Flag of France: History and Symbolism

The national flag of France – drapeau de la france – is a flag featuring three vertical bands in three different colors: blue on the hoist side, white in the middle, and red. It is one of the most recognizable symbols of France.

These blue, white, and red bands make the French flag an easily recognizable one.

Flag of France: History and Symbolism

Drapeau français is without a doubt one of the most influential flags in history, with the tricolor scheme being immitated by various other nations across the globe.

History of the French National Flag

The French national flag is just like many other countries – the original flag was that of a saint’s. In France’s case, it was the Oriflamme or the flag of St. Denis. 

This flag was deemed Charles the Great’s personal banner. He was said to have carried it to the Holy Land. However, the flag’s first use was most likely as an emblem of the royal house around 1124, during the reign of King Louis VI.

The origin of the current flag of France can be traced back to the early French Revolution. 

The Paris militia, which played a vital role in the storming of the Bastille, wore a cockade of blue and red, the traditional colors of the French capital. White, being regarded as the ancient French color, was added to the said cockade. 

This three-colored cockade became France’s national cockade, which went on to become a part of the uniform of the National Guard, the militia’s successor, and eventually – the colors of the national flag.

All Flags of France

The French government have used many other flags in the past. Let’s delve into them.

1. The Oriflamme

Used in the early Middle Ages, the oriflamme was also known as the flag of St. Denis. 

Bearing two to five pointed ends, the Oriflamme was more like a pennant than a flag. It was created out of red silk without any ornament. 

This banner eventually transformed into oriflammes bearing sunbursts or yellow stars on a red background, which represented the blood of St. Denis of Paris, the patron saint of the French monarchy, who was beheaded for his faith.

The Oriflamme was taken to be stored in the St. Denis Abbey when war broke out.

2. The Flag of Joan of Arc

Still during the Hundred Years’ War, Joan of Arc had a banner consisting of gold or brownish fleur-de-lis on a white background.

It had the painting of the world with an angel at each side and the words “JHESUS MARIA” written above it. It was made of white cloth called “boccassin” and had fringes made of silk.

Joan of Arc’s battle standard led to the prominent use of white background on later French flags.

3. Bourbon Flag

Bourbon Flag was the royal banner of early modern France. It was used during the time of the royal Bourbons who originated in 1272 through the marriage of King Louis IX’s youngest son and the heiress of the lordship of Bourbon. 

Bourbon Flag was characterized by three gold fleur-de-lis on a blue background.

4. The Kingdom of France Flag

The flag of the Kingdom of France, designed in 1643, consists of 86 fleur-de-lison a white background. It has a variant that features the coat of arms of France.

5. The White Cross Flag

France was recognized by a white cross during the Hundred Years’ War. This cross was usually on a red or blue background, with the latter eventually becoming the common standard for French armies. 

This French banner is still seen on the flags derived from it.

Examples of this are Martinique’s “snake flag,” which consists of a white cross on a blue background and four white snake on the quarters; and the Fleurdelisé, the flag of Quebec, which features a white cross on a blue field and a white fleurs-de-lis on each quarter.

6. Red, White, and Blue Flag

The Constituent Assembly of France approved a drapeau tricolore with vertical red, white, and blue vertical bands in 1790. 

7. The White Naval Flag

When the House of Bourbon was restored after Napoleon’s defeat at the famous Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the drapeau tricolore was replaced by the pre-revolutionary naval flag, which was a simple white flag.

8. The French Tricolor

The drapeau tricolore or the French Tricolor has been France’s national flag since 1830, when King Louis-Philippe restored the three-colored banner after the July Revolution.

The French Constitutions of 1946 and 1958 instituted the “blue, white, and red” on the national flag of France.

Meaning and Significance of the French Flag Colors

Generally, the colors of the French flag are symbolic of the following:

• Blue – nobility

• White – clergy

• Red – bourgeois

Occasionally, these colors are interpreted as representative of the three elements of the revolutionary motto:

• Blue – liberté (freedom)

• White – égalité (equality)

• Red – fraternité (brotherhood)

They are also symbolic of the following:

• Blue – democracy

• White – secularism

• Red – modernization

These colors are also said to represent the following saints:

• Blue – St. Martin of Tours, one of the most recognizable saints in France

• White – St. Joan of Arc and the Blessed Virgin Mary, both patron saints of France

• Red – St. Denis of Paris, the martyred 3rd-century bishop of Paris

According to the French government website, however, white was the king’s color, while blue and red were the traditional colors of the city of Paris.

Facts About the French Flag You Should Know

• Because of its three equal vertical stripes of three different colors, the French flag is known as the “le drapeau tricolore.” It literally means “the three-colored flag.” English speakers call it “the French tricolor.” 

• The French tricolor was designed by Gilbert du Motier (Marquis de Lafayette) and the French painter Jacques-Louis David.

• The Netherlands’ red, white, and blue horizontally striped flag inspired the vertically striped French three-colored flag after the French Revolution in 1789. 

• White, the color of the House of Bourbon, has remained in the French flag after being overthrown during the French Revolution.

• As with most other national flags around the world, destroying a French flag in public is illegal. Sharing images or videos violating the flag is also punishable by law.