Flag[edit]

That flag is not accurate; it's much wider. Where does this version come from?


The cross on the Dannebrog is similar to the cross of St Philip.

Which Philip is the link meant to point to? Is it Philip the Apostle or somebody else?
— Sverdrup 14:25, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)

The name means "Danish cloth". isn´t correct, everything to do with Denmark, Danish etc, only contains one "n". Instead "danne" means educate, civilize, form, shape etc., i.e. a "dannet mand" means a civilized, well breed man, a gentleman. Therefore "Dannebrog" rather should be translated like "Hounerable Cloth".

Not true. This is a quote from a text written in 1527:
»Andet Steds haves Efterretning om, at troende Danske i den samme Valdemar den Andens Tid i Aaret 1208 kæmpede i Livland paa et Sted som kaldes Felin, og (da de næsten var slaaede) ydmygt påkaldte Guds Hjælp, da opnaaede de den Naade, at de straks modtog et flag, som faldt ned fra Himlen, tegnet med et hvidt Kors paa en ulden Dug, og da hørte de en Røst fra Luften, som sagde, at naar det blev løftet højt i Vejret, skulle de visselig vinde fuldstændig Sejr over de slagne Fjender, hvad der ogsaa skete. Men dette Flag plejer i Almindelighed at kaldes Danebroge.«
Notice the single n. The second n has been added later for some unknown reason. Preisler 11:17, 27 Apr 2005 (UTC)

The former spelling "Danebrog" has been completely replaced by "Dannebrog". This merely reflects a change in pronounciation. 100 years ago, the word was pronunced with a long A- and a short N-sound. Today, the reverse is the case. The same happend to the name of the Danish Medieval fortress of Dannevirke.

It is true that the verb "danne" means to be well-mannered, but that is in modern Danish (and hardly used anymore.) The name "Dannebrog" is many hundreds of years older, and ancient Danish (Norse) and modern Danish have very little in common.

--Valentinian 17:39, 5 May 2005 (UTC) (Historian from Denmark)[reply]

Danne/dannet is used plenty where I'm from.

the oldest flag of the world has been found in iran shahdad desert kerman and belongs to shahdad lost civilization 3000 BC kept in Tehran national museum. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.146.98.45 (talk) 12:12, 6 June 2013 (UTC) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag[reply]

Colour and Proportions[edit]

I have no opinion on the best WEB-color to use, but there is a precise standard for eveything - including the color - of a true Danish flag (from the Danish Standards Board):

Dansk Standard Nummer DS 359:2005 Titel Flagdug (Woven fabrics for flags) The standard specifies materials, weaving techniques, quality requirements and dimensions for Danish flags. Issued 2005-03-29 Approved 2005-02-24


The picture of Dannebrog seems to be using a too light tone of red. I know, that standard convention seems to be to use Pantone basic red (032), but that doesn't seem to translate very well to a computer monitor. The images on www.danmarks-samfundet.dk are using RGB=219,0,6, which seems to be much closer.

What do you think about replacing it with this? :

File:Civil Flag Denmark 2.png

Secondly, shouldn't we be using the correct proportions of 3:1:3 x 3:1:4.5 rather than 3:1:3 x 3:1:5.25. The latter one is supposed to compensate for wear and tear, which we (hopefully) will not be having here.

Rasmus (talk) 30 June 2005 10:44 (UTC)

Well, here is an actual photo of a Danish flag: http://www.zeppelin-museum.dk/D/german/aktuell/akt2004/HPIM0239a.jpg, as you can see it is not nearly as pale as the one in the article. Also, please note that Pantone is not designed for computer monitors, and while Photoshop can convert Pantone to RGB-values, they do not necessarily replicate the actual Pantone colour.
As for the proportions, I am actually arguing for having the flag shorter. The correct proportions for the flag are 28:34. Actual flags are allowed to be slightly longer (28:37), so that there is no risk of them getting too short due to wear.
Rasmus (talk) 30 June 2005 13:01 (UTC)
Hi there; thanks for your reply. As a designer, I'm aware of the differences inherent with PMS and other colour-matching systems like RGB, CMYK, RSL, etc.; my point is that the colours represented should be official ones, not approximated ... irregardless of approximations when converting them. This can also apply to photographs, so your perception of what is the correct red may be different from mine (though I do not challenge your belief that the red in the picture is darker than in the flag image). Without there being an agreed-upon standard for representing colours, the current one should suffice or one be used that can be found on or sampled from a Danish government website depicting the flag. (This same rationale, by the way, was applied to the Flag of Canada, which uses the same red, and was a collaboration between myself and another user.)
Ditto for length: to make everything consistent (i.e., as long as it's authoritative, or has the most commonly used dimensions); however, it would be advisable to edit the appropriate references in-text, as well as the diagrams, too to ensure that the flag represented is consistent. Thoughts? E Pluribus Anthony 30 June 2005 17:23 (UTC)

Just for info. I can tell that the Danish Military (Navy, Army, Air force, home guard) uses the absolute proportions of the Danish flag e.g. 28x34 (3.1.3 / 3.1.4,5) for the little flag on the uniforms shoulder they started using in 2001. That’s 10 million flags or something like that (they are on all cloth). However if you go and buy a flag, you are nearly sure to get the 28x37 (3.1.3 / 3.1.5,25) proportion. Twthmoses 19:26, 13 July 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What is going on with the Danish flag???[edit]

I can see that User:E Pluribus Anthony and User:Haabet have had (and still have) a battle of the color of the Danish flag. It constantly changes color.

I do know that colors display different of different monitors, and I do know that there is no absolute color for the Danish flag. Despite that colors display different on monitors, it is not the color that is different; it is the display that is different. xxxx color, set in x paint program, is still color [inset name here], despite that it might look different on x monitor.

I live in Denmark, I see the flag everyday, and to me user:E Pluribus Anthony version is definitely wrong. It is way too light. I have tried it on 6 different monitors now, and short of turning the lights down to barely visible, the flag is definitely way way way to light. I suspect user:E Pluribus Anthony has a very dark monitor.

Lets settle this now. Everybody who has an opinion, please leave some comment.

Civil flag

File:Danmark flag test 001.png


Stateflag (This has to be the exactly the same color as the civil flag)

File:Danmark flag test 002.png


Naval flag (Deep dark red)

Anybody who has seen this flag in the real is not in doubt, that this is deep dark blood red flag. I’m not even sure any of these are dark enough.

File:Danmark flag test 003.png


Please state what you think is the correct color.

My opinion

Twthmoses 04:03, 13 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

If it helps anything, eventually look at www.dannebrog.dk to compare colour. In the versions shown above, I'd prefer the darker ones. G®iffen 15:34, 16 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

In response[edit]

Twthmoses, hello! Thanks for the thorough reply. Unfortunately, your summary does not include ANY official references to colour and merely represents your or differing interpretations of what the colour of the Danish flag should be. Does it? Your summary -- coupled with your decision to state a preference and change the image before receiving more input -- may actually constitute original research, which is against Wikipedia policy. Moreover, 'seeing [the flag] everyday' is no reason to advance your contention against others.

The colour referred to on the flag, though contentiously and not officially, is either PMS032 or 'blood red.' A visit to the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, though, depicts a flag with the red in the image I created and a photo with a darker red. Moreover, head on over to the Flags of the World website concerning the Danish flag and you will observe the same red as I depicted and other usual tidbits. If you can provide an authoritative reference (i.e., on a government website) otherwise, we can revise the image. E Pluribus Anthony 18:58, 4 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Nahh nahh nah, don’t give me that original research speech. It is you that changed the color of the flag about 1 ½ month ago, without receiving input from others. I mearely changing it back. Before that it was taken either from commons or other version here on wiki. They are not all the same, but they are all darker them yours, and this is the point. Yours is too light. I will settle for any version that is somewhat darker then yours.
About the two sources you mentions.
The first is not the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs official site, this is the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs official site.
What you link to is www.denmark.dk a portal run by Telestyrelsen and - yes - owned by Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is designed - and they have supplied all graphic, unless otherwise stated – by the private company Kontrapunkt (Ritzau Agency and Scanpix supplies news and news photos).
FOTW is pure private graphic.
And btw neither of the two links you mention shows the same colour as your version here on wiki. www.denmark.dk is 255/26/23 and FOTW 255/0/0, yours is 255/17/17 and your stateflag, which should be the same colour, is 255/36/36.
See I can put up sources too, wheather they are better or not I don’t know..
Try www.danmark.dk, another portal, also run by Telestyrelsen, but this time it is not owned by Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but by Ministeriet for Videnskab, Teknologi og Udvikling – another ministry in the Danish government. But their flags are much darker! That is probably because another private company supplied the graphic for them.[1]
Acording to DS (Dansk Standard) 359 (2005) the colour of the flag is Pantone 186c, which is aprox. RGB #CE1126.(206/17/38) [2]
This is the deep red of the Naval flag from Kongehuset http://kongehuset.dk/monarkiet/flag/ . (official danish monarchy site) unfortunatly they don’t show the civil flag, but this red is significent darker then your naval red. Maybe a hint, that your civil flag is also too light.
The problem here is that there is no official colour. So what is the best we can do? Look what is most used, right? Go out a see what is used, right?

File:Danmark flag test 004.png

Twthmoses 17:05, 13 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your reply; no offence intended. There is a distinct difference between presenting links to help substantiate information (as I did when challenged about the flag I drew) and presenting information that summarises (but doesn't clearly reference) your contention, as you did in your previous post. Had you made some authoritative citations then, I would not have indicated possible original research. As well and as you know, users do not need to seek feedback, but it is desirable.
The colour shift on my image must have been the result of the programme I used earlier, but the 255/26/23 red found on the Foreign Ministry portal (which is just as valid, if only in English) is the intended hue. Given: the FOTW website is private, but one would hope that such 'vexillologists' would know better.
To that end, thanks for providing your references and sources, THAT hue (that is, the screen representation of PMS 186c) should be used for the flag (even if its official status is unknown), not the prior incorrect renditions. I think they are needed given the ... back-and-forthing as of late.
My point in all of this is to not present information -- from you, from me, whoever -- that cannot be corroborated and is more an approximation than anything. I believed I did that, you have now done that, others recently generally have not. Thanks again! E Pluribus Anthony 19:05, 13 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Consequently, I've uploaded a revised flag using the CorelDraw-rendered PMS 186C red indicated. Enjoy! E Pluribus Anthony 19:48, 13 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The version you uploaded now looks fantastic, at least to me. Great, thanks Twthmoses 16:57, 14 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

New flag image[edit]

I've reverted the SVG flag recently uploaded with the prior one. Why? The SVG flag (though potentially superior) has a transparent cross in place of a white background/cross. This is incorrect: monitors that show these subtle differences in colour will reveal a light blue cross (as it does on mine). Please recreate the SVG file with said white cross before using it. Thoughts? Thanks! E Pluribus Anthony 23:28, 7 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, mea culpa. Fixed now. IceKarmaॐ 06:04, 8 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Nice ... thanks! By the way: do you know if there are any other such flag images (i.e., not of Denmark per se) lurking? E Pluribus Anthony 06:47, 8 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The image used a too purple red. I have uploaded a new version using the #ce1126 agreed upon earlier. Rasmus (talk) 21:45, 9 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Hmmmm. Apparently IceKarma reverted my change. I will give him a chance to explain before I rerevert (I might have introduced some other problems - I am not that great with SVG). Rasmus (talk) 09:58, 10 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I changed the colour of the flag to #d00c33 because that's the value I got back from my software when I converted Pantone 186c to RGB -- specifically, Adobe Photoshop CS2 configured with the "North America General Purpose 2" settings set, which (among other things) entails sRGB IEC1966-2.1 and the Adobe ACE engine in place of Microsoft ICM. Where did you obtain your value? In my opinion, the difference between #d00c33 and #ce1126 is trivial, and it might have been nice for you to contact me via my Talk page before you started changing things without so much as adding a word of explanation anywhere.

I think I'll take this as a hint to stop making flags; despite my best efforts to ensure that I faithfully represent the colours of various flags, I've taken more than enough flak for them from people who seem to be assuming I'm a vandal. IceKarmaॐ 12:00, 10 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Don't stop! You're doing good work; we all just need to discuss when appropriate. And as you can see above, any of us can go wayward. ;) E Pluribus Anthony 20:46, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Commonly known?[edit]

The flag of Denmark might be more properly called the Dannebrog or it might be the de facto name of the flag, but it isn't more commonly known as the Dannebrog. If you asked the average person on the street whether they knew what the flag of Denmark was you'd be much more likely to get a positive response than if you asked them if they knew what the Dannebrog was. Perhaps in Denmark it's better known as the Dannebrog than as the flag of Denmark, although again I doubt there's anyone in Denmark who knows what the Dannebrog is and does not know what the flag of Denmark is. I'm not too picky on what the final wording is, but the way it stands now is inaccurate. Or maybe I'm wrong here? If someone has a good reason why the first line of the article should remain exactly as it is, I'm more than willing to back down. NoIdeaNick 00:57, 19 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I just made a change to the first paragraph. Hopefully this version is more acceptable (although this version is still somewhat awkward). I accidentally hit the save page button before entering an edit summary, but my edit was just a few wording changes in the first paragraph. NoIdeaNick 01:03, 19 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Your post here makes very little sense. (Quote) "I doubt there's anyone in Denmark who knows what the Danneborg is..." (unquote). Your assumption is completely wrong! Dannebrog is the official name of the flag and this name is a fundamental part of Danish culture, is this reason good enough for you? A small quote from a patriotic song from the two Wars of Schleswig, seems appropriate here. Den tapre landsoldat (The Brave Soldier) states that og ingen anden fane har som den sit eget navn ... (...and no other banner has its own name). That is an incorrect statement, but Danes used to believe that. The correct name of the flag of France is the Tricolore, and this information should be included there as well. But again: It is both the official and the popular name not just a nickname. It is a very old name. --Valentinian 07:19, 19 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm sorry if my post was unclear. I didn't mean to suggest that the name Dannebrog wasn't commonly known in Denmark, simply that it is impossible for that name to be more commonly known than the term flag of Denmark, which is what the article said before. Clearly anyone who knows what the Dannebrog is knows that it is the flag of Denmark, but it is quite possible that someone knows of the flag of Denmark without knowing that it is called the Dannebrog. It's a really pedantic, minor point, but I made the post because my first attempt at correcting it was reverted. Also, do you think you might include the information about that patriotic song in the article? It's a really interesting fact and could add a lot to the article. NoIdeaNick 13:42, 19 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think we pretty much agree. The name Dannebrog is widely used in Scandinavia and probably known in other parts of (Northern) Europe. But if we're talking about an reader in the U.S., the name will probably be unknown. And to any Danes reading this: Yes! I realize that I gave the wrong title of the song. The correct title is - of course - Dengang jeg drog afsted (When I Left [for war]). The song is important in Danish history, but many modern Danes are slightly embarassed by its strong patriotism, since almost every stanza contains one or more complaints against Germany (it was published on 10 April 1848, the day after the Battle of Bov, the first battle in the First War of Schleswig.) I've translated parts relevant in this context, so you can judge for yourself. (copied from http://www.ugle.dk/dengang_jeg_drog_af_sted.html)

Excerpt from Dengang jeg drog afsted (When I Left), by Peter Faber (1800-1870). Stanza four of six is a praise to the Dannebrog (modern spelling used)

Om Dannebrog jeg ved,
om Dannebrog jeg ved,
det faldt fra himlen ned,
ja, det faldt fra himlen ned.
Det flagrer i vor havn
og fra soldatens favn,
og ingen anden fane har som den sit eget navn.
Og den har tysken hånet og trådt den under fod.
Nej, dertil er vor fane for gammel og for god!
Og derfor vil jeg slås som tapper landsoldat.
Hurra, hurra, hurra!

(Translation:)

I know about the Dannebrog
I know about the Dannebrog
it fell from Heaven down,
yes, it fell from Heaven down.
It flies above our ports
and from the soldier's [ensign's] arms
and no other banner has its own name.
And the German has mocked this [banner] and stepped it under [his] foot
No, for that our banner is too ancient and too good.
And that is why I'll fight, as a brave [foot] soldier.
Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!

The flag returns in the last stanza (I've just added the translation):

For [his] girl and country,
for [his] girl and country,
Every man will fight
Yes, every man will fight.
And woe that feeble coward
who does not love his language
and who will not sacifice [his] life and blood for old Dannebrog.
But if I don't come back to my old Dad and Mum
King Frederick will comfort them with these words:
"He kept his promise, the brave foot soldier".
Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!

It is impossible to translate the full meaning of the text. Suffice it to say, that it was written during the romantic period, and not very straightforward. The first five stanzas all end with "and that is why I'll fight ...".

Due to this song, "Den Tapre Landsoldat" was once considered to be a national icon, and it is the object of the statue Landsoldaten in Fredericia; that is why I mixed up the names. You can see an image on the entry for Fredericia. The statue was commissioned in rememberence of the Prussian siege of Fredericia in 1849, and is believed to be the first example of a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In 1864, the town was occupied by Prussian and Austrian troops but when the Austrian commander heard that the statue was a tribute to all fallen Danish soldiers, he decided to prevent its destruction.

Wikipedia translates this statue's name as The Foot Soldier, but a modern Dane would read the name as The Land-Soldier. In the Danish name, many - including me - add the word "Tapre" (Brave) to show its close connection to the song. --Valentinian 15:36, 19 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Subtitles in other theories section[edit]

The section on other theories of the origin of the flag contains a lot of very interesting information, but the subtitles are somewhat awkward. Perhaps it would be better to title the subsections with the names of the people who came up with the theories rather than with a number? For example, we could have a section titled "Jørgensen's theory" (or something like that) instead of "Theories of the origin of the flag, #4". Any thoughts? I would just be bold and make the changes myself, right now, but I don't know much about the topic and I don't want to make a mistake as I did with my edits to the first line. I think this article is very interesting, but right now there are parts of it that are very awkwardly written and I'd like to help improve the quality of the writing if I can. NoIdeaNick 13:54, 19 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Muhammad cartoons/drawings and the burning of the flag[edit]

I'd respectfully suggest not doing so. The Muhammed cartoons is all over the place with pages about the controversy, timelines of it, the Akkari dossier, the Jyllands-Posten page etc. --Valentinian (talk) 12:54, 14 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If you must include a Dannebrog photo in the article, then how about adding this - slightly less provocative picture - to illustrate its use in recent current events? =J //Big Adamsky 18:24, 15 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It's a good picture and a good idea. --Valentinian (talk) 23:11, 15 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It is a nice picture, but unfortunately it is only fair use. While my understanding of American copyright law is limited, I don't think we can claim fair use in this article. Rasmus (talk) 07:39, 16 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The "Flag war" on Hans Island, I think. Rasmus (talk) 09:48, 16 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
But sadly the uploader of this image has added a tag that states that it is believed that the use of this [image] in the article "Hans Island" qualifies as fair use [...]. Any other uses of this image, on Wikipedia or elsewhere, may be copyright infringement. So in other words, it is probably inappropriate to use in this article. =[ //Big Adamsky 13:29, 16 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Correct, it is from the "flag war". Hmm, I don't know what the Danish Navy's position is on copyright issues. I haven't checked if they have a policy. Valentinian (talk) 12:58, 16 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
There is no equivalent to the US "products of the government employees are public domain" in Denmark (except for the text of laws etc.), so I would be majorly surprised if the image was copyright-free. I have been surprised many times before, though :) Rasmus (talk) 13:14, 16 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I know, but perhaps they *might* have released it as a "press photo". In most cases, I presume that would mean an acceptance of reprinting. But no, I haven't checked the Navy's website. Valentinian (talk) 13:19, 16 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Ah, sorry. I might have taken the trouble to see that you were Danish, too. No need to lecture to you about the status of copyright in Denmark :) According to [3]:
"Indholdet i bladet kan frit citeres med angivelse af kilde. Billedmateriale dog kun efter aftale med Redaktionen",
we need permission in order to use the picture. Rasmus (talk) 13:45, 16 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oldest?[edit]

The article Flag of Austria states that the oldest design of the current Austrian flag dates back to 1230, while this article says the Danish flag is from the 14th Century (1300s). Thus, one or the other has to be wrong. Is it the date in Flag of Austria, or should this article's wording on the topic be changed? --HJV 00:08, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

AFAIK, Austria used a different flag for a long period of time, so in any case, the Danish flag seems to be the oldest state flag in continuous use. But it would be nice to hear some more input regarding the history of the Babenberger flag. Valentinian T / C 12:03, 4 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]


The Red Dragon flag of Wales is mentioned in the Historia Brittonum, approx. 830 AD.Steve Graham (talk) 10:22, 15 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Flags of most countries have some historical base and/or use some symbols from very old ages but because description of Danish flag was defined in 14th Century and since that time has never been changed or altered in any way it is considered to be the oldest flag —Preceding unsigned comment added by Thorbins (talk • contribs) 17:39, 29 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Did Iceland also use Danebrog[edit]

Did Iceland also use Danebrog before they got independent?

I'm pretty sure the Dannebrog remained official until Iceland cut the last ties to Denmark in 1944, but Iceland's current flag was no doubt the preferred flag, and used since at least 1915 (see: Flag of Iceland). It seems that Icelandic republicans had also used an earlier blue-white flag before the current one was adopted. Until around 1900, the Danneborg must have been the only flag in use, just like in Norway before 1814. Valentinian (talk) 23:29, 10 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dannebrog can be seen as a continuation of the banner or standard, that was used by the Knights Hospitaller in the 13th Century and maybe even before - they were founded to protect or work for St.John's Hospital in Jerusalem in the early 11th Century. They were given privileges by the Danish King Valdemar I (den Store = the Great), and all Danes had to pay a special tax, that were meant for them. Danish historians don't doubt, that the Hospitallers were part of the Danish crusade in the Baltic Sea, when the army also went to Estonia, where Dannebrog "fell down from heaven". Flags don't do such things, and even if the details are not known, it's seen as most likely, that the Hospitaller's banner or standard became Denmark's flag from that day (June 15th 1219). No written proof exists, it's "argumentum a silentio" (Argument from silence, look it up in Wikipedia). Find more in the newest Danish books on this period. Jan Eskildsen - Yes I am a Dane. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.162.150.154 (talk) 18:23, 1 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Moved from article space[edit]

I've moved the following section from article space since most of it is incomprehensible without the original (deleted) image. We need to find a new image. Valentinian T / C 12:32, 17 February 2007 (UTC) (quote)[reply]

Who may use what?

1. Stutflag: This is the national flag of Denmark and is used by for all civilian purposes including the merchant navy. Any Dane can have a flagpole in the garden and use the flag according to the law. When the flag is not hoisted, for instance during darkness, a long narrow version called a vimpel or a wider version called a stander can be flown.

2. Splitflag: The use of the swallow-tail flag is restricted to the Danish Government and Navy. Note: The Naval Flag has a darker hue than the State Flag. Private yachts and motor boats are allowed to use the Naval Flag with the letters Y.F.(for Yacht Flag) superimposed in the upper canton. This flag is not allowed on boats for hire.

3. Kongeflag (literally: The King's Flag): This is the flag of the Monarch. It is currently used by H.M. Queen Margrethe II.

4. Dronningeflag (literally: The Queen's flag). This is the flag of the consort of the monarch. The main difference from the flag of the monarch is that this version of the royal coat-of-arms lacks the supporters, two wild men. This flag was used by H.M. Queen Ingrid, and is currently not in use, since the Prince Consort, H.R.H. Prince Henrik uses a special flag with a his personal coat of arms in the centre (originally, he used a flag with a crowned "H" in the centre).

5. Rigsforstanderflag: This flag is used by the leading member of the Royal Family when the Queen is abroad, and shows that the person currently assumes the constitutional duties of the Monarch. This person remains the de facto Monarch, until the Monarch returns to Danish territory.

6. Tronfølgerflag: This is the flag of the Crown Prince of Denmark, currently H.R.H. Crown Prince Frederik.

7. Kongehusflag: This flag can be used by any member of the Danish Royal Family.

8. Forsvarsminister: This is the flag of the Minister of Defence.

9. Admiral: Used on a ship to indicate that an Admiral is on board.

10. Viceadmiral: Used on a ship to indicate that a Vice Admiral is on board.

11. Kontreadmiral: Used on a ship to indicate that an Rear Admiral is on board.

12. Postflag: This is the former flag of the Royal Danish Mail and Telegraph (Danish: Kongelig Post og Telegrafvæsen), now Post Danmark.

13. Statens skibe: This flag is used on ships owned by the Danish State.

14. DSB: This flag is used by the DSB, the state railway company (Danske Statsbaner).

15. Havnepoliti: This is used by the Danish harbour police.

(unquote)

Stutflag and splitflag[edit]

I think there is a problem with terminology on this page. However, I hesitate to rush in and edit text written by peope who have obviously done much more research on this than I.

The article gives the impression that "stutflag" is Danish the flag used on land, and that the Danish "koffardiflag" happens to be identical to this. Actually that is not the case. A stutflag is any rectangular flag. Every version of the Stars and Stripes known to me is a "stutflag". I believe the English term is "square". "Koffardiflag" is one of the uses of the Danish "stutflag".

Similarly one gets the impression that "splitflag" is a name of the Danish state flag, and at the naval flag is not a "splitflag". Any swallowtail is a "splitflag". The state flag is a "splitflag" in the same colors as the national flag, the navy flag is a "splitflag" the color of clotted blood.

Would it not be better to leave out these Danish terms alltogether? Why write "splitflag" when English has the word "swallowtail" of the same meaning? "Square" might need to be explained to those not familliar with its special meaning in this context, but so does "stutflag".

--Klausok 07:40, 3 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Flag of Scotland[edit]

I've removed a statement claiming that the flag of Scotland is the world's oldest national flag (in contrast to a "state flag"). This topic has been the object of a very long edit war on the flag article between Scottish and Spanish editors, since Aragon's Senyera claims the same title. No consensus seems to be emerging regarding this issue, and I believe a Persian editor has even claimed that a Persian flag is even older (can't remember the specifics of this example, though.) Anyway, information of this nature has little relevance for this article, since it does not affect the object of the article, and this edit war should not be brought over here. I don't consider information about the Dannebrog relevant in the article about the Scottish flag, either. Valentinian T / C 23:24, 21 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Similarities with other flags[edit]

It is funny, there are many theories on the origins of the flag of Denmark, but none of them seem to notice or explain de similarities between:

the flag of Denmark,
the seal of Vienna,
the war flag of the Holy Roman Empire in 13th and 14th century,
the flag of Savoy,
the flag of the knights Hospitalers and former flag of Malta,
the Swiss flag (it was redesigned in 1889 to add the red border around the cross).

What’s more, in all cases, they seem to have appeared around the 12th or 13th century. Is this a coincidence? Could it be that people separated by hundred of kilometres had the same idea at the same time? I doubt it. --Percht (talk) 13:53, 26 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well it's not like this design is very complex and Denmark actually bordered Holy Roman Empire, Vienna and Savoy were part of it, for Hospitaliers Malta was last stronghold they had and they relocated there much later (around 16 century), at 12th or 13th they had headquarters in Jerusalem; and order itself was created by Pope whose office is in Rome (not so far away form HRE) and he may impose this flag for Hospitaliers for whatever reason, finally Switzerland as whole didn't really had any kind of common symbol before 15th century, each canton used its own flag, and generally before 19th century Switzerland was kind of permanent alliance like NATO rather than a country. Also some of these flags have certain differences in design, especially Danneborg. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Thorbins (talk • contribs) 18:31, 29 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There's also a theory that it's a continuation of the raven flag used by the viking age Danish kings. The theory is that the "wings" of the raven was just made straight to make it into a cross. If true (and I have no good sources for the theory), that makes the Danish flag a continuation of a flag that is from somewhere around the 8th century, perhaps even as old as the 6th century.

Civil Flag/Ensign[edit]

According to the vexillological icon below the Danneborg(Koffardiflaget), it is only a state flag, but from National Flag Section of the article you may say that it is also Civil Flag and Civil Ensign(article clearly says that civil flag and civil ensign are same but also do not mention any differenses with state flag) so think we should change vexillological icon, or if there are some differense between these flags we should provide explonation of them. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.242.4.32 (talk) 15:39, 7 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I changed the symbol, if somebody have reasons to change it back, write them here or add information to the article about differences between state and civil flags —Preceding unsigned comment added by Thorbins (talk • contribs) 09:55, 10 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Flagpole proportions to flag.[edit]

Besides rules for the proportions of the flag there is also rules in for the size of the flag pole compared to the size of the flag, and there are rules for exactly where the flag should be on the pole for "half staff". I think this information belongs in this article as well. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jesper Jurcenoks (talk • contribs) 20:53, 7 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Flage for Fanden / Flag for the Devil.[edit]

There are rules for when you can flag, like not before sunrise or after sunset, and rules for the flag not touching the ground. Are these only traditions, are they considered superstition, is there an actual law ?

21:02, 7 July 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jesper Jurcenoks (talk • contribs)

Unlike many other nations, Denmark has no "flag law" but "Danmarks-Samfundet" has published a publication about conventional use of the flag ("Sådan bruges Dannebrog" [4]) which mentions the rule you refer to as "fly the flag no earlier than 8 AM and no later than sunset", unless the flag is illuminated by a strong electric light. In popular terminology violation of this rule is indeed known as "Flying the flag for the Devil" (at flage for Fanden). In addition to the two rules you mention, a third one is rather important: a damaged flag must never be used. It must either be displayed is a glass case hanging on a wall (if of historical interest) or destroyed by fire. At first sight, the last option sounds odd or harsh, but the intention is that a flag must never be dishonoured by being disposed of as garbage [read: "be thrown on a dung heap"]. So a flag damaged beyond repair is to be burned in a dignified fashion. In addition, Danish law explicitly permits the flying of the Danish flag and the flags of the other Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland) and by extention the flags of the Faroes, Greenland, and Åland. Later this law was amended to legalise flying the flag of the EU and of the UN. However, flying all other flags is forbidden unless temporary permission is granted by the local police, and in such cases the Dannebrog must be flown with the foreign flag and on a more prominent position. This rule is of particular importance in South Jutland, since the German flag is treated like all other non-Nordic flags. Valentinian T / C 22:01, 11 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I see that here is no source for this superstition. I have never heard of it. My impression (but I have no source either) is that there is a tradition that a national or similar flag must never touch the ground or floor as this would indicate disrespect for the nation it represents.--Klausok (talk) 07:23, 23 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Danmarks-Samfundet mentions the rule about ensuring that the flag shouldn't touch the ground, [5] (p. 23), and describes it as essentially a practical tradition [to avoid damaging the flag], and that the basic intention is to treat the flag with dignity. [6]. In addition, some organisations have their own rules to observe as well (e.g. the army must have rules covering this issue). 2.107.68.46 (talk) 14:05, 19 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Taken from the Holy Roman Empire?[edit]

The flag looks very similar to the flag of the Holy Roman Empire (right). Is that its origin? 88.91.14.78 (talk) 14:20, 29 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

That is one theory, and several Danish kings were indeed vassals of the Holy Roman Emperor. In Denmark, a more popular theory is that it is simply a crusader flag. It is very similar to the flag of the Knights of St. John ("Johannitterne"; see the sections on "Caspar Paludan-Müller and "Adolf Ditlev Jørgensen"), and btw also similar to the flag of Savoy. Unfortunately the earliest historical record of the flag is the Gelre Armorial from c. 1370-1380 which is a good historical source, but the legend of the Battle of Lyndanisse with the flag falling from the sky on 5 June 1219 is not documented earlier than the 16th century. The origins of the flag remain obscure. Valentinian T / C 22:14, 11 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]


isn´t the flag of the holy roman empire the origin for the flag of savoy? 78.50.50.232 (talk) 16:17, 3 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The part of the legend where the priest's/archbishop's arms are held up sounds unusually similar to Exodus 17, the battle against the Amalekites. Should this parallel be mentioned in the article? 72.23.224.231 (talk) 22:03, 29 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Raven banner as precursor[edit]

I'm fairly skeptical to the following statement in the lead:

"Prior to the use of Dannebrog, Danish forces are known to have used the raven banner."

I removed the statement recently but was reverted with the motivation that "Denmark goes back at least to 950 AD".

This amounts to a very broad statement that implies that the raven banner somehow preceded the Dannebrog as a national flag. This in my view a somewhat dubious extension of Danish national history back into a time when no Danish nation state, or indeed any nation state, existed. What is the motivation for including this statement, and why is it in the lead? Are there any reliable sources to back it up?

Peter Isotalo 20:16, 30 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe I was a bit hasty in reinstating the sentence. I did it because the reason given for removal is quite certainly not correct. The kingdom of Denmark did exist long before the first appearance, attested or legendary, of Dannebrog.

But even though the removed sentence is correct, it may not be relevant. While the raven banner was used by "forces", groups of warriors, who were Danish, it was not a national symbol. So this may not belong in the lead. A link under "See also" would be enough, I think. Klausok (talk) 07:39, 31 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

It seems we're in agreement about the solution. "See also" is a reasonable alternative, but I personally would have nothing against mentioning that the raven banner was used by Scandinavians, including Danes, before the Dannebrog appeared. As long as we avoid implications of the raven banner as a "national" flag, we should be okay.
Peter Isotalo 14:17, 31 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Besides, there are lots of unlikely stories in many popular histories of nation-states, regarding symbols claimed as national. "There are unsubstantiated though popular traditions, etc."
Nuttyskin (talk) 03:27, 15 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The "1219" red herring[edit]

The Guinness Book of Records is not a credible vexillological source. You may use it to cite that there is a popular meme of the flag being the "oldest state flag, adopted 1219", but this doesn't make it so. There was no concept of "state flag" in 1219, and Wikipedia can do better than parrot soundbites from the Guinness Book of Records.

By all means discuss the flag's pre-modern history. There are many flags which have medieval precedents. If the flag of Denmark was adopted in 1219, why, the flag of Switzerland was "adopted" around 1200, because it "is" the Reichssturmfahne. In reality, the Reichssturmfahne is a medieval precedent of both the Danish and the Swiss flag, which by a complicated history of the development of the idea of modern statehood was adopted as the respective national flags, with slight modern design variations, in the modern era. --dab (𒁳) 11:06, 15 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I don't disagree that the 1219 is a myth. My main objection was to your seemingly random choice of the 1748 date for adoption. I have now changed it to the earliest documented use cited with the official denmark.dk site. --Saddhiyama (talk) 11:13, 15 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]
And the Guinness Book of Records is certainly a reliable source regarding claims made by the Guinness Book of Records. It would perhaps be a questionable source if the wording was "Dannebrog is the "oldest state flag" in the world still in use by an independent nation" and nothing more, but if you read the sentence it states that the Guinness Book of Records "dubbed Dannebrog the "oldest state flag" in the world still in use by an independent nation". --Saddhiyama (talk) 11:17, 15 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Interestingly, the paragraph you've quoted above doesn't mention the Gelre Armorial, which features the first coloured drawing of the coat-of-arms of Denmark as well as an accompanying Dannebrog banner. It it normally dated to somewhere between 1370 and 1386, and the Danish National Archives considers this image to be the first known image of the Dannebrog.[7]. That indicates an origin of the Danish flag somewhere in the late 14th century. 2.107.68.46 (talk) 12:48, 1 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know why this is so difficult. The history of the flag of Denmark is entirely typical. The flags of England, Switzerland and various other European countries are exactly parallel. The problem is not identifying a white-on-red cross in some flag from the Middle Ages. The point is that such flags cannot be "national flags" because there were no national flags at that time. It is pure selection bias to go back in time and pick out the flag which would eventually be chosen as national flag. The development goes as follows, in almost every case

This is exactly the story of the flag of Denmark, as it is of the flag of England and many others. There is nothing difficult or unusual about this, the only problem is the semantics of the term "national flag". The red-on-white cross was used, alongside numerous other colour combinations, by the crusaders in the 12th century. You can trace lots of red-on-white crosses during the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries without their being "Danish national flags" even if some of them happen to pop up in Denmark, or happen to be used by a Danish king. Yes, the Danish flag has a continuous history going back to the crusades, nobody is denying that. Its official introduction as the national flag of Denmark still dates to 1892. Not because the design didn't exist before, but because countries didn't feel the need to define an "official national flag" before that time. --dab (𒁳) 12:21, 24 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Fwiiw, the earliest reference to the flag by the name of Dannebrog I can find date to the 18th century (1744). But the establishment of an Order of the Dannebrog in 1671 seems to suggest that the flag was known by this name already in the 17th, possibly in the 16th. As the 1744 reference uses the term in reference to Dithmarschen, I find it plausible to assume that the term came into use in this context at some point after 1500. It remains to be researched whether the term is attested in the 16th century. Perhaps the current article means to imply that Dannebrog is attested in 1558 when it states

This legend is found in two sources, Hans Svaning's History of King Hans from 1558–1559 and Johan Rantzau's History about the Last Dithmarschen War, from 1569. Both claim that this was the original flag, and consequently both writers knew the legend of the falling flag. In 1576, the son of Johan Rantzau, Henrik Rantzau, also writes about the war and the fate of the flag.

If these sources do use the word "Dannebrog", this should be made explicit. --dab (𒁳) 12:45, 24 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

The article was still harping on earliest use of the flag when it was actually discussing seals, and coins, and coats of arms showing crosses. Sigh. A coin is not a flag. We know the cross was used as a symbol of Christianity ever since Denmark became Christian. The earliest picture of a flag is that of 1397. So if you want to discuss an "earliest flag", use that. Of course, there was no concept of "national flag" at the time, but at least you can say there is a flag. --dab (𒁳) 09:25, 26 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

The earliest written evidence stems from the early 16th century, in Christiern Pedersens Chronicles of Denmark, where he mentions that Eric of Pomerania brought various artifacts with him when he left the country, amongst them "Danebroge, ... a banner which God sent the men of Denmark from the sky by his holy angel, that they should lead them into war between them and their enemies, which they often did and won great prize and honour" (Chr. Pedersen, Danske Skrifter, vol. V, (440), 488). The German historian Johann Adolf Köster (also known as Neocorus) wrote the same thing, but claiming that the flag incident occurred in Russia (Neocorus, Chronik Ditmarschens, I 489, II 232). The third source is the monk of the Danish Franciscan friar Peder Olsen (Petrus Olai Saneropius, died 1570), who mentions the incident in his manuscript of Danish chronicles, but places the incident in 1208 in Felin, Estonia. Concerning pictorial evidence we have various depictions, the earliest being on the seal of Valdemar IV of Denmark (it can be seen on the right on the awning), on the seal of Eric of Pomerania (who was mentioned by the sources as having had the "original" Dannebrog in his possession, it can be seen being held by the 3 lions), it is depicted on a mural from 1498 in Roskilde Cathedral used as a shipsflag on the ship carrying the head of the Saint Lucius, it is shown on the title page of Christiern Pedersen edition of the Gesta Danorum of Saxo Grammaticus from 1514, where there is an illustration of the Danish king and his knights holding a Dannebrog banner. This is all information from A.D. Jørgensen, "Om Danebroges Oprindelse", in: Historiske Afhandlinger, vol. 2., 1899. In that source Jørgensen also claims that the word Danebrog precedes the crossflag, since its construction suggests an origin in Old Danish. I am not that wellversed in Medieval history or linguistics, so I do not know what the status of that claim is in current scholarship, but suffice it to say that the word "Dannebrog" is certainly much older than the 18th century. --Saddhiyama (talk) 16:44, 29 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Hm, apparently the "origin legend" is of such importance in Danish historiography that it may even need its own article. In any case, it seems obvious that the flag directly derives from the 12th-century crusader flags (Hospitaller, Reichsfahne). It was certainly used in Denmark in the 13th century, and it becomes increasingly part of the royal insignia in the 14th century. However, this article is supposed to be about the national flag of Denmark, and the article is almost comically missing any information on that. We have some coverage on the use as maritime flag in the early modern period, but we have nothing on its introduction and use as the modern national flag. --dab (𒁳) 09:28, 11 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I found the text of the 1854 regulation which allowed the flag's use. It contains the term nationalflag in reference to other nations' flags (consulates are allowed to "fly their respective national flags"), this seems to imply that the Dannebrog is considered the nationalflag at this point, but it is not made explicit. Conspicuously missing are references to the regulations of 1892 and 1893 which seem to have introduced official specifications for the flag as used as national flag of Denmark. It is possible that 1892 should be the date of offical introduction as national flag (as opposed to military flag), but not even the Danish article has references to these (in spite of referring to their content). --dab (𒁳) 11:08, 11 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Color again[edit]

In my eyes, all the SVG flags are purplish maroon, not red as I have learned to know the flag. Red is also the color that the photos exhibit. I am not color blind, ergo the SVG images must be erroneously colored. Could someone not color blind perhaps please fix them? Rursus dixit. (mbork3!) 18:14, 27 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

From Denmark — Flag colours I get Pantone 185U (National flag land use), and from the pantone colorfinder I snapshot a color code of #e00034 (perusing the Gimp snapshot function). For naval war use the color should instead be Pantone 193U giving indeed purplish maroon, encoded with #bb133e. (The derived RGB code on the refered Flag colours page seem to be incorrect). Rursus dixit. (mbork3!) 18:46, 27 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
The SVG images have #d00c33 for the land flag and #a50021 for the naval war flag. Rursus dixit. (mbork3!) 18:53, 27 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

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Battle of Lyndanisse[edit]

Is there any reason to use the Estonian spelling in what is essentially an article on Danish history? The battle of Lyndanisse is always so called in Danish (where y and i are pronounced differentl). The article linked is called Battle of Lyndanisse. --Klausok (talk) 17:05, 11 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Vertical rotated source[edit]

@Durian Farmer Do you have a source about the Vertical rotated symbol added to the danish flag? ChaseYUL99 (talk) 20:01, 28 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

meant to type "Vertical normal" sorry Durian Farmer (talk) 20:13, 28 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

1625?[edit]

The infobox uses 1625 as date of adoption, but this information is not found anywhere else in the page. The source given i the Guinnes Book fo Records, which is not a reliable source and which doe snot provide any further details on this date. Where does it come from? Is it even accurate? Eccekevin (talk) 06:16, 22 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Add flag of Christiania to "Other flags in the Kingdom of Denmark" section?[edit]

It could fit with the flag of Ærø, Bornholm and the others. LaggyMcStab (talk) 08:16, 26 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]

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