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 · Zanzibar · 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.
Orange Free State
South African Republic (Transvaal)
Liberia
Western Europe
France
Sardinia
national flag 66 Flown by private citizens and merchant ships.
Sardinia
state flag 77 Flown by the government and navy.
Belgium
Netherlands
Luxembourg
Tuscany
Modena and Reggio
Spain
Switzerland
army flag 88 Flag of the federal army, treated as an unofficial national flag.
Denmark
national flag 99 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Denmark
sovereign flag 1010 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 1111 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 1212 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
Sweden
merchant flag 1313 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 1414 Flown on government buildings and by the military.
Greece
land flag 1515 Flown on land within Greece.
Greece
sea flag 1616 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had the Wittelsbach coat of arms in the centre of the cross.
Samos
United Kingdom
England
Scotland
Jersey
Monaco
Two Sicilies
state flag 1717 Flown by the government and navy.
Two Sicilies
land flag 1818 An alternate flag flown only on land.
San Marino
Papal States
Portugal
Malta
traditional flag 1919 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 2020 Flown by the monarchy and government.
Prussia
merchant flag 2121 Flown by merchant ships.
Prussia
state colours 2222 The traditional heraldic colours of Prussia, often used as a flag on land.
Austria
Imperial colours 2323 The dynastic colours of the Hapsburg monarchy, often used as a flag on land.
Austria
naval flag 2424 Flown by merchant and navy ships.
Hesse-Darmstadt
Hesse-Kassel
state colours 2525 Designated as the official colours of Hesse. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Hesse-Homburg
state colours 2626 Designated as the official colours of Hesse. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Lübeck
state flag 2727 Flown by the government.
Lübeck
merchant flag 2828 Flown by merchant ships.
Hamburg
Frankfurt
Bremen 2929 The number of stripes could vary but eight was the most common.
Lippe
princely flag 3030 Flown by the prince and used as a state flag.
Lippe
state colours 3131 Designated as the official colours of Lippe. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Baden 3232 Designed to be used as a diplomatic flag. Within the grand duchy, flags were made various configurations of red and yellow stripes.
Liechtenstein
princely flag 3333 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag.
Württemberg
state colours 3434 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 3535 Designated as the official colours of Reuss. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Reuss Junior Line
state colours 3636 Designated as the official colours of Reuss. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Saxon Duchies
state colours 3737 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 3838 Designated as the official colours of Anhalt-Bernburg and Anhalt-Dessau. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Saxony
Oldenburg
Bavaria
state colours 3939 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 4040 Designated as the official colours of Schwarzburg. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
state colours 4141 Designated as the official colours of Schwarzburg. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Brunswick
state colours 4242 Designated as the official colours of Brunswick. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Nassau
Hanover
merchant flag 4343 Flown by merchant ships.
Hanover
state colours 4444 Designated as the official colours of Hanover. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
Heligoland
Eastern Europe
Russia
Imperial standard 4545 The flag of the Emperor, often regarded as the Russian national flag during the period.
Russia
armorial flag 4646 Flown on government buildings, especially military buildings, and as patriotic decoration.
Russia
trade flag 4747 Flown by merchant ships.
Carniola
national colours 4848 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia.
Slovakia 4949 Flown by advocates of Slovakian independence. The "Upper Hungary" region did not have an official flag.
Croatia and Slavonia 5050 The flying of the Croatian tricolour was banned within Austria.
Serbia
national flag 5151 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Serbia
state flag 5252 Flown the government and armed forces.
Hungary 5353 Prohibited within the Austrian Empire but still flown by Hungarian nationalists.
Romania 5454 Flown by advocates of Romanian independence and unification.
Moldavia
merchant flag 5555 Flown by rivergoing merchant vessels.
Wallachia
merchant flag 5656 Flown by rivergoing merchant vessels.
Ukraine 5757 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed.
Bohemia
state colours 5858 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.
Montenegro
batallion flag 5959 Flown by the prince and the military.
Poland
banner 6060 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 6161 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
Nepal
Jhabua 6262 The raja's flag was rectangular
Dewas
Kota
princely flag 6363 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
Maldive Islands
Kishangarh
Sailana
Ajaigarh 6464 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
Mewar 6565 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 6666 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag.
Dhar
Jaipur
Alwar
Idar
Sirohi
Jodhpur
Gwalior
princely flag 6767 Flag of the maharaja, also used as a state flag. Plain saffron flags were also sometimes flown.
Jaisalmer
Bikaner
Banswara
Dholpur
Rajpipla
princely flag 6868 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
Rajpipla
national flag 6969 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
Indore 7070 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
Kalat
Travancore
Manipur
Rajgarh
Sitamau 7171 The Raja's flag had a red sun
Bundi
Alirajpur
East and Southeast Asia
Japan
Siam
Luang Prabang
Champassak
Burma
Kelantan · Perak · Terengganu 7272 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 7373 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships.
Jambi
nobles' flag 7474 Flown by nobles at sea.
Jambi
merchant flag 7575 Flown by commoner merchants at sea.
Johor
Pahang
sultan's flag 7676 Flown by the sultan.
Brunei
sultan's flag 7777 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
Deli
sultan's flag 7878 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
Sarawak
Kedah
Aceh
national flag 7979 Flown by the government, particularly at sea, as a way of nominally invoking the protection of the Ottoman Empire.
Aceh
sultan's flag 8080 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 8181 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known.
Oceania
Samoa
ʻUvea
Rimatara
Tahiti
Rarotonga
Mangareva
Rurutu
Huahine
Raʻiatea
Bora Bora
Tahuata
Hawaiʻi
Australia
New Zealand 8282 The former flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which remained in use as an unofficial symbol of the country.
North America
United States
Texas
Métis
Latin America
Brazil
Mexico
Peru
national ensign 8383 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 8484 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
New Granada
war flag 8585 Flown on warships, fortresses, public buildings, and by diplomats abroad.
New Granada
merchant flag 8686 Flown by merchant ships.
Ecuador
Uruguay
Argentina · Buenos Aires
Honduras · Nicaragua · Salvador
Paraguay
front side
Paraguay
back side
Guatemala
Costa Rica
national flag 8787 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 8888 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
Cuba 8989 Flown by Cuban nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
Haiti
Dominican Republic
Chile
Venezuela
national ensign 9090 Flown by the government and armed forces.
Venezuela
national flag 9191 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Bolivia
state flag 9292 Flown by the government and armed forces.
Bolivia
national flag 9393 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Events of 1858
GUATEMALA • A new flag and coat of arms were adopted on May 31. The arrangement of the colours gave much more prominence to the Spanish red and yellow.
INDIA • The princely state of Dhar adopted a flag around 1858.
MONTENEGRO • Danilo I adopted a princely standard around this year.
NICARAGUA • Nicaragua adopted a new constitution on August 19. After this the yellow-white-nacre tricolour was definitely out of use, but it might have been abandoned as early as 1857.
RUSSIA • On June 11, Russia adopted a new armorial flag with colours taken from its coat of arms. The flag was intended to serve as a kind of national flag, but was never very popular with the Russian population.
POLYNESIA • The earliest known flags of Rarotonga, Rurutu and Samoa were first reported around 1858. ʻUvea also adopted a new flag around this time.
TRANSVAAL • The South African Republic adopted a flag based on the Dutch tricolour.
UNITED STATES • A 32nd star (for Minnesota) was added to the flag on July 4.
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 private citizens and merchant ships. ↩
7 Flown by the government and navy. ↩
8 Flag of the federal army, treated as an unofficial national flag. ↩
9 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
10 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies. ↩
11 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. ↩
12 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships. ↩
13 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. ↩
14 Flown on government buildings and by the military. ↩
15 Flown on land within Greece. ↩
16 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had the Wittelsbach coat of arms in the centre of the cross. ↩
17 Flown by the government and navy. ↩
18 An alternate flag flown only on land. ↩
19 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. ↩
20 Flown by the monarchy and government. ↩
21 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
22 The traditional heraldic colours of Prussia, often used as a flag on land. ↩
23 The dynastic colours of the Hapsburg monarchy, often used as a flag on land. ↩
24 Flown by merchant and navy ships. ↩
25 Designated as the official colours of Hesse. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
26 Designated as the official colours of Hesse. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
27 Flown by the government. ↩
28 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
29 The number of stripes could vary but eight was the most common. ↩
30 Flown by the prince and used as a state flag. ↩
31 Designated as the official colours of Lippe. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
32 Designed to be used as a diplomatic flag. Within the grand duchy, flags were made various configurations of red and yellow stripes. ↩
33 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag. ↩
34 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. ↩
35 Designated as the official colours of Reuss. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
36 Designated as the official colours of Reuss. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
37 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. ↩
38 Designated as the official colours of Anhalt-Bernburg and Anhalt-Dessau. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
39 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. ↩
40 Designated as the official colours of Schwarzburg. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
41 Designated as the official colours of Schwarzburg. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
42 Designated as the official colours of Brunswick. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
43 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
44 Designated as the official colours of Hanover. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. ↩
45 The flag of the Emperor, often regarded as the Russian national flag during the period. ↩
46 Flown on government buildings, especially military buildings, and as patriotic decoration. ↩
47 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
48 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia. ↩
49 Flown by advocates of Slovakian independence. The "Upper Hungary" region did not have an official flag. ↩
50 The flying of the Croatian tricolour was banned within Austria. ↩
51 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
52 Flown the government and armed forces. ↩
53 Prohibited within the Austrian Empire but still flown by Hungarian nationalists. ↩
54 Flown by advocates of Romanian independence and unification. ↩
55 Flown by rivergoing merchant vessels. ↩
56 Flown by rivergoing merchant vessels. ↩
57 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed. ↩
58 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. ↩
59 Flown by the prince and the military. ↩
60 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol. ↩
61 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom. ↩
62 The raja's flag was rectangular ↩
63 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer. ↩
64 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower. ↩
65 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. ↩
66 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag. ↩
67 Flag of the maharaja, also used as a state flag. Plain saffron flags were also sometimes flown. ↩
68 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. ↩
69 Allowed to be flown by civilians. ↩
70 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours. ↩
71 The Raja's flag had a red sun ↩
72 Malay monarchs often flew plain white flags. These standards eventually evolved into individual state flags as more colours and symbols were added. ↩
73 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships. ↩
74 Flown by nobles at sea. ↩
75 Flown by commoner merchants at sea. ↩
76 Flown by the sultan. ↩
77 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag. ↩
78 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag. ↩
79 Flown by the government, particularly at sea, as a way of nominally invoking the protection of the Ottoman Empire. ↩
80 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. ↩
81 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known. ↩
82 The former flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which remained in use as an unofficial symbol of the country. ↩
83 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. ↩
84 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
85 Flown on warships, fortresses, public buildings, and by diplomats abroad. ↩
86 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
87 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too. ↩
88 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens. ↩
89 Flown by Cuban nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain. ↩
90 Flown by the government and armed forces. ↩
91 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
92 Flown by the government and armed forces. ↩
93 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩