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The national flag of the Netherlands has three equal horizontal bands coloured red (top), white and blue. The flag has his its origins in the late 16th century when it was used by the Dutch in their revolt against the Spanish, better known as the Eighty Years' War. The colours — with orange used instead of red — were taken from the coat of arms of William I of Orange, leader of the Dutch revolt. The orange band gradually became red, although this was not officially confirmed until 1937.

The ratio of the Dutch flag is usually 2:3, although this is not prescribed by any law.

Formal use of the flag is strictly regulated; the specifics were last modified in 2003. The flag is only flown on national holidays, birthdays of members of the royal family, and on special occasions such as the visit of a foreign head of state. These regulations do not apply to private use of the flag, but citizens are advised and requested to follow these as well.

History

The modern Netherlands did form as a political union until the Eighty Years' War, and therefore there was no real Dutch flag before the late 15th century. After emperor Charles V acquired control over all the provinces of the Low Countries (including present day Belgium and Luxembourg) in the 16th century, the so-call Cross of Burgundy was sometimes used at sea. This flag consisted of a white field charged with two bundles of red laurel branches in the form of an X, with flames issuing from the intersection. This flag remained in use on Spanish vessels until the late 18th century.

The Prince's flag

Red or orange

Flags during occupation

Usage

Regulations

Regulations discern two types of flag days. On days with "uitgebreid vlaggen" (extensive flag use), all official building must fly the Dutch flag. On days with "beperkt vlaggen" (restricted flag use), only the main building of all departments (such as the buildings used by the Dutch parliament) must fly the flag.

31 January	1 February	Birthday Queen Beatrix	Restricted
27 April	28 April	Birthday Crown Prince Willem-Alexander	Restricted
30 April	29 April	Koninginnedag	Extensive
4 May	4 May	Dodenherdenking, met halfstok vlaggen van 18.00 uur tot zonsondergang (ca. 21.10 uur zomertijd)	Extensive	flag flown at half-mast from 18:00 to sunset.
5 May	5 May	Nationale bevrijdingsdag	Extensive
17 May	18 May	Birthday of Princess Máxima	Restricted
15 August	16 August	Formal end of World War II	Extensive
3rd Tuesday in September		Opening day Staten-Generaal	Extensive	Only in The Hague
7 December	8 December	Birthday princess Amalia	Restricted
15 December	16 December	Koninkrijksdag	Restricted

References

The Prince's Flag

The provinces of the Low Countries, however, rose in revolt against King Philip II of Spain, and the Prince of Orange placed himself at the head of the rebels. The Watergeuzen (pro-independence pirates), acting on his instructions, harassed the enemy everywhere they could and they did this under a tricolour Orange White Blue (Orange Blanche Bleu), the colours of the Prince's coat of arms. It was thus a flag easily associated with the leader of the rebellion, and the association was also expressed in the name: "the Prince's Flag." It is not known when this flag was unfurled for the first time, but it can be seen in illustrations dating from the earliest days of the Eighty Years' War, the Dutch war of independence.

The flag had three, sometimes six or even nine horizontal stripes, but also took the form of rays projecting from a circle. The colours were used without any fixed order and it was only towards the end of the 16th century that any degree of uniformity appeared. After 1630, the orange stripe was gradually replaced by a red one, as paintings of that time indicate. Since there was likely no political reason for introducing a non-orange motive in the flag, the probable reason is that orange and blue are faint colors and more difficult to distinguish than red and dark blue, especially at sea.

The orange-white-blue flag, however, continued to be flown as well and in later times formed the basis for the South African flag. In addition to the two main flags, a third official flag, that of the States-General, came into being, although it never assumed the importance of the tricolour. Originally it consisted of the red lion of the province of Holland, taken from its coat of arms, on a gold field, and later, of a gold lion on a red field. It marked no contradistinction to the Prince's flag and, in old paintings of ships and sea battles, both flags may be seen flying harmoniously side by side, thus illustrating the complex form of government with its two centres of authority: the Stadtholder (who was always a member of the House of Orange) and the States General.

The revolution in the Netherlands, in the last decade of the 18th century, and the conquest by the French also resulted in another flag. The name "Prince's Flag" was forbidden. There came no change in the red-white-blue (colours to which the French "liberators" were kindly disposed, analogous as they were to their own tricolour), but in 1796 the red division of the flag was embellished with the figure of a Netherlands maiden, with a lion at her feet, in the upper left corner. In one hand she bore a shield with the Roman fasces and in the other a lance crowned with the cap of liberty. This flag had a life as short as that of the Batavian Republic for which it was created. Louis Bonaparte, made king of Holland by his brother the Emperor Napoleon, wished to pursue a purely Dutch policy and to respect national sentiments as much as possible. He removed the maiden of freedom from the flag and restored the old tricolour. His pro-Dutch policies led to conflicts with his brother, however, and the Netherlands were incorporated into the French Empire. Its flag was replaced by the imperial emblems.

In 1813, the Netherlands regained its independence and the Prince of Orange returned to the country from England. The tricolour reappeared from the attics and cellars where it had remained hidden for three years, waiting for better times. In order to demonstrate the attachment of the people to the House of Orange, the orange-white-blue and the red-white-blue fluttered together on the roofs. Which of the two flags should be the national flag was left undecided. Until recently, both had the same rights, although the red-white-blue was generally given precedence. This is apparent from the fact that it was not only hoisted on public buildings but also chosen by the first King as his personal standard, showing the national coat of arms on the white stripes. From the same period dates the custom, prescribed spontaneously by popular will, to fly an orange pennant together with the national flag as a sign of allegiance of the people to the House of Orange.

On February 19, 1937, a Royal Decree issued by Queen Wilhelmina finally laid down the red, white and blue colours as the national flag (heraldic colours of bright vermilion, white and cobalt blue).

Use

References