The flag of Castile and León is the official

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

of the Spanish

autonomous community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

Castile and León Castile and León ( es, Castilla y León ; ast-leo, Castiella y Llión ; gl, Castela e León ) is an autonomous community in northwestern Spain. It was created in 1983, eight years after the end of the Francoist regime, by the merging of the ...

. It consists of the quartered

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...

of Castile, represented by a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

, and León, represented by a

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

This flag is used to represent the two cultural identities who share this administrative region, the Castle for Castile, and the Lion for León. The lion design is attributed to

Alfonso VII of León Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

,Flag, emblem and coat of arms
''Junta de Castilla y León'' website. Accessed January 26, 2008. who became

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

of León and Castile in 1126. The castle symbol is attributed to his grandson

Alfonso VIII of Castile Alfonso VIII (11 November 11555 October 1214), called the Noble (''El Noble'') or the one of Las Navas (''el de las Navas''), was King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. After having suffered a great defeat with his own army at ...

, In 1230,

Ferdinand III of Castile Ferdinand III ( es, Fernando, link=no; 1199/120130 May 1252), called the Saint (''el Santo''), was King of Castile from 1217 and King of León from 1230 as well as King of Galicia from 1231. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of ...

united the two kingdoms in the

Crown of Castile The Crown of Castile was a medieval polity in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and, some decades later, the parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accessi ...

(1230–1715) and quartered the arms as a symbol of the union. Three centuries of Spanish presence on the American continents left a consistent footprint. In many areas of the Southern United States, for example, symbols of Spanish ancestry are preserved in the coat of arms or symbols of states and cities. Several cities, like

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabit ...

, incorporate the signs of the Kingdom of Castile on their shields or flags. In displays of the six flags that have flown over Texas, also flown in

and

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, Spain is usually represented by the flag of Castile and León.

Evolution and variations

Historic Royal Standard

File:Royal Banner of the Crown of Castille (Early Style).svg, Royal Standard of the

– Early Style File:Royal Banner of the Crown of Castile (Early Style)-Variant.svg, 14th Century Style File:Royal Banner of the Crown of Castille (15th Century Style).svg, 15th Century Style File:Royal Banner of the Crown of Castille (15th Century Style)-Variant.svg, 15th Century Style – Variant File:Royal Banner of the Crown of Castille (Habsbourg Style).svg,

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

Rule Style (16th–17th Centuries) File:Royal Banner of the Crown of Castille (Habsburg Style)-Variant.svg, House of Habsburg Rule Style – Variant

Current flags and emblems

File:Coat of Arms of Castile and Leon.svg,

Coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

File:Pendón de Castilla y León.svg, Regional Government of Castile and León Ceremonial Standard.

References

External links

Flag, emblem and coat of arms of Castile and León
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castile And Leon, Flag of Flags of Spain

Flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

Flags displaying animals

Evolution and variations

Historic Royal Standard

Current flags and emblems

See also

References

External links