Last modified: 2013-11-20 by pete loeser
Keywords: germany | german confederation | bund | ensign: war | jack | hambach festival | text: german | text: deutschlands wiedergeburt | text: germany's rebirth | canton (yellow) | eagle (black) | subnational |
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Image by António Martins
Bundesflagge Flag adopted 9th March 1848, Handelsflagge Ensign adopted 12 November 1848, both abolished 1867
The German national revival that accompanied the defeat of Napoleon, together with the spread of liberal ideas caused largely by the French Revolution, created in Germany a relative weakening of dynastic and particularistic loyalities and a strengthening of national feelings, particularly among the youth. When, in 1816, a student organization covering all the German-speaking universities was formed it adopted a black over red over gold tricolour, believing (to judge by the accompanying rhetoric) that these were the traditional colours of Germany. Why they thought this is less clear, especially since the Hapsburg emperors, when they used colours as decorations, used black and yellow, i.e. without the red. Of course, in a way this may have influenced the matter, since the Hapsburgs continued to use black and yellow even after the end of the Holy Roman Empire. There appear to be several theories:
The black-red-gold flags of 1848 were really in more or less official use as long as the Provisional Authority in Frankfurt lasted (roughly 1852), but were never formally abolished and hence were considered by some still to exist as late as 1866, or even later.
Norman Martin, 13 January 1998
With the foundation of the German League, its diet which consisted of the princes or (more usually) their ambassadors was named the Bundestag. It met in Frankfurt. This is the organization that adopted the black-red-gold flag 9 March 1848. Later that year, the first German national elected pariament, the deutsche Nationalversammlung [German National Assembly], met and adopted that flag as Nationalfarben [national colours] and on 31 July and 13 November 1848, as Handelsflagge and with a canton, as ensign.
After the end of 1852, the Provisional Central Authority was abolished and the old Bundestag reestablished. In the period until 1866, it apparently continued although for reasons I do not know, most of the references I have to the gathering of the representatives of the princes (occasionally, some of the princes themselves) seem to call it the Bundesversammlung [Federal Assembly]. One such meeting, in 1863, was called the Fürstentag [Princes' Assembly]. At least so far, I am unclear what the difference between Bundestag, Bundesversammlung and Fürstentag may have been.
Norman Martin, 5 October 2000
Image by Jaume Ollé
Flag adopted 12th November 1848, abolished 1867
The war ensign of the German League (Deutscher Bund) was black-red-gold with a black eagle in a gold square in the canton (1848-1852). Without the canton it was the national flag and merchant ensign.
Pete Loeser, 16 August 2012
1:1 Image
by Jaume Ollé
Flag adopted 12th November 1848, abolished 1867
A jack is a flag that looks like the union or canton of a national war ensign (see the "German Confederation War Ensign" above as an example). On warships, the jack is flown from a flag pole (jack-staff) located on the vessel's front end (bow) when at anchor or in port.
Pete Loeser, 16 August 2012
The German editors of Norie and Hobbs 1971 added two charts (which were not originally in Norie and Hobbs 1848) with German flags that were important over time. One of them is no. 5, Deutscher Bund 1848: Handels- und Admiralsflagge (German Confederation 1848: Merchant and Admiral's Flag), as the flag at the top. Another is no. 9, Deutscher Bund 1848: Kommodorestander (German Confederation 1848: Commodore's Pennant), as the Confederation flag but swallowtailed.
Peter Hans van der Muijzenberg, 12 November 2001
The German editors of Norie and Hobbs 1971 added two charts (which were not originally in Norie and Hobbs 1848) with German flags that were important over time. One of them is no. 6, Deutscher Bund 1848: Wimpel (pennant), red with the jack in the hoist.
Peter Hans van der Muijzenberg, 12 November 2001
Image by Jens Pattke, 19 August 2011
I am looking for the history (and a picture) of a specific German flag. I am not sure of the time period that it was used in. Its appearance is like the modern German flag, with the exception that is has the words Deutschlands Wiedergeburt in the red stripe.
Alexander Steib, 25 April 2000
This flag is illustrated in Smith 1975, p. 119 with the caption:
"Germany's Rebirth" is the promise of the banner carried in the Hambach festival in 1832. Smith 1975 also says in pp. 117-118: Students and others who hoped for German unification, impatient with the conservative policies and dilatory methods of existing rulers, held a great festival in Hambach in May 1832 where the new Black-Red-Gold came into its own as the symbol of their cause. Inspired by the 1830 revolution in Paris, which had reestablished the French Tricolor, thousands demanded the abolition of state borders and the democratization of Germany; they were met by repressive police measures. While no immediate practical results in their campaign were
obtained, the spirit of Hambach remained an important force thereafter and the new flag, heralded in popular songs, became firmly entrenched as the rallying symbol of German unity.
Santiago Dotor, 28 April 2000
I found further information on this flag and festival from the Institute for Historical Geography, Universitate of Mainz (Institut für Geschichtliche Landeskunde an der Universität Mainz e.V.). The Institute is the official investigators of the events of the Historical Hambach Festival. An actual photo of the flag can be found in an article at Das Hambacher Festi: Ablauf (German text only).
Jens Pattke, 19 August 2011
From François Velde's Heraldica website: