Flag of Albania

Albania
Name Albania
Use National flag
Proportion 5:7
Adopted 1912 (original flag)
7 April 1992 (current flag)
Design A red field with the black double-headed eagle in the center.

The Flag of Albania (Albanian: Flamuri i Shqipërisë) is a red flag with a silhouetted black double-headed eagle in the center. The red stands for bravery, strength and valor, while the double-headed eagle represents the sovereign state of Albania located in the Balkans.

History

Elements of the flag's design such as the double-headed eagle were borrowed from the banner of the Byzantine Empire (specifically the emblem of the Palaiologoi dynasty).[1][2][3] The eagle was used for heraldic purposes in the Late Middle Ages by a number of noble families in Albania (it is said that Skanderbeg used it on his flag) and became the symbol of the Albanians.[4] The Kastrioti's coat of arms, depicting a black double-headed eagle on a red field, became famous when he led a revolt against the Ottoman Empire resulting in the independence of Albania from 1443 to 1479. This was the flag of the League of Lezhë, which was the first unified Albanian state in the Middle Ages.[5][6][7]

Coat of Arms of the Kastrioti Family.[8] According to records, Skanderbeg raised a red flag with the black eagle over Krujë.[9]

The symbol of the double-headed eagle was re-used by Albanian nationalists during the 19th and early 20th centuries as a symbol of their campaign for their country's independence from the Ottoman Empire.[1][4] On 28 November 1912, the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed in Vlora and the flag, raised by Ismail Qemal, was adopted as the symbol of the new nation.[1][4]

The Albanian flag has gone through a number of changes over the years as different regimes have modified it. During the reign of King Zog (r. 1928–1939), a crown was added to the flag and was replaced by two fasces during the Italian occupation of Albania. After World War II, the communist regime added a five-pointed golden star, which was removed on 7 April 1992 after the communist government in Albania collapsed.

Albania's maritime flags—the civil ensign and the naval ensign—are both different from the national flag. The civil ensign consists of three horizontal bands of red, black, and red. The naval ensign is similar to the national flag, except that the eagle is on a white field, and the lower portion of the flag has a red stripe. The eagle of the flag of Albania is depicted on the reverse of the Albanian five lekë coin, issued in 1995 and 2000.[10]

Beginning in 1969, the flag of Albania was widely unofficially flown in Kosovo by the country's ethnic Albanian population.[11] It was the symbol of the unrecognized Republic of Kosova during the 1990s. The current independent state of Kosovo uses a different flag that was designed to avoid any symbols associated with a particular ethnic group.

Incorrect version

The correct version on the left and the incorrect on the right.

There is an incorrect version of the flag still commonly used by Albanians and officials, most notably used in 100th Anniversary of the Independence of Albania. The flags had deformed eagles, a detail which didn't go without notice. The flags were ordered from a Chinese company that didn't get all details right. These flags were quickly removed after Independence day, but few specimens are still active around the World.[12]

Chronological

Ensign and standard

Other

See also

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Elsie 2001, "Eagles", p. 78.
  2. ↑ Grumeza 2010, p. 99: "During John Hunyadi's campaign at Niss in 1443, Skanderberg and a few hundred Albanians defected from the Turkish ranks; for twenty-five years he scored remarkable victories against the Ottomans. He adopted the Byzantine double-headed eagle flag, and his spectacular victories brought him the papal title Athleta Christi."
  3. ↑ Mucha, Crampton & Louda 1985, p. 36.
  4. 1 2 3 Elsie 2010, "Flag, Albanian", p. 140: "The eagle was a common heraldic symbol for many Albanian dynasties in the Late Middle Ages and came to be a symbol of the Albanians in general. It is also said to have been the flag of Skanderbeg...As a symbol of modern Albania, the flag began to be seen during the years of the national awakening and was in common use during the uprisings of 1909-1912. It was this flag that Ismail Qemal bey Vlora raised in Vlora on 28 November 1912 in proclaiming Albanian independence."
  5. ↑ Matanov 2010, p. 363.
  6. ↑ Pickard & Çeliku 2008, p. 16.
  7. ↑ Schmitt 2009.
  8. ↑ Hodgkison, Harry (2005). Scanderbeg: From Ottoman Captive to Albanian Hero. ISBN 1-85043-941-9.
  9. ↑ The Flag Bulletin. Flag Research Center. 1987-01-01. History records that the 15th century Albanian national hero, Skanderbeg (i.e. George Kastriota), had raised the red flag with the black eagle over his ancestral home, the Fortress of Kruje
  10. ↑ "Albanian coins in circulation – Issue of 1995, 1996 and 2000". Bank of Albania. 2004–2009. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  11. ↑ Malcolm 1998, p. 325.
  12. ↑ "Festë me flamuj të deformuar" (Press release) (in Albanian). Top Channel. 22 November 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2012. Shqipëria po përgatitet të festojë 100-vjetorin e Pavarësisë me simbole të deformuar.
  13. ↑ "Albania: Ottoman rule (15th century-1912)". Retrieved 4 March 2015. In the 19th century, the Albanian independentist circles used a red flag with the Byzantine double-headed eagle, supposedly used by the Albanian medieval hero Skanderbeg, and never forgotten in Albania. This flag was also used by the Albanian chief Isa Boletin, when he rebelled against Turkey in 1910. When the Autonomous Government was proclaimed in Mirditë in June 1911, this was also the flag used.

Sources

Further reading

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