Philip V's Spanish Flags (1)

As usual in most armies of that period, Spanish Infantry units used to fly two different kinds of flags, respectively called Bandera Coronela (=Colonel Flag) and Bandera Simple, o Batallona (=Simple, or later Battalion's Flag). A Spanish Colonel Flag was in fact the same kind of device as a King's Colour in English terminology. It was flown on behalf of the King and the Nation, usually in the nearby of the unit's commander position in the field. Likely due to that symbolism, each regiment had only one Colonel Flag, and all of them shared a common pattern -or such was the King's wish, at least...

Before the outbreak of the war for Succession, the latest ordnances about Spanish Colonel Flags must be traced back to 1695, still during Charles II Habsburg times. According to the reputed Spanish vexillologist Sergio Camero, Colonel Flags prescribed in these ordnances had to be white with a red Burgundy Cross. Such is the pattern followed by the flag captured by Dutch troops in 1703 at Eckernen, as described by James Hinds in his booklet The Spanish Army of Philip V. That 1695 ordnance does not explicitly forbid the use of other decorative motifs such as flaming edges, and in fact some cases are known.

In assuming the crown of Spain (*), Philip V endeavoured a drastic reform of the Army that included substantial modification of regimental ordnance flags. Following the trend of French absolutism, since early Philip V started gradually relegating the traditional Burgundy Cross device to a secondary role. This would henceforth remain in a subordinate position behind the personal Coat of Arms of the King, whose person thus became the real national symbol of the country, following the absolutist logics of identificating the Nation with the Monarch.

The first step in this direction was taken in 1702, at the time of creating the Regimiento de Guardias Valonas, or Walloon Guards Regiment, in Flanders. This new elite unit was designed a particular Colonel Flag fully illustrating the above mentioned new trend. This historical Regiment would keep such pattern of flag with little variations until its dissolution in 1820.

Shortly after, in 1703 was created the other main body of Philip V's foot guard, the Regimiento de Guardias Españolas, or Spanish Guards Regiment. With the likely aim of ingratiating himself with the military establishment of the kingdom whose crown had just assumed, Philip V agreed to assigned to this new unit a Colonel Flag fully according to their tastes, in accordance to the proposal he was made:

“...que haviendo de ser la vandera de la Comp.ª Coronela diversa de las otras se haze forzoso mande S. Magd. como gusta sea, pues siendo este Regimto. de Guardias Españolas y no la cruz de Borgoña la insignia de Castilla. Yo sería de dictamen, que la vandera de la Comp.ª Coronela o fuesse morada, que es color de Castilla con un castillo enmedio y flores de lis en el campo, o fuesse blanca con todas las armas del rey pintadas como traen los vajeles de S. Mgd.“

That is, more or less, “...Having to be the Colonel Flag different from the other ones, as this Regiment of Guards is to be composed by Spanish subjects, and the Burgundy Cross is by no means a Castile's own device, it would be recommended the Colonel Flag to be a purple field -for this is the colour of Castile-, with a heraldic castle in the middle and lilies in the field, or to be plain white with the full Royal Coat of Arms, just as it is currently displayed in the ensigns of His Majesty's vessels“.


(*) We'd better say "crowns of The Spains" --as the country was actually known by then. As plural, because it was by no means a unified kingdom yet, but a collection of nominally independent states, only kept together by the King's figure.