Red, with a golden border and a two-headed eagle: Montenegro recovered in 2004 the colours of its old princes, two years before becoming independent.
Every fact about the flag, each with what it means.
Normal flagFIAV symbol: the form of the flag.
Civil, state and military, on land and at seaFIAV symbol: who may fly the flag.YesIt carries the coat of arms on the cloth.The flag in the words of vexillology and heraldry.
It is a rectangular field with a 1:2 ratio in red, with a golden border and the coat of arms in the centre.
Each element and how many of the 1,390 flags in the catalogue carry it. In yellow, the rarest.
Every date in its story, at a glance.
In 1918 Montenegro joined Yugoslavia and its own flag disappeared for decades
In July 2004, when it still formed a union with Serbia
Two years later, in 2006, the country voted in a referendum on its independence
How it was born, how it has changed and what it means.
The flag of Montenegro is red, with a golden border all around and a golden coat of arms in the centre: a two-headed eagle bearing a lion on its chest. Few national flags have a frame like that, and it makes this one very easy to recognise.
Montenegro is a small country of mountains by the Adriatic Sea. For centuries it was ruled by the Petrović-Njegoš family, first as bishops and later as princes and kings. Their war standards were red, and the two-headed eagle was their emblem.
In 1918 Montenegro joined Yugoslavia and its own flag disappeared for decades. In July 2004, when it still formed a union with Serbia, the Montenegrin parliament chose a flag based on those historical standards. Two years later, in 2006, the country voted in a referendum on its independence.
Montenegro has gone from red to the tricolour and back to red.
1860-1905
With Prince Nikola I, the flag is red, with the white eagle, his initials and a lion.
1905-1918
A red, blue and white tricolour is adopted, similar to the Serbian one, with the eagle in the centre.
1946-1993
As a republic of communist Yugoslavia, the tricolour bears a red star.
1993-2004
The star disappears, the blue becomes lighter and the flag is made three times as long as it is high.
2004
The red of the old princes returns, now with a golden border.
The flag is, above all, a reminder of the history of the country:
Red
the colour of the standards of the Petrović-Njegoš family.
Two-headed eagle
a symbol inherited from the medieval states of the area.
Lion
an emblem that already appeared on the flags of the old princes.
Golden border and coat of arms
the gold that accompanied those standards.
The flag of 1993 to 2004 measured three times as long as it was high, a very rare proportion among national flags.
In the first months, some flags were hoisted with a golden fringe instead of the border, because the official model was not approved until September 2004.
The law entered into force on 13 July, State Day, which recalls two things: the recognition of independence in 1878 and the start of the resistance against the occupation in 1941.
Where it is and what borders it.
Test what you have read about the flag of Montenegro.
Text based on the article “Bandera de Montenegro” from the Spanish Wikipedia, published under the licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sources consulted:
Flag image: B1mbo, Froztbyte, Great Brightstar, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain.
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