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The House of Palaiologos ( pl. Palaiologoi ; Ancient Greek : Παλαιολόγος , pl. Παλαιολόγοι ; female version Palaiologina ; Ancient Greek : Παλαιολογίνα ), also found in English-language literature as Palaeologus or Palaeologue , was a Byzantine Greek noble family that rose to power and produced the last and longest-ruling dynasty in the history of the Byzantine Empire . Their rule as Emperors and Autocrats of the Romans lasted almost two hundred years, from 1259 to the Fall of Constantinople in 1453.

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205-565: The national flag of Greece , popularly referred to as the Blue-and-White ( Γαλανόλευκη , Galanólefki ) or the Cyan-and-White ( Κυανόλευκη , Kyanólefki ), is officially recognised by Greece as one of its national symbols and has 5 equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white. There is a blue canton in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolises Eastern Orthodox Christianity . The blazon of

410-646: A Constantine Palaiologos , employed in the Papal Guard and dead in 1508 was his son. According to Russian sources, he might also have had a daughter, Maria Palaiologina , who married a Russian prince. A Fernando Palaiologos , referred to as the "son of the Despot of the Morea" by Ludovico Sforza , Duke of Milan, in 1499 might also have been a son of Andreas. Andreas's brother Manuel died in Constantinople at some point during

615-518: A "conventional", ordered nation-state. As such, not only were the regional councils abolished in favour of a central administration, but it was decided to abolish all revolutionary flags and adopt a universal national flag. The reasons why the particular arrangement (white cross on blue) was selected, instead of the more popular blue cross on a white field, remain unknown. On 15 March 1822, the Provisional Government, by Decree Nr. 540, laid down

820-586: A Byzantine prince, born in the purple , would be sent to live among, and rule over, Latins, was bad enough but there were also fears that he and his descendants might become 'Latinized' and that the Italians, as a result of the Montferrat inheritance, could launch an invasion in the future in hopes of placing a Catholic Palaiologos on the Byzantine throne. In the end, Andronikos II's fourth son (in order to not jeopardize

1025-520: A beast in his native Paphlagonia in Asia Minor (in turn reflecting possibly much older local myths). Many modifications followed in flag details, often combined with the cross. After the recapture of Constantinople by the Byzantine Greeks in 1261, two crowns were added (over each head) representing — according to the most prevalent theory — the newly recaptured capital and the intermediate "capital" of

1230-487: A black-red-gold tricolour. Nazi Germany went back to black-white-red in 1933, and black-red-gold was reinstituted by the two successor states, West Germany and East Germany , with East Germany's flag being defaced with Communist symbols, following World War II . Similarly the flag of Libya introduced with the creation of the Kingdom of Libya in 1951 was abandoned in 1969 with the coup d'état led by Muammar Gaddafi . It

1435-566: A campaign in Friuli . Theodore had a well-documented career as a stratiote . Born in 1452, and probably originally from Mystras in the Morea, Theodore was originally a debt collector for the Ottomans in the Morea. In 1478, Theodore travelled to Venice with his father, Paul, and became a stratiote . For his merits in the service of Venice, Theodore was granted the island Cranae , though he later ceded it to another family. In 1495, Theodore partook in

1640-508: A crusade against the Ottomans. Though Pius II was eager to go through with the idea, and Thomas rode around Italy in the hopes of drumming up support for the venture, no crusade materialized this time either. Thomas died on 12 May 1465 and shortly thereafter Zoe, Andreas and Manuel arrived in Rome. In Rome, the three children were taken care of by Cardinal Bessarion , also a Byzantine refugee. In 1472, according to Bessarion's plans, Zoe (whose name

1845-664: A distinctive war flag in this usual sense, but the flag of the Philippines is legally unique in that it is flown with the red stripe on top when the country is in a state of war, rather than the conventional blue. The flag that indicates nationality on a ship is called an ensign . As with the national flags, there are three varieties: the civil ensign ( [REDACTED] ), flown by private vessels; state ensigns (also called government ensigns ; [REDACTED] ), flown by government ships; and war ensigns (also called naval ensigns ; [REDACTED] ), flown by naval vessels. The ensign

2050-724: A genuine member of the noble Kantakouzenos family indicates that he held a certain noble status. Theodore was one of the key players in the Greek community in Venice , having helped the Greek refugees there achieve permission to construct the San Giorgio dei Greci church in the first place, and his family was highly regarded by the locals. Theodore's descendants and relatives lived on in Venice and its territories long after his death. His nephew, Zuanne Paleologo, and two of Zuanne's sons, died on Cyprus, fighting

2255-562: A great western crusade against the Ottomans, was a death warrant for their empire. John VIII had betrayed their faith and as such their entire imperial ideology and world view. The promised crusade , the fruit of John VIII's labor, ended only in disaster as it was defeated by the Turks at the Battle of Varna in 1444. In 1798, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem , Anthemus , wrote that

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2460-682: A hostage to Alfonso the Magnanimous of Aragon and Naples. Supposedly, Rogerio was responsible for erecting the Spirito Santo church, which still stands, in Casalsottano , a hamlet of the Italian comune San Mauro Cilento . Rogerio was supposedly survived by his two children John (Giovanni) and Angela. Giovanni was supposedly granted Perito and Ostigliano in Salerno and his descendants adopted

2665-448: A list of exceptions including non-national flags. As of 2011 all national flags consist of at least two different colours. In many cases, the different colours are presented in either horizontal or vertical bands. It is particularly common for colours to be presented in bands of three . It is common for many flags to feature national symbols, such as coats of arms . National patterns are present in some flags. Variations in design within

2870-616: A local symbol (a similar 16th or 17th century flag has been found near Chania ). A military leader, Yiannis Stathas , used a flag with white cross on blue on his ship since 1800. The first flag featuring the design eventually adopted was created and hoisted in the Evangelistria monastery in Skiathos in 1807. Several prominent military leaders (including Theodoros Kolokotronis and Andreas Miaoulis ) had gathered there for consultation concerning an uprising, and they were sworn to this flag by

3075-413: A matter of debate. Every part of it, including the blue and white colors, the cross, as well as the stripe arrangement can be connected to very old historical elements; however, it is difficult to establish "continuity", especially as there is no record of the exact reasoning behind its official adoption in early 1822. It has been suggested by historians that the current flag derived from an older design,

3280-497: A national flag can be common in the flag's upper left quarter, or canton. A third of the world's 196 countries currently have national flags that include religious symbols. This has led to controversy in some secular states in regard to the separation of church and state , when the national symbol is officially sanctioned by a government . The most common colours in national flags are red, white, green, dark blue, yellow, light blue, and black. The only national flag not to include

3485-512: A new Royal Decree, on 31 May 1914, the various flags of Greece and its military were further regulated. By this decree, the flag with the crown was adopted for use as a state flag by ministries, embassies and civil services, while the sea flag (without the crown) was allowed for use by private citizens. On 25 March 1924, with the establishment of the Second Hellenic Republic , the crowns were removed from all flags. On 20 February 1930,

3690-422: A number of streamers attached. Most prominent among the early Byzantine flags was the labarum . In the surviving pictorial sources of the middle and later Empire, primarily the illustrated Skylitzes Chronicle , the predominating colours are red and blue in horizontal stripes, with a cross often placed in the centre of the flag. Other common symbols, prominently featuring on seals , were depictions of Christ ,

3895-454: A purported third son of Thomas Palaiologos. Their genealogy mainly derives from the tombstone of Theodore Paleologus (d. 1636), which lists Theodore's male-line ancestors five generations back, reaching Thomas. With the sole exception of Thomas's purported son John, the existence of the rest of Theodore's immediate ancestors can be verified through records at Pesaro. The earliest record of John's existence other than Theodore's tombstone are

4100-405: A relatively long period of time. In 1967, a new Compulsory Law (198) regulated the declaration of regional flag days, but did not alter the flag. However, on August 18, 1969, the sea flag was established as the sole national flag and on August 18, 1970, the flag ratio was changed to 7:12 from 2:3. Flags flying in ministries, embassies and public buildings had the crown in the centre of the cross until

4305-524: A result of the Fourth Crusade, notably the Kingdom of Thessalonica , which had been ruled by the Aleramici family of Montferrat . In an effort to rid himself of the threat that an Aleramici pretender might launch an invasion and attempt to seize Thessaloniki in the future, Andronikos married Yolande of Montferrat in 1284, bringing her dynastic claims to Thessaloniki into his own family line. Since Yolande

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4510-538: A result of the civil war allowed Stefan Dušan of Serbia to invade Macedonia , Thessaly and Epirus in 1346–1348, creating the Serbian Empire . In the meantime, John VI Kantakouzenos attempted to consolidate his own dynasty on the imperial throne, marrying his daughter Helena to John V and proclaiming his son Matthew Kantakouzenos as co-emperor. Clearly intending to usurp the throne, a new series of civil wars from 1352 to 1357 were eventually won by John V, deposing

4715-658: A siege of Novara and also partook in later battles in Savona and Cephalonia . Due to his knowledge of the Turkish language, Theodore also accompanied Venetian ambassadors in diplomatic missions to the Ottoman Empire, visiting Constantinople several times. He died in 1532, being buried in the Orthodox church of San Giorgio dei Greci . Theodore had married Maria, a daughter of a man by the name Demetrios Kantakouzenos. That he could marry

4920-527: A son, who probably predeceased him, and was survived only by a posthumous daughter, Godscall Paleologue , born in January 1694. Nothing is known of Godscall's life, the only record of her existence being her baptismal records. She was the last recorded member of the family and, if their claim to descend from the imperial dynasty was true, the last true heir of the Palaiologan emperors. Because Venice

5125-569: A story, according to which the family, originally Romans who arrived in Constantinople in the 4th century, moved to Italy during the exarchate and one of them married in Viterbo. Later, a soldier of the family was said to have come from Viterbo to Greece in the aid of the Lascarid Emperors, where he married and had his son, allegedly the future Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos (Michael's true parents were Andronikos and Theodora who had lived in

5330-399: A term in Greek to taunt converts to Catholicism to this day. The union was passionately opposed by the Byzantine people and of Byzantine rulers not actually under Michael VIII's control, such as John II Megas Komnenos , Emperor of Trebizond, and Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas , the ruler of Epirus. Despite Michael VIII's efforts, the union was disrupted in 1281, after just seven years, when he

5535-498: A traitor and heretic while he lived and he, like many of his predecessors before him, died in communion with the Church of Rome. Nevertheless, Constantine's actions during the Fall of Constantinople and his death fighting the Turks redeemed the popular view of the Palaiologan dynasty. The Greeks forgot or ignored that Constantine had died a "heretic", many considering him a martyr . In the eyes of

5740-552: A young age, makes it unlikely that he married and had a son. Another family which claims to descend from the old imperial dynasty are the Paleologu of Romania, claiming to be the descendants of an otherwise unattested son of Theodore II Palaiologos, Despot of the Morea, called Emanuel Petrus (Manuel Petros in Greek). The Paleologu also live in Malta and France, one of the most famous members of

5945-765: Is presented as (among other places in the Empire) "the Flag of Salonika " and "the real Greece and Empire of the Greeks (la vera Grecia e el imperio de los griegos)". The (quartered) arrangement that includes the Cross of St. George is documented only in the Spanish atlas, and most probably combines the arms of Genoa (which had occupied Galata) with those of the Byzantine Empire, and was most probably flown only in Constantinople. Pseudo-Kodinos records

6150-478: Is a distinction between civil flags ( FIAV symbol [REDACTED] ), state flags ( [REDACTED] ), and war or military flags ( [REDACTED] ). Civil flags may be flown by anyone regardless of whether they are linked to government, whereas state flags are those used officially by government agencies. War flags (also called military flags ) are used by military organizations such as Armies, Marine Corps, or Air Forces. In practice, many countries (such as

6355-402: Is a great deal of protocol involved in the proper display of national flags. A general rule is that the national flag should be flown in the position of honour, and not in an inferior position to any other flag (although some countries make an exception for royal standards). The following rules are typical of the conventions when flags are flown on land: Most flags are hung vertically by rotating

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6560-508: Is a rare exception, in having a red ensign for civil use, a white ensign as its naval ensign, and a blue ensign for government non-military vessels. Italian naval ensign bears the arms of the Italian Navy : a shield , surmounted by a turreted and rostrum crown , which brings together in four parts the arms of four ancient maritime republics ( Republic of Venice , Republic of Genoa , Republic of Pisa and Republic of Amalfi ). There

6765-514: Is black-red-gold" (art. 22.2 Die Bundesflagge ist schwarz-rot-gold ), but its proportions were regulated in a document passed by the government in the following year. The Flag of the United States is not defined in the constitution but rather in a separate Flag Resolution passed in 1777. Minor design changes of national flags are often passed on a legislative or executive level, while substantial changes have constitutional character. The design of

6970-530: Is due to the fact that the first 13 states of the U.S. were formerly colonies of the United Kingdom. Some similarities to the United States flag with the red and white stripes are noted as well such as the flag of Malaysia and the flag of Liberia , the latter of which was an American resettlement colony. Also, several former colonies of the United Kingdom, such as Australia , Fiji and New Zealand include

7175-474: Is flown from an ensign -staff at the stern of the ship, or from a gaff when underway. Both these positions are superior to any other on the ship, even though the masthead is higher. In the absence of a gaff the ensign may be flown from the yardarm . (See Maritime flags .) National flags may also be flown by aircraft and the land vehicles of important officials. In the case of aircraft, those flags are usually painted on, and those are usually to be painted on in

7380-449: Is not impossible. None of their own contemporaries appear to have doubted their imperial descent. In 1578, the members of the family living in Pesaro were embroiled in a scandal as brothers Leonidas and Scipione Paleologus, and their nephew Theodore, were arrested for attempted murder. What happened to Scipione is not known, but Leonidas was executed. On account of his young age, Theodore

7585-455: Is taller than it is wide, again except for the flag of Nepal. The flags of Switzerland and the Vatican City are the only national flags which are exact squares. The obverse and reverse of all national flags are either identical or mirrored, except for the flag of Paraguay and the partially recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic . See Flags whose reverse differs from the obverse for

7790-424: Is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours and symbols, which may also be used separately from the flag as a symbol of the nation. The design of a national flag is sometimes altered after the occurrence of important historical events. Historically, flags originated as military standards , used as field signs . Throughout history, various examples of such proto-flags exist: the white cloth banners of

7995-404: Is used instead of the horizontal flag for Malaysia . The art and practice of designing flags is known as vexillography . The design of national flags has seen a number of customs become apparent. Most national flags are rectangular, or have a rectangular common variant, with the most notable exception being the flag of Nepal . The ratios of height to width vary among national flags, but none

8200-511: The Despot of Serbia , but the three younger children, and Thomas's wife Catherine Zaccaria , and a retinue of other refugees, accompanied him as he escaped to the Venetian-held island of Corfu . The local authorities on Corfu were not eager to house the despot out of fear of provoking the Ottomans, so Thomas soon left the island and travelled to Rome, hoping to convince Pope Pius II of calling for

8405-696: The Empire of Nicaea ). 'Palaiologos' as a last name continues to survive to this day in various variants. Common versions of the last name used today include the standard Palaiologos (approximately 1,800 people, most common in Greece), Palaiologou (approximately 2,000 people, again most common in Greece), Paleologos (approximately 500 people, most common in the United States but present worldwide) and Paleologo (approximately 250 people, most common in Italy). These modern Palaiologoi cannot be confidently proven to descend from

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8610-776: The Evelpidon Military Academy , the Non-Commissioned Officers Academy and the Presidential Guard when in battle or in parade. However, flying a war flag in battle is unlikely with current warfare tactics. The current naval and civil ensigns are identical to the national flag. The simple white cross on blue field pattern is also used as the Navy's jack and as the base pattern for naval rank flags. These flags are described in Chapter 21 (articles 2101–30) of

8815-630: The Fourth Crusade in 1204, the Palaiologoi fled to the Empire of Nicaea , a Byzantine successor state ruled by the Laskaris family, where they continued to play an active role and occupied many offices of high rank. In 1259, Michael VIII Palaiologos became co-emperor to the young John IV Laskaris through a coup and in 1261, following the recapture of Constantinople from the Latin Empire , John IV

9020-488: The Kingdom of Greece in 1832, the 17-year old Bavarian prince Otto was selected as king for the newfound monarchy. A royal decree dated 4 (16) April 1833 prescribed a number of maritime flags, including the royal standard. This flag, set at a 7:10 ratio, was a variant of the Greek white-cross-on-blue and featured the ancestral coat of arms of the Wittelsbach dynasty at its centre. The construction and dimensions of this flag

9225-520: The Komnenos dynasty during its rule over the Byzantine Empire (1081–1185). When the crusaders of the Fourth Crusade took Constantinople in 1204 and overthrew the Byzantine Empire in favor of the new, Catholic, Latin Empire , the Palaiologoi followed Theodore I Laskaris to the Empire of Nicaea , where they played an active role and continued to occupy offices of high rank. Andronikos Palaiologos , father of

9430-454: The March of Montferrat until 1536 and died out in 1566. Because the family was extensive before it produced emperors, the name Palaiologos was legitimately held not only by nobles part of the actual imperial dynasty. As a result, many Byzantine refugees who fled to Western Europe in the aftermath of Constantinople's fall possessed the name and in order to earn prestige, some fabricated closer links to

9635-700: The Moldovan coat of arms (which is part of the Romanian coat of arms ) was placed in the centre of the flag. All Nordic countries , with the exception of Greenland , use the Nordic Cross design ( Iceland , Denmark , Norway , Sweden , Finland , in addition to the autonomous regions of the Faroe Islands and Åland ), a horizontal cross shifted to the left on a single-coloured background. The United States and United Kingdom both have red, white, and blue. This similarity

9840-638: The Ottoman Empire nonetheless, the double-headed eagle remained a strong symbol of reference for the Greeks. Most characteristically, the Orthodox Church continues to use the double-headed eagle extensively as a decorative motif, and has also adopted a black eagle on yellow/gold background as its official flag. After the Ottoman conquest, however, this symbol also found its way to a "new Constantinople" (or Third Rome ), i.e. Moscow . Russia, deeply influenced by

10045-528: The Ottoman Turks to expand almost unopposed through the Balkans and in the second half of the 14th century, the empire passed almost without a fight under Ottoman sovereignty, forced to pay tribute and offer military aid if needed. In 1373, John V's son and heir Andronikos IV Palaiologos rebelled against his father in an attempt to seize the throne, instigating a fourth series of Palaiologan civil wars . John V

10250-764: The States-General of the Dutch Republic , making the Dutch flag perhaps the oldest tricolour flag in continuous use, although standardisation of the exact colours is of a much later date. During the Age of Sail in the early 17th century, the Union Jack finds its origins, when James VI of Scotland inherited the English and Irish thrones (as James I). On 12 April 1606, the new flag representing this regal union between England and Scotland

10455-564: The Union Jack in the top left corner. Palaiologoi The origins of the family are unclear. Their own medieval origin stories ascribed them an ancient and prestigious origin in ancient Roman Italy , descended from some of the Romans that had accompanied Constantine the Great to Constantinople upon its foundation in 330. It is more likely that they originated significantly later in Anatolia since

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10660-611: The United Kingdom , and the United States . Many African nations use the Pan-African colours of red, yellow, and green, including Cameroon , Ethiopia , Ghana , Guinea , Mali and Senegal . Flags containing red, white, and black (a subset of the Pan-Arab colours ) can be found particularly among the Arab nations such as Egypt , Iraq , Syria and Yemen . Due to the common arrangement of

10865-619: The United States (reverse always showing); and the United Kingdom (obverse always showing). Examples of countries that have special designs for vertical hanging are: Austria , Cambodia (coat of arms must be rotated 90° and blue strips are narrowed), Dominica (coat of arms must be rotated and reverse always showing), Germany , Hungary , Liechtenstein (crown must be rotated 90°), Mexico , Montenegro (coat of arms must be rotated 90° to normal position), Nepal , Slovakia (coat of arms must be rotated 90° to normal position), and Saudi Arabia ( shahada must be rotated 90°). A vertical banner

11070-401: The United States and the United Kingdom ) have identical flags for these three purposes; national flag is sometimes used as a vexillological term to refer to such a three-purpose flag ( [REDACTED] ). In a number of countries, however, and notably those in Latin America , there is a distinct difference between civil and state flags. In most cases, the civil flag is a simplified version of

11275-425: The Virgin Mary and saints, but these represent personal rather than family or state symbols. Western European-style heraldry was largely unknown until the last centuries of the Empire. There is no mention of any "state" flag until the mid-14th century, when a Spanish atlas, the Conosçimiento de todos los reynos depicts the flag of "the Empire of Constantinople" combining the red-on-white Cross of St George with

11480-415: The Zhou dynasty 's armies in the 11th century BC, the vexillum standards flown by the armies of the Roman Empire , the Black Standard famously carried by Muhammad which later became the flag of the Abbasid Caliphate , and the various " Raven banners " flown by Viking chieftains. Angelino Dulcert published a series of comprehensive Portolan charts in the 14th century AD, which famously showcased

11685-410: The empire of Nicaea . There has been some confusion about the exact use of this symbol by the Byzantines; it appears that, at least originally, it was more a "dynastic" and not a "state" symbol (a term not fully applicable at the time, anyway), and for this reason, the colours connected with it were clearly the colours of "imperial power", i.e., red and yellow/gold. After the fall of Constantinople to

11890-429: The fasces -like emblems of the Filiki Eteria , the secret society that organised the uprising. European monarchies, aligned in the so-called " Concert of Europe ", were suspicious towards national or social revolutionary movements such as the Etaireia . The First Greek National Assembly , convening in January 1822, thus took steps to disassociate itself from the Etaireia ' s legacy and portray nascent Greece as

12095-403: The flag of Denmark , based on a flag that was in continuous use since the 14th-century, were codified in 1748, as a rectangular flag with certain proportions, replacing the variant with a split. The flag of Switzerland was introduced in 1889, also based on medieval war flags. In Europe, the red-white-blue tricolour design of the flag of the Kingdom of the Netherlands became popular, since it

12300-420: The flag of Senegal to that of Cameroon and Indonesia to Poland and Monaco . Also the flag of Italy and the flag of Hungary use the same colours, although the order and direction differ (the Italian flag is vertical green-white-red and the Hungarian flag is horizontal red-white-green). The same goes for the flag of France and the flag of the Netherlands (the French flag is vertical blue-white-red and

12505-426: The flag of Serbia omitting the communist star of the flag of Yugoslavia was a decision made in the 1992 Serbian constitutional referendum , but the adoption of a coat of arms within the flag was based on a government "recommendation" in 2003, adopted legislatively in 2009 and again subject to a minor design change in 2010. The flag of the United States underwent numerous changes because the number of stars represents

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12710-475: The hoplite shields . The closest analogue to a modern flag were the vexillum -like banners used by ancient Greek armies, such as the so-called phoinikis , a cloth of deep red, suspended from the top of a staff or spear. It is not known to have carried any device or decoration though. The Byzantines, like the Romans before them, used a variety of flags and banners, primarily to denote different military units. These were generally square or rectangular, with

12915-442: The uprising of 1769 the historic blue cross on white field was used again by key military leaders, such as Olga the III, who used it all the way to the revolution of 1821 . It became the most popular Revolution flag, and it was argued that it should become the national flag. The "reverse" arrangement, white cross on a blue field, also appeared as Greek flag during the uprisings. This design had apparently been used earlier as well, as

13120-440: The "tetragrammatic cross" of the ruling house of the Palaiologoi , featuring the four betas or pyrekvola ("fire-steels") on the flag quarters representing the imperial motto Βασιλεύς Βασιλέων Βασιλεύων Βασιλευόντων ("King of Kings Reigning over those who Rule"). The tetragrammatic cross flag, as it appears in quarters II and III in this design, is well documented. In the same Spanish atlas this "plain" tetragrammatic cross flag

13325-445: The 16th century did little to stop individuals in various parts of Europe from claiming descent from the old imperial dynasty. The family name Palaiologos had been relatively widespread in the Byzantine Empire, and the family had been quite extensive before a branch of it acceded to the imperial throne. Many of the non-imperial Byzantine Palaiologoi were part of the nobility and served as generals or powerful landowners. In addition to

13530-403: The 17th century. Local tradition on Barbados has it that the delegation also sent a letter to the authorities on Barbados , inquiring if descendants of Ferdinand Paleologus still lived on the island. The letter supposedly requested that if that was the case, the head of the family should be provided with the means of returning to Greece, with the trip paid for by the Greek government. Ultimately,

13735-454: The Byzantine Empire, saw herself as its heir and adopted the double-headed eagle as its imperial symbol. It was also adopted by the Serbs, the Montenegrins, the Albanians and a number of Western rulers, most notably in Germany and Austria. National flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation . It is flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens . A national flag

13940-443: The Byzantine Empire. Yet another theory is that this symbol was only connected with a particular period of Greek history (Byzantine) and a particular form of rule (imperial). Some Greek sources have attempted to establish links with ancient symbols: the eagle was a common design representing power in ancient city-states, while there was an implication of a "dual-eagle" concept in the tale that Zeus left two eagles fly east and west from

14145-460: The Doukas family and later Alexios I Komnenos , Anna's brother-in-law, against Botaneiates. George served as the doux of Dyrrhachium in the reign of Alexios I and was accorded the title of kouropalates . In the 12th century, the Palaiologoi were mainly recorded as members of the military aristocracy, not occupying any administrative political offices. They are recorded numerous times as donors to monasteries, and intermarried several times with

14350-414: The Dutch flag is horizontal red-white-blue). While some similarities are coincidental, others are part of a flag family, flags rooted in shared histories. For example, the flags of Colombia , of Ecuador , and of Venezuela all use variants of the flag of Gran Colombia , the country they composed upon their independence from Spain , created by the Venezuelan independence hero Francisco de Miranda ; and

14555-420: The Eastern Orthodox Church with the Catholic Church of Rome, to ensure legitimacy in the eyes of the West and in an attempt to secure aid against the many enemies of their empire. Michael VIII succeeded in a union at the Second Council of Lyons in 1274, which formally reunited the churches after more than two centuries of schism . Michael VIII was taunted with the words "you have become a Frank ", which remains

14760-676: The Fire Service and the Hellenic Police are considered civilian agencies, they are not assigned war flags. They use the National Flag instead. Identical rules were applied to the former Cities Police. However, recently the Police Academy has been assigned a war flag, and they paraded for the first time with this flag on Independence Day, March 25, 2011. The flag is similar to the Army war flag, with

14965-633: The French Byzantinist Jean-François Vannier believes the correct etymology to be "antique collector". The earliest known member of the family, possibly its founder, was Nikephoros Palaiologos , commander (possibly doux ) of the Theme of Mesopotamia in the second half of the 11th century, in the reign of Emperor Michael VII Doukas . Nikephoros supported the revolt of Nikephoros III Botaneiates against Michael VII, but his son, George Palaiologos , married Anna Doukaina and thus supported

15170-559: The Great 's army banners, possible blue and white flags used during Byzantine times, supposed coats of arms of imperial dynasties and noble families, uniforms, emperors' clothes, patriarchs' thrones etc., 15th century versions of the Byzantine Imperial Emblems and, of course, cases of usage during the Ottoman rule and the Greek revolution. On the other hand, the Great Greek Encyclopedia notes in its 1934 entry on

15375-469: The Greek flag is regulated by Law 851. More specifically, the law states that: The government has not specified exactly which shade of blue should be used for the flag, and as such flags with many varying shades exist. In the most recent legislation regarding the national flag, the colours mentioned are: The National Flag of Greece is cyan and white, it is made up of nine (9) stripes equal in width, of which five (5) are cyan and four (4) are white so that

15580-403: The Greek flag that "very many things have been said for the causes which lead to this specification for the Greek flag, but without historical merit". In 1978, the sea flag was adopted as the sole national flag, with a 2:3 ratio. The flag is used on both land and sea is also the war and civil ensign, replacing all other designs surviving until that time. No other designs and badges can be shown on

15785-526: The Kantakouzenoi. In 1382, the Kantakouzenoi were also driven out of the Morea (the modern-day Peloponnese ) and John V's son Theodore was placed to govern it as the semi-independent Despot of the Morea , an important victory as the region was quickly becoming the most important Byzantine province. The Byzantine civil wars, and the collapse of Stefan Dušan's Serbian Empire following his death in 1355, had allowed

15990-584: The Morea fell in 1460. Many Byzantine refugees, though unrelated to the emperors, legitimately bore the name Palaiologos due to the extensive nature of the family. Because the name could lend whoever bore it prestige (as well as possible monetary support), many refugees fabricated closer links to the imperial dynasty. Many Western rulers were conscious of their failure to prevent Byzantium's fall and welcomed these men at their courts. The refugees were helped in that many in Western Europe would have been unaware of

16195-486: The Morea twice before) to devastate the peninsula. Constantine also sent desperate pleas for aid to Western Europe, though little help ever arrived. After a 53-day long siege, the city finally fell to the Ottomans on 29 May 1453. Constantine XI died fighting in its defense. In the aftermath of Constantinople's fall, one of the most pressing threats to the new Ottoman regime was the possibility that one of Constantine XI's relatives would secure support and return to reclaim

16400-585: The Naval Regulations. A jack is also flown by larger vessels of the Hellenic Coast Guard. Units of Naval or Coast Guard personnel in parade fly the war ensign in place of the war flag. In the past a war flag was assigned to the former semi-military Hellenic Gendarmerie , which was later merged with Cities Police to form the current Hellenic Police . The flag was similar to the Army war flag but showing Saint Irene in place of Saint George. Since

16605-443: The Orthodox church, Constantine's death sanctified him and he died a hero. As Ottoman rule continued, many Greeks dreamed of a day when a new emperor would once more rule a sizeable Greek domain. Some even believed that Constantine XI would return to rescue them, that he was not actually dead but merely asleep, awaiting a call from the heavens to return and restore Christian control over Constantinople. Beyond Constantine's martyrdom,

16810-602: The Ottoman Empire grew to encompass more and more Byzantine territory, emperors such as John V and Manuel II labored intensely to restore the union, much to the dismay of their subjects. At the Council of Florence in 1439, Emperor John VIII reaffirmed the Union in the light of imminent Turkish attacks on what little remained of his empire. To the Byzantine citizens themselves, the Union of the Churches, which to John VIII served as an assurance of

17015-464: The Ottoman Empire had been imposed by God himself as the supreme empire on Earth due to the heretical dealings of the Palaiologan emperors with Christians in the West. Behold how our merciful and omniscient Lord has managed to preserve the integrity of our holy Orthodox faith and to save (us) all; he brought forth out of nothing the powerful Empire of the Ottomans, which he set up in the place of our Empire of

17220-626: The Ottoman Sultan were allowed to use their own, clearly Christian flag, when within Epirus and the Peloponnese . It featured the classic blue cross on a white field with the picture of St. George slaying the dragon, and was used from 1431 until 1639, when this privilege was greatly limited by the Sultan. Similar flags were used by other local leaders. The closest to a Greek "national" flag during Ottoman rule

17425-620: The Ottomanist Halil İnalcık termed a "Greek faction" at the court of Mehmed II. Numerous people with the last name Palaiologos, living on the island of Syros in Greece, have historically claimed descent from a supposed son of Andronikos Palaiologos , one of Emperor Manuel II's sons and Despot of Thessaloniki. Their descent is questionable since there is no surviving contemporary evidence that Andronikos had children. That Andronikos suffered from elephantiasis and epilepsy , and that he died at

17630-549: The Ottomans during the 1570 Siege of Nicosia in the Fourth Ottoman–Venetian War . The 1570 will of Demetri Paleologo, a son of Theodore, begins with "Io Demetri Palleollogo, da Constantinopoli ...". Over a century had passed since Constantinople, a city Demetri had never seen, had fallen and yet he retained lingering dreams of the city. A man by the name Andrea Paleologo Graitzas, attested in Venice in 1460, supposedly has living descendants, with numerous people with

17835-551: The Ottomans, the Byzantines continued to act with hostility against them. In 1394, Manuel II ceased to pay tribute to the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I , who responded by besieging Constantinople. Bayezid's siege lasted for more than a decade, with Western aid through the Crusade of Nicopolis (1396) failing to stop the sultan. The situation was so dire that Manuel left Constantinople to travel around Western Europe asking for further aid against

18040-615: The Ottomans, visiting Italy, France and England. Ultimately, the siege was resolved peacefully by Manuel through signing a peace treaty with Bayezid's son and successor, Mehmed I , in 1403, which among other things returned the city of Thessaloniki , captured by the Ottomans in 1387, to Byzantine rule. There was peace between the Palaiologans and the Ottomans until 1421, when Mehmed I died and Manuel retired from state affairs, to pursue scholarly and religious interests. Manuel's son, John VIII Palaiologos , co-emperor since before 1416, ignored

18245-471: The Ottomans. The Phanariots sent to Wallachia and Moldavia included people with the last name Palaiologos, ancestors of the Paleologu family. Some Italian genealogies from the 17th century onwards ascribe further sons to Thomas Palaiologos, in addition to both Andreas, Manuel and the unverified John. Notably, these include a supposed older son called Rogerio or Ruggerio, supposedly born around 1430 and sent as

18450-687: The Palaiologan Marquises of Montferrat paid little attention to affairs in the eastern Mediterranean. The only Marquis to seriously consider using his Byzantine connection was Theodore's son, John II of Montferrat , who wished to take advantage of the Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347, between Andronikos II's great-grandson John V and John VI Kantakouzenos, in order to invade the empire and conquer Thessaloniki. In his will from 1372, John II claimed that Andronikos II's deposition in 1328 by his grandson Andronikos III (John V's father) had been unlawful and thus disqualified Andronikos III and all his heirs from

18655-776: The Palaiologos dynasty had a lasting impact on the Greeks throughout the centuries of Ottoman rule, having been the last family to govern independent Greek lands. As late as the 19th century, after the Greek War of Independence had resulted in the creation of a new independent Greek state , the provisional government of liberated Greece sent a delegation to Western Europe in search of possible descendants of those imperial Palaiologoi that had escaped into exile. The delegation visited places in Italy where Palaiologoi were known to have resided and even came to Cornwall , where Theodore Paleologus had lived in

18860-466: The Palaiologos family are unclear. According to several later oral traditions , the family had originated in Italy, supposedly in the city of Viterbo . As per this version, the family name Palaiologos ( Palaios logos , lit. "old word") was a Greek translation of vetus verbum , a dubious etymology of Viterbo. Such stories were popularized by later obscure Palaiologoi who had settled in northern Italy and were tempted to invent an ancestral link with

19065-495: The Romaioi, which had begun in some ways to deviate from the path of the Orthodox faith; and he raised this Empire of the Ottomans above every other in order to prove beyond doubt that it came into being by the will of God .... For there is no authority except that deriving from God. There is no evidence that the final emperor, Constantine XI, ever repudiated the union achieved at Florence in 1439. Many of his subjects had chastised him as

19270-581: The Venetian Republic. Venice had first become interested in hiring stratioti after witnessing the prowess of Greek and Albanian soldiers in the First Ottoman–Venetian War of 1463–1479. The Venetian Palaiologoi were not related to the imperial family, but they might have been distant cousins. One of the earliest references to Palaiologoi in Venice is a 1479 Senate decision concerning Theodore Palaiologos , who had recently proven himself in

19475-430: The battle, whereas others were taken prisoner and executed. Nobles that could escape mostly did, many fleeing to the Morea where they had estates. There, they faced a dilemma. The Byzantine Empire had fallen and the rulers of the Morea, Thomas and Demetrios, appeared more interested in their own rivalry than in organizing resistance against the Ottomans. As such, many of them escaped into Western Europe either before or after

19680-509: The brothers broke out into civil war as Thomas, with the aid of some of the Albanian lords in the Morea, seized a series of fortresses held by Demetrios. The ongoing civil war, and the possibility that Thomas could receive aid from the West since he had proclaimed the war against his brother as a holy war against the Muslims, caused Mehmed to invade the Morea in 1460. Mehmed was victorious and annexed

19885-461: The city and become emperor himself. John VIII, aided by Constantine, successfully repulsed this attack and Demetrios was briefly imprisoned as punishment. After John VIII's death in June 1448, the candidates for the throne were brothers Constantine, Demetrios and Thomas. To avoid infighting, their mother Helena Dragaš decided that Constantine was to be the next emperor. Constantine XI Palaiologos's rise to

20090-561: The city was lost to the crusaders. John IV, the last representative of the imperial Laskaris dynasty, was pushed aside in order to consolidate the Palaiologos family on the throne. On John IV's eleventh birthday, 25 December 1261, the boy was deposed, blinded and confined to a monastery. Once news of the act, the blinding of not only the legitimate emperor, but an underage boy, got out, the Patriarch of Constantinople, Arsenios Autoreianos , excommunicated Michael. The emperor's excommunication

20295-511: The civil war). When Andronikos III died in 1341, his underage son John V Palaiologos inherited the throne. Disputes between John V's mother Anna of Savoy and the Patriarch John XIV on one side and Andronikos III's friend and megas domestikos John Kantakouzenos on the other led to a new and devastating civil war , lasting until 1347 and won by John Kantakouzenos, who became senior co-emperor as John VI. The weakening of Byzantium as

20500-432: The coat of arms of the dynasty at its centre and would be distinguished by the number of crowns present at each of the four corners of the flags: The flag of the king featured a crown on each of the corners of the flag. This was the last design of a royal standard to be adopted prior to the eventual formal abolition of the monarchy in 1973. The president's flag is currently prescribed by Presidential Decree 274/1979. One of

20705-473: The coat of arms of the king on a Greek white-cross-on-blue. As the king at the time, Constantine I , was made a field marshal the previous year, the coat of arms on his flag featured a heraldic representation of the Marshal's baton in twos, crossed behind his coat of arms. With the establishment of the Second Hellenic Republic in 1924, the king's flag was made redundant. In 1930, a presidential decree described

20910-456: The colors red, white, or blue is Jamaica's . The occurrence of each colour in all the flags is listed in detail in the table below. The table shows that the colours light brown, dark brown and grey are only present in very small quantities. To be more precise these colours are currently only present in some of the symbols found within a few flags, such as in the case of the Spanish flag . Although

21115-523: The colours of the Greek flag tend to be darker, especially during the dictatorship and in recent years, with the exception of the years of the rule of King Otto , when a very light shade of blue was used. Consequently, the shade of blue is largely left to the flagmakers to decide, as shown in the table below. Law 851/1978 sets the general outline for when the specific days on which the flag should be raised. For national holidays, this applies country-wide, but on local ones it only applies to those areas where

21320-591: The direction in which these flags fly is crucial to identify them. There are three colour combinations that are used on several flags in certain regions. Blue, white, and red is a common combination in Slavic countries such as the Czech Republic , Slovakia , Russia , Serbia , Slovenia , and Croatia as well as among Western nations including Australia , France , Iceland , the Netherlands , New Zealand , Norway ,

21525-566: The documented male line of the imperial branch of the House of Palaiologos probably went extinct at some point in the early 16th century. When the Byzantines reconquered Constantinople in 1261 under Michael VIII Palaiologos, the Papacy suffered a loss of prestige and endured severe damage to its spiritual authority. For 57 years, Constantinople had been under Catholic rule through the Latin Empire and now

21730-480: The dynasty as a whole. The role of the Palaiologoi as the final Christian dynasty to rule over Greek lands also accorded them a more positive remembrance among Greeks during the period of Ottoman rule. The last certain members of the imperial line of the Palaiologoi died out in the 16th century, but female-line descendants survive to the present day. A cadet branch in Italy, the Palaeologus-Montferrat , ruled

21935-449: The earliest known member of the family, possibly its founder, Nikephoros Palaiologos , served as a commander there in the second half of the 11th century. Over the course of the 12th century, the Palaiologoi were mostly part of the military aristocracy, not recorded as occupying any administrative political offices, and they frequently intermarried with the then ruling Komnenos family, increasing their prestige. When Constantinople fell to

22140-536: The easterners had once more asserted their right not only to the position of Roman emperor but also to a church independent of the one centered in Rome. The Popes in the immediate aftermath of the Latin Empire's fall pursued a policy of attempting to assert their religious authority over the Byzantine Empire. Some Western pretenders who wished to restore the Latin Empire, such as the King of Sicily, Charles of Anjou , periodically enjoyed Papal support, and several Popes considered

22345-502: The effective date of the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland, when the Cross of St. Patrick (a red diagonal cross on white) was incorporated into the flag, giving the Union Jack its current design. With the emergence of nationalist sentiment from the late 18th century national flags began to be displayed in civilian contexts as well. Notable early examples include the US flag , which

22550-493: The elder brother, as Constantine's successor and the new Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans. The brothers were divided in their policies. Thomas retained hope that the Papacy might yet call for a crusade to restore the Byzantine Empire whereas Demetrios, probably the more realistic of the two, had more or less given up hope of Christian aid from the West and believed it to be best to placate the Turks. In January 1459, rivalry between

22755-601: The emperors to reunite the Greek Orthodox Church with the Roman Catholic Church , and thus place the Byzantine church in submission under the Papacy , was viewed as heresy and treason. Though Constantine XI died in communion with Rome (and thus as a "heretic"), his death in battle against the Ottomans, defending Constantinople, made the Greeks and the Orthodox church remember him as a hero, redeeming popular opinion of

22960-493: The empire effectively having become a client state to the new Ottoman Empire. Their rule of the empire continued until 1453 when Ottoman sultan Mehmed the Conqueror conquered Constantinople and the final Palaiologan emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos , died in the city's defense. During their rule as emperors, the Palaiologoi were not well-liked by their subjects, mostly on account of their religious policy. The repeated attempts by

23165-408: The empire underwent significant economical and political decline. Even in this state, the empire, famous for its frequent civil wars, was unable to stay united. In 1320, Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos attempted to disinherit his grandson Andronikos III Palaiologos , despite the death of Andronikos II's son, heir and co-emperor Michael IX Palaiologos (Andronikos III's father). Andronikos III secured

23370-409: The empire. Theodore II died in that same year and was succeeded by his eight-year-old son John IV Laskaris . Just a few days after Theodore's death, Michael led a coup against the bureaucrat George Mouzalon , who had been appointed regent by Theodore II. Michael seized the guardianship of the child emperor and was invested with the titles of megas doux and despotes . On 1 January 1259, Michael

23575-449: The empire. However, it soon became apparent Constantine's closest relatives, his brothers in the Morea, represented little more than a nuisance to Mehmed II and they were thus allowed to keep their titles and lands as Ottoman vassals. Under their rule, the Morea was transformed into somewhat of a Byzantine government-in-exile, as Byzantine refugees from Constantinople and elsewhere fled to their courts, some even wishing to proclaim Demetrios,

23780-498: The ends of the world, eventually meeting in Delphi, thus proving it to be the centre of the earth. However, there is virtually no doubt that its origin is a blend of Roman and Eastern influences. Indeed, the early Byzantine Empire inherited the Roman eagle as an imperial symbol. During his reign, Emperor Isaac I Comnenus (1057–59) modified it as double-headed, influenced by traditions about such

23985-432: The establishment of the Kingdom of Greece in 1832, the new king, Otto , added the royal coat of arms (a shield in his ancestral Bavarian pattern topped by a crown) in the centre of the cross for military flags (both land and sea versions). The decree dated 4 (16) April 1833 provided for various maritime flags such as the war flag or naval ensign (set at 18:25), pennant, royal standard (set at 7:10) and civil ensign (i.e.

24190-486: The exact pattern: white cross on blue (plain) for the land flag; nine alternate-coloured stripes with the white cross on a blue field in the canton for the naval ensign; and blue with a blue cross on a white field in the canton for the civil ensign (merchant flag). On 30 June 1828, by decree of the Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias , the civil ensign was discontinued, and the cross-and-stripes naval ensign became

24395-402: The existence of Rogerio as fantasy, given his clearly Italian first name, the unlikelihood of a potential imperial heir being kept as a hostage in Italy and that there are no mentions of such a figure in Byzantine records. The contemporary historian George Sphrantzes , who described the life of Thomas Palaiologos in detail, wrote on the birth of Andreas Palaiologos on 17 January 1453 that the boy

24600-567: The family being the French diplomat Maurice Paléologue , who in his lifetime repeatedly asserted his imperial descent. The ancestry of the Paleologu can be traced to Greeks with the name Palaiologos, but not to the imperial family. In the 18th century, several Phanariots (members of prominent Greek families in the Fener quarter of Constantinople) were granted governing positions in the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia (predecessors of Romania) by

24805-519: The family of Palaiologos and the city of Viterbo was forged based on a specious etymological connection of the Latin Vetus verbum (Viterbo) and the Greek Palaios logos . This link gave a certain degree of prominence to several obscure Palaiologoi who had settled in Italy during the late Middle Ages, and was held as an argument that the family had its roots in the city. Theodore Spandounes mentions

25010-423: The famous noble houses of their Byzantine past. Some might be genuine descendants of the imperial family as several of the imperial Palaiologoi are recorded as having had illegitimate children; for instance, Theodore II, Despot of the Morea, is known to have had several illegitimate children. The Paleologus family in Pesaro, attested from the early 16th century onwards, claimed descent from 'John Palaiologos',

25215-506: The flag is Azure, four bars Argent; on a canton of the field a Greek cross throughout of the second. The official flag ratio is 2:3. The shade of blue used in the flag has varied throughout its history, from light blue to dark blue, the latter being increasingly used since the late 1960s. It was officially adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus on 13 January 1822. While the nine stripes do not have any official meaning,

25420-484: The flag on that particular day. The war flag (equivalent to regimental colours) of the Army and the Air Force is of square shape, with a white cross on blue background. On the centre of the cross the image of Saint George is shown on Army war flags and the image of archangel Michael is shown on Air Force war flags. In the Army war flags are normally carried by infantry, tank and special forces regiments and battalions, by

25625-464: The flag pole. However, some countries have specific protocols for this purpose or even have special flags for vertical hanging; usually rotating some elements of the flag — such as the coat of arms — so that they are seen in an upright position. Examples of countries that have special protocol for vertical hanging are: Canada , Czech Republic , Greece , Israel , the Philippines , South Africa , and

25830-581: The flag. To date, no specification of the exact shade of the blue colour of the flag has been issued. Consequently, in practice hues may vary from very light to very dark. The Greek Flag Day is on 27 October. The old land flag is still flown at the Old Parliament building in Athens, site of the National Historical Museum, and can still be seen displayed unofficially by private citizens. The use of

26035-513: The flags of Kuwait , of Jordan , and of Palestine are all highly similar variants of the flag of the Arab revolt of 1916–1918. The flags of Romania and Moldova are virtually the same, because of the common history and heritage. Moldova adopted the Romanian flag during the declaration of independence from the USSR in 1991 (and was used in various demonstrations and revolts by the population) and later

26240-433: The flags of several polities depicted – although these are not uniformly "national flags", as some were likely the personal standards of the respective nation's rulers. The practice of flying flags indicating the country of origin outside of the context of warfare became common with the maritime flag . During the 13th century, the republics of Genoa and Venice both used maritime flags; William Gordon Perrin wrote that

26445-448: The fragile peace with the Ottomans and supported Mustafa Çelebi , a pretender to the Ottoman throne, in a rebellion against Mehmed I's successor Murad II . Murad defeated Mustafa's rebellion and besieged Constantinople in 1422 , though the Byzantines successfully repulsed him. Even during the final decades of the Byzantine Empire, the Palaiologoi often found it difficult to cooperate with each other. During Manuel II's reign, John VIII and

26650-563: The governor of the towns of Melnik and Serres in Thrace, and though he and his family were distinguished among the aristocracy, he was frequently mistrusted by the ruling Laskaris dynasty. In 1253, Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes accused him of plotting against the throne, though Michael escaped the accusation without punishment following a trial by ordeal of holding a red-hot iron. Though Michael continued to be mistrusted even after this, he married John III's grandniece Theodora Vatatzaina and

26855-578: The idea of calling for a new crusade against Constantinople to once more impose Catholic rule. Michael VIII succeeded in achieving a union of the Catholic and Orthodox churches at the Second Council of Lyons in 1274, legitimizing him and his successors as rulers of Constantinople in the eyes of the West. Michael's son and successor Andronikos II wished to further legitimize the rule of the Palaiologan dynasty. Other crusader states had been formed in Greece as

27060-467: The image of St George replaced with that of Artemius of Antioch . Throughout the history of Greece , various heads of state have used different flags. The designs differ according to the historical era they were used in and in accordance with the political scene in Greece at the time. The first flag to be used by a head of state of Greece was that of King Otto of Greece . Following the establishment of

27265-439: The imperial dynasty, or the medieval family which produced it. Because people with the name live throughout the world and might not even be related in the first place, creating an all-encompassing modern Palaiologos genealogy is next to impossible. It is possible that many of the modern people who bear the name are descended from wealthy Greeks in the Ottoman period, who commonly assumed Byzantine surnames and claimed descent from

27470-445: The imperial family. The genealogies of many supposedly surviving branches of the imperial dynasty have readily been dismissed as fantasy by modern researchers. Various lineages of non-imperial Palaialogoi, whose relation to the medieval Palaiologoi and each other are unclear, survived into the modern period and thousands of people, particularly in Greece, still have the last name Palaiologos, or variants thereof, today. The origins of

27675-496: The intricacies of Byzantine naming customs; to Western Europeans, the name Palaiologos meant the imperial dynasty. Though such Palaiologoi, imperial or not, were mainly concentrated in northern Italy, such as in Pesaro , Viterbo, or Venice , other Greek refugees travelled across Europe, many ending up in Rome, Naples , Milan , Paris or in various cities in Spain. A special link between

27880-662: The last Byzantine Emperors. Another tale maintained that the ancestors of Palaiologoi were among the Roman patricians who traveled to Constantinople accompanying Constantine the Great when the city was founded and designated as the Roman Empire 's new capital in 330. This origin story is similar to the traditions of other Byzantine noble families, such as the Doukas or Phokas clans, who also used stories of ancient Roman descent to bolster their prestige and somewhat legitimize their claims to

28085-480: The last name Palaiologos (or variations thereof) living in Athens today claiming to descend from him. Some nobles with the last name Palaiologos remained in Ottoman Constantinople, and even prospered in the immediate post-conquest period. In the decades after 1453, Ottoman tax registers show a consortium of noble Greeks co-operating to bid for the lucrative tax farming district including Constantinople and

28290-507: The late 13th century. Advances in science and the arts, referred to as the Palaiologan Renaissance , lasted throughout the dynasty's rule, encouraged by the efforts of some emperors such as Andronikos II and Manuel II. By the 15th century, the Byzantine emperors had lost any real power, with the Ottoman sultans increasingly becoming the real regulators of political matters within the empire. Despite their de facto submission under

28495-443: The later emperor Michael VIII , was proclaimed megas domestikos (commander-in-chief), probably by Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes . The Palaiologoi's many marriages with prominent Byzantine families was reflected in their choice of surnames, with earlier members of the imperial dynasty using the surnames of several of the previous ruling dynasties to reinforce their legitimacy. For instance, Michael VIII Palaiologos's full name

28700-489: The legitimacy of the Pesaro line. Allatius gives the sons of Thomas as "Andrea, Manuele and Ioanne". It would be difficult to explain why Allatius, a respected scholar, would simply make up a member of an ancient dynasty. The absence of any mentions of John Palaiologos in contemporary sources means that the Paleologus family's status as genuine male-line descendants of the last few Byzantine emperors can not be proven, but it

28905-522: The legitimate line of succession to the throne of Byzantium. John II also pointed out that since Andronikos II had disinherited Andronikos III, John II was thus the rightful emperor as the only true heir to Andronikos II. John II even petitioned the Papacy to recognize his claims to Thessaloniki and to the empire, and to help him conquer them. An expedition to "recover" these territories was never organized. The final Palaeologus Marquis, John George, Marquis of Montferrat , died in 1533 and rule of Montferrat

29110-541: The line of succession), Theodore, was chosen to travel to Montferrat, arriving there in 1306. Byzantine fears of Latinization became true; Theodore converted to Catholicism and on his visits to Constantinople, Theodore shocked the Byzantines with his shaven face and Western customs. Theodore's descendants, the Palaeologus-Montferrat family, ruled at Montferrat until the 16th century, though they were sometimes given Greek names, such as Theodore and Sophia, most of

29315-448: The local bishop. Prior and during the early days of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829), many different flags were designed, proposed, and used: by various Greek intellectuals in Western Europe, and by local leaders, chieftains, and regional councils. Aside from the cross, many of these flags featured saints, the phoenix (symbolising the rebirth of the Greek nation), mottoes such as "Freedom or Death" ( Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος ), or

29520-402: The monarchy had been restored. By decree of 7 November 1935, the 31 May 1914 decree was restored. Thereby, the crown was restored on the various flags. Compulsory Law 447 of 1937 described two types of flags allowed for use by private individuals: a fortress-type and a navy-type flag, both identical to the national land and sea flags, but without the crown. The legal provisions went unaltered for

29725-474: The most popular interpretation says that they represent the syllables of the phrase Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος ('Freedom or Death'): the five blue stripes for the syllables in Ελευθερία , the four white for those of ή Θάνατος . The total of nine stripes is also said to represent the letters of the word ελευθερία ("freedom"). White and blue symbolise the colours of the Greek sky and sea. The origins of today's national flag with its cross-and-stripe pattern are

29930-662: The most recognisable and beloved Greek symbols, the double-headed eagle , is not a part of the modern Greek flag or coat of arms (although it is officially used by the Greek Army, the Church of Greece , the Cypriot National Guard and the Church of Cyprus , and was incorporated in the Greek coat of arms in 1926). One suggested explanation is that, upon independence, an effort was made for political — and international relations — reasons to limit expressions implying efforts to recreate

30135-424: The name Paleologo Mastrogiovanni (or just Mastrogiovanni ) in his honour. The Paleologo Mastrogiovanni family is an extant family in Italy, but their claimed family history mainly derives from oral tradition, with few documents supporting it. None of the documents have been authenticated and there are several issues with the overall reconstruction of events and descent. Modern researchers overwhelmingly dismiss

30340-461: The national ensign, worn by both naval and merchant ships. This design became immediately very popular with Greeks and in practice was often used simultaneously with the national (plain cross) flag. On 7 February 1828 the Greek flag was internationally recognised for the first time by receiving an official salutation from British, French, and Russian forces in Nafplio , then the capital of Greece. After

30545-538: The national flag and its connection to political ideology ( form of government , monarchy vs. republic vs. theocracy, etc.) remains visible. In such cases national flags acquire the status of a political symbol . The flag of Germany , for instance, was a tricolour of black-white-red under the German Empire , inherited from the North German Confederation (1866). The Weimar Republic that followed adopted

30750-400: The national flag is meant to be a unique symbol representing a nation, many countries have highly similar flags. Examples include the flags of Monaco and Indonesia , which differ only slightly in proportion and the tint of red; the flags of the Netherlands and Luxembourg , which differ in proportion as well as in the tint of blue used; the flags of Romania and Chad , which differ only in

30955-412: The national flag's proportions were established at a 2:3 ratio, with the arms of the cross being "one fifth of the flag's width". The land version of the national flag was to be used by ministries, embassies, and in general by all civil and military services, while the sea flag was to be used by naval and merchant vessels, consulates and private citizens. On 10 October 1935, Georgios Kondylis declared that

31160-443: The naval ensign without coat of arms). A royal decree dated 28 August 1858 provided for details on the construction and dimensions concerning the flags described in the 1833 decree and other flags. After Otto's abdication in 1862, the royal coat of arms was removed. In 1863, the 17-year old Danish prince William was selected as Greece's new king, taking on the name George I . A royal decree dated 28 December 1863 introduced crowns into

31365-474: The non-imperial Palaiologoi that were descendants of older collateral lines, Byzantine genealogy is also made complicated by the fact that it was common in Byzantium to adopt the family name of one's spouse or mother, if the name was more prestigious. Many Byzantine nobles found themselves in Constantinople in 1453, fighting against the Ottomans in their final attack. Some, such as Theophilos Palaiologos , died in

31570-406: The number of states, proactively defined in a Flag Act of 1818 to the effect that "on the admission of every new state into the Union, one star be added to the union of the flag"; it was changed most recently in 1960 with the accession of Hawaii . A change in national flag is often due to a change of regime, especially following a civil war or revolution . In such cases, the military origins of

31775-411: The official abolition of the monarchy on 1 June 1973 and the use of the crown was officially discontinued on July 16. After the restoration of democracy , Law 48/1975 and Presidential Decree 515/1975, which entered into effect on 7 June 1975, reversed the situation and designated the former "land flag" as the sole flag of Greece, to be used even at sea. The situation was once again reversed in 1978, when

31980-409: The old emperors. Andreas and Manuel soon faced financial problems, with the pension once provided to their father having been split between the two of them and constantly cut back by the Papacy. Andreas attempted to sell his claims to various Byzantine titles to earn money, but since Manuel did not have any claims to sell (as he was the second son), he instead travelled around Europe hoping to enter into

32185-434: The only other known living member of the Ottoman dynasty (and as such a potential rival to Mehmed), who was held prisoner in Constantinople. The ill-advised threat gave Mehmed a casus belli and late in 1451, preparations were already underway for a new Ottoman siege of Constantinople. To prevent aid coming from the Morea, now governed by Thomas and Demetrios, Mehmed II sent one of his generals, Turahan Bey (who had raided

32390-504: The past, in the 18th century. The name "Montferrato-Paleologo" is recorded on the Greek island of Cephalonia until the 17th century, though it is uncertain how they were connected to the Italian family. A modern Italian family, called the Paleologo-Oriundi , claim that they descend from Flaminio , an illegitimate son of John George. The probable extinction of the senior branch of the imperial Palaiologos family at some point in

32595-478: The ports of western Anatolia. This group included names like "Palologoz of Kassandros" and "Manuel Palologoz". This group stood in close contact with two powerful viziers, Mesih Pasha and Hass Murad Pasha , both of whom were reportedly nephews to Constantine XI Palaiologos and had been forced to convert to Islam after Constantinople's fall, as well as with other converted scions of Byzantine and Balkan aristocratic families like Mahmud Pasha Angelović , forming what

32800-478: The position as if they were blowing in the wind. In some countries, such as the United States and Canada (except for the Royal Canadian Navy's Ensign ), the national ensign is identical to the national flag, while in others, such as the United Kingdom , India , Italy and Japan , there are specific ensigns for maritime use. Most countries do not have a separate state ensign, although the United Kingdom

33005-428: The president's flag as being a square version of the usual cross flag, devoid of any distinguishing markings. On 10 October 1935, Georgios Kondylis declared that the monarchy had been restored and the 3 June 1914 decree was restored by decree of 7 November 1935. This flag, and the flags of other members of the royal family, was replaced the following year with new designs. Unlike previous designs, all flags now featured

33210-548: The principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity as embodied in the French flag. The Ottoman flag (now the flag of Turkey ) was adopted in 1844. Other non-European powers followed the trend in the late 19th century, the flag of Great Qing being introduced in 1862, that of Japan being introduced in 1870. Also in the 19th century, most countries of South America introduced a flag as they became independent ( Peru in 1820, Bolivia in 1851, Colombia in 1860, Brazil in 1822, etc.) Currently, there are 193 national flags in

33415-568: The region directly into the Ottoman Empire, ending Palaiologan rule in Greece. Demetrios surrendered to the Ottomans without a fight and Thomas escaped into exile. Demetrios lived in the Ottoman Empire for the rest of his life, dying in 1470. His only child, his daughter Helena, never married the sultan nor entered the sultan's harem , possibly because the sultan feared that she would poison him. She predeceased her father, dying in 1469. Thomas had four children; Helena , Zoe , Andreas and Manuel . Helena had already been married to Lazar Branković ,

33620-491: The reign of Mehmed II's son and successor Bayezid II ( r.   1481–1512). Manuel had two sons; John Palaiologos, who died young, and Andreas , probably named after Manuel's brother. Manuel's son Andreas converted to Islam and might have served as an Ottoman court official. He is last attested in the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent ( r.   1520–1566) and is not believed to have had children of his own. Thus,

33825-511: The republic of Genoa was "one of the earliest states to adopt a national flag". The current design of the flag of the Netherlands originates as a variant of the late 16th century orange-white-blue Prinsenvlag ("Prince's Flag"), that was used in the Dutch War of Independence (1568–1648), evolving in the early 17th century as the red-white-blue Statenvlag ("States Flag"), the naval flag of

34030-524: The said holiday is being celebrated. Additionally, the flag may also be flown on days of national mourning, half-mast . The Minister of the Interior has the authority to proclaim flag days if they are not already proclaimed, and proclaiming regional flag days is vested with the elected head of each regional unit (formerly prefectures ). Although 17 November is not an official national holiday, Presidential Decree 201/1998 states that respects are to be paid to

34235-562: The same colours, at first sight, it seems that the only difference between the Italian and the Mexican flag is only the coat of arms of Mexico present in the latter; in reality the Italian tricolour uses lighter shades of green and red, and has different proportions than the Mexican flag—those of the Italian flag are equal to 2:3, while the proportions of the Mexican flag are 4:7. The similarity between

34440-408: The same dimensions and basic design of the previous flag. At the flag's centre, the royal coat of arms of the new dynasty ( Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg ) would feature. By a new royal decree of 3 June 1914, the distinguishing flags to be utilised by the various members of the royal family were described. The king's flag was defined as being square in shape and, as in previous flags, featured

34645-426: The sea flag once again became the sole flag of Greece and all previous provisions were abolished. Several Greek researchers have attempted to establish a continuity of usage and significance of the blue and white colours, throughout Greek history. Usages cited include the pattern of blue and white formations included on the shield of Achilles , the apparent connection of blue with goddess Athena , some of Alexander

34850-400: The service of some noble. After not receiving any satisfactory offers, Manuel surprised the establishment in Rome by travelling to Constantinople in 1476 and presenting himself before Sultan Mehmed II. The sultan generously received him and Manuel stayed in Constantinople for the rest of his life. Andreas died poor in Rome in 1502. Whether he had any children is uncertain. It is possible that

35055-437: The state flag, with the difference often being the presence of a coat of arms on the state flag that is absent from the civil flag. Very few countries use a war flag that differs from the state flag. Taiwan , Japan , and China are notable examples of this. Swallow-tailed flags are used as war flags and naval ensigns in Nordic countries and charged versions as presidential or royal standards. The Philippines does not have

35260-405: The support of a significant number of the aristocracy and a period of civil war , not ended until 1328, ensued. Although Andronikos III was ultimately victorious and Andronikos II was deposed, the empire was damaged economically and for the first time, foreign states such as Bulgaria and Serbia had appeared as significant regulating factors in imperial dynastic disputes (joining opposite sides of

35465-417: The throne of the Byzantine Empire , the Roman Empire's medieval continuation. In contrast to these ancient and prestigious origin stories, the Palaiologoi probably actually originated relatively late in Anatolia , possibly in the Anatolic Theme . The etymology of their family name was believed to be "ragman" by Soviet-American Byzantinist Alexander Kazhdan , possibly referencing humble origins, whereas

35670-400: The throne was also accepted by Murad II, who by now had to be consulted for any appointments. Constantine XI's reign would prove to be brief. Murad II's young son and successor, Mehmed II , who became sultan in 1451, was obsessed with the idea of conquering Constantinople. In an effort to extort money from Mehmed, Constantine implicitly threatened to release Orhan Çelebi, Mehmed's cousin and

35875-434: The tint of blue, and the flags of Cuba and Puerto Rico , which differ only in proportion, placement and tint of colors. The flags of Ireland and Ivory Coast and the flags of Mali and Guinea are (aside from shade or ratio differences) vertically mirrored versions from each other. This means that the reverse of one flag matches the obverse of the other. Unlike horizontally mirrored flags (like Poland and Indonesia )

36080-516: The two flags posed a serious problem in maritime transport, given that originally the Mexican mercantile flag was devoid of arms and therefore was consequently identical to the Italian Republican tricolour of 1946; to obviate the inconvenience, at the request of the International Maritime Organization , both Italy and Mexico adopted naval flags with different crests. Many other similarities may be found among current national flags, particularly if inversions of colour schemes are considered, e.g., compare

36285-401: The upper and lower stripes are cyan and the others in between are white. Law 851/1978 , Regarding the National Flag , Article 1, Clause 1 Because of the use of the word 'cyan' ( Greek : κυανός , Kyanos ), which can also mean 'blue' in Greek , the exact shade of blue remains ambiguous. Although it implies the use of a light shade of blue, such as on the flag of the United Nations ,

36490-473: The upper left. Although the use of alternating blue and white - or silver - stripes on (several centuries-old) Kallergis' coats of arms is well documented, no depiction of the above described pattern (with the nine stripes and the cross) survives. Flags as they are known today did not exist in antiquity. Instead, a variety of emblems and symbols ( σημεῖον , sēmeîon ; pl. σημεῖᾰ , sēmeîa ) were used to denote each state and were for example painted on

36695-415: The use of the "tetragrammatic cross" on the banner ( phlamoulon ) borne by imperial naval vessels , while the megas doux displayed an image of the emperor on horseback. During the Ottoman rule several unofficial flags were used by Greeks, usually employing the Byzantine double-headed eagle (see below), the cross, depictions of saints and various mottoes. The Christian Greek sipahi cavalry employed by

36900-446: The various flags in place of the coat of arms. Similar arrangements were made for the royal flags, which featured the coat of arms of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg on a square version of the national flag. A square version of the land flag with St. George in the centre was adopted on 9 April 1864 as the Army 's colours . The exact shape and usage of the flags was determined by Royal Decree on 26 September 1867. By

37105-417: The virtually identical flag of the powerful Cretan Kallergis family . This flag was based on their coat of arms, whose pattern is supposed to be derived from the standards of their claimed ancestor, Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus II Phocas (963–969 AD). This pattern (according to not easily verifiable descriptions) included nine stripes of alternating blue and white, as well as a cross, assumed to be placed on

37310-412: The war, settled on the recently colonized island of Barbados in the Caribbean , where he became known as the "Greek prince from Cornwall" and owned a cotton or sugar plantation. Ferdinand died in 1670 and was survived only by his son, Theodore . Theodore left Barbados to work as a privateer , serving aboard a ship called Charles II , and died at A Coruña , Spain in 1693. Theodore had

37515-439: The world flown by sovereign states that are members of the United Nations . The national flag is often mentioned or described in a country's constitution , but its detailed description may be delegated to a flag law passed by the legislature, or even secondary legislation or in monarchies a decree . Thus, the national flag is mentioned briefly in the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany of 1949 "the federal flag

37720-405: The writings of the Greek scholar Leo Allatius , who wrote in 1648, too late for his works to be considered independent evidence. Allatius was the keeper of the Vatican Library and would have had access to its vast collection of books and records and might have deduced his findings from there. As such, it is possible that Allatius had access to earlier documents, now lost, which would have proven

37925-462: The younger son Constantine appear to have got on well with each other, but the relations between Constantine and the younger brothers Demetrios and Thomas were not as friendly. Through most of John VIII's reign, Constantine and Thomas ruled as Despots of the Morea, with Demetrios governing a stretch of land in Thrace. Demetrios was unhappy with his subordinate position and assaulted Constantinople in 1442, with Ottoman help, in an attempt to seize

38130-450: Was Michael Komnenos Doukas Angelos Palaiologos . Michael Palaiologos, born in 1223, was the son of Andronikos Palaiologos, megas domestikos in the Empire of Nicaea. Through the preceding century or so of Palaiologan marriages to other imperial families, his ancestry could be traced back to the three most recent dynasties that had ruled the empire before the Fourth Crusade (Doukas, Komnenos and Angelos). In his youth, Michael had served as

38335-427: Was "a continuator and heir" of the Palaiologan lineage, a phrase which makes little sense if Andreas was not Thomas's first-born son. During most of their tenure as Byzantine emperors, the Palaiologan dynasty was not well-liked by their subjects. Not only were the means the family had used to gain the throne grim, but their religious policy alienated many within the empire. The Palaiologan emperors aspired to reunite

38540-526: Was appointed as the megas konostaulos of the Latin mercenaries employed by the empire. After John III's death in 1254, Michael briefly took service with the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum , frequent enemies of the empire, and from 1256 to 1258 he was the commander of the Christian mercenaries fighting for the Seljuk Sultan Kaykaus II . John III's son and successor, Theodore II Laskaris , recalled Michael in 1258 and after they had exchanged guarantees of safety and oaths of loyalty, Michael returned to service within

38745-463: Was associated with a republican form of government through that country's long war of independence against the Spanish Crown . That association was greatly reinforced after the French Revolution (1789), when France used the same colours, but with vertical instead of horizontal stripes. Other countries in Europe (like Ireland , Italy , Romania and Estonia ) and in South and Central America selected tricolours of their own to express their adherence to

38950-434: Was deposed and blinded. Michael's successors ruled the Byzantine Empire at its weakest point in history, and much of the Palaiologan period was a time of political and economic decline, partly due to external enemies such as the Bulgarians , Serbs and Ottoman Turks , and partly due to frequent civil wars between members of the Palaiologos family. By the beginning of the 15th century, the emperors had lost any real power, with

39155-446: Was excommunicated by Pope Martin IV . When Michael VIII died in 1282 he died condemned as a traitor and a heretic by his people, who saw him as someone who had bullied them into submission under the Church of Rome. He was denied the traditional funeral pomps of an Orthodox Emperor. Though Michael's successor Andronikos II quickly repudiated the Union of the Churches, many of the Palaiologan emperors worked to ensure its restoration. As

39360-457: Was exiled from Pesaro rather than executed. Following his exile, Theodore established himself as an assassin and appears to have garnered an impressive reputation. In 1599, he entered into the service of Henry Clinton , the Earl of Lincoln , in England. Theodore lived in England for the rest of his life and fathered six children, whose fates were caught up in the English Civil War of 1642–1651. His son Ferdinand Paleologus , escaping

39565-411: Was first adopted as a naval ensign in 1777 but began to be displayed as a generic symbol of the United States after the American Revolution , and the French Tricolor , which became a symbol of the Republic in the 1790s. Most countries of Europe standardised and codified the designs of their maritime flags as national flags, in the course of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The specifications of

39770-419: Was further described by a decree dated 28 August 1858, which also changed the proportions of the flag from 7:10 to 3:2. Following Otto's abdication in 1862, the Wittelsbach coat of arms would subsequently be removed. In 1863, the 17-year old Danish prince William was selected as Greece's new king, taking on the name George I . A royal decree dated 28 December 1863 prescribed that the king's standard would retain

39975-415: Was initially victorious, imprisoning and disinheriting Andronikos IV and appointing a younger son, Manuel II Palaiologos , as his successor instead. However, Andronikos eventually escaped from prison and successfully took the throne in 1376 with aid from Genoa , imprisoning his father and his younger brother. John V retook the throne in 1379 but reached an agreement with Andronikos in 1381, wherein Andronikos

40180-409: Was later changed to Sophia) was married to Duke Ivan III of Moscow . As the oldest son, Andreas was recognized by the Papacy as Thomas's heir and the rightful Despot of the Morea. From the 1480s onwards, Andreas also claimed the title Imperator Constantinopolitanus ('Emperor of Constantinople'). Some Byzantine refugees, such as historian George Sphrantzes , recognized Andreas as the rightful heir of

40385-441: Was not lifted until nine years into his reign, upon the appointment of Patriarch Joseph I . The blinding of John IV was a stain on the Palaiologan dynasty. In 1284, Michael's son and successor Andronikos II Palaiologos visited the blinded and then 33-year-old John IV during a journey in Anatolia, hoping to demonstrate his disapproval with his father's actions. The Palaiologoi ruled Byzantium at its weakest point in history, and

40590-466: Was proclaimed as co-emperor at Nymphaion , probably without John IV being present. On 25 July 1261, Nicene forces under general Alexios Strategopoulos recaptured Constantinople from the Latin Empire , restoring the city to Byzantine rule after almost sixty years in foreign hands. After the recapture of the capital and the restoration of the Byzantine Empire, Michael took care to be crowned emperor in Hagia Sophia , as Byzantine emperors had been before

40795-433: Was second-in-line to the throne of the March of Montferrat , the marriage had the unexpected result of creating the possibility that a Byzantine prince might inherit Montferrat. When Yolande's brother, John I of Montferrat , died without children in 1305, Montferrat legitimately passed to Yolande and her children. The Byzantine aristocracy were less than eager of sending one of Andronikos II's sons to claim Montferrat. That

41000-418: Was specified in a royal decree, according to which the flag of England (a red cross on a white background, known as St George's Cross ), and the flag of Scotland (a white saltire on a blue background, known as the Saltire or St Andrew's Cross), would be joined, forming the flag of Great Britain and first Union Flag - but then without the red Cross of St. Patrick . It continued in use until 1 January 1801,

41205-423: Was the only major non-Muslim power in the Eastern Mediterranean, it represented an appealing destination for Byzantine refugees as the empire fell. Numerous people with the last name Paleologus are recorded in Venice in the 15th and 16th centuries, many serving as stratioti (mercenary light-armed cavalrymen of Greek or Albanian origin). Venetian documents frequently refer to their "strenuous" prowess in service to

41410-410: Was the so-called "Graeco-Ottoman flag" ( Γραικοθωμανική παντιέρα ), a civil ensign Greek Orthodox merchants (better: merchants from the Greek-dominated Orthodox millet ) were allowed to fly on their ships, combining stripes with red (for the Ottoman Empire) and blue (for Orthodoxy) colours. After the 1774 Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca , Greek-owned merchant ships could also fly the Russian flag . During

41615-424: Was then given to Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua , by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V . The last female member, Margaret Paleologa , married to Federico II, died in 1566, rendering the Montferrat cadet branch extinct. Her and Federico II's descendants, with the Gonzaga name, ruled Montferrat until they were supplanted by the House of Savoy , which had also intermarried with the Palaeologus-Montferrat family in

41820-406: Was to succeed him as emperor, passing over Manuel. Andronikos died in 1385 and his son, John VII Palaiologos briefly managed to usurp the throne in 1390. Following this, Manuel II was firmly established as John V's successor, becoming senior emperor upon John's death in 1391. Though most of the Palaiologan era was defined by decline and war, it was also an age of cultural flourishing, beginning in

42025-401: Was used again by National Transitional Council and by anti-Gaddafi forces during the Libyan Civil War in 2011 and officially adopted by the Libyan interim Constitutional Declaration . There are three distinct types of national flag for use on land, and three for use at sea, though many countries use identical designs for several (and sometimes all) of these types of flag. On land, there

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