Dannebrоg - the oldest national flag or another example of a borrowed history?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Somehow I was going to go to Denmark for work and came across a very original guide:

The oldest Danish flag in the world, Dannebrog, which will soon turn 800 years old, as befits flags around the world, serves as a representative, symbolizing the nation and the state. But this is just one of its many functions. Because a government-owned, by definition, item in Danish everyday life is as irreplaceable as coffee with Viennese buns or a bicycle

The sea of flags over the heads of the greeters can be seen, barely stepping behind the turnstile of Copenhagen's Kastrup airport. However, do not look around for an unrecognized celebrity in the crowd of passengers. So in Denmark they meet not only important people, but also ordinary mortals returning from vacations or after a long absence. Bright, fluttering rectangles in the hands look really no worse than any other bouquet.

This, however, does not end there. In the cafe, you will be served a biscuit topped with a tiny Danish flag, and sugar for coffee will be in bags of the same design. And it will take quite a bit of time to make it clear: any suitable surface will be painted in Denmark with a red and white palette - from the walls of houses to the faces of football fans. Pride for the nation does not leave the Danes even in places that are not conducive to patriotism, such as public toilets: plumbing fixtures and even sanitary napkins are decorated with state symbols. If the Danish king Christian V, who in 1854 allowed his subjects to hang the sign of royal power for personal purposes, would have known how far their descendants would go!

- For more than one and a half hundred years, under the canopy of the Dannebrog flag, all private Danish life has passed, literally from the first to the last minute. Birthdays and children's parties, weddings and anniversaries, theatrical premieres and festivities in Copenhagen's Tivoli park - all these events combine the indispensable two conditions: a festive atmosphere and a huge number of large and small flags, without which Denmark cannot be imagined in the same way as the Danish Christmas table without dark beer. By the way, there are countless flags on Christmas: they are used to decorate the Christmas tree here, - says Danish sociologist Helen Bisgård.

The Danes have a lot of jingoistic neighbors: the British, the Germans and, of course, the French. But loyal passions overwhelm the local people at most a couple of times a year - usually on national holidays. Try hanging the Republican tricolor or the Union Jack on your home on a weekday - your neighbors will almost certainly consider this a chauvinistic prank. But in liberal Denmark, national flags are at every corner, and in supermarkets there is always a set for all occasions: from penny confectionery flags to solid and expensive standards for practicing patriotism at home.

It is difficult to understand people who get up at dawn so as not to oversleep the raising of the flag. But the Danes do it with great pleasure! And although a similar custom exists not only in the Old, but also in the New World, no one in the world has thought of decorating home festivities with banners, as the Scandinavians do. Moreover, unlike the Norwegians and Swedes, the Danes also manage to use their state symbol for profit. Denmark is perhaps the only country in the world where the buyer is lured by flags during sales timed to coincide with the "birthdays" of companies. Shop windows are then literally buried in red and white decor. And this is not just an advertisement, but pure provocation: "holiday!" - the flags are honking, and what Danish heart will not flinch from the desire to pamper yourself with a purchase on a holiday? At the same time, no one would think that a sacred symbol for the Danes is involved in consumer games, for which blood was shed more than once. Alas! - in the European consciousness, the sacredness of power has long been fading away. What can I say - even in Danish brothels it carries the banner of service: the flag is lowered to the middle of the pole - the "girl" is busy, hoisted again - everyone is welcome!

If you look from the outside, it looks like a little funny, but at the same time, a very respectful attitude towards the flag.

And everything was once completely different. Historians admit. that once the Danes used a scarlet banner with an embroidered black "Odin's raven", but with the adoption of Christianity by Denmark, the rune bird gave way to leopard lions.

It is this flag that is depicted on a manuscript map of the world dating from 1367. However, the famous heraldic book of Gelre (1334-1375) contains the coat of arms of the king of Denmark, in whose Kleinod Dannebrog was placed.

Seal of Eirik VII of Pomeranian 1398 - lions, possibly holding Dannebrog, are depicted on the shield at the top left. It is known that Eirik tried to approve his own version of the flag - a red cross on a yellow background.

The oldest Dannebrog flag in the world has served the Danes faithfully for almost eight centuries. At one time or another, Denmark owned the whole of Scandinavia and changed the color scheme from its flag, but retaining adherence to the Scandinavian cross, the Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish flags originated, and from the Swedish one the Finnish flag. You can also note the flags of the Orkney, Shetland, Aland and Faroe Islands and the small coat of arms of Tallinn.

In Tallinn itself, in Vyshgorod, there is a garden of the Danish king. Every summer there is a festival in honor of Dannebrog, which is very popular with tourists from Denmark. Before the knight lies a stone with which one very old story is connected …

Since pre-Christian times, the Danes have undertaken campaigns not only to the west, but also to the east along the shores of the Baltic Sea. According to the descriptions of Saxon Grammar on the east coast, they managed to take the city of Dune with impregnable walls and subdue the Hellesponti regem, who defended the city. After the spread of Catholicism, single raids were replaced by targeted crusades, primarily against the Wends. Sources indicate that 100 thousand Germans invaded the land of the Wends, the same number of Danes and 20 thousand Polish crusaders. I can only assume that it was a time of mass migration of vigorous, lyutichi, ruyan and kolbyagi to the east.

Having conquered the lands of the Western Slavs and putting loyal rulers in power, they did not stop. Idea Drang nach osten with the support of religious fanatics sought to expand. All this resulted in a colossal massacre under the general name of the Northern Crusades. Here it got to all the peoples of the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, from the Prussians and the Finns to the Korels and Novgorodians. Even the future king of England Henry IV, together with the Zhmudins, went to fight with the Litvin. And where is that England and where are the Lithuanians? Italians, Spaniards, French and even Scots, and what have you not sat at home for? Everyone went to us "true faith" in the souls of some barbarians to plant and subjugate the lands plucked out of filthy idolatry and receive a part of the income? …

Let's go back to the year 1218. Bishop Albert of Riga asked for help in organizing a crusade against the pagans to the Danish king Valdemar II, who agreed to help for the transfer of part of the territories previously captured by the sword-bearers in northern Livonia into the possession of Denmark. In October 1218, Pope Honorius III sent a blessing to King Valdemar II for a crusade against the pagans, and the Danes sailed east in 500 ships. Archbishops Anders of Lund and Theoderic of Estonia, as well as Count Albert I of Saxony and Witzlav I of Rugen, went on a campaign with them. In the summer of 1218, the crusaders landed on the coast in the Revel region, stopped at Lindanise, the former castle of the Revel people, and, having destroyed the old castle, began to build another, new one. The locals nicknamed him Taani-linn.

The bishop is boarding the ship. Thirteenth century miniature.

According to the version of Henry of Latvia, they came to the lands of the Revels, Garions and Estonians, but Saxon Grammaticus, for an "unknown" reason, describes the campaign of Valdemars II to Russia … Although this is now the reason is unknown, and in ancient times that area was called Rugate, and the sea off the coast was called back in 1588 Rugskim.

He is also echoed by Christian Pedersen in his Danske Krønike (1520-1523), although his work is also based on the works of Saxon Grammar.

Here is how Henry of Latvia describes subsequent events: - And the Revels and Garions gathered against them a large army and sent their elders to the king with cunning in peaceful words; and the king, who did not know their deceit, believed them, and gave them gifts, and the bishops baptized them and sent them away with joy. Returning to their own people, three days later they appeared with all their army in the evening, after dinner; attacked the Danes in five places and, taking them by surprise, fought with them, and some of the Estonians, thinking that the king was in the tent of the Honorable Bishop of Estonia Theoderich, rushed there and killed the bishop. Others persecuted others and killed many. Mr. Wenezlaus stood with his glories in the valley when descending from the mountain to the sea; Seeing that the enemies were approaching, he immediately went to them and fought with them and put them to flight, and then began to pursue, continuing to beat and kill along the way. When other Estonians, chasing the Danes, saw the flight of those who fought with glory, they stopped themselves, ceasing the pursuit of the Danes. And all the Danes gathered here together with the king and some of the Teutons who were with them and, turning to the Estonians, bravely fought with them. And the Estonians ran in front of them, and when their entire mass fled, the Danes with the Teutons and fame began to pursue them and killed, with their small number, more than a thousand people, while the others fled.

The Danish version has a legendary moment. In the heat of battle, the pagans captured the Danes' flag. Seeing this, the Danes began to retreat.

Imagine the indignation of civilized Europeans, because some ignorant local pagans even know what a flag is and for some reason took it away from the Danes.

The Bishop of Lund went up the mountain, raised his hands to heaven and began to pray. When it seemed to him that the pagans would win: " There was a mighty rip in the clouds, the sun broke through and golden light curled into a ring above him. Everyone saw a luminous banner with a white on red cross. They heard a voice through the roar of the storm: "Raise the flag with the cross high and you will triumph.! "- Raising the banner over the army, the Danes won a complete victory.

The place where the flag fell from heaven became known as the Garden of the Danish King.

The victory under Lindanis actually meant the conquest of Estonia by the Danes. After her, Valdemar II received the nickname "Victorious".

Northern Estonia after this battle remained under Danish rule for more than a century, until the XIV century. After the bloody uprising of St. George's Night, initiated by the swearing, and its brutal suppression, the Danes decided not to risk further and sold their eastern possessions to the Germans.

But not everything is so simple in the Danish kingdom. I don’t know what the bishop of Lund heard in the roar of the storm, but you can try to look at the events that happened without religious fanaticism. Let's look at the description again: " There was a mighty break in the clouds, the sun broke through and golden light curled up into a ring above it. ". At the bottom of the roar of the storm such that words can be heard, and in the sky clouds are dispersed in a ring - one can make an assumption that there was a very strong gust of wind. It remains to understand where the flag could have appeared.

Look how close to the flag staff is the cross stripe of the cross on the flag depicted in the portrait of Valdemar II. In one of the old documents, there is a description of the flag where it is said that it was made from the skin of a lamb.

It is probably worth remembering that, according to the Danish version, Valdemar II organized his campaign against Russia. But in the German version, the peoples are described by place of residence - Reveltsy (residents of Kolyvan), Garion (residents of the region Rugel). In those parts, not only Kolyvans and Rugs lived, but also Estons (storks) … In modern Estonian, rugui (rus) - vene. The Germans called the Slavs Vendy until the 20th century, in October 1990, a demonstration of radical "German patriots" took place in Luzhitsy under the slogans "Communists and Serbs in the gas chambers" and "Foreigners and Vendians - out! " … It is quite possible that the flag was not originally owned by the Danes, but by those who were used to fighting under it, but a gust of wind broke the threads that sewed the canvas or lamb skin around the shaft, raised it up and brought it to the Danes. It is known that the Vendians used a red-white-red flag, and if we consider that the flag might not be new, then it could well have left a place from the flagstaff, faded in the rain and the sun, which religious fanatics perceived as an image of a cross. This is how our flag became the oldest national flag.

Flags are not often mentioned in old documents, but an interesting moment is described in the Livonian rhymed chronicle, which served as the basis for choosing the national flag of Latvia:

How the guardians of the land were in a hurry to Riga

Also a detachment of Wends, as I was told.

When the news of the war was heard, One brother (knight) brought a hundred men

They walked gallant, stately;

The flag of this detachment was red

Moreover, with a white stripe he

According to Vendian custom.

There is one castle called Venden, The colors of the banner are as follows.

That castle among the Latgalians

I can tell you; there are women

How men ride (on horses) is their custom.

The city called Wenden by the Germans, after the name of the Vendians living there, was once called Kes and under this name it is mentioned not only in Russian chronicles (1221), but also in Mercator (1595). Kes in Old Russian meant a house or dwelling (in modern Bulgarian "house" - kashta), whence the modern Latvian name Cesis.

According to unpredictable historical parallels, Cesis still wears a white cross on a red background, although this cozy old town is not connected with the Danes in any way.

The color of the Latvian flag is slightly different from the flag of Austria, the capital of which is Vienna (Windebozh, Windebon in ancient times, the settlement of the Wends) on the Danube has Slavic roots, and some areas of the city still have Slavic names (Wöring, Wieden …). The same color combination was considered generic among the Polish kings from the Piast dynasty. The red and white colors on the flags are the traditional colors of the Hanseatic trade union, which included the city of Vienna. In the Battle of Grunwald, the Poles captured the flag of the Great Commander Konrad von Lichtenstein, "a banner with a wide white stripe on a red background." Grand Commander - Deputy Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, ruler of Marienburg (now Malbork in Poland). Known is the red-white-red flag of Crete, which for a long time belonged to the Republic of Venice. By the way, Venice got its name from the Latin "Veneti", a group of tribes that inhabited the shores of the Adriatic Sea in ancient times and who, according to ancient authors, are the ancestors of the Slavs, and the ancestors of the Enets were the Pelasgians.

However, a white cross on a red background is visible on the coat of arms of Vienna.

But what about the Storks, what is their trace in this story? I have never met any mention under which flag the Estonians (Pelasgi storks) fought. Estonians lived not only in the Baltics, but also near Tver, in Siberia and the Caucasus. Two mountains in the Caucasus, which are the extreme southeastern point of the border of Europe, are called Esta Lerge and Esta Korta, and in Adjara there is a village with the memorable name Mukha-Estate. Historical documents mention that those places were once called “Caucasian Pelasgia” and that the people's memory, having carried it through the millennia, has retained the red-white-red color on the flag of the Chechen Republic.

Despite the fact that this is the oldest trace in 2004, the red-white-red stripe was removed, considering it a fragment of communism, and not the legacy of our ancestors.

The red-white-red colors have also been preserved for the Rugs. In the very north of Liechtenstein, on the border with Austria and Switzerland, there is a valley on the banks of the Rhine called Ruggell. Although today they speak German in those places, there is a white stripe on the coat of arms with a red background, and inside a white blue stripe, symbolizing the river. In the local Alemannic dialect, the Rhine River is pronounced “Raina”. As they write in our history textbooks, it is this " kraina"was the line beyond which the Roman legionaries, and later other" non-barbarians "could not cross for a long time.

And what about the Russians, you ask?

The Russians founded a settlement, which eventually became the most Russian city in Latvia, one of the micro-districts of Daugavpils is called "Rugeli". In the east of Estonia, do not forget about Rugodiv, and in the west, about Rogevik Bay and the two Rogov Islands near the legendary Paldiski, which was tested by Saxon Grammaticus in the Danes chronicle. Neighbors - residents of the former Polotsk principality, today's Belarusians, can see the same colors on the white-chyrvona-white stsyag, and the Russian flag has both red and white colors.

The Jericho helmet of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich depicts the Archangel Michael with a white cross on a pomegranate (red) background.