Weekly Flag Challenge: Discussion & Entries

Eire7

Group B...
Flag of Yr Ynys Fwyaf
Yr Ynys Fwyaf, literally The Greater Island, as opposed to the lesser islands that surround the coast of mainland Cymru, is a large island in front of the British Channel about 12,500 square miles in area, surrounded by numerous smaller islands.

During the Germanic migrations many of the Celts that found themselves living in what were now Germanic inhabited areas left Great Britain to settle in Yr Ynys Fwyaf. Because of the three Colonia and several other Roman cities on the Island, Yr Ynys Fwyaf remained much more “Roman” than other Celtic lands. In 1097, the kings of the five kingdoms (Gwynedd, Powys (including OTL northern Brycheiniog), Deheubarth, Gwent (including OTL Morgannwg and southern Brycheiniog), and Yr Ynys Fwyaf) of Cymru met at St David's to formally define their borders and establish a treaty of mutual defense. Out of treaty, eventually grew the Cymru Federation. The naval power of Yr Ynys Fwyaf played a decisive role in Cymru’s continued independence from England.

In modern times, each member of the Cymru Federation is officially a constitutional monarchy with its own royal family, but they share a single Prime Minister and the Federation Senate is more powerful than the Kingdom Senates. The Flag of St. David serves as the flag of the Federation as a whole, while each kingdom also has its own flag.

The Flag of Yr Ynys Fwyaf has a red dragon on a green field representing the kingdom’s Celtic heritage and ties to Cymru, and a fasces on a red field representing the Roman history of the kingdom. Both face outwards to show the kingdom's strong defenses, while a broad blue border shows the surrounding ocean and their naval strength.

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False Dmitri

Hi, everyone. I had promised myself to stay away for a good, long time, but I looked in and saw this challenge. It's too good to pass up. [EDIT] So here it is. Only the flag at the bottom (the attachment, not the links) is my submission.
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Option A
The Grand Duchy of Hirland

Hirland is located halfway between England and Denmark, between the North and German Seas. Its name is most likely a contraction of Old Norse Hjartland, Old English Heortland, and other cognate names meaning "Heartland." This probably refers to its position in the center of the seas, but some have speculated that it comes from Germanic pagan belief. Depending on the context, "Hirland" may mean the entire archipelago or just the main island.

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History
The Romans knew about Hirland; they called it Dogeria after some long-forgotten indigenous name. Germanic people had long lived there in small numbers, but during the Migration Period they overran the island and erased most traces of its (most likely, theories vary) Celtic culture. The Hirish emerged as a separate people by the AD 500s. Many records refer to six kings of Hirland, each of whom ruled a part of the islands.

In the centuries that followed, the German Sea basin became a vibrant region of cultural and intellectual exchange. Hirland, right in the center, played an important role in the development of the "Mediterranean of the North." Beginning in England, Christianity spread rapidly through this interconnected region from the 600s onward. The new faith brought monasteries and scholarship and encouraged the consolidation of kingdoms. Hirland received a bishop in the late seventh century. Its first king, Oswulf I, united Hirland in 744. For a little while, Hirland ruled an empire after its kings conquered Jutland.

For a good five hundred years, Hirland was repeatedly conquered by various neighbors: Frisia, England, Denmark (twice), and the Empire (the Franks did get around to forming an empire in TTL, but it stopped at the Rhine because of the powerful Saxon state). Finally, in 1320 King Henry the Wise of Saxony took control of Hirland as part of a marriage alliance with the imperial family.

Under Saxon rule Hirland grew into an wealthy and important trading center. The Hirish port cities became architectural and cultural wonders. Chafing under Saxon control, the local nobles and great merchants formed a republic in the mid-17th century. Saxon efforts to regain this lost province occupied much of the rest of Hirland's history and involved conflicts with many of the powers of northern Europe. To make a long story short, Hirland ultimately became a monarchy under a branch of the Saxon dynasty. At first ruled by dukes, Hirland today is an independent Grand Duchy.

The flag
Hirland's flag reflects the traditions of seagoing flags in the German, North, and Baltic Seas in TTL. From the arms (heraldry developed more-or-less as in OTL), colors fly out in long strips. The civil ensign at sea consists only of the colors:
Hirlandcivilflag.png


The arms of Hirland (Gules a stag in full course between seven caltrops Or) first appeared as a section of the arms of the King of Denmark in the 1200s - by that time the Franks ruled Hirland, but the king used the arms to show his claim. The main device is a pun on the island's name and "hjorte/hirsch/hart/hirt," meaning "deer." It is thought that the smaller symbols originated as crosses, not as caltrops. Their number varied but has been fixed at seven in modern times.

So here is the full version of the flag:

Hirland flag no outlines png.png
 
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The Professor

The Professor

Some nice flags so far!

And a nearly even split on scenarios (3-2 producing North Sea Islands).

I've got both versions mostly complete now with just a little fiddling to do.
 
The Professor

The Professor

My Scenario B seems furthest along so:

Princedom of Stannall [1] (Terneth Stennou)

Originally populated by tribes who spoke a language related to Brythonic and Gaulish, this third British Isle was conquered by the Romans for its tin deposits and named Stannovia.
With the departure of the Romans and the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain the island was settled by Romano-Britons and the locals absorbed.
Like Marcally [2] on the Continent and Cornwall in Britain, Stannall was initially divided into competing kingdoms with several occasionally under a single High King. One ruler, Howell (Houel) the Great, even managed to subjugate both Cornwall and Marcally, naming himself High King of the Britons, but this fell apart after his death.
Continued links with the Cornish and Marcallians continued throughout the Middle Ages, Stannish warriors helping to maintain Marcally's independence from the Franks, but being unable to maintain Cornwall's independence from the Anglo-Saxons.
Marcally and Stannall eventually merged into a single Kingdom of Brythony and occasionally held the balance of power between England and France.
The War of the Britonian Succession saw the kingdom joined under the English King though it later gained some measure of autonomy under an English prince.
The Princedoms of Cornwall, Marcally, and Stannall, currently form the Brythonic Assembly and are a constituent part of the Kingdom of Britain.


The Flag
The Flag is based on the oldest known Stannovian symbol, the Howellian Eucharist – a crossed upsilon/pall/furka with a roundel above – possibly derived from the Chi Rho banner. Howell bore this banner, sometimes with red fringes, during his battles to rule Cornwall and Marcally. Indeed a version of this represents the Arms of the Prince: a green Howellian Eucharist on a white field with a red & blue gyronny border.
During the Britonian Succession, fesswise crossed pall flags were used on both sides – blue for pro-French, red for pro-English. Under the later English princes this became green, with white on green variant used by the Stannall Party of the Brythonic League seeking Home Rule.
Following the Great War, a further measure of autonomy was granted and ,with the formation of the Brythonic Assembly, a red roundel adopted so that the current flag of Stannall is a green crossed pall on white with a red roundel in the hoist.
The flag of the Brythonic Assembly is based on that of the League – it is a white fesswise pall with a red upper band (for Cornwall), green hoist (for Stannall), and a blue lower band (for Marcally).


[1] From Old English stanwalas the Stone Welsh, a corruption of stanne-walas the Welsh [3] of Stannovia
[2] Marcally = Brittany. From Latin Marca Gaulogalliae March of the Gaul Welsh or a Francisation of Old English merwalas the Sea Welsh, i.e. the Welsh across the Channel
[3] Welsh. i.e. Romano-Britons.

Stennou.png
 
Turquoise Blue

Turquoise Blue

To argue for my flag, I see it as the most simple, yet includes many things in it.
Chi-Rho=Roman heritage
Green and Blue= Celtic heritage
Dimensions= Recalls the Roman banner.
 

Sicarius

I got a little carried away...

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Mýghdeirneth Ýz (ee-z), or the Kingdom of Ýz, is an island approximately 3,200 sq mi. in size, which lies between France and the United Kingdom. Ýz's original population appears to have been Brythonic in nature, though at some point this population was conquered by a Goidelic-speaking group which may have originated in Ireland. Roman settlement of the area was light, and the island primarily served as a waypoint between Britain and France. After the Romans departed permanently, Ýz largely returned to its ancient ways of life.

In 957, Ýz was annexed to the Duchy of Normandy, later becoming a possession of England when William the Conqueror ascended to the throne. In the 11th century Ýz was lost to France, which retained the island for centuries. In 1792, Ýz declared loyalty to the French crown and opposition to the Revolutionary government. Despite this French loyalty, Ýz was forced to turn to England for protection against the Revolutionary, and later Napoleonic, government.

The reigning Ducal family was elevated to Kingship as a result of the Congress of Vienna, with England reluctant to return such a strategic location to French control. With this, Ýz entered into a period of Franco-English enforced neutrality, only disturbed during the Second World War, when British forces were allowed into the country in fear of a German invasion. No such invasion materialized, though the remains of anti-aircraft platforms still dot the Ýzik coast today.

Today, Ýz is a prosperous country with a population of some 600,000. Reik Ýajoh IV holds the throne, though his role is purely nominal - the Parliament, currently under the control of the Bleud Kristien Rhitfridel (Christian Liberal Party), holds the nation's true power. The official languages are Ýzik and French. The flag features the Ýzik cross in the national colors of gold and red.

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The Ýz currency is the Frenk. Euroskeptics, Ýz has resisted joining the European Union, which the nation feared would be dominated by France and Germany. Nevertheless, in the wake of the economic collapse of 2008, Ýz has opened a dialogue with the EU about a possible closer economic association.

Ýz's largest city, Seint Fougdh, has a population of 275,000. It is also the capital, and European City of Culture 1997.

The national dish of Ýz is pickled haddock in goat cheese sauce (Abagh af Shev).

The most popular band in Ýz is Mach 5, a five member boy band created in the 2008 reality show Feit nyn Cheret!. Ýz has an active media culture, including the government-run ÝZTV, and an impressive local film industry. "Ýzý Street", as the Ýz film industry is called, has produced several internationally successful films, including the Oscar-winning documentary Ai Nuise Dunwýl (1993) and 2008's blockbuster Ghlah.

FAMOUS ÝZIK PEOPLE
Mýogh Fonier, drummer, The Who, 1978 - 2005
"Lou" (Loaigh) Durant, United States President, 1988 - 1996
Týb Uisral, discovered Kerguelen Islands, 1772
Ceilbh Bruit, author of Keihn i Mur, 1843
Suirgh Tomas, "The Servant Girl Annihilator", Austin, Texas, 1884 - 1885

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Larus Marinus

My entry! Sorry for the tl;dr history, I don't have time to shorten it at the moment.

Scenario A.
 The Flag of the Confederation of Svannerland
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The Nordic cross is a leftover from the periods of time it was ruled by the Danes. The crosses represents the greatest of the free cities of the confederation, the central one representing the dominant one, which also serves as the official capital.

History:
The Confederation of Svannerland[1] was a tightly bound confederation of free cities, banding together out of mutual economic, political and military interests at the dawn of the 17th century. The lack of any true and lasting[2] centralised authority on the islands prior to this had allowed the cities free reign over their own affairs. However, this lack of political unity and a central authority had also resulted in a lack of cultural and linguistic unity in Svannerland. This lack of unity and long history of fierce independence should have rendered any hope of peaceful unification impossible, so how come they managed to unite successfully regardless of these factors?

While a number of island groups in the North Atlantic had been settled by people of different ethnic backgrounds in the past, the central position of the Svannerland islands made them a target for settlement by a far greater range of people than their cousins to the north[3]. While of limited importance prior to the growth of Hanseatic[4] trade, fishing villages had sprung up all over the island, settled by Norse, Low German, Flemish, Frankish, Scottish and English fishermen. Each of these villages retained most of their cultural and linguistic traditions until the rise of the Hansa.


The Hanseatic League is known to have influenced the languages of many of its non-German trading partners considerably. The modern Norwegian language, for instance, can attribute much of it's similarity to German to the heavy Hanseatic presence in Bergen. It should come as no surprise, then, that similar low German influence was present in the cities of the Svannerland islands, most of which had joined the Hanseatic League. Various low German dialects more or less unique to the Svannerland islands developed as a result, and eventually ended up serving as a lingua franca for the various cultural groups on the island. While other languages were spoken orally on a local basis, low German eventually became the administrative language of the Svannerland cities after the formation of the Confederation of Svannerland.


As the Hanseatic League declined, so did the wealth and importance of the cities of Svannerland. Many foreign princes had their eyes on the islands for their strategic value, however, and none of the free cities of Svannerland could stand up against these potential foes alone. Competing against their neighbours for the vaning North Atlantic trade didn't do them much good either, and so the major cities of the island decided that it would be in their best interest to unify against their common foes. This eventually resulted in the formation of the Confederation of Svannerland, made possible by the fear of foreign invasion, economic interests and a common language in the form of Hanseatic low German. They did, however, realize that they could do little to protect themselves even as a united force, and decided to find a foreign prince to protect them. The choice fell on the Charles I of England, on the terms that he would acknowledge and respect their rights as free cities. Charles I accepted, and the Confederation of Svannerland became part of the English crown.


Map of the Confederation of Svannerland and the surrounding kingdoms in the year 1648.


[1] A bastardisation of the old Norse name for the island chain; "Svanreyland" (Sea-bird Island). It was given this name due to the considerable numbers of sea-birds present on and around the islands.


[2] The Danes had ruled the islands several times in the past. Svannerland grew in importance in the Viking Age, and reached its pre-Hanseatic zenith under King Canute the Great, but never remained under the rule of foreign princes for long.


[3] The Orkneys, Shetland isles etc.


[4] Each major city of the island were once members of the Hanseatic League, a German-dominated economic alliance of free cities.
 
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The Professor

The Professor

Poll should be up later this evening - just need to resize flags for better comparison.

Thank you all for going to such depth on this one, it adds a feel of realness to the flags :cool:
 

Sicarius

Funny that there was a tie last round! And that my and Benkarnell's flags used more or less the same colors, and were each in one of the different categories. I like to imagine the two island nations exist in the same timeline. Anyway, onwards!

Republiek Nieuw Holland

There was a time when the entire continent of Australia was known as Nieuw Holland. From the earliest years of the 17th century, the Dutch were some of the first Europeans to encounter the Southern Continent. And though they would not remain the sole presence, the nation today known as Nieuw Holland is still a dynamic force in Australia and the world.

Despite their early exploration, the Netherlands were troubled with domestic affairs, and did little in Australia until the peaceful early 1780s, when Fort William was established. But soon after, the peace was shattered once more, as 'Patriots' inspired by the American Revolution dragged the country into a civil war that lasted from the end of the 80s into the early 90s. Crushed by the central government and the Prussians, many of the Patriots fled the country. Most ended up in France, but several thousand took the only way out that was open to them: service for passage, often to Nieuw Holland.

During the 19th century, Nieuw Holland grew in importance as a shipping hub. This - and the threat posed by England's Cottesloe and France's Mariana - slowly led to more population growth. A gold rush late in the century further swelled the number of colonists. By the start of the Great War, Nieuw Holland's population was approximately 250,000. Many of the colony's young men served in that War, which devastated the population and economy. During the Great Depression, Nieuw Holland elected several economically populist governors, which put the colony at odds with its more conservative mother country, which had only granted it limited democratic rights after the war's end.

Nieuw Holland rose once again to the defense of the Netherlands in the Second Great War, where its naval forces operated quite commendably, often in conjunction with Japanese forces. Suffering heavy losses on the Eastern Front, Nieuw Holland was vital in diverting Soviet forces, allowing the Allies to establish firm lines in Germany and later Russia. After the war, Nieuw Hollander patriotism was at an all-time high. Despite their love for their motherland, old Holland's pressure on their colony's democracy had made many feel that independence was necessary. After the peaceful implementation of a five year independence plan, in 1952 Nieuw Holland was officially declared a Republic (though it to this day retains certain joint economic and military ties to the Netherlands).

Nieuw Holland spent the latter half of the 20th Century as a peaceful nation. It often hosted summits between Cottesloe and La République Sociale de Mariana, after the colony declared independence following France's right-wing coup in 1968. Nieuw Holland was one of the strongest voices of condemnation against its fellow former Dutchmen in South Africa, and sponsored many of the resolutions against it in the Global Federation. Today, Nieuw Holland has largely managed to transition to a technology-based economy, though minerals extraction and manufacturing are still very important (indeed, the zippy De Groot Kever is still one of the most widely driven electric cars in the world).

The flag of Nieuw Holland is based off the colors of the older Dutch Princevlag, as were several of South Africa's. The blue and white represent the sea, and the orange represents the new dawn, as the southern cross shines overhead.

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Turquoise Blue

Turquoise Blue

Here is my entry, for the Republic of Australie du Sud. It cleverly incorporates both the Southern Cross and the French flag in a non-canton way. Details now included
Republic of Australie du Sud
The French started to colonize West Australia in the late 1700s and early 1800s, In the Congress of Vienna they lost West Australia but was allowed to keep a small piece of South Australia, this small piece, the size of a modern prefecture, expanded through colonization to become the modern Australie du Sud, the infamous Australian Revolution happened in Niew Holland, Kingsland, and Australie du Sud, it liberated them from colonization to become modern and free nations. In the three Great Wars, the Antipodeian Bloc(1) was a decisive piece in the Alliance's victories. Australie du Sud is today a popular tourist haven.


(1) the Antipodeian Bloc is the three Australias, Nieu Zeland and Malaya. I have included two other entries in my universe. Antipodeia is the commonly-used name to mean Oceania

EDIT: Changed widths.
EDIT: Changed widths again.

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The Professor

The Professor

My slightly pants entry :eek:

The Province of New Holland.

The Province of New Holland is a member state of the East Indies Federation.
The name New Holland originally applied to the whole continent of what is now called Australia but following English and French settlement became applied to just the Dutch colonies.
New Holland was administrated by the Dutch East India Company throughout the 1700s but in 1801 the Netherlands' Government-in-Exile acceded to the Act of Union [1], nationalised the Company, and New Holland became part of the United Realms' Colony of the East Indies.
With the rise of federalism under royal support throughout the United Realms Empire, the East Indies was granted more autonomy, officially forming the Federation in 1902. As Head of Government, the East Indian Grand Pensionary is a voting member in the United Realms Council which governs trade and foreign policy.
There is currently a movement to extend the Federation to include New Ireland, the other UR nation in Australia.


The Flag:
The Provincial Flag is the 7 strip Princevlag surmounted by the old arms of Holland (a red lion rampant on gold).
During the late 1700s variants of the Dutch East Indies Company flag came into use – 7 or 9 stripe Princevlags surmounted with the VOC logo on a white shield or badge.
When a colony this badge was replaced by the simple arms of the monarch (a quartering of England, Scotland, Ireland, Dutch States-General, with a Nassau escutcheon).
Following Federation, the Colony flag fell into disuse being replaced by a simple 7 stripe Princevlag, though still flown alongside the Royal Standard.


[1] 1799 Act of Union between the Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Ireland, Kingdom of Scotland, and “Royal Republic” of the United Netherlands [2], to form the United Realms [3].
[2] The Stadtholders had been de jure monarchs since the succession of Stadtholder Frederick Henry, nephew of Henry IX/II/I, to the thrones of England, Ireland, and Scotland in 1695 .
[3] The United Realms adopted a flag of Blue-White-Red-White-Blue horizontal stripes (with white half the width of the others).

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Sovereign12

Christenrepubliek van Nieu Zeland
(Christian Republic of New Zeeland)

With a small event comes big changes. The adoption of "New Zeeland" for the new lands discovered by Willem Janszoon in his voyage of exploration in 1606 would profoundly effect the rest of history. The subsequent explorers would acquire copies of Janszoon's coastal drafts and begin exploring the austral continent. Many would give the land other names, but because so many of the copied maps had the name Nieu Zeland already marked....

...The dutch would initially use their holdings on the eastern section of New Zeeland as a penal colony until the discovery of gold in the Janszoon province in 1796. This started the gold rush and the concurrent missionary work of catholic and protestant churchs to the Aboriginal New Zeelanders...

...In 1856 Jakob Tranugini, an aboriginal convert to christianity, proclaimed he had a vision of St Willibrord. St Willibrord had come to him to further spread the word of God to all the peoples of New Zeeland, with the promise that New Zeeland would be free again for all men...

...French encroachment on Dutch New Zeeland would have a profound effect on Jakob and his movement. Many of the Aboriginese who raided for the French were seen as snakes and something aligned with Satan. As another vision came to Jakob, Christ in the guise of the Rainbow Serpent, came to him to offer these wayward children the peace of God....

...that was when the hostilities finally came to an end. Beatrix Tranugini had finished what her father Jakob had started out to do; bringing the word of God to New Zeeland and freeing the people from the oppressors in the government of the Independent Dutch East India Company (see Dr Anderson Stanislaws paper on the fall of the OVOC...). Ironically the greatest support for their independence came from the Netherlands after their own revolution and the installment of there federal republic....

Flag: the colors are from the Prince's flag of William of Orange. Jakob Tranugini said they were the rightful colors of the Netherlands which the French had changed to pull the netherlands into their control. The colors have been flipped from their original order to represent that New Zeeland is in the southern hemisphere. The blue represents the sky and heaven. The orange is representative of the continent of New Zeeland. The white strip is the connection between heaven and Earth.

The Rainbow Serpent is seen as Jesus Christ (or as God the Creator, see Horold Gemmio's paper in...) as he came originally to the peoples of New Zeeland. The serpent itself is pure white representing goodness and the perfection that is God. The rainbow aura surrounding him is reminiscent of a halo, but also of the whole spectrum of creation. The cross is that of St Willibrord's as it held by the Rainbow Serpent chasing out Satan, as the black serpent, from the garden of Eden.

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Akkismat

Republiek der Verenigde Overzeese Provincien

Republiek der Verenigde Overzeese Provincien

Long Name: Republic of the United Overseas Provinces

Short Name: Overseas Provinces (or O.P.)

overseasprovinces.jpg
 
The Professor

The Professor

Interesting how most of us do Dutch Australia rather than French or British :D.

I'm torn between Sicarius's or Dr Tron's (updated).

And I believe we have until end of tomorrow for any further entries/updates.
 
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