Middle East and Africa
Turkey
Tunis
Egypt
Jebel Shammar
Nejd
Tripoli 11 The most commonly reported flag from the period. Flags with green, white and red stripes also seem to have been used. Probably flown exclusively on ships. The Turkish flag was the official national flag.
Morocco 22 Flown over the palace in Rabat and on ships. Military flags on land were often dectorated with a yellow or green octagram.
Muscat and Oman · Bahrain 33 Arab monarchies, especially those in and around the Gulf, flew plain red flags from their ships. These weren't quite "national flags" in the modern sense, but European powers tended to view them that way.
Ras al-Khaimah · Sharjah 44 Officially all of the Trucial States were supposed to fly a square red flag with a thick white border. In practice this flag became exclusively associated with the Al Qasimi dynasty. The other states mostly flew plain red flags.
Madagascar
Persia
Futa Jallon
Sokoto Caliphate
green flag of Islam 55 Flown by exclusively by the sultan as a symbol of religious authority. Not really a "national flag" as we'd understand it in modern terms. The sultan also gave white flags to his vassal emirs within the Caliphate.
Liberia
Western Europe
France
Sardinia
Belgium
Netherlands
Luxembourg
Tuscany
Modena and Reggio
Spain
Denmark
merchant flag 66 Flown by merchant ships and the army. Private citizens were officially banned from flying the flag, but often did it anyway.
Denmark
sovereign flag 77 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies.
Norway
merchant flag 88 Allowed to be flown by anyone. The union mark in the top-left corner of the flag was flown on its own as a joint diplomatic flag for Sweden and Norway.
Norway
state flag 99 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
Sweden
merchant flag 1010 Allowed to be flown by anyone. The union mark in the top-left corner of the flag was flown on its own as a joint diplomatic flag for Sweden and Norway.
Sweden
war flag 1111 Flown on government buildings and by the military.
Greece
land flag 1212 Flown on land within Greece.
Greece
sea flag 1313 Flown at sea and abroad.
Samos
Switzerland
army flag 1414 Flag of the federal army, treated as an unofficial national flag.
United Kingdom
England
Scotland
Jersey
Monaco
Two Sicilies
state flag 1515 Flown by the government and navy.
Two Sicilies
land flag 1616 An alternate flag flown only on land.
San Marino
Papal States
Portugal
Malta
traditional flag 1717 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships.
Andorra
Catalonia
Parma and Piacenza
Cornwall
Corsica
Wales
Ireland
Flanders
Ionian Islands
German States
German Confederation
Prussia
royal flag 1818 Flown by the monarchy and government.
Prussia
merchant flag 1919 Flown by merchant ships.
Prussia
state colours 2020 The traditional heraldic colours of Prussia, often used as a flag on land.
Austria
Imperial colours 2121 The dynastic colours of the Hapsburg monarchy, often used as a flag on land.
Austria
naval flag 2222 Flown by merchant and navy ships.
Hesse-Darmstadt
Hesse-Kassel
state colours 2323 Designated as the official colours of Hesse. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Hesse-Homburg
state colours 2424 Designated as the official colours of Hesse. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Lübeck
state flag 2525 Flown by the government.
Lübeck
merchant flag 2626 Flown by merchant ships.
Hamburg
Frankfurt
Bremen 2727 The number of stripes could vary but eight was the most common.
Liechtenstein
princely flag 2828 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag.
Württemberg
state colours 2929 Designated as the official colours of Württemberg. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. Black and yellow flags were also in use around this time.
Waldeck-Pyrmont
Reuss Elder Line
state colours 3030 Designated as the official colours of Reuss. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Reuss Junior Line
state colours 3131 Designated as the official colours of Reuss. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Saxon Duchies
state colours 3232 Designated as the official colours of the Ernestine duchies in Thuringia: Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Meiningen, and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Anhalt
state colours 3333 Designated as the official colours of the Anhalt duchies: Anhalt-Bernburg, Anhalt-Dessau, and Anhalt-Köthen. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Saxony
Oldenburg
Bavaria
state colours 3434 Designated as the official colours of Bavaria. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. There are many reported variants from the period, some with more stripes, others with the diamond pattern from the Bavarian arms.
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
state colours 3535 Designated as the official colours of Schwarzburg. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
state colours 3636 Designated as the official colours of Schwarzburg. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Brunswick
state colours 3737 Designated as the official colours of Brunswick. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Nassau
Hanover
merchant flag 3838 Flown by merchant ships.
Hanover
state colours 3939 Designated as the official colours of Hanover. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Heligoland
Eastern Europe
Russia
Imperial standard 4040 The flag of the Emperor, often regarded as the Russian national flag during the period.
Russia
trade flag 4141 Flown by merchant ships.
Carniola
national colours 4242 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia.
Slovakia 4343 Flown by advocates of Slovakian independence. The "Upper Hungary" region did not have an official flag.
Serbia
national flag 4444 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Serbia
state flag 4545 Flown the government and armed forces.
Croatia and Slavonia
Hungary 4646 Prohibited within the Austrian Empire but still flown by Hungarian nationalists.
Romania 4747 Flown by advocates of Romanian independence and unification.
Moldavia
merchant flag 4848 Flown by rivergoing merchant vessels.
Wallachia
merchant flag 4949 Flown by rivergoing merchant vessels.
Ukraine 5050 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed.
Bohemia
state colours 5151 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Bohemia. Not an official flag, but informally regarded as a Czech national symbol. A white flag with the Bohemian coat of arms was also sometimes used.
Poland
banner 5252 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol.
Circassia
South Asia and the Indian Ocean
Hyderabad
Jammu and Kashmir 5353 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
Oudh
Jhabua 5454 The raja's flag was rectangular
Dewas
Kota
princely flag 5555 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
Nepal 5656 Nepal's flag started as two pennants which were flown together: the top one representing the king, and the bottom one representing the hereditary prime minister.
Maldive Islands
Kishangarh
Sailana
Ajaigarh 5757 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
Mewar 5858 Mewar had a number of reported princely banners which were also sometimes used as state flags. The most common one had a large yellow sun and a blue katar dagger.
Porbandar
Kolhapur 5959 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag.
Nagpur 6060 Nagpur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag.
Jaipur
Alwar
Idar
Sirohi
Jodhpur
Gwalior
princely flag 6161 Flag of the maharaja, also used as a state flag. Plain saffron flags were also sometimes flown.
Jaisalmer
Bikaner
Banswara
Arcot
Dholpur
Rajpipla
princely flag 6262 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
Rajpipla
national flag 6363 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
Indore 6464 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
Kalat
Travancore
Manipur
Rajgarh
Sitamau 6565 The Raja's flag had a red sun
Bundi
Alirajpur
Southeast Asia
Siam
state flag 6666 Flown by the government.
Siam
merchant flag 6767 Flown by merchant ships.
Luang Prabang
Champassak
Burma
Johor · Kelantan · Perak · Terengganu 6868 Malay monarchs often flew plain white flags. These standards eventually evolved into individual state flags as more colours and symbols were added.
Jambi
sultan's flag 6969 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships.
Jambi
nobles' flag 7070 Flown by nobles at sea.
Jambi
merchant flag 7171 Flown by commoner merchants at sea.
Brunei
sultan's flag 7272 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
Deli
sultan's flag 7373 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
Sarawak
Kedah
Aceh
national flag 7474 Flown by the government, particularly at sea, as a way of nominally invoking the protection of the Ottoman Empire.
Aceh
sultan's flag 7575 Flown by the sultan and by warships. There are many other reported flags from the era, and it's not clear exactly how they were all used. Merchant ships often flew a plain red flag.
Asahan
Sulu 7676 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known.
Oceania
Tahiti
Huahine
Raʻiatea
Bora Bora
Tahuata
Mangareva
Hawaiʻi
Australia
New Zealand 7777 The former flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which remained in use as an unofficial symbol of the country.
ʻUvea
North America
United States
Texas
Métis
Latin America
Brazil
Mexico
Peru
national ensign 7878 Flown by the government, the navy, the national police, and national sports teams. Raised at major ceremonies. The army uses a similar flag with a different coat of arms.
Peru
national flag 7979 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
New Granada
war flag 8080 Flown on warships, fortresses, public buildings, and by diplomats abroad.
New Granada
merchant flag 8181 Flown by merchant ships.
Ecuador
Uruguay
Defence government 8282 Flown by the government of Joaquín Suárez and Fructuoso Rivera, which controlled only Montevideo.
Uruguay
Cerrito government 8383 Flown by the government of Manuel Oribe, which controlled most of Uruguay's territory during the Seige of Montevideo.
Argentina
Honduras · Nicaragua · Salvador
Guatemala
Paraguay
front side
Paraguay
back side
Costa Rica
national flag 8484 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too.
Costa Rica
national ensign 8585 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
Cuba 8686 Flown by Cuban nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
Haiti
Dominican Republic
Chile
Venezuela
national ensign 8787 Flown by the government and armed forces.
Venezuela
national flag 8888 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Bolivia
state flag 8989 Flown by the government and armed forces.
Bolivia
national flag 9090 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Events of 1850
LÜBECK • Lübeck adopted a different model of state flag around 1850.
PARMA AND PIACENZA • A new flag was adopted in September.
SULU • An ornate purple flag was reported around 1850.
Notes
1 The most commonly reported flag from the period. Flags with green, white and red stripes also seem to have been used. Probably flown exclusively on ships. The Turkish flag was the official national flag. ↩
2 Flown over the palace in Rabat and on ships. Military flags on land were often dectorated with a yellow or green octagram. ↩
3 Arab monarchies, especially those in and around the Gulf, flew plain red flags from their ships. These weren't quite "national flags" in the modern sense, but European powers tended to view them that way. ↩
4 Officially all of the Trucial States were supposed to fly a square red flag with a thick white border. In practice this flag became exclusively associated with the Al Qasimi dynasty. The other states mostly flew plain red flags. ↩
5 Flown by exclusively by the sultan as a symbol of religious authority. Not really a "national flag" as we'd understand it in modern terms. The sultan also gave white flags to his vassal emirs within the Caliphate. ↩
6 Flown by merchant ships and the army. Private citizens were officially banned from flying the flag, but often did it anyway. ↩
7 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies. ↩
8 Allowed to be flown by anyone. The union mark in the top-left corner of the flag was flown on its own as a joint diplomatic flag for Sweden and Norway. ↩
9 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships. ↩
10 Allowed to be flown by anyone. The union mark in the top-left corner of the flag was flown on its own as a joint diplomatic flag for Sweden and Norway. ↩
11 Flown on government buildings and by the military. ↩
12 Flown on land within Greece. ↩
13 Flown at sea and abroad. ↩
14 Flag of the federal army, treated as an unofficial national flag. ↩
15 Flown by the government and navy. ↩
16 An alternate flag flown only on land. ↩
17 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. ↩
18 Flown by the monarchy and government. ↩
19 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
20 The traditional heraldic colours of Prussia, often used as a flag on land. ↩
21 The dynastic colours of the Hapsburg monarchy, often used as a flag on land. ↩
22 Flown by merchant and navy ships. ↩
23 Designated as the official colours of Hesse. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
24 Designated as the official colours of Hesse. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
25 Flown by the government. ↩
26 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
27 The number of stripes could vary but eight was the most common. ↩
28 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag. ↩
29 Designated as the official colours of Württemberg. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. Black and yellow flags were also in use around this time. ↩
30 Designated as the official colours of Reuss. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
31 Designated as the official colours of Reuss. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
32 Designated as the official colours of the Ernestine duchies in Thuringia: Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Meiningen, and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
33 Designated as the official colours of the Anhalt duchies: Anhalt-Bernburg, Anhalt-Dessau, and Anhalt-Köthen. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
34 Designated as the official colours of Bavaria. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. There are many reported variants from the period, some with more stripes, others with the diamond pattern from the Bavarian arms. ↩
35 Designated as the official colours of Schwarzburg. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
36 Designated as the official colours of Schwarzburg. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
37 Designated as the official colours of Brunswick. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
38 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
39 Designated as the official colours of Hanover. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
40 The flag of the Emperor, often regarded as the Russian national flag during the period. ↩
41 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
42 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia. ↩
43 Flown by advocates of Slovakian independence. The "Upper Hungary" region did not have an official flag. ↩
44 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
45 Flown the government and armed forces. ↩
46 Prohibited within the Austrian Empire but still flown by Hungarian nationalists. ↩
47 Flown by advocates of Romanian independence and unification. ↩
48 Flown by rivergoing merchant vessels. ↩
49 Flown by rivergoing merchant vessels. ↩
50 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed. ↩
51 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Bohemia. Not an official flag, but informally regarded as a Czech national symbol. A white flag with the Bohemian coat of arms was also sometimes used. ↩
52 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol. ↩
53 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom. ↩
54 The raja's flag was rectangular ↩
55 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer. ↩
56 Nepal's flag started as two pennants which were flown together: the top one representing the king, and the bottom one representing the hereditary prime minister. ↩
57 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower. ↩
58 Mewar had a number of reported princely banners which were also sometimes used as state flags. The most common one had a large yellow sun and a blue katar dagger. ↩
59 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag. ↩
60 Nagpur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. ↩
61 Flag of the maharaja, also used as a state flag. Plain saffron flags were also sometimes flown. ↩
62 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. ↩
63 Allowed to be flown by civilians. ↩
64 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours. ↩
65 The Raja's flag had a red sun ↩
66 Flown by the government. ↩
67 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
68 Malay monarchs often flew plain white flags. These standards eventually evolved into individual state flags as more colours and symbols were added. ↩
69 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships. ↩
70 Flown by nobles at sea. ↩
71 Flown by commoner merchants at sea. ↩
72 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag. ↩
73 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag. ↩
74 Flown by the government, particularly at sea, as a way of nominally invoking the protection of the Ottoman Empire. ↩
75 Flown by the sultan and by warships. There are many other reported flags from the era, and it's not clear exactly how they were all used. Merchant ships often flew a plain red flag. ↩
76 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known. ↩
77 The former flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which remained in use as an unofficial symbol of the country. ↩
78 Flown by the government, the navy, the national police, and national sports teams. Raised at major ceremonies. The army uses a similar flag with a different coat of arms. ↩
79 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
80 Flown on warships, fortresses, public buildings, and by diplomats abroad. ↩
81 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
82 Flown by the government of Joaquín Suárez and Fructuoso Rivera, which controlled only Montevideo. ↩
83 Flown by the government of Manuel Oribe, which controlled most of Uruguay's territory during the Seige of Montevideo. ↩
84 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too. ↩
85 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens. ↩
86 Flown by Cuban nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain. ↩
87 Flown by the government and armed forces. ↩
88 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
89 Flown by the government and armed forces. ↩
90 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩