Flags of Austria-Hungary

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During its existence, Austria-Hungary did not have a common flag – a "national flag" could not exist since the Dual Monarchy consisted of two sovereign states. However, the black-gold flag of the ruling Habsburg Dynasty was sometimes used as a de facto national flag and a common civil ensign was introduced in 1869 for civilian vessels. Until 1918, the k.u.k. War Fleet continued to carry the Austrian ensign it had used since 1786 and the regiments of the k.u.k. Army carried the double-eagle banners they had used before 1867, as they had a long history in many cases. New ensigns created in 1915 were not implemented due to the ongoing war. At state functions, the Austrian black-gold and the Hungarian red-white-green tricolor were used.

Kaisers Dank by Ludwig Koch from 1915. Visible various flags used in Austria-Hungary

Austria was represented by the black-gold flag. The Hungarian half of the state, on the other hand, legally had no flag of its own.[1] According to the Croatian–Hungarian Settlement (art. 62 and 63), in all joint Croatian and Hungarian affairs, symbols of both Croatia and Hungary respectively had to be used. For instance, whenever the joint Hungarian-Croatian Parliament held its session in Budapest, both the Croatian and Hungarian flags were hoisted on the parliament building in Budapest.[1][2][3] In Vienna, in front of Schönbrunn Palace, the black and gold flag was flown for Cisleithania (Austrian half), while both Croatian and Hungarian flags were flown for Transleithania (Hungarian half).[3] Hungary proper used a red-white-green tricolor defaced with the Hungarian coat of arms, sometimes used to represent the entirety of the Lands of the Hungarian Crown. The "double" civil ensign, as a symbol of "corporate identity", was also used as the consular flag, as decreed on 18 February 1869. It came into use on 1 August 1869. Legations, however, flew the black-and-gold flag of Austria alongside the red-white-green flag of Hungary, while embassies flew the two national flags alongside the imperial standard.[4]

National and state flags

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Imperial and military standards

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Ensigns

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Civil ensigns

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Regional flags

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Additionally, several flags were in use within the local territories of Austria-Hungary.

  Cisleithania
Location Region name Flag
  Archduchy of Austria
(Lower Austria)
 
  Archduchy of Austria
(Upper Austria)
 
  Kingdom of Bohemia  
  Kingdom of Dalmatia  
  Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria  
(1849–1890)
 
(1890–1918)
  County of Tyrol  
  Duchy of Bukovina  
  Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia  
  Duchy of Carinthia  
  Duchy of Carniola  
  Duchy of Salzburg  
  Duchy of Styria  
  Margraviate of Moravia  
  Austrian Littoral, including:

Imperial Free City of Trieste


Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca


March of Istria

 
(Austrian Littoral)

 
(Imperial Free City of Trieste)


 
(Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca)


 
(March of Istria)

  Vorarlberg  
  Transleithania
Location Region name Flag
  Kingdom of Hungary  
  Principality of Transylvania  
  Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar  
  Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia  
  Kingdom of Croatia  
  Kingdom of Slavonia  
  City of Fiume and its District  
    Condominium
Location Region name Flag
  Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina  

Examples of using flags in the era

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ The official version prescribed the Crown of St. Stephen, the same as on the Hungarian flag, to be used. See Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia: Symbols
  1. ^ a b "Habsburg | H-Net". www.h-net.org. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012.
  2. ^ Austria. Reichsrat. Abgeordnetenhaus (1903). Stenographische protokolle über die sitzungen ...: 1. (eröffnungs-) bis [485.] sitzung ... Aus der K.-k. Hof -und staatsdruckerei. p. 20714.:

    Der § 63 spricht auch von einer kroatisch-slavonisch-dalmatinischen vereinigten Fahne auf Reichstagsgebäude. Diese Fahne war bis anno domini 1902 allen Dimensionen nach gleich ungarische Fahne.

  3. ^ a b Pliverić, Josip (1907). Spomenica o državnopravnih pitanjih hrvatsko-ugarskih. Zagreb: Hartman (Stjepan Kugli)., p. 50
  4. ^ Rudolf Agstner, Austria(-Hungary) and Its Consulates in the United States of America since 1820 (LIT Verlag, 2012), p. 45.
  5. ^ a b c "Imperial Standard of Austria, Flags of the World".
  6. ^ "Austro-Hungarian Empire: Military Flags".
  7. ^ a b c The Flags & Arms of the Modern Era
  8. ^ Album of standards, flags and pennants of the Russian Empire and foreign states. 1890. p. 39.
  9. ^ The Flags & Arms of the Modern Era