The French flag was officially adopted as the country’s flag in 1794.In English, people refer to the French flag as simply the tricolor flag of France, but French residents call it ‘Le drapeau tricolore.’ The tricolored French flag features three colors, blue, white, and red, moving from left to right in vertical alignment.After the French revolution in the latter half of the 18th century, the French tricolor flag was adopted as the official flag. Still, interestingly, it wasn’t the first tricolor flag in the world or even Europe. Later on, with time, the French tricolor flag became one of the most easily recognizable and influential. According to several historians, the tricolor flag symbolized a country’s stance against clericalist royal standards and autocracy, which existed in the early days.Unlike the flags of many other countries, the National French flag does not have any stars on it. It simply comprises three colors, blue, white, and red, in vertical alignment. Moreover, whether it is the flag of France or any other country’s flag, it plays an important role in representing the idea of the nation and the sacrifices made by many people in uplifting the country’s honor. The flag helps one identify a nation that collectively represents the efforts of its entire population.Facts About The French FlagThe French flag is among the most recognized flags in the world and can be seen on all the official government buildings and town halls in France. The French flag can be seen in force at certain important occasions or ceremonies. Let’s look at some facts about the French flag you perhaps haven’t encountered previously.Like the flags of most other countries, France’s flag is in a proportion of 2:3. Due to this phenomenon, the width of the Flag of France is 1.5 times greater than its height.The tricolored flag was officially adopted as the National flag of France on February 15, 1794, in which the colors were blue, white, and red from left to right in vertical stripes.But, little do people know that initially, in 1990, the flag’s colors were in the opposite order; they were in red, white, and then blue.Did you know there was a period from 1814 to 1830 when the French flag was a plain white flag?The return of the Bourbon monarchy following the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 marked the use of the white flag as the National flag of France.Did you know that when Napoleon ruled France, the three vertical stripes of the French National flag were adopted in equal proportions?Before Napoleon ruled France, the official flag of France had unequal color proportions. The proportions were 30:33:37 for blue, white, and red accordingly.Did you know that a regulation passed in 1853 allowed the French navy to use flags with the older proportions of 30:33:37 instead of the equal proportions?Like the French navy, French television also uses a version of the French flag that doesn’t have equal color proportions. The flag used has a comparatively narrow white stripe, or else the close-up shot would only show the white-colored flag instead of the tricolor.History Of The French FlagIn the current day, the national flag of France is among the most iconic and recognizable flags in the world. But, the tricolor flag did not come into existence without a backdrop. At the same time, after being officially adopted as the national flag of France, it underwent several development stages and altercations.It was the cockade of France which was extensively used during the French revolution and is known to have influenced the tricolor on the national flag of France.During the French revolution, leaders asked the people to wear the cockade, which was made of three colors blue, white and red.With the advent of time, the cockade had become a part of the uniform of the national guard and eventually influenced the tricolor on the national flag of France.Jacques-Louis David and Lafayette are credited for adopting the tricolor flag as the national flag of France in 1794.From then on, France has accepted the tricolor as the country’s flag except for a brief period from 1814 to 1830 and a few days in 1848 during the February Revolution.Blue, white and red were also instituted as the national emblem of the Republic in the constitutions dating 1946 and 1958.Did you know, in 1974, a different version of the flag was launched by the then President, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, whose differentiating point was a lighter tone of blue and a deeper tone of red?The years that followed saw both versions being used, although the barracks, town halls, and public buildings usually upheld the darker blue shade flag.Interestingly, in 2020, Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, resorted to using the dark blue shade flag Élysée Palace without any instructions for other users of the kind of flag.French Flag’s SymbolismThe national flag of France is made up of three colors blue, white, and red, with each one of them playing a key role and symbolizing an important feature of France. Let us read further to understand the symbolism of these three colors and find out some interesting facts.The white color on the flag of France sits in between blue and red and is also known as royal white as it is associated with the Royal House of Bourbon.Did you know, the Royal House of Bourbon were the rulers of France from the 16th century to the days of the French revolution, and the color of their flag was pure white.At the same time, the white color is also associated with Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc is incredibly respected in France for her role in the Hundred Years’ War.On the other hand, the colors red and blue depict the colors of the city of Paris, which are also referred to as the ‘Pantone colors.‘The three colors also depict separate revolutionary mottos, with blue representing freedom, white signaling equality, and red meaning brotherhood.At the same time, the blue color represents St. Martin while the red represents St. Dennis.Did you know both blue and red are also associated with the figure of the Virgin Mary? Virgin Mary is regarded as the patroness of France.Some historians believe that three colors on the flag of France depict social hierarchies during the Ancien Regime.The blue color represented the bourgeoisie, and the white color represented the clergy, while the red represented nobility.Interestingly, on some occasions, it is believed that the three colors represent three different kinds of flowers.The blue color represents cornflowers, and the white is known for marguerites, while the red is associated with poppies.
The French flag was officially adopted as the country’s flag in 1794.
