Last modified: 2026-10-31 by 
klaus-michael schneider
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4:5, image by Jaume Ollé
Batavia has used many different flags, since J.P. Coen awarded it a coat of arms on 15 August 1620; to be sure, the basic idea remained constant, but there were many variations in detail.
To which must be added that since the Netherlands Indies had no arms or flag of its own, the arms and flag of Batavia were always used for the Netherlands Indies, which was of course incorrect.
The arms according to the original text was: a sword azure in an orange shield with the point through a brown green laurel wreath.
The colour of the field, probably an allusion the name of the house of Orange, is rare in coats of arms.
The Netherlands East India Company always used the sword with laurel wreath on red-white-blue flags.
The citizenry of Batavia later did use an orange flag (see image at top), displayed as in the arms, but it appears that the Company never did so.
Source:
Rühl 1952, p.139
Norman Martin, 2003
The oldest known version of th city flag is orange with coat of arms (see image at top).
Source: Rühl 1952, p.139
Norman Martin, 2003
2:3, image by Jaume Ollé
Later in the time of the Company, we find the sword with laurel wreath on a flag with 9 stripes which repeats the red-white-blue tricolour three times.
Source: Rühl 1952, p.139
Norman Martin, 2003
2:3, image by Jaume Ollé
A later change gives us a six striped field (twice red-white-blue) with the sword with laurel wreath superimposed
Source: Rühl 1952, p.139
Norman Martin, 2003
2:3, image by Jaume Ollé
The variant is six striped with the sword over all the stripes, but the wreath only over the top three.
Source:
Rühl 1952, p.139
Norman Martin, 2003
2:3, image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 Oct 2026
The flag was produced on 6 September 1938 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the reign of Queen Wilhelmina as a flag tribute of the Netherlands Indies.
Instructions were given by the Minister of Colonies.
It was a horizontal 6-stripes flag red-white-blue-red-white-blue. On white canton had been the city arms over a white scroll with inscription "Batavia"
Source: Rühl 1952, p.139
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 2003
 1:1; image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 15 May 2025 |
 1:1; image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 15 May 2025 |
[vis90] , on page 21 shows a page which it describes as: "Vlaggekaart van ´Nederland en zijne Kolonё´' uit omstreeks 1880."
(Don´t know the source; the closest he gives is Steenbergen, but that is from 1865.)
Flag 25 on that flag chart is ´Batavia´, and though the entire charge is placed one stripe lower than we have it, the image clearly has nine stripes. This is the same as for flag 26 next to it,
´Atjeh´, which is triple Dutch as well, but in this case without a charge.
Yes, it could [be erroneous], but not that erroneous as to change the number of stripes in the source. It may be we depict the charge a stripe too high, though.
So, a version of flag 25, slightly recoloured with all the stripes the same height, and the charge a stripe lower. Plus exactly 2:3.
There are more small differences that could be made, but until we know what we are looking at, it is not really worth the bother.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 15 May 2025
2:3, image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 28 Oct 2026
The flag was plain black.
Source: Steenbergen 1865, plate 20, image 701
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 28 Oct 2026
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