History of The Flags of Romania - Tricolor

Tricolor

The tricolor was first adopted in Wallachia in 1834, when the reforming domnitor Alexandru II Ghica submitted naval and military colors designs for the approval of Sultan Mahmud II. The latter was a “flag with a red, blue and yellow face, also having stars and a bird’s head in the middle”. Soon, the order of colors was changed, with yellow appearing in the center. When the flags were handed over for use, Ghica remarked:

In 1840, in order to differentiate the military colors from the war flag, Ghica adopted a new design for the former: a red-yellow-blue tricolor, with red on top and stripes of equal width. In the center was a white shield bordered with gold and decorated with the Wallachian eagle, wearing the princely crown and with a cross in its beak.

In 1848, the flag adopted for Wallachia by the revolutionaries that year was a blue-yellow-red tricolor (with blue above, in line with the meaning “Liberty, Justice, Fraternity”). Already on 26 April, according to Gazeta de Transilvania, Romanian students in Paris were hailing the new government with a blue, gold and red national flag, “as a symbol of union between Moldavians and Muntenians”.

Decree nr. 1 of 14/26 June 1848 of the provisional government mentioned that “the National Flag will have three colors: blue, yellow, red”, emblazoned with the words “DPEПTATE ФPЪЦIE” (Dreptate, Frăţie or “Justice, Fraternity”, in the Romanian transitional alphabet). It differed from earlier tricolors in that the blue stripe was on top, the princely symbol was eliminated from the corners, as was the crown atop the eagle at the end of the flagpole, while a motto was now present. These flags were blessed the following day, being intended for use by the National Guard. Today only the Slatina city guard’s flag survives. On the blue stripe appear the words (Frăţie Dreptate or “Fraternity, Justice”), on the yellow — (Judeţul Oltŭ or “Olt County”) and on the red — (Oraşul Slatina or “The City of Slatina”). It is 124 centimeter long and 110 centimeter wide. The existence of similar flags is confirmed by records, which in some cases even mention the manufacturer’s price. Thus, the police observer’s flag (made of chalon or cloth friezed on both sides) and that of the Bucharest dorobanţi detachment (made of Tibet wool) together cost 192 lei and 10 parale. Decree nr. 5 of 18 June ordered garrisons to store old flags in warehouses: “it being necessary to change flags, new flags will soon be sent to you”. On 25 June, General Christian Tell asked the provisional government to approve the manufacture of six flags (three for the infantry and three for the cavalry), following which they would be “submitted to the provisional government for approval”. His request was granted on 11 July, though the flags were not distributed until 11 September, in a solemn ceremony. On 30 June, Metropolitan Neofit, as prime minister, gave the following disposition: “the standards of liberty will be raised on all buildings, and the insignia will be carried”. These symbols were widely employed in demonstrations and raised on public buildings, boats, warships, etc.

Nevertheless, decree nr. 252 of 13/25 July 1848, issued because “it has not been agreed how the national standards should be designed”, defined the flag as three vertical stripes, possibly influenced by the French model. The shades were “dark blue, light yellow and carmine red”; as for order, “near the wood comes blue, then yellow and then red fluttering”.

Petre Vasiliu-Năsturel observes that from a heraldic point of view, on the French as well as the revolutionary Wallachian flag, the middle stripe represents a heraldic metal (argent and or respectively). Other writers believe that the tricolor was not an imitation of the French flag, instead embodying an old Romanian tradition. This theory is supported by a note from the revolutionary foreign minister to Emin Pasha: “the colors of the band that we the leaders wear, as well as all our followers, are not of modern origin. We have had our flags since an earlier time. When we received the tricolor insignia and bands we did not follow the spirit of imitation or fashion”.

Earlier, at the Sibiu Conference of 26 April/8 May 1848, Transylvanian revolutionaries had also adopted a blue-white-red national flag (vertical, according to the memoirs of George Bariţ). It was emblazoned with the words “VIRTUTEA ROMANĂ REÎNVIATĂ” (“ROMAN VIRTUE RESURRECTED”). A number of contemporary sources attests these colors (including the Blaj newspaper Organul naţionale and Alexandru Papiu Ilarian’s Istorie a românilor din Dacia superioară). They had a twofold significance: their importance in Romanian costume and their union of the Transylvanian principality’s old colors (blue and red) with the white symbolizing peace. It appears that the two specimens with blue-yellow-red stripes preserved today at the National Museum of Romanian History were made later to commemorate the events at Blaj; yellow replaced white as a symbol of Romanian Transylvanians’ desire to join Romania.

After the revolution was quelled, the old flags were restored and the revolutionaries punished for having worn the tricolor. In 1849, domnitor Barbu Dimitrie Ştirbei adopted a new design for military colors that nevertheless preserved the colors’ horizontal layout and only changed decorative elements. Similar to the 1834 flag, this one lasted until 1856.

During the Caimacam of three (October 1858-January 1859), as the acting regents did not have the right to inscribe their initials on military flags, the monograms of the Wallachian domnitori were replaced by eagles.

• War flag of the Principality of Wallachia, 1834 design (a clearer image here).

• War flag of the Principality of Wallachia, 1840 - 1848

• Military colors of the Argeş County dorobanţi, 1852 design. The national military colors was the same, except for the district coat of arms in the talons of the middle eagle.

• Period painting depicting the Second Blaj Assembly (3/15 May 1848)

• Revolutionary Romania. Painting by C. D. Rosenthal.

• Romania Breaking off Her Chains on the Field of Liberty. Painting by C. D. Rosenthal. The flag is of the vertical design.