had great weight in politics, but it was often simply impossible to convince the emperor. After the unpleasant consequences of the French Revolution for Austria, all the horrors of the Napoleonic wars, Metternich most of all longed to restore order so that peace would reign in the country.

However, Metternich failed to create a parliament with representatives of all the peoples of the empire; the provincial diets never received any real powers. However, economically quite backward Austria, with a feudal reactionary regime, over the thirty years of Metternich’s work turned into the strongest state in Europe. His role was also great in the creation of the counter-revolutionary in 1815.

In an effort to keep the shreds of the empire from completely disintegrating, Austrian troops brutally suppressed the uprisings in Naples and Piedmont in 1821, maintaining complete domination of the country by Austrians over non-Austrians. Very often, popular unrest outside Austria was suppressed, due to which the army of this country acquired a bad reputation among adherents of national self-determination.

An excellent diplomat, Metternich was in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Emperor Franz was in charge of the internal affairs of the state. With close attention, he monitored all movements in the field of education: officials strictly checked everything that could be studied and read. The censorship was brutal. Journalists were prohibited from even mentioning the word “constitution.”

Things were relatively calm in religion, and some religious tolerance appeared. Revived Catholics supervised education, and no one was excommunicated from the church without the consent of the emperor. Jews were released from the ghetto, and synagogues were even built in Vienna. It was then that Solomon Rothschild emerged among the bankers, making friends with Metternich. And even received a baronial title. In those days it was an incredible event.

The end of a great power

Austria's foreign policy in the second half of the century is full of failures. Continuous defeats in wars.

• (1853-1856).
• Austro-Prussian War (1866).
• Austro-Italian War (1866).
• war with Sardinia and France (1859).

At this time, there was a sharp break in relations with Russia, then the creation of all this led to the fact that the Habsburgs lost influence on the states of not only Germany, but throughout Europe. And - as a consequence - the status of a great power.

Hello, dear ones!
It’s probably no secret that this year marks 100 years since the beginning of the First World War, which I consider one of the most significant events in the history of the world over the last 2-3 centuries for sure.
Could this war have been avoided? I think no. The only thing is that the war could have been delayed for several years. To do this, they just had to meet cousins ​​Nicky, Willy and Georgie (Tsar Nicholas II, Kaiser Wilhelm II and King George V ), and I think they would agree. But but but....
Now we will not go into the jungle of history and big politics and analyze the possibilities (impossibility) of postponing/cancelling the war - not at all. We will simply take as a basis that Europe, not to mention the rest of the world, was different... completely different.

Nicky, Georgie, Willie

I suggest you take a brief look at the state flags of the world of states, before the impending global catastrophe of 1913.
We immediately discard South America - because there have been practically no changes in their flags since the beginning of the 20th century. Let’s not touch Oceania - because there were simply no independent countries there, but there’s not much to roam around in Africa either - whatever one may say, there are only 2 independent states - Ethiopia and Liberia, and several more semi-independent ones.

Map of Europe before the war

In Europe at that time there were only 26 independent states. Most of them have not changed their flags since then, but there were also those who changed this state symbol. First of all, this concerns, of course, collapsed empires.
One of the most interesting states of that time was the dying Habsburg Empire. Theoretically, she had opportunities for development, but for this it was necessary to have 3 factors - a strong and sane heir to the throne to replace the elderly Joseph II, granting the broadest powers to the Slavic population with the subsequent restructuring of the country into some kind of Austro-Hungarian-Slavia, and a dozen years of peaceful life. All these factors were literally swept away after the shots fired in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. It is Franz Ferdinand who is now seen as the figure under whom the empire would have a chance. But it happened the way it happened.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand with his family.

By 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had a gorgeous, in my opinion, state emblem, which you can see here:
Their flag was no less interesting. These days you certainly can’t find them anywhere.
Base - 3 equal-sized horizontal stripes: inthe top one is red, the middle one is white, the bottom one is half red, half green.
Thus, the flag seems to combine the national colors of both Austria and Hungary.


Flag of the Austro-Hungarian Empire for 1914.

The red-white-red banner of the Austrians, according to legend, arose in the 12th century during the Crusades. Duke of Styria and Austria Leopold V After one of the battles, Babenberg took off his cotta (outer clothing like a tunic), which was soaked in the blood of enemies and the Duke himself, dust, sweat and dirt, and it turned from dazzling white to red-white-red. The whiteness remained only under the belt. The Duke liked the color combination so much that he decided to make it his personal standard.
According to legend, again, it was the red-white-red banner that Leopold hung over the tallest building of conquered Accra, which infuriated Richard the Lionheart, who tore off the ducal standard and hung his own, which led to a direct conflict with Leopold. The Duke later recalled the insult to the English king, but that’s a completely different story.

Duke of Austria and Styria Leopold V

Be that as it may, since approximately that time, a cloth of this color has been the Austrian national banner.There is an alternative version - red is the color of the beautiful land of Austria, and white is the Danube River flowing through the country
Red, white and green is the old Hungarian national banner.The red color recalls the blood shed in the struggle for freedom, white signifies the purity and nobility of the ideals of the Hungarian people and their readiness for self-sacrifice, and green expresses hope for a better future for the country and its prosperity.


Flag of Hungary with small coat of arms

The scarlet and white colors are the ancestral symbols of the princely Arpad family, who united the country and rule it. Green came later (around the 15th century) from the coat of arms.
In addition to the stripes on the state banner of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, we see 2 coat of arms. On one, the national flag of Austria, topped with a royal crown, as a symbol of Habsburg power, and on the second, the small coat of arms of Hungary (there was also a large one) - the right side of the shield with four red and white stripes is again the coat of arms of the Arpads, on the left side there is a six-pointed white a cross on a red field symbolizes the Christian religion, and three green hills represent the Tatra, Matra and Fatra mountain ranges, which were historically part of Hungary (currently only Matra remains in the country). The coat of arms is crowned with the so-called crown of St. Stephen (Istvan) with a well-recognized falling cross - it symbolizes the strength and history of Hungary.
This is such an interesting banner.


Crown of St. Stephen (Istvan)

Speaking about Austria-Hungary, we cannot help but mention the banner of the German Empire. 2 Since 1892, the Reich has existed under a national flag, which was calleddie Schwarz-Weiß-Rot Flagge, that is, the Black-White-Red flag.
The black and white colors were borrowed from the Kingdom of Prussia, which in turn absorbed shades of the Teutonic Order, as well as from the ancestral colors of the Hohenzollerns.


German imperial flag.

The red color was most often found on the flags of North German states and cities, as well as on the flags of many states of Southern Germany (Baden, Thuringia, Hesse).


Flag of Hesse

Since Otto von Bismarck played the most direct role in its adoption and establishment, some called it the banner of iron and blood.
To be continued...
Have a nice day!

Heraldry of lands and state entities belonging to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Large State Emblem of Austria-Hungary 1915 was the following: a golden shield depicting an Austrian double-headed crowned eagle with the imperial shield of Austria on the chest, surmounted by the Imperial Crown, held to the left of the viewer by a heraldic griffin (an element of the Great Coat of Arms of the Archduchy of Austria); the large royal shield of Hungary, surmounted by the Crown of St. Stephen (an element of the Great Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Hungary), is held on the right by an angel. In the center between the two shields and in the foreground towards the viewer is the family shield of the Habsburgs-Lorraine - a field cut into three vertical parts: the left one is golden in color with a red lion on the hind legs (the Habsburg family coat of arms); central red with a horizontal silver stripe in the center (historical colors of Austria); right - a golden field dissected diagonally from the lower right corner to the upper left with a red stripe with three flying silver eagles (coat of arms of Lorraine). The shield of the Habsburgs-Lorraine is crowned with a royal crown, under it are the highest awards of the empire: the Order of the Golden Fleece, Maria Theresa, St. Stephen, Leopold.

The shield holders stand on the branches of a heraldic plant, entwined at the bottom with a ribbon with the motto in Latin: "Indivisibiliter Ac Inseparabiliter" (Latin: "One and Indivisible").

1. The Great Imperial Shield of Austria contains the following elements:

1) In a red field there is a silver lion. Bohemia (Czech Republic).

2) The blue field is crossed by a red belt. At the top is a walking black raven. At the bottom there are three crowns. Galicia (Ukraine).

3) In a blue field there are three golden crowned lion heads. Dalmatia (Croatia).

4) In a golden field there is a black eagle, burdened on its chest with a silver trefoil. Silesia (Czech Republic).

5) The field is dissected. In the right golden part there is a black lion. The left red one has a silver belt. Salzburg (Austria).

6) In a blue field, a checkerboard eagle covered with gold and red. Moravia (Czech Republic).

7) In a silver field there is a red eagle, burdened on its wings with a golden trefoil. Tyrol (Austria).

8) In a field dissected by blue and red, there is a black head of a bull accompanied by three golden molettes. Bukovina (Ukraine).

9) There is a red banner on a silver field. Voralberg (Austria).

10) In a blue field there is a golden goat with red horns. Istria (Croatia).

11) In a golden field, a right hand in red emerging from a silver cloud, holding a saber. Bosnia and Herzegovina.

12) The field is sloping on the right. In the upper blue part there is a golden lion. At the bottom there are six silver and red belts. Gorica (Slovenia).

13) In a crossed gold and blue field there is a silver anchor cross. Gradisca (Italy).

14) The field is rough. At the top is a gold one - a black double-headed eagle. At the bottom is a gold lily-shaped spear tip. Trieste (Italy).

On top of the large imperial shield is a small one:

A) There are five golden eagles in a blue field. Lower Austria.

B) Dissected field. On the right side there is a golden eagle, the left is cut by four silver and red pillars. Upper Austria.

B) In a green field there is a silver “heraldic panther”. Styria (Austria).

D) In ​​a silver field there is a blue crowned eagle, burdened on the chest with a crescent moon, divided in a checkerboard pattern of red and gold. Krajina (Bosnia).

D) The field is dissected. In the right golden part there are three black lions. The left red one has a silver belt. Carinthia (Austria).

On top of everything there is a small shield: in a red field there is a silver belt. Austria.

2. The Great Royal Shield of Hungary contains the following elements:

1) In a blue field there are three golden crowned lion heads. Dalmatia (Croatia).

2) In a blue field there is a red sash with a silver border. In the center of the red band is a running black marten. At the top of the blue field is a golden six-pointed star. Slavonia (Croatia)

3) In a golden field, a right hand in red emerging from a silver cloud, holding a saber. Bosnia and Herzegovina.

4) In a red field there is a black crowned double-headed eagle holding a jug of water in its paws. Fiume (Italy; now Rijeka, Croatia).

5) The field is dissected. There are seven red towers in the lower golden field. In the upper blue field with a red band below there is a black eagle, above which is the sun on the right and a crescent on the left. Transylvania (Romania).

6) Checkerboard silver-red field. Croatia.

On top of the large shield is a small shield, cut vertically in two (symbolizing Hungary):

A) The field is dissected by eight red and silver bands.

B) In a red field on three green hills there is a silver six-pointed cross emanating from a golden crown.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was divided into two parts: Cisleithania (lands of the Austrian crown) and Transleithania (lands of the Hungarian crown)

Great coat of arms of Austria

Small coat of arms of Austria

Lands of Cisleithania

Archduchy of Lower Austria

Archduchy of Upper Austria

Duchy of Salzburg

Duchy of Styria

Duchy of Carinthia

Duchy of Carniola

The coastal land (Küstenland) consisted of the Margraviate of Istria, the princely counties of Gorizia and Gradiska, the city of Trieste and the region.

Margraviate of Istria

Princely County of Gorizia and Gradiska

City of Trieste with region

County of Tyrol

Region Vorarlberg

Kingdom of Bohemia (Czech Republic)

Margraviate of Moravia

Duchy of Silesia

Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria

Duchy of Bukovina

Kingdom of Dalmatia

Lands of Transleithania

Great coat of arms of the Kingdom of Hungary.
I did not find the coat of arms of Bosnia separately, but it is on this large coat of arms in the lower left corner - a hand with a sword.

Grand Duchy (in other sources duchy) Transylvania

Free Port City of Fiume

Kingdom of Croatia.

Coat of arms of the united kingdom of Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia
Here an unsolvable mystery arose for me: how did Dolmatia, which belonged to Cisleithania, end up in a kingdom belonging to Transleithania?

I got all the information from Wikipedia

Supporters of this tricolor call it imperial. They are convinced that Russia’s golden age is connected precisely with the black-yellow-white banner. They say that this color combination is more authentic to the original Russian statehood. Hardly…

Imperial flag

The “imperial banner” served as the official state flag from 1858 to 1883. Indeed, during this period the Caucasus was finally conquered, and the Balkan campaign was successfully carried out. The Russian Empire did not suffer any major defeats. The flag, which is important for its supporters today, was never used by collaborators during the Great Patriotic War, unlike the white-blue-red banner. But there is one thing... It was during the period of officiality of the black-yellow-white tricolor that the Russian Tsar, Emperor Alexander II, was killed for the first time in Russian history.

“And your flag is wrong”

Why Alexander II decided to carry out a “color reset” is still an open question. There is a version that the tsar, after the unsuccessful Crimean War and the inglorious death of his father Nicholas I, decided to shake up the empire and began by changing the flag. But, in my opinion, everything is much more banal... It’s just, as often happened in Russian history, one day a “scientific German” appeared...

In 1857, the armorial department of the heraldry department of the empire had a new head - Bernhard Karl (aka Boris Vasilyevich) Köhne, a famous numismatist and collector. Boris Vasilyevich, the son of a Berlin archivist, by that time had a dynamic career in a foreign land: as a protégé of the Duke of Leuchtenberg, Koehne, who settled in Russia, he became one of the founders of the Russian Archaeological Society and received the position of curator of the numismatic department of the Hermitage. Köhne celebrated his assumption of office by popularly explaining to responsible government officials that the flag of the Russian Empire was incorrect. It's all about the combination of colors: according to the German heraldic school, the colors of the flag should correspond to the dominant colors of the coat of arms. And where, pray tell, is the color blue in your coat of arms? And really – where? The eagle is black, in gold, St. George is white... It didn’t take long to persuade the sovereign, and in the summer of 1858, Alexander II signed a fateful decree:

“Description of the highest approved design of the arrangement of the coat of arms of the Empire on banners, flags and other items used for decoration on special occasions. The arrangement of these colors is horizontal, the top stripe is black, the middle stripe is yellow (or gold), and the bottom stripe is white (or silver). The first stripes correspond to the black state eagle in a yellow field, and the cockade of these two colors was founded by Emperor Paul I, while banners and other decorations of these colors were already used during the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna. The lower stripe, white or silver, corresponds to the cockade of Peter the Great and Empress Catherine II; Emperor Alexander I, after the capture of Paris in 1814, combined the correct armorial cockade with the ancient one of Peter the Great, which corresponds to the white or silver horseman (St. George) in the Moscow coat of arms.”

What does Austria have to do with it?

The Senate approved the decree, but on the political sidelines there was some confusion: “Does this flag remind you of anything? It seems that the Austrians have the same..."

Indeed, similarities with the standard of the Austrian Empire were observed. Fortunately, Austrian heraldists divided their coat of arms into only two colors - black and yellow. If he was still white, there could be an embarrassment.

In addition, the Kingdom of Saxony had exactly the same flag (black and yellow). On the contrary, the yellow and white state standard of the Kingdom of Hanover coincided with the new Russian tricolor at the bottom.

All these coincidences gave rise to unnecessary conspiracy theories in Russian society. The fact is that Saxony and Hanover were the patrimony of two branches of the Welf-Wettin clan (from which, by the way, the current Windsor dynasty ruling in Britain originates), and legends began to emerge among the people that the Romanovs secretly became vassals of these clans - they swore allegiance to the Germans after unsuccessful Crimean War.

But the statesmen still decided to explain why the previous tricolor did not please them. Thus, the minister of the imperial court by the name of Adlerberg complained that the time had come to cleanse himself of “foreignness,” hinting that the former tricolor had Dutch roots. And the sovereign himself more than once advised to draw inspiration from pre-Petrine times, or even from Byzantium itself - and the Second Rome also had a yellow-black flag. At this time, many “scientific” articles were published that explained the “natural selection” of the yellow-black-white flag: they talked about the Byzantine rule of John III, who gave Russia a two-headed eagle, about Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who allegedly, under threat of execution, punished the use of yellow-black colors in the state seal..

Consolation flag

After the death of Alexander II, the “standard problem” was inherited by Emperor Alexander III. All this was aggravated by the fact that the German Empire, which absorbed Hanover and Saxony, and Austria, together with Italy, concluded the Triple Alliance in 1882, which was not the most friendly to the Russian Empire. It was necessary to do something with the state banner.

In 1883, the Tsar dismissed Koehne, who by that time had already created the Great Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire, the coat of arms of the Romanovs and formulated new laws in domestic heraldry. In April of the same year, the emperor returned the former tricolor as official. In the “Austrian” flag, Alexander III changes the alternation of colors to white-yellow-black and gives it the status of the flag of the Romanov dynasty.

Society greets the emperor's decision with joy. But the fact that the “Kenev tricolor”, albeit in a modified form, has still been preserved, gives new food to home-grown conspiracy theorists - “After all, the Romanovs sold Mother Rus' to the Welf-Wettins...”