In our three first posts under the title above, we have been reviewing so far the Colonel flags of Philip V's infantry during WSS. Let's also get into some discussion on their regimental, or Battalion flags. In a surprisingly sharp contrast to other periods in the history of Spain, not only there is apparently preserved no one physical remnant of such flags, but even a discouragingly scarce amount of factual data is recorded about them. "Well, it's not that different from Charles III's Austro-Catalan army", you might say. For sure I could agree with you, but... if History is written by winners, as it is commonly said, we therefore might perhaps admit as likely a loose of information on the losers, but... on the winners too?
As a matter of fact, we are compelled to start our discussion on Bourbon Spain's Battalion flags on the very same basis than in the case of the Austro-Catalans: that is, just from the Ordnances published by Philip V in 1706 -those already discussed around Colonel Flags, cf. this previous post. According to all sources requested, along with ordering the old Tercios to be renamed Regiments along with establishing new organization and uniforms, the king also gave to each one the name of a province or town and ordered their respective Coats of Arms to be sewn on the Battalion flags. A later decree from February 1707 expanded that concept in the following terms:
“...y las otras banderas serán de tafetán, de los colores principales que tuvieren las armas de la provincia o ciudad del nombre que yo señalo al Regimiento, en el cual siempre que tenga más de un batallón, las banderas de los demás batallones que tuviere serán de esta forma...”
That is, “...the rest of flags [besides of the Colonel one] will be of taffeta, in the main colors of the [Coat of] Arms of the province or town whose name has been assigned to the Regiment by me. In which, provided it had more than one battalion, the flags of those other battalions will conform to that design...”
Therefore, it can be deduced that a generic pattern of Bourbon-Spanish Battalion flags would consist of a Burgundy Cross on a varying background whose colours would match those of the sewn Coat of Arms of the province or town giving its name to the Regiment. Their dimensions were approximately square (2.1 x 2.28 m, as the French ones). For as the new Ordnance was generalistic as well as complemented with other changes in units names, composition and organization, we may presume all the regiments existing prior to that date were affected.
Only one such flags is known, commonly shown and commented by vexillologists and media of Spain [Sergio Camero, Luis Sorando or the Spanish Ministry of Defence, for instance], usually in the form of the very same drawing reproduced everywhere (that one you can see at right), which I don't know what it is based on. This flag allegedly corresponds to the Regiment of Aragon, a unit formed in 1711 after this pro-Charles kingdom had been definitely annexed to Castile after Brihuega-Villaviciosa. It shows a red plain saltire on a multi-coloured background formed in accordance to the French Drapeaux d'Ordonnance triangled pattern.
In this flag is especially striking the peculiar shape of the Burgundy Cross, which is flat -i. e. deprived of the characteristic knots distributed all along the cross arms; my guess is that such peculiarity may be due to a misinterpretation by its French manufacturers, for it is agreed that the new Spanish Battalion flags were mass produced in France and taken to the central depot in Madrid, where they would have been distributed; we can also deduce that such oddity was likely shared with all the rest of Battalion flags manufactured at that time.
Another oddity, this one perhaps due to an error by the author of the drawing above, is that the background shows 4 white triangles, other 2 blue and 2 red. Such background colours obviously mismatch those of the Coat of Arms depicted in the flag; according to it, as well as Philip V's Ordnances, those triangles should be alternately blue and yellow, 4 and 4... if such were the Arms actually flown.
Otherwise, the Aragonese re-enacting group Aetas Rationis, who are in the charge of re-constructing the above mentioned Regiment, are flying a quite different version of the flag -that one you can see at left. In this one, red has been replaced by gold -a deep yellow, so that the colours alternance in the flag are now blue, white, yellow.
I strongly support such version of that particular flag, because that one does match with the Coat of Arms of Aragon -as you can see by the image next.
This one was the Arms most common version by 17-18th centuries, as depicted in 1630 at the Salón de los Reinos, Buen Retiro Palace (Madrid) -and it shows exactly the same pattern of background colours: blue, white and yellow. Taking this as an evidence, it could be possible to re-construct WSS Bourbon-Spanish Battalion flags by finding out the Coats of Arms' current-by-that-time version of each province or town giving their names to Philip V's Regiments...
Not the simplest job in world, I'd say.
As a matter of fact, we are compelled to start our discussion on Bourbon Spain's Battalion flags on the very same basis than in the case of the Austro-Catalans: that is, just from the Ordnances published by Philip V in 1706 -those already discussed around Colonel Flags, cf. this previous post. According to all sources requested, along with ordering the old Tercios to be renamed Regiments along with establishing new organization and uniforms, the king also gave to each one the name of a province or town and ordered their respective Coats of Arms to be sewn on the Battalion flags. A later decree from February 1707 expanded that concept in the following terms:
“...y las otras banderas serán de tafetán, de los colores principales que tuvieren las armas de la provincia o ciudad del nombre que yo señalo al Regimiento, en el cual siempre que tenga más de un batallón, las banderas de los demás batallones que tuviere serán de esta forma...”That is, “...the rest of flags [besides of the Colonel one] will be of taffeta, in the main colors of the [Coat of] Arms of the province or town whose name has been assigned to the Regiment by me. In which, provided it had more than one battalion, the flags of those other battalions will conform to that design...”
Therefore, it can be deduced that a generic pattern of Bourbon-Spanish Battalion flags would consist of a Burgundy Cross on a varying background whose colours would match those of the sewn Coat of Arms of the province or town giving its name to the Regiment. Their dimensions were approximately square (2.1 x 2.28 m, as the French ones). For as the new Ordnance was generalistic as well as complemented with other changes in units names, composition and organization, we may presume all the regiments existing prior to that date were affected.
Only one such flags is known, commonly shown and commented by vexillologists and media of Spain [Sergio Camero, Luis Sorando or the Spanish Ministry of Defence, for instance], usually in the form of the very same drawing reproduced everywhere (that one you can see at right), which I don't know what it is based on. This flag allegedly corresponds to the Regiment of Aragon, a unit formed in 1711 after this pro-Charles kingdom had been definitely annexed to Castile after Brihuega-Villaviciosa. It shows a red plain saltire on a multi-coloured background formed in accordance to the French Drapeaux d'Ordonnance triangled pattern.In this flag is especially striking the peculiar shape of the Burgundy Cross, which is flat -i. e. deprived of the characteristic knots distributed all along the cross arms; my guess is that such peculiarity may be due to a misinterpretation by its French manufacturers, for it is agreed that the new Spanish Battalion flags were mass produced in France and taken to the central depot in Madrid, where they would have been distributed; we can also deduce that such oddity was likely shared with all the rest of Battalion flags manufactured at that time.
Another oddity, this one perhaps due to an error by the author of the drawing above, is that the background shows 4 white triangles, other 2 blue and 2 red. Such background colours obviously mismatch those of the Coat of Arms depicted in the flag; according to it, as well as Philip V's Ordnances, those triangles should be alternately blue and yellow, 4 and 4... if such were the Arms actually flown.
Otherwise, the Aragonese re-enacting group Aetas Rationis, who are in the charge of re-constructing the above mentioned Regiment, are flying a quite different version of the flag -that one you can see at left. In this one, red has been replaced by gold -a deep yellow, so that the colours alternance in the flag are now blue, white, yellow.I strongly support such version of that particular flag, because that one does match with the Coat of Arms of Aragon -as you can see by the image next.
This one was the Arms most common version by 17-18th centuries, as depicted in 1630 at the Salón de los Reinos, Buen Retiro Palace (Madrid) -and it shows exactly the same pattern of background colours: blue, white and yellow. Taking this as an evidence, it could be possible to re-construct WSS Bourbon-Spanish Battalion flags by finding out the Coats of Arms' current-by-that-time version of each province or town giving their names to Philip V's Regiments...Not the simplest job in world, I'd say.
1 comments:
Excellent work!!
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