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Historical Flags (Andorra)

Principality of Andorra, Principat d'Andorra

1806-1866: Yellow-Red Bicolor
?-1806: Catalan Flag

See also:

Andorra

Other sites:

History of Andorra's Flag image by Jaume Ollé (Spanish only)

1806-1866: Yellow-Red Bicolor

image by Ivan Sache
Flag adopted c. 1806, abolished 1866

Andorra's current flag was introduced in 1866 by adding a blue field to the yellow and red flag of Foix. By doing so, both France and Spain were represented with two colors in Andorra's flag (red and blue for France and red and yellow for Spain). Source: Herzog and Hannes 1990.

Volker Mörbitz Keith, 11 Apr 2000

The source of my image is the flag plate in Grand Larousse Illustré du XXe Siècle, 1932. Since several sources stated that the Andorran tricolor flag was adopted at the end of the 19th century, one may wonder why Larousse showed such an outdated flag, especially for a country which is geographically and politically so close to France. Talocci 1993 says the current tricolour flag replaced the former yellow-red flag in 1866, and attributes the new design to Emperor Napoleon III (reigned 1852-1870). The only source I know mentioning the adoption date as 1806 is Pedersen 1971, who says the colours were those of the Counts of Foix, in agreement with Herzog and Hannes 1990. Finally, there is a question which remains to be answered, what was the flag of Andorra before 1806?

Ivan Sache, 24 Nov 2001

?-1806: Catalan Flag

image by Jorge Candeias
Flag abolished 1806

Andorra was part of Catalonia (first fully and then in condominium with France) and of course used the same flag. The Valleys of Andorra were given in fief by the Carolingfian kings to the counts of Urgell in the VIIIth century, and given in fief by the counts to the Bishop of Urgell in 988. The counts Urgell were feudal subjects of the counts of Barcelona, who were furthermore de facto marquises and dukes of Septimania and Gothia and due to this had a prevalence to several small counties. The Urgell bishop sub-enfeoffed the valley to the Caboet dynasty, vicecounts of Castellbo, that after the death of the count Gaston Febus of Foix inherited this county. As the count was more powerful than the Bishop to which he was subject (and through the Bishop the Foix were subjects of the Catalan king and at the same time of the French king) were outlined frequent litigations until by duty of the Catalan crown were agreed the "pareatges" (double agreement) through which there was established the feudal condominium of both powers on the Valley, that is to say of Foix and of the Bishop of Urgell, feudatories of the French and Catalan kings.

The feudal lordship of the Foix happened to the French crown (of which the Republic is the declared successor, though its right is based on force and it has not yet found an acceptable legal – juridic, not political – recognition while there exist French kings). The Bishops of Urgell continue existing (if bishopric might have been extinguished, the right the right might have passed to the Catalan sovereigns, and from them, to the kings of Spain, but this never happened; now, after constitution, this will never occur.)

Andorra was isolated valley until this century and no other flag was known that the Catalan one before the XIX century.

Jaume Ollé, 29 Aug 2003