Origins of the Aragonese-Catalan Flag (Spain)

Jaume Ollé, 14 February 1999

The senyera does not have Catalan origins. According to the Spanish historian Alfonso García-Gallo the original Catalan flag was the St. George's (Sant Jordi) Cross, being similar to that of England. The Aragonese flag, on the other hand, was similar to the one of Sardinia (St. George's Cross with a moor's head in each quarter).

The red and gold flag was the the flag of the Aragonese Crown and each golden stripe represented a kingdom. When James I (Jaume I) conquers Valencia, the flag is composed only of 3 golden stripes (Aragon, Majorca and Valencia). The other 2 stripes were added by king Peter I in 1241 and represented the kingdoms of Sicily and Sardinia. As the years went by, the royal emblem became a part of the kingdoms' coats of arms and, eventually, of their flags. The 5-bars flag appears also in the flags of Aragon, Valencia, the Balearic Islands and even Sicily, not only in the Catalan one.

Rubén Rodríguez, 27 February 2000

Kingdom of Aragon had white flag with Saint George cross, with four moors heads. Also white flag with saint George cross was taken by several countries (Genoa, England...) and by the Catalan government of the Generalitat (the secular branch of power in the Catalan counties). Barcelona, Pallars, etc. were counties ruled by counts, but the count had a title [equivalent to that] of king.

[The theory about a golden bar for each kingdom] seems that is not exact. Sometimes is atested flag with less or more stripes that kingdoms. When James I conquered Valencia he used a "bucelate" flag with four bars (the famous "peno de la conquesta" still preserved), but [the surrendering] moors used a flag with only two bars for indicate their submission. In times of Peter I the flags were mainly standardized and the use of three, five, six etc. bars, was smaller than previously, and four bars were mainly used. I doubt that Sardinia was ever a single kingdom, the Catalan ruler using the title of Judge of Arborea, Cagliari etc. Sicily did not belong to Catalonia until the 1282 revolt against the French rulers in favour of the Catalan king.

Jaume Ollé, 4 March 2000

The four red bars on a yellow field have been and are distinctive of the House of Aragon, that is the Kings of Aragon, who were never [kings] of Catalonia, the latter being a principality. I suggest reading this webpage [in Aragonese and Spanish] with the true story about the flag of Aragon or Siñal Reyal [royal flag].

Chuse Fernández, translated by Santiago Dotor, 3 May 2001

Javier Mendivil, the webmaster of a website about the autonomous community of Aragon, wrote me:

La bandera de Aragón (o "señal" de la casa de Aragon) era la enseña de la casa o linaje de los reyes de Aragón que aparecia en su escudo.

El fondo amarillo es la sumisión al Papa (poder celestial) y no a los otros reyes cristianos de la peninsula que se llamaban a si mismo "emperadores de España" cada barra o "palo" significa una posesión del rey o su familia. Existen iglesias romanicas como en Sos donde aparece 3, 4 o 5 barras según el momento histórico cuando se pintaron.

Cuando el reino de Aragón se convirtió en la Corona de Aragón esta bandera fue comun para todos sus integrantes y se estabilizo en 4 (cuatro) palos, por lo tanto fue Cataluña quien adopto la "señal" de Aragón al casarse el conde de Barcelona con la heredera de Aragón y comprometerse a hacerse cargo de su reino.

The flag of Aragon (or signal of the house of Aragon) was the insignia of the house or lineage of the kings of Aragon which appeared on its coat-of-arms.

The yellow field represented submission to the Pope (heavenly power) rather than to the other peninsular Christian kings who called themselves "emperors of Spain", each bar or "pallet" standing for a possesion of the king or his family. There are romanesque churches like that of Sos where 3, 4 or 5 bars appear depending on what historical moment they were painted.

When the kingdom of Aragon became the Crown of Aragon this flag was common to all its components and established as one with 4 (four) pallets, and thus it was Catalonia who adopted the signal of Aragon when the count of Barcelona married the heiress of Aragon, committing himself to take charge of her kingdom.

1. La tendencia a lograr orígenes más antiguos que los demás —y, por tanto, mayor prosapia y mejor derecho— es nota común a muchos pueblos. Ello llevó en el Medievo (y no tan Medievo) aragonés a inventar tardiamente la Cruz de Iñigo Arista, la Cruz de San Jorge con sus "moros" y el Árbol de Sobrarbe y, por similares causas, en Cataluña, a inventar la leyenda serográfica de Wifredo, o Guifré, o Guifredo, o Jofre "el Velloso".
2. Los aragoneses fueron asumiendo paulatinamente, al igual que sucedió por lo común en Europa, los emblemas y mitos de sus soberanos como algo propio de la comunidad.
3. Que todos los reyes llamasen a las barras o palos nuestro Señal Real siempre unido a su primer título (el de Rey de Aragón) llevó a identificar a Aragón con las barras. Las barras serán no sólo "signum Regni", sino "signum Regni Aragonum". En la monumental pieza de oro acuñada en 1528 aún se lee, bajo las solas barras, un gran letrero que dice "ARAGONVM".
   Y de similar modo en los siglos siguientes. Las barras rojas o palos de gules sobre fondo de oro son el Señal Real de Aragón, que no sólo es un título real, sino el nombre de la familia propietaria del emblema. Su apellido, como proclama Pedro IV en la frase que abre este libro.
4. La creencia, fundamentada por Pedro IV en el siglo XIV, de que la Cruz de San Jorge era la propia del reino se mantuvo: pero sumándole la Cruz de Aínsa (por creerse de los primitivos reyes) y las barras, que eran de su familia, linaje y apellido (Aragón). además del Árbol de Sobrarbe, éste ya a fines del siglo XV. Es posible que los aragoneses crearan esa multitud de emblemas por la ausencia física de sus reyes, frente a quienes a menudo hubieron de esgrimir razones de pretendida y rancia antigüedad. Eso mismo, pero al revés, explicaria su carencia en Cataluña... hasta que los soberanos se afincaron en Castilla.
5. El origen remoto del escudo palado o de las barras es oscuro. El origen mediato puede ser pontificio: los papas, a los que se infeudó Aragón en una política característica e inusual, usaban lemniscos (cintillas para acreditar sus documentos sellados) de hilos rojos y amarillos al menos desde Gregorio VII (1073-1085), que fueron pronto familiares, como signo del señor romano, en la corte de su único vasallo en España, el rey de Aragón
6. Si las Barras fueron emblema de Ramón Berenguer IV, lo fueron cuando ya era Príncipe y regente de Aragón y, por eso, plenamente soberano, condición que no poseía antes como mero conde de Barcelona. Para lograrlo, hubo de renunciar a su casa y apellido y reconocerse hijo de Ramiro II de Aragón. Fueran en origen suyas o de su hijo, el rey Alfonso II, lo fueron de un linaje, no de un territorio. Y ese linaje, según contrato oficial que se conserva, fue el de la Casa de Aragón, transmitido por línea de mujer y no de varón, contra lo usual en ese tiempo, pero de acuerdo con una práctica específica del Derecho aragonés: el "matrimonio en casa".
7. Alfonso II, rey de Aragón, dio pleno fundamento soberano al emblema. Es el primero que lo cita en documentos escritos y lo llama, precisamente, vexillum nostrum: nuestro estandarte o emblema. Que se sepa, igualmente, Alfonso II de Aragón fue el primer soberano del conjunto de territorios que ya empezaba a conocerse como "Cathalonia".
8. Las Barras —en escudo o bandera— fueron luego emblema no ya sólo de un linaje, sino de la dignidad real de Aragón y de la Corona (conjunto de soberanías) aneja en exclusiva a la dignidad de rey de Aragón (u ocasionalmente, de Mallorca, también de la Casa de Aragón).
   Únicamente quien la ostentase estaba legitimado para usarlas.
9. La Bandera y el Escudo de la Comunidad Autónoma de Aragón asumen la tradición histórica en la forma prevista por las leyes, sm que se hayan producido soluciones de continuidad, incluso cuando Aragón dejó en el siglo XIX, al igual que otros antiguos países españoles, de tener entidad política.
10. Los territorios que formaron la Corona de Aragón tienen pleno derecho histórico al uso de las Barras, distintivo inicial de sus comunes soberanos.

Santiago Dotor, 26 July 2000

The four red stripes flag has represented neither Catalonia nor the Count of Barcelona before the end of the 19th century when the Catalan nationalist movement started. The statement of [Ramon] Berenguer IV —after the union with Doña Petronila— being the originator of this flag in the Kingdom of Aragon is a totally intentional lie that has no historical basis. (...) There is one thing that cannot be manipulated (...) by politicians and that is cartography. I encourage anybody to bring out a map from the early 18th century where Catalonia and the Count of Barcelona are represented by the four stripes flag. Instead you will find the original Catalan flag, which is composed by a red cross on a white background.

The four stripes flag was and has been the symbol of the Kingdom of Aragon and only after the union between Ramon Berenguer and Petronila was the Count of Barcelona allowed to use the four stripes as the background of [rather "in combination with"?] the red cross — which nowadays [actually 1984-1996] represents the flag of the city of Barcelona.

Luis Ferrer, translation by Enrique Lizondo, 4 September 2000

I believe that the Aragonese origin of the bars is true. The real origin of the bars was not the red fingers over the shield, it is just a legend. I think that Aragon adopted the red bars with yellow background as their proper flag in order to remark the condition of vassal of the Pope, because official documents sent by the Pope used these colours. This explicit way of direct subjection to the Pope, intended to avoid any subjection to Navarre.

Santiago Tazón, 4 September 2000

[According to Luis Ferrer's comment, Catalonia] adopted the four bars when the Queen of Aragon —[at that time] a poor mountainous region with no economical or political valour— married the powerful Count of Barcelona (...). But then why are the red bars pictured in several burials of Catalan counts, before that? [As refers to cartography] in 18th century Catalonia was under occupation of French-Castilian forces. Its symbols were forbidden. But you can find dozens before 18th century. (...)

Jaume Ollé, 4 September 2000

I suggest reading this webpage [in Aragonese and Spanish] with the true story about the flag of Aragon or Siñal Reyal [royal flag].

Chuse Fernández, translated by Santiago Dotor, 3 May 2001

An illuminated manuscript is said to repose in the Biblioteca Nacional at Madrid. It is reputed to have been writen by an unmamed Franciscian frair (born in 1305) around 1350. It was edited by the Spanish scholar Marcos Jiménez de la España around 1877 with the aid of Francisco Coello, the eminent geographer. It was published in English, along with the flags by the Hakluyt Society before World War I. National Geographic 1917 quotes it thus:

There is a picturesque legend concerning the adoption of this device. Far back in history, a heiress of Aragón married the Count of Barcelona, and the gold shield of the latter was adopted by the kingdom. After a battle, however, Ramón Berenguer, Count of Barcelona, wiped his bloody fingers down the shield and thereafter it became "or with five pales gules" — gold with five red stripes.

William M. Grimes-Wyatt, 15 December 1995

The stripes of gules (red) on gold are not five, as National Geographic 1917 said, but four.

Jordi Pastalle, December 1995

I believe National Geographic 1917 was in error. The gentleman who proudly wiped his blood across the yellow board was Guifré el Pilos, or in English, Wilfred the Hairy. He is considered in many ways the founder of Catalonia (or at least uniter of the provinces under one name) and also happens to be an ancestor of mine.

Chad Nielsen, 20 July 1998

According to legend, the vertical red pallets on the Catalan-Aragonese coat-of-arms are the marks left by Charles the Bald's fingers on his ally Wilfred (first Count of Barcelona)'s gold coloured shield, after the first dipped them in a lethal wound in Wilfred's chest.

Santiago Dotor, 18 November 1998