CIRCA - 1785 🇪🇸 - horizontal triband of a central yellow stripe, twice the width of 2 narrow bordering red stripes and coat of arms hoist-side
HISTORY: The flag, or la Rojigualda, traces to a merchant marine banner (yellow field with 2 red stripes) & naval war triband
with off-set crowned 👑 coat of arms ⛨ (nearly identical to the modern flag) created by Charles III's royal decree, both in 1785.
They drew from heraldic symbols & red-yellow of various medieval Spanish royal houses, particularly
those of his great-grandparents; Isabella of Castile, (yellow 🏰 castles c.1175 with purple 🦁 lions,
from the house of Leon, added 1230) plus Ferdinand of Aragorn, (red & yellow stripes c.1162.)
Adopted nationally in 1843, it's had several variants; temporarily replacing the lower red stripe with
purple, alternating plain vs. emblemed, CofA shifting position, losing it's crown, gaining pillars etc. and
during Franco's reign, a Roman🔍 black 𖤍. eagle, with the modern roja y gualda adopted in 1981.
[The civil flag is sans CoA]
VEXILLOLOGY:* Emphasizing strength & unity, the colors hold no official meaning beyond links to traditional houses, but;
The RED Stripes are popularly interpreted as blood 🩸 shed in national defense • The YELLOW is linked to wealth in Gold 💰 from the Americas
The CROSS-CROWNED ♔ Quartered ⛨ COAT OF ARMS denotes unity of the 4 ⛉ ESCUTCHEON (shields) that stand for 4 successor royal houses:- under the authority of the Catholic Spanish 👑 crown;
A CRENELLATED ⛫ CASTLE on a RED FIELD, symbolizing fortified strongholds of medieval Reconquista, for Castile
A Crowned 🜲 Rampant 𓃬 LION on a SILVER FIELD, evoking royal ferocity & dominion established by the house of León
RED STRIPES (barras) on GOLD derived from 12c counts of Barcelona, symbolizing the sovereign continuity of Aragón
A CHAIN ⛓ WEB 🕸️ on RED, denoting Navarre recalling the cavalry of Navarre breaking the chains of the caliph's slave-warriors
A central BLUE CARTOUCHE (oval), BORDERED in RED, & 3 ⚜️ FLEUR de LYS for the House of Bourbon, (of FRANCE - rulers of Spain since ~18c)
PLUS - at the base point, a BLOODIED 🩸 POMEGRANATE, leaved in green on a SILVER FIELD - representing the end of Muslim rule in Spain, with the Catholic Monarchs' 1492 victory over the Moors in Granada. ['Grenada' is derived from the Spanish word for pomegranate]
... all flanked by crowned ♔ SILVER PILLARS OF HERCULES, - associated with the Strait of Gibraltar -standing on WAVY ♒︎ BLUE & SILVER LINES, with national motto "Plus Ultra" ("further beyond") to symbolize Spain's historical maritime significance in the age of exploration.