Banner o Belgium

The naitional banner o Belgium (, , ) conteens three equal vertical baunds o black (hoist side), yellae, an reid. The colours wur takken frae the colours o the Duchy o Brabant, an the vertical design mey be based on the banner o Fraunce.

The naitional banner haes the unuisual proportions o 13:15, but is rarely seen. A banner in a 2:3 or seemilar ratio is uised in maist cases, even bi maist govrenment bodies.See for example the Belgian Federal Government's website, whaur they dinna display the official proportions o the national flag:  The unuisual proportions o 13:15 are o unkent oreegin.

 Previous banners 
Efter the daith o Charlemagne, the present-day territory o Belgium (except the Coonty o Flanders) became pairt o Lotharingie, whilk haed a banner o twa horizontal reid stripes separatit bi a white stripe.  The territory then passed intae Spainyie haunds, an efter the coronation o Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor yellae an reid, the colours o Spain, wur addit. Frae the 16t century tae the end o the 18t century, the colours o whilk is nou Belgium wur reid, white an yellae. Occasionally the reid cross o Burgundy wis placed on the white section o the banner.

Throu the period o Austrian rule, a nummer o different banners wur tried, till the Austrian Emperor imposed the Austrian banner. The population o Brussels wis opposed tae this, an follaein the ensaumple o Fraunce, reid, yellae an black cockades began tae appear; thaim bein the colours o Brabant. The colours sicweys correspond tae the reid lion o Hainaut, Limburg an Luxembourg, the yellae lion o Brabant, an the black lion o Flanders an Namur.

 Independence an adoption o current banner 
On August 26, 1830, the day aefter the riotin at the Brussels Opera, an the stairt o the Belgian Revolution the banner o Fraunce wis flewn frae the ceety hall o Brussels. This wis hastily replaced bi a tricolour o reid, yellae an black horizontal stripes made at a nearhaun fabric store, seimilar tae the ane uised durin the Brabantian Revolution. As a result, airticle 193 o the Constitution o Belgium describes the colours o the Belgian Nation as Reid, Yellae an Black insteid o the order uised in the abuin offeecial banner.

On Januar 23, 1831, the stripes wur chynged frae horizontal tae vertical, an October 12 saw the banner attain its modren form, wi the black placed at the hoist side o the banner. It is suggestit that the chynge wis tae mair clearly distinguish the banner o Belgium frae the banner o the Netherlands (whilk haes three horizontal stripes an aa) inspecially important in naval battles. Some think the chynge tae vertical wis a gesture o sympathy wi the French, again clearly separatin them frae the Dutch.

 References 

 Freemit airtins 


Belgium
Category:Naitional seembols o Belgium