List of French flags

List of French flags
	French ensigns
	Regional flags
	Breton flags
	Corsican flags
	Flags of Île-de-France
	Occitan flags
	Presidential Standards
	Former French Empire

The Tricolore, the national flag of France.

This list includes flags that either have been in use or are currently used by France, French Overseas Collectivites, the Sui Generis Collectivity and the French Overseas Territory.

The French Society of Vexillology is the authority on the flying of flags in France and maintains the only official register of flags for the country.^[1] It was established in 1985 and as part of the Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques operates under the authority of the Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. The Breton Vexillology Society holds a similar role within Brittany.

National flags[]

Date	Use	Description
1790–1794	National flag at the end of the Kingdom of France and the beginning of the French First Republic	A vertical tricolour of red, white and blue (proportions 3:2)
1794–1814	National flag of the First Republic and in the First French Empire. First adopted on 15 February 1794	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 3:2).
1814–1815	Royal flag of the Kingdom of France during the Bourbon Restoration	Pure white flag with Bourbon coat of arms (proportions 3:2).
1815	National flag of the French Empire in its short lived restoration during the Hundred Days	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 3:2).
1815–1830	Royal flag after the resumption of the Bourbon Restoration Kingdom of France	Pure white flag with Bourbon coat of arms (proportions 3:2).
1830–1848	National flag of the Kingdom of France after the July Revolution	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 3:2).
1848	National flag of the French Second Republic very briefly used between 24 February and 5 March	A vertical tricolour of blue, red, and white (proportions 3:2).
1848–present	National flag of the French Second Republic, Second French Empire, French Third Republic, French State, Provisional Government of the French Republic, French Fourth Republic, and France today (a.k.a. the French Fifth Republic)	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 3:2).
1958–present	A brighter version of the flag often used in modern times	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 3:2).

Ensigns[]

Date	Use	Description
1790–1794	Naval ensign during the French Revolution	A white flag with a bordered, first version of the French tricolore on the top-left honour quadrant
1814, 1815-1830	French military naval ensign during the Bourbon Restoration 1814,1815-1830	A pure white flag
1853–present	Civil ensign and Naval ensign Adopted on 17 May 1853, previous ensigns were the same as the national flag	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red, but with bars in proportion 30:33:37

Standards[]

Date	Use	Description
1880–Present	The Presidential and Prime Minister Standard of France	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1).
1880–Present	The Presidential and Prime Minister Standard of France (variant)	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 3:2).
	Flag of the Minister of Overseas	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) on a blue ensign.
1880–1958	Flag of the Governor Colony	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red on swallow tail blue ensign. (proportions 1:2).

Military flags[]

Date	Use	Description
	Flag of the Minister of the Armed Forces	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with a golden emblem.
	Pennant
10 August 1939	Flag of the Chief of the Defence Staff	Originally the marque of the Chief of the National Defence.^[2]
10 August 1939	Flag of the Chief of Staff of the French Army	Marque given to the chief of staff.^[2]
10 August 1939	Flag of the Chief of Staff of the French Navy	Marque given to the chief of staff.^[2]
10 August 1939	Flag of the Chief of Staff of the French Air Force	Marque given to the chief of staff.^[2]
10 August 1939	Flag of the Admiral of the French Navy
10 August 1939	Flag of the Vice-Admiral D'escadre of the French Navy
	Flag of the Vice-Admiral of the French Navy
	Flag of the Contre-Admiral of the French Navy
	Flag of the Capitaine de Vaisseau of the French Navy (Division)
	Flag of the Capitaine de Vaisseau of the French Navy (Unit)
	Flag of the Harbour Commanding Officer
	Flag of the Senior Merchant Navy Captain in the harbour

Regional and territorial flags[]

Historical flags[]

Royal banners and ensigns[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	10th century–12th century	Banner of the Kingdom of France
	12th century–13th century	Banner of the Kingdom of France
	14th century–16th century	Banner of the Kingdom of France
	1124–1356	Oriflamme
	1124–1356	Oriflamme (variant)
	1365–1794	The Royal Banner of early modern France or "Bourbon Flag" was the most commonly used flag in New France.\|^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]
	1365–1792, 1815–1830	Flag of the Kingdom of France & the Bourbon Restoration
	1365–1792	Merchant flag
	1789–1799	Flag of royalists during the revolution
	14 July 1790	Revolutionist flag
	21 January 1793	Revolutionist flag
	7 May 1794	Revolutionist flag

Standards[]

Date	Use	Description
1365–1792	Royal standard
1804–1815	Imperial standard
1870–1873	Imperial standard
1873–1879	Imperial standard
1879–1887	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red, proportions 1:1.
1887–1894	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "C".
1894–1895	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "CP".
1895–1899	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "FF".
1899–1906	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "EL".
1906–1913	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "AF".
1913–1920	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "RP".
1920	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "PD".
1920–1924	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "AM".
1924–1931	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "GD".
1931–1932	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "PD".
1932–1940	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "AL".
1940–1944	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the axe and 7 golden stars.
1940–1944	Presidential standard (variant)	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 3:2) with the axe and 7 golden stars.
1947–1954	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "VA".
1954–1958	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "RC".
1958-1959	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "RC".
1959–1969	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "CG" and the red Cross of Lorraine.
1959–1969	Presidential standard (variant)	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 3:2) with the red Cross of Lorraine.
1969–1974	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "GP".
1969–1974	Presidential standard (variant)	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 3:2) with the golden "GP".
1974	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "AP".
1974	Presidential standard (variant)	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 3:2) with the golden "AP".
1974–1975	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1).
1974–1975	Presidential standard (variant)	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 3:2).
1975–1981	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden fasces.
1975–1981	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 3:3) with the golden fasces.
1981	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "FM".
1981	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden "FM".
1981	Presidential standard (variant)	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 3:2) with the golden "FM".
1982–1995	Presidential standard	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden oak tree.
1982–1995	Presidential standard (variant)	A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 1:1) with the golden oak tree.

Other historical flags[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1871	Revolutionary banner from the Paris Commune	A plain red flag

Colonial flags[]

French shipping company[]

Chargeurs
Compagnie de Navigation Sud-Atlantique
Compagnie Fraissinet
Compagnie Générale Transatlantique
Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer

References[]

^ "adhésion et renouvellement". French Society of Vexillology. Retrieved 22 December 2016. La Société française de vexillologie (SFV) est ouverte sans condition de nationalité à quiconque s’intéresse à l’étude des drapeaux et des pavillons sous tous leurs aspects (usage, histoire, symbolisme, fabrication, etc.) et adhère aux règles et principes énoncés dans ses statuts.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d "Marques, honneurs, saluts et visites dans les forces navales et à bord des bâtiments de la marine militaire". gallica.bnf.fr (in French). 10 August 1939. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
^ New York State Historical Association (1915). Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association with the Quarterly Journal: 2nd-21st Annual Meeting with a List of New Members. The Association. It is most probable that the Bourbon Flag was used during the greater part of the occupancy of the French in the region extending southwest from the St. Lawrence to the Mississippi , known as New France... The French flag was probably blue at that time with three golden fleur - de - lis ....
^ "Fleur-de-lys | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. At the time of New France (1534 to the 1760s), two flags could be viewed as having national status. The first was the banner of France — a blue square flag bearing three gold fleurs-de-lys. It was flown above fortifications in the early years of the colony. For instance, it was flown above the lodgings of Pierre Du Gua de Monts at Île Sainte-Croix in 1604. There is some evidence that the banner also flew above Samuel de Champlain’s habitation in 1608. ..... the completely white flag of the French Royal Navy was flown from ships, forts and sometimes at land-claiming ceremonies.
^ "INQUINTE.CA | CANADA 150 Years of History ~ The story behind the flag". inquinte.ca. When Canada was settled as part of France and dubbed "New France," two flags gained national status. One was the Royal Banner of France. This featured a blue background with three gold fleurs-de-lis. A white flag of the French Royal Navy was also flown from ships and forts and sometimes flown at land-claiming ceremonies.
^ W. Stewart Wallace (1948). The Encyclopedia of Canada, Vol. II, Toronto, University Associates of Canada. pp. 350–351. During the French régime in Canada, there does not appear to have been any French national flag in the modern sense of the term. The "Banner of France", which was composed of fleur-de-lys on a blue field, came nearest to being a national flag, since it was carried before the king when he marched to battle, and thus in some sense symbolized the kingdom of France. During the later period of French rule, it would seem that the emblem...was a flag showing the fleur-de-lys on a white ground.... as seen in Florida. There were, however, 68 flags authorized for various services by Louis XIV in 1661; and a number of these were doubtless used in New France

External links[]

[SFV-1] "adhésion et renouvellement". French Society of Vexillology. Retrieved 22 December 2016. La Société française de vexillologie (SFV) est ouverte sans condition de nationalité à quiconque s’intéresse à l’étude des drapeaux et des pavillons sous tous leurs aspects (usage, histoire, symbolisme, fabrication, etc.) et adhère aux règles et principes énoncés dans ses statuts.

[marque-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d "Marques, honneurs, saluts et visites dans les forces navales et à bord des bâtiments de la marine militaire". gallica.bnf.fr (in French). 10 August 1939. Retrieved 29 February 2020.

[Association1915-3] New York State Historical Association (1915). Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association with the Quarterly Journal: 2nd-21st Annual Meeting with a List of New Members. The Association. It is most probable that the Bourbon Flag was used during the greater part of the occupancy of the French in the region extending southwest from the St. Lawrence to the Mississippi , known as New France... The French flag was probably blue at that time with three golden fleur - de - lis ....

[4] "Fleur-de-lys | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. At the time of New France (1534 to the 1760s), two flags could be viewed as having national status. The first was the banner of France — a blue square flag bearing three gold fleurs-de-lys. It was flown above fortifications in the early years of the colony. For instance, it was flown above the lodgings of Pierre Du Gua de Monts at Île Sainte-Croix in 1604. There is some evidence that the banner also flew above Samuel de Champlain’s habitation in 1608. ..... the completely white flag of the French Royal Navy was flown from ships, forts and sometimes at land-claiming ceremonies.

[5] "INQUINTE.CA | CANADA 150 Years of History ~ The story behind the flag". inquinte.ca. When Canada was settled as part of France and dubbed "New France," two flags gained national status. One was the Royal Banner of France. This featured a blue background with three gold fleurs-de-lis. A white flag of the French Royal Navy was also flown from ships and forts and sometimes flown at land-claiming ceremonies.

[6] W. Stewart Wallace (1948). The Encyclopedia of Canada, Vol. II, Toronto, University Associates of Canada. pp. 350–351. During the French régime in Canada, there does not appear to have been any French national flag in the modern sense of the term. The "Banner of France", which was composed of fleur-de-lys on a blue field, came nearest to being a national flag, since it was carried before the king when he marched to battle, and thus in some sense symbolized the kingdom of France. During the later period of French rule, it would seem that the emblem...was a flag showing the fleur-de-lys on a white ground.... as seen in Florida. There were, however, 68 flags authorized for various services by Louis XIV in 1661; and a number of these were doubtless used in New France

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show v t Flags of France
France	Flag of France (1794–1814, 1815, 1830–present)
Regions of France	Flag of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Flag of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Flag of Brittany Flag of Centre-Val de Loire Flag of Corsica Flag of Grand Est Flag of Hauts-de-France Flag of Île-de-France Flag of Normandy Flag of Nouvelle-Aquitaine Flag of Occitanie Flag of Pays de la Loire Flag of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Banners	Presidential and Prime Minister Standard (1880–present)
Historic	Flag of the Kingdom of France (12th century–13th century) Flag of the Kingdom of France (14th century–16th century) Oriflamme (1124–1356) Flag of the Kingdom of France (1365–1794) Flag of the Kingdom of France (1365–1794) Flag of the Kingdom of France and French First Republic (1790–1794) Flag of the Bourbon Restoration (1814–1830) Royal Standard of the Kingdom of France (1365–1792) Imperial Standard of Napoleon I (1804–1815) Imperial Standard of Napoleon III (1870–1873) Imperial Standard of Napoleon IV (1870–1873)
Ensigns	Civil ensign and Naval ensign

show v t Subnational flags of France
()	Savoie
()
Brittany (list)
()
Corsica (list)	Corse-du-Sud Haute-Corse
()
()
Île-de-France (list)	Paris
Normandy ()
()
(list)
()	Vendée
()

show v t Flags of Overseas France
Overseas departments	French Guiana Guadeloupe Martinique Mayotte Réunion
Overseas collectivity	French Polynesia Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Wallis and Futuna
Sui generis collectivity	New Caledonia
Overseas territory	French Southern and Antarctic Territories

List of French flags

Contents

National flags[]

Ensigns[]

Standards[]

Military flags[]

Regional and territorial flags[]

Historical flags[]

Royal banners and ensigns[]

Standards[]

Other historical flags[]

Colonial flags[]

French shipping company[]

See also[]

References[]

External links[]