Flag of Portugal

The flag of Portugal consists of a rectangle vertically divided into green, at the hoist, and red, at the fly, with a simple version of the national coat of arms (armillary sphere and Portuguese shield) centered over the boundary between the colors. It was officially adopted on 30 June1911, replacing the flag used under the constitutional monarchy, after being chosen from several proposals by a special commission whose members included Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro, João Chagas and Abel Botelho.

The new background colors, especially green, were not traditional and represented a radical republican-inspired change of this national symbol, breaking a bond with the former religious monarchical flag. Since a failed republican insurrection in 31 January1891, red and green had been established as the colors of the Portuguese Republican Party and its associated movements, which culminated in the Republican revolution of 5 October1910. In the following decades, these colors were popularly propagandized as representing the hope of the nation (green) and the blood (red) of those who died defending it, as a means to endow them with a more patriotic and dignified, therefore less political, sentiment.

The current flag represents a sweeping change in the evolution of the Portuguese flag, which was always intimately associated with the royal arms. Since the country's foundation, the national flag developed from King Afonso I's blue-cross-on-white armorial square banner to the liberal monarchy's royal arms on a blue-and-white rectangle. In between, major changes associated with important political events contributed to the evolution of the national shield into its current design.

Design

The decree that legally replaced the flag used under the constitutional monarchy with the new National Flag (Portuguese: Bandeira Nacional) was approved by the Constituent Assembly and published in government diary (Portuguese: Diário do Governo) no. 141, on 19 June1911. On 30 June1911, this decree had its regulations officially published in government diary no. 150.^[1]

Construction

The flag's length is 1 ½ times the width, which translates into an aspect ratio of 2:3. It is vertically divided into two fundamental colors: dark green, on the hoist side, and scarlet red, on the fly. The color division is made in such a way that the green occupies 2/5 of the length and rest is occupied by red.^[1]

A version of the national coat of arms without the laurel wreaths — white-bordered national shield resting on top of a black-highlighted yellow armillary sphere — is positioned over the border between the colors. The armillary sphere has a diameter equal to half the width and is equidistant from the upper and lower edges of the flag.^[1] It possesses five arcs representing the ecliptic, the equator, two parallels (the tropics) and one meridian, all with embossed edges. Resting over the sphere is a curved-bottom ("Portuguese type") white-bordered red shield charged with a white inescutcheon. The inner shield is itself charged with five small blue shields (escudetes or quinas) arranged in the form of a greek cross, with their curved edges pointing down. Each of these holds five white bezants displayed in the form of a saltire. The red bordure is charged with seven yellow castles, three of them on the chief portion.^[2]

The colors of the flag have not been specified in any legal document or by any national institution; approximate colors are listed below:^[3]

Background

With the Republican revolution of 5 October1910, came the need to replace the monarchy's symbols, represented in the first instance by the national flag and anthem. The choice of the new flag was not without conflict, especially over the colors, as partisans of the republican red-and-green faced opposition from supporters of the traditional monarchical blue-and-white. Blue also carried a strong religious meaning as it was the color of Our Lady of Conception (Portuguese: Nossa Senhora da Conceição), who was crowned Queen and Patroness of Portugal by King João IV, so the removal or substitution of this color was justified by Republicans as one of the many measures needed to secularize the state.^[4]

After much discussion and the presentation of many proposals,^[5] a governmental commission was set up on 15 October1910, that included Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro (painter), João Chagas (journalist), Abel Botelho (writer) and two military leaders of 1910 – Ladislau Pereira and Afonso Palla.^[4] This commission ultimately chose the red and green of the Portuguese Republican Party, delivering an explanation based purely on patriotic motives.^[6] These colors were present on banners of the rebellious, during the republican insurrection of 31 January, 1891, in Porto, and the monarchy-overthrowing revolution, in Lisbon.^[7]

About red, the commission considered it should "(...) be present as one of the main colors, because it is the battling, warm, virile color, par excellence. It is the color of conquest and laughter. A singing, burning, joyful color (...) Recalls the idea of blood and urges to achieve victory". An explanation for the inclusion of the green color was harder to come up with, given that it was not a traditional color of the Portuguese flag throughout its history. Eventually, it was justified on the grounds that, during the 1891 insurrection, this was the color present on the revolutionary flag that "sparkled the redeeming lightning" of republicanism. Finally, white (on the shield) represented "a beautiful and fraternal color, into which all other colors merge themselves, color of simplicity, of harmony and peace", adding that "(...) it is this same color that, charged with enthusiasm and faith by the red cross of Christ, marks the Discoveries epical cycle.".^[6]

The manueline armillary sphere, which had been present on the national flag, under the reign of João VI, was revived because it consecrated the "Portuguese epic maritime history (...) the ultimate challenge, essential to our collective life.". The Portuguese shield was also incorporated, this time positioned over the armillary sphere. Its presence would eternalize the "human miracle of positive bravery, tenacity, diplomacy and audacity that managed to bind the first links of the Portuguese nation's social and political affirmation", since it is one of the "most vigorous symbols of the national identity and integrity".^[6]

The new flag was produced in large numbers at the Cordoaria Nacional (English: National Ropehouse), and was officially presented nationwide, on 1 December1910 (day of the restoration of independence), which had already been declared by the government as the "Flag Day" (currently not celebrated). In the capital, it was paraded from the city hall to the Restauradores (English: Restorers) Monument, where it was hoisted. This festive presentation did not disguise, however, the turmoil caused by a flag chosen without any popular consultation and that represented the political regime, instead of the nation. To encourage a greater acceptance of the new flag, the government issued all teaching establishments with one exemplar, whose symbols were to be explained to the students; textbooks were changed to intensively display these symbols. Also, 1 December ("Flag Day"), 31 January and 5 October were declared national holidays.^[7]

Symbolism

The Portuguese flag displays three important symbols: the colors of the field, the armillary sphere and the national shield (these two make up the coat of arms).

Colors

The green and red colors that comprise the background hold a much more ambiguous and mysterious meaning than the most widespread explanations. These explanations arose during the Estado Novo period, the nationalist authoritarian regime that held power from 1933–1974, and claim that the green represented hope and the red represented the blood of those who died serving the nation.^[8] Some sources believe these noble meanings are far from the true origin and were propaganda to give their choice an honorable justification.^[9]

Notwithstanding the fact that these two colors were never part of the national flag until 1910, they were displayed in several historical banners during important periods. King João I's banner included a green Aviz cross on the red bordure. The red cross of the Order of Christ was used over a white field as a naval pennon during the Discoveries (and also frequently on the sails); a version on a green background was a popular standard of the rebellious, during the 1640 revolution that restored Portugal's independence from Spain.^[10] There are no registered sourcesn to confirm that this was the origin of the republican colors; another explanation gives full credit to the flag that was hoisted on Porto's city hall, during the 1891 insurrection. It consisted of a red field bearing a green disc and the inscription Centro Democrático Federal «15 de Novembro» (English: Federal Democratic Center «15 of November»), representing one of many masonry-inspired republican clubs.^[11] During the following 20 years, the red-and-green was present on everything republican in Portugal.^[4] The red, inherited from the 1891 flag, stands for the color of the republican-inspired revolutionary, democratic and people-associated movements. Green is the color Auguste Comte had destined to belong in the flags of the positivist nations, an ideal incorporated into the republican political matrix.^[4]

Armillary sphere

The armillary sphere was an important astronomical and navigational instrument for the Portuguese sailors who ventured onto unknown seas during the age of Discoveries. It became the symbol of the most important period of the nation — the Portuguese discoveries — where the world was "unveiled" to mankind by Portugal. It is thus no surprise that King Manuel I, who ruled during the time period generally regarded as the peak of Portuguese power, made the sphere his personal banner.^[12] It was simultaneously used as the ensign of ships plying the route between the metropolis and Brazil,^[12] becoming the symbol of the colony and, later on, part of the Brazilian kingdom and empire's flag.

Adding to the sphere's significance was its common use on every manueline-influenced architectural work, where it is one of the major stylistical elements, such as the majestic Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower.^[13]

Portuguese shield

Resting on top of the armillary sphere is the Portuguese shield. It is present in almost every single historical flag (except during the reign of Afonso I). It is the prime Portuguese symbol, as well as one of the oldest, with the first elements of today's shield appearing under the reign of Sancho I.^[14] The evolution of the nation's flag is inherently associated with the shield's evolution.

On the white inescutcheon, the five quinas (small blue shields) with their five white bezants are popularly associated with the "Miracle of Ourique".^[15] This story relates that before the Battle of Ourique (25 July1139), an old hermit appeared to Count Afonso Henriques (future King Afonso I) presenting himself as a divine messenger. He foretold Afonso's victory and assured God was watching over him and his peers. The messenger also advised him to walk away from his camp, alone, when a nearby chapel bell would start tolling, in the following night. In doing so, he witnessed an apparition of Jesus on the Cross. Ecstatic, Afonso heard Jesus promising victories for this battle and future ones, as well as God's wish to act through Afonso and his descendants to create an empire which would carry His name to unknown lands, choosing the Portuguese to perform great tasks.^[16]

Confident from this experience, Afonso won the battle against an enemy which outnumbered him. Legend has it that Afonso killed the five moorish kings of the Seville, Badajoz, Elvas, Évora and Beja taifas, before decimating the enemy troops, so, in gratitude, he incorporated five shields (the quinas) arranged in a cross – representing his divine-led victory over the five enemy kings – and each would carry Christ's five wounds, in the form of silver bezants. The sum of all bezants (doubling the ones of the central quina) would give 30 symbolizing Judas Iscariot's 30 pieces of silver.^[16]

However, evidence pointing out that the number of bezants on each quina was bigger than five, for long periods following Afonso I's reign,^[15] as well as the fact that only in the 15th century was this legend registered on a chronicle by Fernão Lopes (1419),^[17] help support this explanation as one of pure myth with doubtful veracity and highly charged with patriotic feeling (the idea that the nation was born by divine intervention and was destined for great things).

Finally, the seven castles are traditionally considered a symbol of the Portuguese victories over their moorish enemies, under Afonso III, who supposedly captured seven enemy fortresses on the course of his definitive conquest of the Algarve, in 1249. Yet, this is nothing more than popular belief because Afonso III did not have seven castles on his banner but an unspecified number. Some reconstructions display about sixteen castles; this number varied to nine, in 1385, and was only fixed at seven, in 1485. An hypothesis about the origin of the castles on a red bordure lies in the connection of Afonso III with Castile (mother and second wife), whose arms were a yellow castle on a red field.^[18]

Evolution

Since the foundation of Portugal, the national flag was always linked to the royal arms and, up until 1640, there was no official distinction between both.^[19] It evolved in a way that gradually incorporated most of the symbols present on the current coat of arms.

1095 – 1248

The first heraldic symbol that can might associated with what would become the Portuguese nation was on the shield used by Henry of Burgundy, Count of Portugal (since 1095), during his battles with the Moors. This shield was very simple – a blue cross on a white (or silver) field.^[20] Nevertheless, the design has no reliable sources, since it is a reconstruction that became popular and widely accepted thanks to the nationalistic purposes of the Estado Novo regime.^[7]

Henry's son Afonso Henriques succeeded him in the county and took on the same shield. In 1139, he defeated an army of Almoravid Moors at the Battle of Ourique, despite being outnumbered, and proclaimed himself King of Portugal as Afonso I, in front of his troops. Following the Castilian king's recognition, in 1143, Afonso quickly changed his shield in order to reflect his new status. Sources state he charged the cross with five groups of eleven silver bezants (most likely large-headed silver nails), on the center and each arm, symbolizing Afonso's newly gained right to issue currency.^[21][20]

In those days it was not usual to repair damages inflicted on the shield in battle, so changes like loss of pieces, color shifts or involuntary stains were natural. When Sancho I succeeded his father, in 1185, he inherited a very worn off shield – the blue-stained leather that made the cross was lost except where the bezants (nails) held it in place. This unwanted degradation became the basis for the next step on the evolution of the national coat of arms, where a plain blue cross was transformed into a compound cross of five blue bezant-charged escutcheons – the quinas were thus born.^[21][20]

Now, Sancho's personal shield (called "Portugal ancien"^[14]) consisted of a white field sustaining a compound cross of five quinas, arranged like a greek cross, with the points of the lateral ones oriented towards the center; each quina was charged with eleven silver bezants. Both Sancho's son Afonso II and grandson Sancho II inherited and used these same royal arms,^[20] as it is usual with direct succession lines (cadency system). A new modification of the royal arms was made when Sancho II's younger brother became king, in 1248.

1248 – 1495

Afonso III of Portugal was not the eldest son, therefore heraldic practices stated he should not take his father's arms without any personal variation. Before becoming king, Afonso was married to Matilda II of Boulogne but her inability to provide him with a royal heir led Afonso to divorce her in 1253. He remarried with Beatrice of Castile, an illegitimate daughter of Alfonso X of Castile. It is probable that this connection with Castile (his mother was also Castilian) justified the new heraldic addition – a red bordure charged with an undetermined number of yellow castles – rather than the definitive conquest of the Algarve and its Moorish fortresses, considering that the number of castles was only fixed in 1640.^[18]

The inner portion contained the arms of Sancho I, though the number of bezants varied between 7, 11 and 16 (this number was used on Afonso's personal standard while he was still Count of Boulogne).^[20] This same banner was used by the Portuguese kings until the end of the first dinasty, in 1383, when a succession crisis put the country at war with Castile and left it without a ruler for two years.

In 1385, in the wake of the Battle of Aljubarrota, a second dynasty was founded when João, Master of the Order of Aviz and illegitimate son of King Pedro I, acceded to the throne as João I. To his personal banner, João I added his Order's green fleur-de-lys cross, displayed as flowery points on the red bordure; this reduced the number of castles to nine (three on every corner). The number of bezants per escutcheon were reduced from the regular eleven to seven.^[20] This banner lasted a hundred years until João I's great-grandson João II restyled it, in 1485, introducing important changes – removal of the Aviz cross, downward arrangement and edge-smoothing of the five quinas, definitive fixing of five saltire-arranged bezants per quina and seven castles on the bordure (as is currently).^[22]

João II's was the last armorial square banner used as the "national" flag.^[20] Following his death in 1495, radical changes were made by his successor.

1495 – 1667

João II was succeeded by his cousin Manuel I "the Fortunate", in 1495. This king was the first to convert the traditional square armorial banner into a rectangular (2:3) field with the coat of arms on the center. Specifically, the flag was now a white rectangle charged on its center with the coat of arms (bearing eleven castles) on an ogival or heater-shaped shield and surmounted by an open royal crown.^[20] This flag was exclusively the kingdom's banner because Manuel I possessed a personal standard which included the armillary sphere for the first time.^[23]

In 1577, during the reign of Sebastião and on the eve of the fatal Battle of Alcácer Quibir, the flag was again modified – the number of castles was definitively fixed at seven, and the royal crown was converted into a closed three-arched one, which symbolized a stronger royal authority.^[20]

With Sebastião's death and the short-lived reign of his great-uncle Cardinal Henrique, in 1580, a dynastic crisis was solved with the Spanish king Filipe II acceding to the Portuguese throne as Filipe I, and installing a Spanish dynasty. The accession was made on the condition that Portugal was ruled as a separate, autonomous state, not a province. This was fulfilled as Portugal and Spain formed a personal union under the rule of Filipe I and his successors. A consequence of this administrative situation was the retention of the flag created under Sebastião's reign as the Portuguese national flag, while Spain had its own.^[20] As the ruling house in Portugal, the Habsburg banner included the Portuguese arms.^[24]

The country regained its independence from Spain, in 1640, in a coup d'état that placed João, Duke of Bragança on the throne as King João IV. Under this ruler, the national flag changed very slightly - the ogival shield became a rounded one (so-called "Portuguese type" shield). It was from this reign on that the royal arms and the kingdom's arms became distinct banners.^[20]

1667 – 1830

When Afonso VI's younger brother Pedro II replaced him on the throne, in 1667, he adapted the flag's crown to the contemporary trends, transforming it into a five-arched crown.^[25] This new flag did not remain for too long, though, as it was refurbished by Pedro's son João V, when he took the throne in 1707. Heavily influenced by the luxurious, ostentatious court of the French king Louis XIV and France's political and cultural impact in Europe, João V wanted to transpose such style into the country's coat of arms – a red beret was added under the crown and the rounded shield was converted to a samnitic ("French type") shield. Instated by an absolute monarch, this flag endured through almost the entire absolutist period in Portugal – João V (1707–1750), José I (1750–1777) and Maria I (1777–1816).^[20]

At the time of Queen Maria's death, the royal family was living in Brazil, having fled from Portugal after it was invaded by Napoleon's imperial army, in 1807. The Portuguese colony had been elevated to kingdom, in 1815, and in doing so, the monarch started using the title "King/Queen of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarves". Maria I's son João VI thus changed the nation's flag to reflect this new union – the coat of arms, whose shield became rounded again, now rested upon a blue-filled yellow armillary sphere (arms of Brazil) surmounted by the same beret-bearing five-arched crown.^[20] Apart from the crown and white background, this flag is similar to the current one.

1830 – 1910

João VI died in Lisbon, in 1826. His son Pedro, who had declared the independence of Brazil and become Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, in 1822, succeeded on the Portuguese throne as Pedro IV. However, because the new Brazilian constitution did not allow another personal union of Portugal and Brazil, he abdicated the Portuguese crown in favor of his elder daughter, Maria da Glória, who became Maria II of Portugal. She was only seven years old, so Pedro stated she would marry his brother Miguel who would act as regent. In 1828, Miguel deposed Maria II and proclaimed himself King Miguel I, abolishing the 1822 liberal constitution and ruling as absolute monarch. This started the period of the Liberal Wars.^[26]

The liberals formed a separate government, exiled on the Azorian island of Terceira. It was this government that issued two decrees establishing modifications to the national flag. While the supporters of Miguel still upheld the flag established by João VI, the new liberal supporters imposed important changes on it – the background was equally divided vertically into blue (hoist) and white (fly); the armillary sphere (associated with Brazil) was removed and the coat of arms was centered on the color boundary; the shield reverted to the "French type" shape of João V. This flag was decreed solely for terrestrial use, but a variation of it was used as the national ensign. This ensign differed in the way the color fields occupied the background (blue 1/3, white 2/3) and the positioning of the arms.^[20]

With the defeat and exile of Miguel by the liberal troops in 1834, Queen Maria II was reinstated and the victorious side's standard was hoisted in Lisbon as the new national flag. It would survive for 80 years, witnessing the last period of the Portuguese monarchy until its abolition in 1910.

Flag protocol

The constitutional legislation about the use of the national flag is rather scarse and incomplete. In some cases, it still dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. The regulations for its military and naval use, however, are much more recent and complete.^[27]

A revision of the decree no. 150, published in 30 March1987, states that the flag is to be hoisted from 9:00 a.m. to sunset (during the night, it must be properly lighted), on Sundays and national holidays, on the entire national territory. It can also be displayed on days where official ceremonies, or other solemn public sessions, are held - in this case, the flag is hoisted in loco. The flag can be hoisted on other days if it is considered appropriate by the central government, the civil governor (a district-level representative of the central government), the local municipality, or heads of private institutions. It must follow the official design standard and be preserved in good condition.^[27]

On the headquarters buildings of sovereign bodies the flag can stay hoisted on a daily basis. It can be also hoisted on civilian and military national monuments, other public buildings associated with the central, regional or local administration, as well as on the headquarters of public corporations and institutions. Citizens and private institutions can also display it, on the condition that they respect the relevant legal procedures. In the facilities of nationally-based international organizations or in the case of international meetings, the flag is hoisted according to the protocol used on those situations.^[27]

If national mourning is declared, the flag will be flown at half-staff during the fixed amount of days; any flag hoisted along with it will be flown in the same manner.^[27]

When unfurled in the presence of other flags, the national flag must not have smaller dimensions and must be situated in a prominent, honorable place, according to the relevant protocol:^[27]

• Two flagpoles — right pole viewed by a person facing the exterior;
• Three flagpoles — central pole;
• More than three flagpoles:

• Inside a building — if odd number of poles, central pole; if even number, first pole on the right of the central point;
• Outside a building — always the rightmost pole;

If flagpoles are not level, the flag must occupy the highest pole. The poles should be placed in honorable locations of the ground, building façades and roofs. On public acts where the flag is not hoisted, it can be suspended from a distinct spot, but never used as decoration, covering or for any purpose that can diminish its dignity.^[27]

Other flags

The national standard used by the Portuguese Armed Forces (Portuguese: Forças Armadas Portuguesas) differs from the one used as civil flag, state flag and national ensign. The military flag, which was also adopted in 1911, is a rectangle measuring 1.20 metres (3.94 ft) in width and 1.30 metres (4.26 ft) in length (ratio 12:13). Green, at the hoist, and red, at the fly, occupy equally the background field and, centered over the color boundary, is the "major" version of the coat of arms – the sphere and shield are enclosed by two yellow laurel shoots intersecting at their stems and bound by a white scroll bearing Camões's verse "Esta é a ditosa pátria minha amada" (English: "This is my beloved fortunate motherland") as the motto. The armillary sphere's outer diameter is ⅓ of the width and lies 35 centimetres (14 in) and 45 centimetres (18 in) from the upper and lower edges, respectively.^[1] When used as the "color" of a military unit, it is a gold-fringed 1.25 metres (4.10 ft) square placed on a lance-pointed staff engraved with the unit's name (or abbreviation), and adorned with red, green and golden tassels.^[28]

The Portuguese naval jack (jaco or jaque) is only hoisted at the prow of all Navy ships when docked, from sunrise to sunset. The national flag is always hoisted at the stern, when sailing, and from sunrise to sunset, when docked.^[29] It is a square flag (ratio 1:1) bearing a green-bordered red field with the "minor" coat of arms on the center. The width of the green border and the diameter of the armillary sphere are equal to 1/8 and 3/7 of the side's dimension, respectively.^[1]

Some high ranking officials of the Portuguese state have the right to display a personal flag representative of their status. The President of Portugal (Portuguese: Presidente da República) uses a flag largely similar to the national flag, except for having dark green as the only color on the background field.^[30] It is usually hoisted at the President's official residence, the Palace of Belém, and present on the presidential car, as small flags. The flag of the Prime-Minister is a white rectangle (ratio 2:3) with a dark green saltire holding the "minor" coat of arms on its center, and a red bordure charged with a pattern of yellow laurel leaves. Other ministerial flags do not possess the red bordure.^[30]

References

Further reading

• Coelho, Trindade (1908). Manual político do cidadão portuguêz, 2nd ed. (in Portuguese), Porto: Emprésa Litteraria e Typographica. OCLC 6129820. 
• Pinheiro, Columbano Bordalo [1910]. Bandeira Nacional: Modelo approvado pelo Governo Provisorio da Republica Portuguesa, 1st ed. (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Imprensa Nacional. OCLC 24780919. 

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