Royal Standards 1580-1700 (Spain)

Kings Philip II, III, IV and Charles II / House of Hapsburg

Last modified: 2005-02-26 by santiago dotor
Keywords: philip ii | philip iii | philip iv | charles ii | castle (yellow) | lion (purple) | fleurs-de-lis: 7 | lion (yellow) | coat of arms (bourbon) | coat of arms (fleurs-de-lis: 3) | banner of arms |
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• Royal Banner 1580-1700
• Personal Flag of Charles II 1665-1700

See also:

• Royal Flags (Spain)
• Spain

1:1
by André Serranho

Felipe II, III and IV ruled also over Portugal from 1580 to 1640.

António Martins, 5 May 1998

The image by André Serranho shows the arms of the Spanish kings 1580-1598 and 1621-1700 (at least for the Netherlands) were like that, with the inescutcheon with Flanders and Tyrol (so not in the point), and Granada in the point of the upper part (the Spanish part). The arms of Bourbon[-Anjou] were added in 1700 after Charles II (the last Habsburg Spanish king) died, and Philip V of Bourbon[-Anjou] became king of Spain. Source: De Vries 1995 (the Southern Netherlands, or Belgium, were Spanish until 1714 when they became Austrian.)

Mark Sensen, 6 May 1998

Reported as Royal Standard of Charles II

Calvo and Grávalos 1983 shows two versions of Charles II's royal standard taken from a contemporary miniature showing a ship being handed over as a present to the king. Both are rectangular 2:3 white flags with a wide yellow/golden diapered border (not a fringe) about one tenth the height of the flag, and on the white field a red saltire of Burgundy:

• On the first flag, centred on the saltire are the contemporary Royal Arms of Spain, crowned and bearing the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and either side of the Arms the royal cipher of Charles II encircled by olive branches, all in gold. The shield in the Arms [shows the same fields as the Royal Banner 1580-1700 and] is similar to the shield shown here but with a Spanish royal crown on it (neither helmet, crest nor mantling).
• On the second flag, centred on the saltire is a larger version of the royal cipher, bearing a royal crown, and either side of the cipher a blue flintstone surrounded with gold flames.

However, the Royal Standard of Spanish Kings has traditionally been a square red flag bearing the Royal Arms in the centre. The other flags attributed to Charles II can be a vexillological mistake or an artistic freedom in the contemporary miniature, or possibly a flag used only on that occasion.

Santiago Dotor, 24 February 2000

This coat-of-arms was used by Philip II through Philip IV. There is a [white] flag with that coat-of-arms in Danckerts 1705, 39. Spaanse Koninglyke Vlag, which is the same as in Znamierowski 1999, p. 19.

Jarig Bakker, 24 February 2000