About halfway through the next update, but for now take this nifty chart. Description for each flag to come.
Flag Interlude #9
"The Albionic Empire controlled a vast swath of land, with numerous colonies. Many of their Caribbean holdings had limited autonomy, and were in fact more often than not under the direct control of the reformed Royal Albionic West Indies Company, an offshoot of the East India Company that had since been in decline. Those colonies with full autonomy and self-government, however, quickly adopted the practice of flying their own flags, particularly as inter-colony relations soured and distinction between colonial trade ships was desired...
...The flag of Albion itself was a simple affair, utilizing the cross of St. George and overlaying it on the blue field utilized by the Kingdom of Ireland. Representation for Wales was discussed, but ultimately dropped due to its official and legal annexation by England centuries before...
...The United Colony of New England eventually came to be the only colony to maintain use of the Red Ensign, and this eventually was seen as the flag of the colony itself. When England became Albion, the ensign was altered to gain the blue of Ireland, though numerous members of the New English Commission were unhappy to be officially ruled jointly by Irish Catholics...
...The Cavalier Colonies of Virginia and Carolina created flags at the same time, using a blue ensign to distinguish their ships from the New English and from pirates that often flue the English flag alone to sneak up on trade fleets. Over time, to help with battle coordination as the economies of both colonies grew more competitive, a created coat of arms was added to each colony. Carolina opted to use the tree of the Order of the Oak, one of the most prestigious Orders of Chivalry in Albion, laid on red, representing how they were named for King Charles. Virginia meanwhile, used three Tudor Roses on white, symbolizing the Virgin Queen Elizabeth, whom the colony is supposedly named for...
...Maryland used the blue ensign mostly because it preferred to move its trade fleets with those of the Virginians and Carolinians than the New English, and added its own crest to distinguish itself a few years after the other two colonies did similarly. The flag was rarely used on land, variations of the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore in cities...
...The flag of New Jersey was initially developed during the many skirmishes against natives, and most famously during the War of the Spanish Succession. New Jersey militias, few though they were, lacked any flag of their own to fly. Often, a small English flag, one commonly hung from a window or from a government building, would be stitched onto a banner for the army itself. During the invasion of New York, however, fabric was in short supply, and, disliking having to march under the flag of another colony, the New Jersey militia grabbed a bed sheet and stitched on the flag. Once white, age, dirty, and grim had rendered it a buff hue, and the success of the militia quickly made this impromptu flag popular, officialized after England became Albion, with the new Albionic flag utilized for the 'Buff Ensign'...
...Ricardia made use of the increasingly rare White Ensign to mark its ships. In a sense, many saw it as a sign of the colonies proud and humble origins, as well as its foundation to help begin a new age for England after the Bloody Year. However, with winds often curling the banner onto itself, the use of a red pennant with a golden lion, a reference to their namesake's namesake, Richard the Lionheart, was added into common practice. On land, the pennant hangs vertically from the top of the flag pole, while at see it often flies horizontally above the White Ensign...
...To represent their new Albionic leadership, the flags of Denmark and Sweden were granted a squared version of the Albionic flag in a canton, and the flags of the countries were reproportioned to match other Albionic flags. Norway was officially separated from Denmark in the tail end of 1754 though it was still officially in personal union with Denmark in case the throne of the nation ever passed on to a different person than the King of Albion, a notion Canute heavily considered with the difficulty he found administering his Empire. The flag was based a purported flag of the Kalmar Union, as well as utilizing red and gold, the two colors used in the Royal Banner of Norway. While a red field and gold cross was considered, the inverse, happily correlating with the Kalmar flag, was chosen to avoid confusion with Denmark..."
- Flags of Albion by Arty Kenneth
