The Flag of Milan consists of a red cross on a white field. Whilst similar to the

Cross of Saint George The Cross of Saint George (russian: Георгиевский крест, Georgiyevskiy krest) is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was initially established by Imperial Russia where it was officially known as the Decoration of ...

, the flag instead symbolises the connection between Saint Ambrose and the city of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

History

The association between the red cross on a white field and the city of

dates back to the 4th century. Saint Ambrose had been the

Bishop of Milan The Archdiocese of Milan ( it, Arcidiocesi di Milano; la, Archidioecesis Mediolanensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy which covers the areas of Milan, Monza, Lecco and Varese. It has lon ...

between 374 and 397, and as a result of his influence his symbol, the red cross on a field of white became associated with the Bishop of Milan. In 1176 the Lombard League faced the forces of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

, led by Fredrick Barbarossa, at the

Battle of Legnano The Battle of Legnano was a battle between the imperial army of Frederick Barbarossa and the troops of the Lombard League on May 29, 1176, near the town of Legnano in present-day Lombardy, in Italy. Although the presence of the enemy nearby wa ...

. Upon hearing about the arrival of the Holy Roman army, the Lombard infantry constructed a

carroccio A carroccio (; ) was a large four-wheeled wagon bearing the city signs around which the militia of the medieval communes gathered and fought. It was particularly common among the Lombard, Tuscan and, more generally, northern Italian municipali ...

, a sacred war wagon which displayed a

vexillum The ''vexillum'' (; plural ''vexilla'') was a flag-like object used as a military standard by units in the Ancient Roman army. Use in Roman army The word ''vexillum'' is a derivative of the Latin word, ''velum'', meaning a sail, which con ...

, to take into battle. The infantry affixed the symbol of the Bishop of Milan,

Aribert Aribert ( it, Ariberto) is a Germanic given name, from ''hari'' ("host") and ''beraht'' ("bright"). It may refer to: * Aribert (archbishop of Milan) * Prince Aribert of Anhalt (1866–1933), regent of Anhalt *Aribert Heim (1914–1992), Austrian Sc ...

, to the wagon and displayed it during the battle. The connotations between the victorious battle and the flag led to a greater association between the city and the symbol. Between 1395 and 1447, the

Duchy of Milan The Duchy of Milan ( it, Ducato di Milano; lmo, Ducaa de Milan) was a state in northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti family, which had been ruling the city sin ...

used the arms of the ruling

House of Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...

, the ''

biscione The ''biscione'' or ''bisson'' . ("big grass snake"), less commonly known also as the ''vipera'' ("viper"), is a heraldic charge showing on argent an azure serpent in the act of eating or giving birth to a human. It is a historic symbol of th ...

'', a great serpent shown devouring a

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

. This standard greatly replaced the Cross of Saint Ambrose in Milan. In 1397 the Duke of Milan,

Gian Galeazzo Visconti Gian Galeazzo Visconti (16 October 1351 – 3 September 1402), was the first duke of Milan (1395) and ruled the late-medieval city just before the dawn of the Renaissance. He also ruled Lombardy jointly with his uncle Bernabò. He was the foundi ...

, was granted the usage of the

imperial eagle The eagle is used in heraldry as a charge, as a supporter, and as a crest. Heraldic eagles can be found throughout world history like in the Achaemenid Empire or in the present Republic of Indonesia. The European post-classical symbolism of ...

by Emperor Wenceslaw. The flag of the Duchy of Milan then became the arms of House Visconti quarted with the

of the

. The red and white of flag of Milan most likely contributed to the green-white-red uniforms of the Milan City Militia which had fought against

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

during the French First Republic's invasion of Italy. The colours were then chosen by Napoleon for the flag of the

Cisalpine Republic The Cisalpine Republic ( it, Repubblica Cisalpina) was a sister republic of France in Northern Italy that existed from 1797 to 1799, with a second version until 1802. Creation After the Battle of Lodi in May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte organized t ...

in 1797. This flag would later go on to inspire the current

Italian Tricolour The national flag of Italy ( it, Bandiera d'Italia, ), often referred to in Italian as ''il Tricolore'' ( en, the Tricolour, ) is a tricolour featuring three equally sized vertical pales of green, white and red, national colours of Italy, with ...

Modern-day use

The flag of Milan appears on the crest of

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

side

A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...

. Pro-Lombardy independence parties, '' Lega Lombarda'' and '' Pro Lombardia Indipendenza,'' both use the flag as a symbol for their movements. The logo of the car manufacturer

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." ...

, originally based in Milan, incorporates the cross from the flag.

Gallery

File:Flag of Milan (1171).svg, First flag of Milan of which there is a documented trace (1171) File:Flag of Milan.svg, State Flag ( ''Vexillum publicum'' ) of the City of Milan (1395-1797) File:Flag of the Lordship of Milan (XIII century-1395).svg, alt=, The flag of the Lordship of Milan 1329–1395 File:Flag of the Duchy of Milan (1450).svg, The flag of the Duchy of Milan from 1395 File:Flag of the Count of Virtue.svg, alt=, The flag of French Milan 1499–1526 File:Flag of the Golden Ambrosian Republic.svg, State flag ( ''Vexillum publicum'' ) of the

Golden Ambrosian Republic , it, Aurea Repubblica Ambrosiana , era = Late Middle Ages , government_type = Directorial republic , p1 = Duchy of Milan , flag_p1 = Flag of the Duchy of Milan (1450).svg , s1 ...

(1447-1450) File:Flag of the Duchy of Milan (1765-1796).gif, The flag of Austrian Habsburg Milan 1714–1796

References

External links

Milan Flags
(crwflags.com) *https://web.archive.org/web/20131123081315/http://www.ugopozzati.it/Bandiere%20Milanesi.htm

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 ...

Government of Milan Flags with crosses

{{Italy-stub

History

Modern-day use

Gallery

See also

References

External links