La Mancha flag proposals 1906 and 1919 (Castile-La Mancha, Spain)

Last modified: 2008-12-26 by eugene ipavec
Keywords: castile-la mancha | la mancha | quartered (black-red-blue-white) |
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• Introduction
• Flag proposal used in 1906
• Flag proposal used in 1919

See also:

• Castile-La Mancha (Castilla-La Mancha, Spain)
• Spain

Other sites:

• Para una historia del regionalismo manchego: la bandera y el himno de La Mancha an online version of Fuster Ruiz 1981 [frz81]

Introduction

A flag for La Mancha —a territory nowadays included in Castilla-La Mancha— was proposed in 1906, representing the four provinces of La Mancha: black for Toledo [possibly after its black eagle?], red for Cuenca, blue for Ciudad Real and white for Albacete.

Eulogio Navarro, 2 October 2002

The flag was a proposal made in 1906 by the Centro Regional Manchego (La Mancha Regional Centre). It had been designed by the Juventud Central Manchega (La Mancha Central Youth) of Daimiel. It was first hoisted at a meeting held in Summer 1906 in Daimiel. The flag bore on its centre the royal arms, later replaced with a yellow five-pointed star. Sources:

• Fuster Ruiz 1981 [frz81], available online here
• Juan José Sánchez Badiola, Los rabales de Babel y otros ensayos sobre los separatismos españoles, Madrid, Vision Net, 2004.

Eulogio Navarro, October 2002, translated by Santiago Dotor

However, Fuster Ruiz 1981 [frz81] clearly states (p. 13) that the Juventud Central Manchega was founded 1918, and makes no reference to them designing the flag. Actually that group had its seat in Madrid not in Daimiel. [frz81] also says that:

• the colours are those of the fields of the four provincial capital cities' arms (p. 17)
• the original Daimiel flag (1906) showed the arms of each provincial capital on its respective quarter (p. 17)
• the later Albacete flag was embroidered 1919 by teachers of Albacete's Escuela Normal de Maestras
• the flag was lost after the dissolution of the Centro Regional Manchego ca. 1923 and possibly the arms —a high quality embroidered version of the royal arms— were cut out and reused elsewhere (pp. 21-22)

Santiago Dotor, 18 January 2005

Flag proposal used in 1906

image by Santiago Dotor, coats-of-arms from several sources as described in text, 18 January 2005

According to Fuster Ruiz 1981 [frz81], p. 17, the original Daimiel flag (1906) showed the arms of each provincial capital on its respective quarter. The above image uses the following sources for its clipart:

• Toledo city arms from the Diputación de Toledo website
• Cuenca city arms from the municipal website
• Ciudad Real city arms from José María Valladolid's website
• Albacete city arms by Antonio Gutiérrez from the SEV website

Santiago Dotor, 18 January 2005

Flag proposal used in 1919

2:3?      1:2?
both images by Santiago Dotor, coat-of-arms by José Carlos Alegría, 18 January 2005

According to Fuster Ruiz 1981 [frz81] the later Albacete flag was embroidered in 1919 by teachers of Albacete's Escuela Normal de Maestras and lost after the dissolution of the Centro Regional Manchego ca. 1923; possibly the arms —a high quality embroidered version of the royal arms— were cut out and reused elsewhere (pp. 21-22).

The photographs in [frz81] (scan here) appear to show the quarters not as 1/4th of the flag each, but offset to the hoist. On this scan the flag "dips" near the hoist, so the first quarter might not be as short as it would appear at first sight. But if the quarters are all the same size, then the flag as shown in that scan must be ca. 1:2 in ratio, which would have been absolutely unusual among Spanish flags.

Another photograph in [frz81] shows a good view of the coat-of-arms (scan here), which appears to be a mistaken version of the royal arms —also shown in some early 20th century paintings of the royal standard, for example one mentioned in Calvo and Grávalos 1983 [cag83]—, where the royal crown is replaced by that of the heir prince, thus with only four arches —of which three visible— as in the current Prince of Asturias' standard.

The photographs in [frz81] show the arms approximately as high as 1/3 the flag's height.

Santiago Dotor, 18 January 2005