The ''Statenvlag'' ("States Flag") is the name of the flag of the States-General of the

Dutch Republic 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 ...

, the red-white-blue

tricolour A tricolour () or tricolor () is a type of flag or banner design with a triband design which originated in the 16th century as a symbol of republicanism, liberty, or revolution. The flags of France, Italy, Romania, Mexico, and Ireland were ...

flag replacing the older orange-white-blue

Prince's Flag The Prince's Flag ( nl, Prinsenvlag) is a Dutch flag, first used in the Dutch Revolt during the late 16th century. The Prince's Flag is based on the flag of Prince William of Orange-Nassau, hence the name. The colours are orange, white and ...

in the mid 17th century. The modern national

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 ...

, the exact colors of which were confirmed in 1937, is based on this historical flag. It also resembles the modern

Flag of Luxembourg The national flag of Luxembourg ( lb, Lëtzebuerger Fändel; german: Flagge Luxemburgs; french: Drapeau du Luxembourg) consists of three horizontal stripes, red, white and light blue, and can be in 1:2 or 3:5 ratio. It was first used between 184 ...

History

The origin of the red-white-blue tricolour is not entirely clear; some sources suggest that it developed merely as a variant of orange-white-blue because the orange dye would tend to fade to red over time. However, there have also been suggestions to the effect that the red-white-blue flag might predate the introduction of the Prince's Flag in the 1570s. Thus, Muller (1862) suggested that the colours were taken from the coat of arms of the Bavarian house, the rulers of the

county of Holland The County of Holland was a State of the Holy Roman Empire and from 1433 part of the Burgundian Netherlands, from 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands and from 1581 onward the leading province of the Dutch Republic, of which it remained a part ...

during 1354–1433, who used the Bavarian coat of arms quartered with the arms of the

counts of Holland The counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century. House of Holland The first count of Holland, Dirk I, was the son or foster-son of Gerolf, Count in Frisia (Dijkstra suggests th ...

. During the early part of the

First Stadtholderless Period The First Stadtholderless Period or Era (1650–72; nl, Eerste Stadhouderloze Tijdperk) is the period in the history of the Dutch Republic in which the office of Stadtholder was vacant in five of the seven Dutch provinces (the provinces of Fries ...

(1650–1672), the government of the

wanted to appease the republican government of the

Commonwealth of England The Commonwealth was the political structure during the period from 1649 to 1660 when England and Wales, later along with Ireland and Scotland, were governed as a republic after the end of the Second English Civil War and the trial and execut ...

, and because the colour orange was associated with the

House of Stuart The House of Stuart, originally spelt Stewart, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been held by the family progenitor Walter fi ...

, the orange-white-blue Prince's Flag was banned in 1652, replaced by the red-white-blue "States Flag". According to de Waard (1900), the Dutch navy between 1588 and 1630 always displayed the Prince's Flag, and after 1663 always the States Flag, but both flag variants were in use during the period of 1630–1662. It appears that prior to 1664, the red-white-blue tricolor was commonly known as the "Flag of Holland" (''Hollandsche Vlag''). In 1664, the

States of Zeeland The Provincial Council of Zeeland ( nl, Provinciale Staten van Zeeland), also known as the States of Zeeland, is the Provincial council (Netherlands), provincial council of Zeeland, Netherlands. It forms the legislative body of the province. Its 3 ...

complained about this, and a resolution of the States-General introduced the name "States Flag" (''Statenvlag'').JC de Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandse zeewesen, deel 1. 's Gravenhage, 1833, p. 75. In the 1930s, the supporters of the NSB chose the orange-white-blue and the Prince's Flag as their symbol.

Queen Wilhelmina Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands The monarchy of the Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. As such, the role and position of the monarch are governed by the ...

in 1937 signed a

Royal Decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...

that the colors red, white and blue are set as the official colours of the

Dutch flag The national flag of the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlandse vlag) is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. The current design originates as a variant of the late 16th century orange-white-blue '' Prinsenvlag'' ("Prince's Flag"), evolv ...

, partly as a signal directed at the NSB.

The ''Statenvlag'' in paintings

File:Reinier Nooms - De zeeslag bij Livorno.jpg,

Reinier Nooms Reinier Nooms (c. 1623 – 1664), also known as Zeeman or Seeman (Dutch for "sailor"), was a Dutch maritime painter known for his highly detailed paintings and etchings of ships. From the 1650s, Nooms started producing and initially publishi ...

(1623–1664), ''The Battle of Livorno'', 14 March 1653. File:Battle of Scheveningen (Slag bij Ter Heijde)(Jan Abrahamsz. Beerstraten).jpg, Jan Abrahamsz. van Beerstraten (1622–1666),

Battle of Scheveningen The Battle of Scheveningen (also known as the Battle of Ter Heijde) was the final naval battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War. It took place on 31 July 1653 (10 August on the Gregorian calendar), between the fleets of the Commonwealth of England ...

, 10 August 1653. File:Het verbranden van de Engelse vloot voor Chatham - The Dutch burn down the English fleet before Chatham - June 20 1667 (Peter van de Velde).jpg,

Peter van de Velde Peter van de Velde or Peter van den Velde was a Flemish marine painter who was active in Antwerp. Some art historians believe that the long lifespan attributed to this artist could hide two artists operating under the same name, possibly a fa ...

(1643–1714), The Dutch burn down the English fleet off Chatham, 20 June 1667. File:BattleOfTexel.jpg,

Willem van de Velde, de Jonge Willem van de Velde the Younger (18 December 1633 (baptised)6 April 1707) was a Dutch marine painter, the son of Willem van de Velde the Elder, who also specialised in maritime art. His brother, Adriaen van de Velde, was a landscape painter. B ...

(1633–1707), The 'Gouden Leeuw' at the Battle of the Texel, 21 August 1673.

References

* D.G. Muller, De oorsprong der Nederlandsche vlag, ''op nieuw geschiedkundig onderzocht en nagespoord''. Amsterdam, 1862. {{Dutch flags Flags of the Netherlands Navy of the Dutch Republic