zur deutschen Version, Flagge klicken oder tippen
In Europe, flags as we know them today evolved from the coats of arms of feudal lords. As early as the early Middle Ages, people had begun to transfer the image of the coat of arms onto a piece of cloth attached to a pole. But even in the Roman Empire there was a kind of precursor to the flag, the 'labarum' – a red cloth attached to a crossbar with the Christogram in the centre. It was also customary to carry the cloaks of prominent figures on poles so that they were visible from a distance. Such an object was known as a pallium. The cloak of Saint Martin, which served as a banner for the French kings, was particularly famous. A flag bearing the image of a coat of arms is known as a heraldic flag or banner. These were always magnificent, one-of-a-kind items intended to mark the feudal lord’s position on the battlefield. His entire attire, as well as that of his horse, bore his coat of arms and colours. The task of the heralds ('Hariwald' = army steward) was to maintain an overview amidst the turmoil of battle and to determine precisely who was friend, who was foe, and who was wounded or dead. If, after the battle, the feudal lord bestowed fiefs upon deserving retainers, they were granted a coat of arms. The herald – who, incidentally, did not have to be of noble birth – acted in an advisory capacity in this process. Banners identifying entire groups of people did not appear until the era of the Crusades. The Pope granted banners to some Crusader armies composed of people of the same nationality. These always bore a large cross extending to the very edges of the flag, but varied in colour. Some of these flags have survived into modern times; take Denmark, for example. National flags as we know them today are a product of the modern era and emerged in the wake of the bourgeois revolutions. The concept of the state became separated from the person of the ruler, and so it became necessary to seek new symbols for the state. Ruler’s or family flags were thus replaced by national flags. The first national flag of this new kind was the French tricolour. For the emerging national armies, it became necessary to produce flags efficiently and in large quantities. This often explains the simple appearance of the flags of that era, as it was no longer the coat of arms that was depicted on the flag, but only the colours of the coat of arms, even though the coat of arms itself was sometimes added to the flags. Today’s national flags are often the emblems of sovereign states. The use of the flag is often governed by strict laws and regulations. Their misuse or wilful damage is strictly prohibited. Today, a distinction is made between national flags, state flags, flags of heads of state, naval flags, merchant flags, official flags and customs flags. There are often regional flags, such as those for federal states or provinces, or for cities. Flags and pennants have particular significance in shipping.
The (semi-)science that deals with flags is known as vexillology. It developed from heraldry. Many terms used to describe a flag actually have their roots in heraldry. The study of flags is also frequently referred as vexillology. This term is derived from the Latin word for 'flag' (vexillum).
Originally, in the Proto-Germanic languages, the word 'ban' referred to a judicial district, also known as 'bann'. Its symbol was called 'bandwa' and served as a standard, from which the word 'banner' was derived. The banner became the visible symbol of a 'bann'. It also found its way into the French language as 'bannière'. It always refers to an irreplaceable piece of cloth serving as a signal, associated with a specific person in a prominent position in battle, but also in life. The word 'flag' has come down to us from the Old Norse word 'flagra'. In English, the word 'flag' acquired a meaning which, ironically, was 'to hang limply'. In the German language, in addition to the word "Flagge", there is also the word "Fahne". It originally meant 'cloth' and derives from the Middle High German word 'van(e)', or the Old High German word 'fano', or the Gothic word 'fana'. All these words are etymologically related to the Latin word 'pannas', which in turn means 'cloth', and to the Greek word 'pênê', which means 'fabric', also in the sense of 'cloth'. The meaning of the word "Fahne" as a military or national emblem arose from the shortening of the Old High German compound word 'gundfano', which means 'battle standard'. But what, then, is the difference between a flag and a banner (or 'Fahne')? Fundamentally, and from a historical perspective, there is no difference. They are some different words, each with its own distinctive origin, which refer to one and the same object. In modern usage, however, distinctions are made between a 'flag' and a 'banner'. Today, a 'banner' is understood to be a distinctive emblem made of cloth and specially designed, attached directly to a flagpole, whereas a 'flag', whilst also being a distinctive emblem made of cloth and specially designed, it is attached to a flag line in such a way that it can be easily replaced, and can be hoisted and lowered with the aid of a line on a flagpole or flagstaff.
Source: Volker Preuß
