Up next in 10
Play War Thunder now for free on PC, PlayStation or Xbox: https://playwt.link/generalknowledge & receive multiple premium vehicles, the exclusive vehicle decorator “Eagle of Valor”, 100.000 Silver Lions and 7 days of premium account!
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro
01:02 Portugal
02:35 France
05:29 South Africa
06:52 China
08:18 Ireland
09:47 Afghanistan
10:41 Myanmar / Burma
11:30 Egypt
12:09 Summary
A special thank you to my Patrons: Jeffrey F, Kris Rizakis, Sebastian Karlo, Señor Valasco, Yasin Chaykh, Stuart Tunstead, Chaim laser, Robinhio84, Rogaine Ablar, The Wanton Dogfish, Yeti, Elizabeth Per, Juan Rodriguez Forero, Lastmatix, Kalvin Saccal, Ahmed Alkooheji, Steve the Goat, KR, Ryan Keith, Ryan McMurry, Richard Hartzell.
Support me on Patreon & get exclusive / ahead of time content! https://www.patreon.com/generalknowledge
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GKonYoutube
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
What is this 2018? Because welcome to fun with flags. Today each country has a flag. If you're
0:06
a fan of axillology then it's likely that you recognize most of them and that when you see a
0:10
specific combination of stripes, colors and symbols you immediately associate them to a
0:16
specific country. However, countries didn't always have the same flags. Many of them have changed
0:21
several times throughout history. Afghanistan for instance has had a whopping 28 different flags
0:27
And while when we look at one by one changes, we can often see symbols change and slowly transform and adapt themselves over time
0:35
as is the case with the Portuguese flag for instance, if you jump from the first flag of a country to its current one
0:41
The similarities are often seemingly non-existent. So that is what we're doing in this video
0:47
Comparing the first flag of some countries to their current one, check what changed or stayed the same
0:57
First, of course, Portugal. The first and current flags of Portugal are completely different
1:08
The first flag of the county of Portugal in 1095 is projected to have been this one
1:12
A white field with a dark blue cross on top of it, essentially the flag of Finland today
1:16
except with a centered cross instead of a Nordic one. The first flag of the independent kingdom of Portugal from 1143 was the same but added
1:25
five blue escutcheons each charged with an undetermined number of besants on a white field
1:32
These silver besants were added to the blue cross of the shield, symbolizing coins and the right of
1:38
the monarch to issue currency as a leader of a new sovereign state. A traditional legend explains
1:43
that these escutcheons represent the five Moorish kings defeated by King Afonso I of Portugal in the
1:50
Battle of Oric. The current flag of Portugal is this one, two-third red and one-third green
1:55
with the armillary sphere representing the colonial period and the coat of arms in the
2:00
center of it. And while it's very different from that initial flag, a similarity can be found in
2:05
that five blue escutcheons within the coat of arms, which have five basins on each. And the
2:11
other symbols on the coat of arms, namely the red and gold colors, can be found immediately in the
2:15
third flag of the kingdom too, this one in 1248. The changes are therefore justified with the
2:21
evolution of the country's sovereignty, its territorial expansion, colonialism, and later on
2:27
change in regime, from a monarchy to a republic, when the blue and white fields were replaced by
2:32
green and red, the colors of the republic. Then, another one from the thumbnail, France
2:38
France's first flag was actually this one, the Oriflamme, or the flag of Saint-Denis. It was a
2:43
blood red banner flown from a gilded lands and it served as the sacred battle standard of the king
2:49
of France. The first official banner of the kingdom of France itself though was this one
2:54
a dark blue field with a pattern of golden fleur-de-lis on top of it. First implemented
2:58
in the 12th century and used on and off, sometimes with white backgrounds instead of blue
3:03
after the Bourbon dynasty came into power as that was their dynastic color The original blue was supposedly chosen due to its association with nobility and the Virgin Mary although it may also have been a dynastic color of the previous house of Valois
3:19
This was used up to the point of the French Revolution and briefly during the 15 years
3:23
of the 19th century Bourbon restoration. The fleur de lis is the stylized depiction of the lily flower and it became one of the
3:30
most common medieval royal symbols. The origin of them is uncertain, some say it comes from the depiction of lilies as these
3:37
were commonly growing along the region settled by the Franks. With the French Revolution, a break in the monarchy was made and a new flag was implemented
3:46
eventually changing in small details to the one France has today, a vertical tricolor
3:50
of blue, white and red. Although it's much more simplistic and different, removing the fleur-de-lis symbol, it still
3:57
uses the blue, white and red colors from the historical banners. a coincidence but a connection nonetheless
4:05
Now before we keep going, a quick message from today's sponsor, War Thunder
4:09
If you're a fan of military history it's very likely you already know of War Thunder
4:13
but just in case you don't, War Thunder is the most comprehensive vehicle combat game
4:18
ever made. With an incredible arsenal of 2,500 historically accurate tanks, planes, helicopters and ships
4:25
from the 1920s up to today, you can really experience the evolution of modern warfare
4:31
very impressive. As a player you take part in massive combined arms battles on
4:36
over 80 major battlefields from World War 2 to the end of the Cold War. It has
4:41
great graphics, authentic sound effects and it will stun you with its effects and
4:46
mechanics such as the fact that no vehicle takes random HP damage but has
4:51
detailed crew and modules that will take real damage. Which you can even check
4:56
yourself with the x-ray feature showing you exactly how you destroyed an enemy or
5:01
or how they got you. And the best part, it's completely free to play with no purchase necessary
5:07
Simply download and play. The game is available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. It is also cross-platform
5:14
between PC and consoles, so you can play with your friends regardless of what you each play on
5:19
So try War Thunder today. It's fun, it's free, there's really no reason not to. Use the link
5:25
in the description and sign up today. Next, the example of South Africa. The modern territory of
5:32
South Africa was adjoining of many initially separate British and other European colonies
5:36
each with their own flag. One of them though, the initial South African Republic
5:41
also known as the Transvaal Republic, had this one as its flag. Essentially a Dutch flag with
5:46
a green vertical stripe on its left. It was used only briefly with the British colonial ensign
5:51
taking over afterwards. However, as the Union of South Africa was created, the British Ensign
5:56
slowly transitioned to their own first flag, used between 1928 and 1994 and being very much
6:03
associated with the country's apartheid regime. It was a horizontal tricolor of orange, white
6:08
and blue. In the center were three small flags, the British one, the flag of the Orange Free State
6:13
and that first flag of Transvaal. The orange flag was a seven horizontal striped flag
6:18
in alternating white and orange with the Dutch flag in its top left corner As the country transitioned out of apartheid and into a new regime a new and tremendously different and original flag was
6:29
implemented, the modern flag of South Africa. Two horizontal bands of red and blue with a black
6:35
triangle at the hoist. Overall is a green horizontal Y shape. Fimbriated white against the red and blue
6:42
and gold against the black. A confusing description for a confusing flag. In this case there seems to
6:48
be little connection with prior flags, only in some of the colors used, I guess
6:52
China is also an interesting case to look at. The first official flag that we can associate with the country of China is arguably the
6:59
Imperial Banner of the Qing Dynasty, a golden field with a dragon in blue and green with
7:04
hints of red and a red circle on the top left. It was used between 1889 and 1912
7:10
This other flag was then implemented as the country transitioned into a republic
7:14
It had five horizontal stripes in different colors, red, yellow, blue, white, and black
7:20
representing the five races of China at the time, the Han, the Manchus, the Mongols, the Hui, and the Tibetans
7:27
The Republic eventually changed its flag to this one, which continues as the flag of Taiwan
7:32
a red field with a blue canton, which holds inside it a white, twelved ray sun
7:38
symbolizing the 12 months of the year and the 12 Shishins of the day, each being two hours
7:42
With the PRC taking over the mainland, a new flag was implemented, keeping the red field
7:48
but replacing the blue canton and white sun with 5 yellow stars, 1 big and 4 small
7:54
According to themselves, the large star symbolizes the ruling party and the 4 smaller ones symbolize
8:00
the 4 social classes defined by Mao, the working class, the peasantry, the urban bourgeoisie
8:05
and the national bourgeoisie. There is very little similarity between the first and current flag, only some connections
8:11
with the Republic flags and the PRC one, such as the 5 stars versus 5 stripes, and the red field
8:18
Another pretty interesting one is Ireland. Today Ireland's flag is a vertical tricolor of green, white, and orange
8:24
The presidential standard is a blue field with a golden harp, while the military flag
8:28
is a green field with that same golden harp. And while that harp on a green concept was introduced in 1642, and while green is the
8:36
color we most associate with the Irish today, their first flags were in fact blue
8:41
This one in white blue and depicting three gold crowns was used between 1386 and 1542
8:47
the heraldic banner of the lordship of Ireland. In 1542, the standard of the Kingdom of Ireland was created, still in blue, with the golden harp
8:57
Green started being used as a national color, partly in opposition to British rule and so
9:01
transformed itself into the main color of the republic upon independence. The harp remained and the blue remains too in that presidential standard but it's interesting
9:09
to see how it was replaced as the main national color, creating a big difference between the
9:14
first and current flags. Which was apparently presented as a gift in 1848
9:20
From a small group of French women sympathetic to Irish nationalism, it was intended to symbolize
9:25
the inclusion and hoped for union between Roman Catholics symbolized by green and Protestants
9:30
symbolized by orange The color green had first become associated with Ireland since the 1640s when it began being used by the Irish Catholic Confederation The white in the center would signify that
9:42
lasting truce between orange and green, Catholics and Protestants. Afghanistan, like I mentioned, also has a drastic contrast between its first and current
9:52
flag. The first banner used in Afghanistan was the solid black standard, used sporadically
9:57
in medieval times and then by the Otak dynasty in 1709, the green and white were introduced
10:03
by the Herat dynasty in 1818, returning to the black with the new mosque depiction in
10:07
white in 1901. Many variants were used after this until the green and black were introduced as a tricolor
10:14
model in 1828 with a lot of other variants existing until the one we came to know recently
10:19
being adopted in 2004, a vertical tricolor of black, red and green with the white mosque
10:24
symbol in the center. With the change in regime in 2021, a white flag was implemented, which is an interesting
10:30
contrast between the all black of the first flag. Like I said at the start, Afghanistan has had 28 different flags, so if you want a dedicated
10:37
video on all of them, tell me, it's a pretty interesting story
10:41
Myanmar or Burma has a striking contrast too, which is also connected to the name change itself
10:47
With that name change came a drastic change of flag from the previous red field, blue
10:51
canton and white stars to the current horizontal tricolor of yellow, green and red with a white
10:56
star in the middle, which reminds me more of Africa than it does of East Asia, but maybe
11:01
that's just me. However, the very first flag we can sort of associate with the region of Burma is this
11:06
one, a green field with a golden or yellow peacock in profile
11:10
So if the green and yellow were already in use in the 12th century, maybe they are in
11:14
fact representative colors of the area. As dynasties changed, so did the initial flag, eventually changing to the colonial ensigns
11:21
of the British, then Japanese occupation and then to the two switching modern ones
11:26
Again despite enormous difference there is a connection in the green and gold colors
11:31
And finally for this video, Egypt. Egypt's first flag will have supposedly been this one, a solid yellow banner, the banner
11:37
of the Ayyubi dynasty which ruled Egypt between the year 117 and 1341
11:42
While the modern one is this horizontal tricolor of red, white and black with a golden eagle
11:47
in the center, using the modern pan-Arab colors which having been used individually in the
11:51
past were first combined in 1916 in the flag of the Arab revolt against Western and Ottoman rule
11:57
And while this flag is immensely different from the first, the eagle is the eagle of
12:01
Saladin, who was precisely the founder of that first Ayyubi dynasty, so again, despite
12:06
being very different, there is a connection. So those are the comparisons between some countries' first flags and their current flags
12:13
Understanding the reasons for change, usually changes in status of sovereignty, ruling class
12:18
territory or regime type and how sometimes certain similarities remained. Are there any other countries that have huge contrasts between first and current flags
12:26
Let me know in the comments. Thanks for watching, subscribe to catch future videos and I will see you next time for more
12:32
general knowledge. And before you click away, remember to try out War Thunder today through the link in the description
12:39
It's a really cool game, I've played it myself and if you're into history, especially military
12:43
history, you will 100% love the detail that they put into their models
#Fun & Trivia
#Online Video
#Hobbies & Leisure
#education
#Other