Origins of the current portuguese national flag

Last modified: 2014-06-29 by klaus-michael schneider
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• Origin of the colours

• Flag flown by the ship Adamastor
• Portuguese republican flags (1910ies)
• Proposals for the new portuguese national flag (1910-1911)
• Portuguese historical flags
• Portugal

Origin of the colours

Those who trace the green and red from the 1385 flag or from the (red) Cross of Christ Order over green banner used during the 1640 revolution are wrong (including Crampton and Wh. Smith — oh well, even the Sun has its spots…).

In fact the red and green found in the republican portuguese flag (in early flags usualy reversed, i.e., red near the hoist) were the colors of the iberian federalism (where they came from I do not know but I doubt it that the major influence was same old portuguese flags…), used since 1891 in Portugal by most “republican clubs” and by the Masonry, who replaced the previous blue and white flag in 1910.

Other interpretations of the 1910 colors, even the contemporary, “official” ones, are pure fantasy and wishful thinking — or sand in the eyes of an after all quite conservative, non-radical people…)
António Martins, 19 Feb 1998