The flag of Sardinia ( sc, bandera de sa Sardigna, , ), called the flag of the Four Moors or simply the Four Moors ( it, I quattro mori; sc, Sos bator moros and ''Is cuatru morus''), represents and symbolizes the island of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

(

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

) and its people. It was also the historical flag and coat of arms of the Aragonese, then

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

, and later Savoyard

Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...

. It was first officially adopted by the

autonomous region An autonomous administrative division (also referred to as an autonomous area, entity, unit, region, subdivision, or territory) is a subnational administrative division or internal territory of a sovereign state that has a degree of autonomy� ...

in 1950 with a revision in 1999, describing it as a "white field with a red cross and a bandaged Moor's head facing away from the hoist (the edge close to the mast) in each quarter" (Regional Law 15 April 1999, n. 10, Art. 1). The flag is composed of the

St George's Cross In heraldry, Saint George's Cross, the Cross of Saint George, is a red cross on a white background, which from the Late Middle Ages became associated with Saint George, the military saint, often depicted as a crusader. Associated with the cru ...

and four heads of

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

, which in the past may not have been forehead bandaged but blindfolded and turned towards the hoist. But already well-preserved pictures from the 16th century clearly show a forehead bandage (see gallery below). The most accepted hypothesis is that the heads represented the heads of Moorish princes defeated by the Aragonese, as for the first time they appeared in the 13th-century seals of the Crown of Aragon – although with a beard and no bandage, contrary to the Moors of the Sardinian flag, which appeared for the first time in a manuscript of the second half of the 14th century.

History

Stemma del Regno di Sardegna metà del XVI secolo

The oldest certified heraldic symbol of the cross of Saint George with four Moors in each quarter, known as the Cross of Alcoraz, dates back to 1281 and was used by the Royal Chancellery of Peter III of Aragon as the king's coat of arms upon seals. In the 13th century the Moors' heads had no head bandages and were bearded; the coat of arms of Sardinia never appeared in such a way. After the kingdom of Sardinia was founded in 1326, it became part of the Crown of Aragon; The Four Moors begin to be used consistently as a symbol of the Kingdom of Sardinia during the time of the

Catholic Monarchs The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...

, and especially from the time of the Emperor Charles V. In Sardinia, the first safe attestation of the coat of arms is on the cover of the Acts of the military arm of the Sardinian Parliament, the ''Capitols de Cort del Stament Militar de Serdenya'' printed in Cagliari in 1591. Throughout the period of the Iberian monarchies, the original design of the bandages on his forehead was respected. The design with blindfolded Moors facing the left first appeared in 1800, after Sardinia passed to the House of Savoy. It was either due to a mistake of a copyist or, similarly to the

flag of Corsica The flag of Corsica was adopted by ''General of the Nation'' Pasquale Paoli in 1755 and was based on a traditional flag used previously. It portrays a Moor's head in black wearing a white bandana above his eyes on a white background. Previous ...

during the earlier period of French rule, a deliberate protest against the mainland rulers. It became the official flag of the region under a decree of 5 July 1952. In 1999, a special regional law changed the flag from the version adopted under Savoy rule to the original one.

Legendary origin

There are separate Spanish and Sardinian traditions to explain the origin of the flag and there is no consensus among scholars as to which is correct. According to the Spanish tradition, it was a creation of King Peter I of Aragon, celebrating his victory at the Battle of Alcoraz in 1096. It was said that St. George miraculously appeared on the field of battle and that there were four severed heads of

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 ...

kings at the end; thus the red cross and white background of the

and the heads of four Moors. The Sardinian- Pisan tradition attributes the arms to a banner given by

Pope Benedict VIII Pope Benedict VIII ( la, Benedictus VIII; c. 980 – 9 April 1024) was bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 18 May 1012 until his death. He was born Theophylact to the noble family of the counts of Tusculum. Unusually for a medieva ...

to the Pisans in aid of the

Sardinians The Sardinians, or Sards ( sc, Sardos or ; Italian and Sassarese: ''Sardi''; Gallurese: ''Saldi''), are a Romance language-speaking ethnic group native to Sardinia, from which the western Mediterranean island and autonomous region of Italy de ...

in a conflict with the Saracens of Musetto who were trying to conquer the Italian peninsula and Sardinia. This flag, however, has inverted colours and no heads on it. Before the Kingdom of Sardinia was founded, the rulers of the island were known as archons ( in Greek) or judges ( in Latin, ' in Sardinian, in Italian). The island was organized into one from the 9th century on (see

List of monarchs of Sardinia The following is a list of rulers of Sardinia, in particular, of the monarchs of the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica from 1323 and then of the Kingdom of Sardinia from 1479 to 1861. Early history Owing to the absence of written sources, little ...

). After the

Muslim conquest of Sicily The Muslim conquest of Sicily began in June 827 and lasted until 902, when the last major Byzantine stronghold on the island, Taormina, fell. Isolated fortresses remained in Byzantine hands until 965, but the island was henceforth under Musli ...

in the 9th century, the Byzantines, who previously ruled Sardinia, couldn't manage to defend their far west province. Probably, a local noble family acceded to power, still identifying themselves as vassal of the Byzantines, but independent "de facto", as communications with Constantinople were very difficult. At the beginnings of the 11th century, an attempt to conquer the island was made by Spanish Muslims. We have very little record of that war, only by Pisa and Genoa chronicles. Christians won, but after that, the previous Sardinian kingdom was totally undermined and divided into four more little judicati: Cagliari, Arborea, Gallura, and Torres or Logudoro; each one developed its own coat of arms. When, with the appointment of the King of Aragon as King of Sardinia, the island again became one united kingdom, only the Judicatus of Arborea survived, and fought for a century against the Kingdom of Sardinia for supremacy. According to some, the flag derives from Alcoraz victory of 1096, is linked to the Crown of Aragon, and represents the

Spanish Reconquista The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasri ...

against the Moors who occupied most of the Iberian Peninsula. It is composed of the cross of St. George, also a symbol of the Crusaders fighting in the same time in the Holy Land, and the four severed heads, representing four major victories in Spain by the Aragonese: the reconquest of Zaragoza, Valencia, Murcia, and the Balearic Islands. According to others (Mario Valdes y Cocom), the Moors represent the Egyptian

Saint Maurice Saint Maurice (also Moritz, Morris, or Mauritius; ) was an Egyptian military leader who headed the legendary Theban Legion of Rome in the 3rd century, and is one of the favorite and most widely venerated saints of that martyred group. He is the ...

, martyred under Diocletian, and are shown in this manner, with the heads bandaged, in countless coats of arms in the Franco-German area. Even Saint Victor of Marseilles, who was from the same Theban Legion commanded by Maurice and escaped the decimation, is represented by a blackamoor with a bandage on his forehead, as in the High Altar of St. Nicholas' Church of Tallinn, now in the Art Museum of Estonia, Tallinn. The common tradition which links the stories of the two saints suggests that the symbol was designed between the St. Maurice Abbey Canton of Valais (Switzerland) and the Abbey of St. Victor in Marseilles; each was built in the place of martyrdom of the respective saint. Between 1112 and 1166 the

County of Provence The land of Provence has a history quite separate from that of any of the larger nations of Europe. Its independent existence has its origins in the frontier nature of the dukedom in Merovingian Gaul. In this position, influenced and affected by ...

was under the direct control of the kings of Aragon, and until 1245 ruled by descendants of the same dynasty. The abbey of St. Victor of Marseilles had extensive property and political influence in Sardinia, especially in the Judicatus (kingdom) of Cagliari, from the 11th to the 13th century. There are

hagiographies A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...

of many "Saint Victors" related to the

Theban Legion The Theban Legion (also known as the Martyrs of Agaunum) figures in Christian hagiography as a Roman legion from Egypt—"six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men"—who converted en masse to Christianity and were martyred together in 286, a ...

, such as Viktor of Xanten or

Victor of Solothurn Saint Victor of Solothurn is a martyr and saint of the Catholic Church. He was a soldier of the Theban Legion led by Saint Maurice and died in Solothurn. Legend Victor was one of the soldiers of the famous Theban legion that, under the leadership ...

and to the persecutions of Diocletian and

Maximinus II Galerius Valerius Maximinus, born as Daza (20 November 270 – July 313), was Roman emperor from 310 to 313 CE. He became embroiled in the Civil wars of the Tetrarchy between rival claimants for control of the empire, in which he was defeate ...

Victor Maurus Victor the Moor (in Latin: Victor Maurus) (born 3rd century in Mauretania; died ca. 303 in Milan) was a native of Mauretania and a Christian martyr, according to tradition, and is venerated as a saint. Life Victor, born into a Christian family, ...

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 ...

, Victor of

Puigcerdà Puigcerdà (; es, Puigcerdá) is the capital of the '' Catalan comarca'' of Cerdanya, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, northern Spain, near the Segre River and on the border with France (it abuts directly onto the French town of Bourg-Ma ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, probably inspired by the same martyr. The four Moors became the symbol of the Kingdom of Sardinia at its foundation, with the Corsican flag dating back to the same era, and became in time the flag of the island and its people. In any case, the meaning of the symbols, either two holy warriors or Moor heads cut off, makes it an emblem of warring Christianity, '' crusader'' in the broad sense of the term, originated in a historical period of bitter conflict between Islam and Christianity, in which Sardinia was fully involved.

Modern use

The symbol was adopted as the regional coat of arms already in 1950, with decree of the President of the Republic. The flag, instead, became official only in 1999, by means of Regional Law n. 10.

Chronological gallery

Crown of Aragon The four moors already represent the Kingdom of Sardinia but no trace is found in the island. Gelre Folio 62r.jpg, Gelre Armorial, Folio 62r 1450 CIRCA ARMORIALE DI AREA LORENESE.jpg, Armorial from Lorraine region (France), 1450 Imperial ideology of Charles V, Habsburg House, A little kingdom within an enormous empire The four moors appear more frequently in prints, paintings, artifacts both in Sardinia and in all publications heraldic vintage. I 4 mori..... senza mori nel portoghese Livro do armeiro-mor, Lisbona, 1509.jpg, 1509, Portuguese armorial "Livro do armeiro-mor", Lisbon 1515 DURER MAXIMILIAN TRIUNPHAL ARCH.jpg, 1515 from the emperor Maximilian I Triumphal Arch by Albrecht Durer Regni di Carlo V.jpg, Emperor Charles V and his Kingdoms' coats of arms Aquila imperiale bicefala di Carlo V.jpg, Imperial eagle of Charles V 1555 - Innsbruck, il Pavone degli Asburgo, con gli stemmi di ogni possedimento della famiglia. In particolare lo stemma della Sardegna, della Corsica e dell'Algarve (tre mori).jpg, 1555 - Innsbruck, the peacock of the Habsburg dynasty 1555 SOLIS 6.jpg, 1555 Virgil Solis Bandiera del Regno di Sardegna nel corte funebre dell'Imperatore Carlo V.jpg, 1559 H. Cock-J. Doetichum-L. Doetichum, “La magnifique et somptueuse pompe funebre faite aus obseques et funerailles du tres grande et tres victorieus empereur Charles cinquieme”, Plantin, Anvers, The funeral cortège of Charles V in a printed book. Stemma del Regno di Sardegna metà del XVI secolo.JPG, detail Robert Peril, The Genealogical Tree of the House of Hapsburg, 1540.jpg, The Genealogical Tree of the House of Habsburg, Robert Peril, 1540 Habsburg House (Spanish branch) Capitols de cort 2.jpg, 1590 F. Guarnerio, Capitols de cort del Stament Militar de Sardenya, Cagliari, first recorded use in Sardinia. Stemma di Filippo II.jpg, 16th century, Sassari (Sardinia), Palazzo Ducale, coat of arms of Philip II of Spain Mainoldi Galerati 2.jpg, 1573 I. Mainoldi Galerati, De titulis Philippi Austrii Regis Cattolici Liber, Bononia QUATTRO MORI - LIVRE DES ARMOIRES.jpg, H. De Bara, Le Blason des Armoires, Lyon AGOSTINO CARRACCI 1585 2.jpg, 1585, portrait of Philipo II of Spain by Agostino Carracci Logo unica col GIF (2).jpg, 1607, coat of arms of the University of Cagliari SK-A-112.jpg, Frans Franken II (1581-1642), Abdication of the emperor Charles V, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Frans Franken, Abdicazione di Carlo V, particolare.jpg, detail 4 mori 1640.jpg, 1640 from a geographic map CASTELVI 23.jpg, 1700, Descripciones de todos los reyes de España, Josè Delitala y Castelvì, conde de Villasalto Portada de los Anales de la Corona de Aragón.jpg, Portada de los Anales de la Corona de Aragón. The four moors became the coat of arms of Aragon as well, crowned and bearded. Apoteosis Heraldica 1681 Museo de Historia de la Ciudad,Barcelona, i 4 mori sardi sono nettamente distinti iconograficamente dai 4 mori d'Aragona.JPG, Apoteosis Heraldica 1681 Museo de Historia de la Ciudad,Barcelona; the iconography of the 4 Sardinian Moors are clearly from the 4 Moors of Aragon, crowned and bearded. Out of the island the artists run wild Stemma del Regno di Sardegna a colori invertiti nel Libro de armas y blasones de diversos linajes y retratos.png, 16th century, "Libro de armas y blasones de diversos linajes y retratos", with inverted colours. 1635 Palazzo del Buen Retiro, Madrid.jpg, 1635, Zurbaran and Velasquez, Buen Retiro Palace, Madrid, again inverted colours EL TRIUNFO DEL EMPERADOR MAXIMILIANO I.jpg, "El Triunfo del Emperador Maximiliano I", 17th century ?, the four moors became three in a printed book from Austrian area. Savoy House As the title of King of Sardinia was the only one who gave the ruling dynasty the coveted title, the coat of arms is enhanced and developed and overlaid with emblems of the other states ruled by the Savoy House Pharmacopoea sardoa.jpg, 1773, I. G. Palietti, Pharmacopoea sardoa, Tipografia Regia, Cagliari File:Civil Flag and Civil Ensign of the Kingdom of Sardinia (1816-1848).svg, Civil Flag and Civil Ensign of the Kingdom of Sardinia (1816-1848) File:Flag of the Kingdom of Sardinia.svg, Variant flag used as naval ensign in the late 18th or early 19th centuryItalian states to 1861 - History of the flag and chronology
/ref>

References

Sources

*Giovanni Battista Fara,'' De Rebus Sardois'', Cagliari, 1580 *Geronimo Zurita,'' Anales de la Corona de Aragon'', Zaragoza, 1610 *Ferran De Sagarra, ''Sigillografia Catalana, inventari, descripciò i estudi dels segells de Catalunya'', Barcelona, 1915 *Martì De Riquer, ''Heràldica catalana des de l'Any 1150 al 1550'', Barcelona, 1983 *Salvatorangelo Palmerio Spanu, ''Origine dell'Arme di Sardegna'', ESHA *Barbara Fois, ''Lo stemma dei quattro mori: breve storia dell'emblema dei sardi'', Sassari, Carlo Delfino Editore, 1990 *Franciscu Sedda,'' La vera storia della bandiera dei sardi'', Cagliari, Edizioni Condaghes, 2007 *Mauro Podda, ''Quattro mori a Bruxelles'', L'Unione Sarda, 12 aprile 2008, Cagliari

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flag of Sardinia Black people in art

Kingdom of Sardinia

Sardinian culture