The Flag of
New Holland, also known as the flag of Dutch Brazil, was the
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 ...
used by the
Dutch West India Company
The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...
for the territories that were under its control in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
from 1630 until 1654. In this period, Brazil was not granted its own flag, and only the flags of its colonizers or rulers were used.
History
![Nederlandse schepen op de rede van Recife, Brazilië](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Nederlandse_schepen_op_de_rede_van_Recife%2C_Brazili%C3%AB.jpg)
The
conquered captaincies in Brazil during the
Dutch rule used the flag of the
Dutch West Indies Company
The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...
(in
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
: ''Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie'' - ''GWC''). This flag consists of the
Republic of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...
flag – horizontally striped in red (or orange), white and blue – with the inclusion of the company monogram (GWC) in the center.
The variation of orange or red on the flag is due to the fact that between 1588 and 1630 the Dutch navy always displayed the Prince's flag (''Prinsenvlag''), striped in orange, white and blue, and from 1663 on, always the flag of the General States flag (''Statenvlag''), striped in red, white, blue, with both variants of the flag being used during the period of 1630–1662.
It is quite possible that the ''Prinsenvlag'' and ''Statenvlag'' themselves were used in Brazil: in the book ''Ambrosij Richszhoffers, braszilianisch- und west indianische Reisze Beschreibung'', private Ambrose Richshoffer records the use of the Prince's flag, as well as mentioning the use of its colors in the ensign costume
In the pictorial representations associated with Dutch Brazil, such as maps, engravings, paintings of battles, one rarely finds elements in the images that refer specifically to the West India Company (such as the monogram of the company), with the flags being represented just by the tricolor stripes. In a few engravings, one finds the reference to the company or its commanders, by means of coats of arms or monograms as ornament of the illustrations.
These flags were flown on the tops of forts, on the masts and sterns of ships, as well as wielded on battlefields by the ensign (''vaendrager''). The flags on the masts and sterns of ships also were used identify the vessels in combat, the admirals and vice admirals and even the tactical orientation of an attack.
Description
In the book ''Brazões e Bandeiras do Brasil'' written by the journalist Clóvis Ribeiro in 1933, the flag of Dutch Brazil was illustrated by
José Wasth Rodrigues and it consists of three horizontal stripes in the colors of the flag of the
Republic of the Seven United Netherlands
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...
(red, white and blue) and it displays the
monogram
A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbols or logos. A series o ...
CIMD in the center of the white stripe and a
crown
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
above it, on the upper stripe, both gold-coloured. This illustration, however, is not found in the references cited by Ribeiro: in the German almanac ''Der Geöfnete Ritter-Plaz'' (Hamburg, 1702) there is only the tricolor flag of the United Provinces
while in the book ''Rerum per octennium in Brasilia'' (Amsterdam, 1647) by
Gaspar Barleus the Dutch flags are represented in the engravings without any inscription, with the exception of plate #45 (entitled '' Quartum prælium Coniovian inter et fluvium Rio Grande''), where there is Dutch flag with the monogram IM in the cartouche of the illustration.
While the flag of the Dutch West India Company is relatively well documented, one finds no records of the tricolor flag with the IM or CIMD monogram in flag books or flag diagrams published between before the 19th century. Nevertheless, Clovis Ribeiro's work popularized such a design as the flag of Dutch Brazil, and it has been reproduced by several authors since then.
Nassau's Monogram
The CIMD monogram with the crown of count is displayed in the frontispiece of Barleu's work,
and it's associated with
John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen
John Maurice of Nassau (Dutch: ''Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen''; German: ''Johann Moritz von Nassau-Siegen''; Portuguese: ''João Maurício de Nassau-Siegen''; 17 June 1604 – 20 December 1679), called "the Brazilian" for his fruitful period as ...
, who ruled New Holland during 1637–1644 on behalf of the West India Company.
Its exact meaning is not known, but it is certain that the initials ''IM'' refer to ''Ionannes Mauritius,'' i.e., John Maurice of Nassau, as they are also represented in the painting ''Black Molher'' by
Zacharias Wagenaer
Zacharias Wagenaer (also known as ''Wagener'', ''Wagenaar'' and ''Wagner'') (10 May 1614 – 12 October 1668) was a German-born Dutch clerk, illustrator, merchant, member of the Court of Justice, opperhoofd of Deshima and the only German governo ...
, and on other objects, such as a marble chair given as a gift by Nassau.
According to German archivist Rolf Nagel, the "I" and "M" of the monogram stand for "IOHANNES MAURITIUS", and make indication to the name of the flag holder; while and "C" and "D" are his personal qualities "COMES" and "DOMINUS", and the monogram should be read as "COMES IOHANNES MAURITIUS DOMINUS". Another plausible hypothesis is that the monogram means "Iohannes Mauritius Comitis Dillenburgum", i.e. "John Maurice, Count of (Nassau-)Dillenburg",
Dillenburg
Dillenburg, officially Oranienstadt Dillenburg, is a town in Hesse's Gießen (region), Gießen region in Germany. The town was formerly the seat of the old Dillkreis district, which is now part of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis.
The town lies on the German-N ...
being Maurice of Nassau's hometown. The last plate of ''Rerum per octennium in Brasilia'' is dedicated to the city of Dillenburg and adorned with Nassau's coat of arms.
See also
*
Flag of the Netherlands
The national flag of the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlandse vlag) is a horizontal tricolour (flag), tricolour of red, white, and blue. The current design originates as a variant of the late 16th century orange-white-blue ''Prince's Flag, Prinse ...
References
Bibliography
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External links
Flags of Brazil
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Holland
Historical flags
Flags of Brazil
Dutch Brazil