Union Jack of Sweden and Norway (1844-1905)

The Union Jack of Sweden and Norway (''unionsgös'' in Swedish, ''unionsgjøs'' in Norwegian) was the common

naval jack A jack is a flag flown from a short jackstaff at the bow (front) of a vessel, while the ensign is flown on the stern (rear). Jacks on bowsprits or foremasts appeared in the 17th century. A country may have different jacks for different purpo ...

of Swedish and Norwegian warships between 1844 and 1905, during the last six decades of the

Union between Sweden and Norway Sweden and Norway or Sweden–Norway ( sv, Svensk-norska unionen; no, Den svensk-norske union(en)), officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and known as the United Kingdoms, was a personal union of the separate kingdoms of Swede ...

. It was also the flag of diplomatic stations and

consulates A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth count ...

abroad, common to both states.

The union mark

The union jack was identical to the Swedish version of the union mark of Norway and Sweden. It combined the flag colours of both kingdoms, displayed in triangular fields generated by dividing a square or rectangle per saltire. The mark was inserted in the canton of all flags in both countries to symbolize their partnership in the union of 1814. Both countries had

Nordic cross flag A Nordic cross flag is a flag bearing the design of the Nordic or Scandinavian cross, a cross symbol in a rectangular field, with the centre of the cross shifted towards the hoist. All independent Nordic countries have adopted such flags in t ...

s, but of different proportions. The rectangles on the hoist side in Swedish flags had the proportions 4:5 and required a mark of the same shape, while Norwegian flags had squares on the hoist side, and hence a square union mark. As a result of the diagonal division, both nations’ colours were of equal area. The union mark was introduced by royal order in council on 20 June 1844. It had been proposed by a joint committee from both countries, appointed in 1839 with the mandate of discussing the symbols of the Union to ensure that they would reflect the equal status of the two united kingdoms.Bratbak, Bjørn (1993). "Det norsk-svenske unionsvåpenet og andre symbolstridigheter". In ''Meddelande 53 från Armémuseum'', Stockholm, p. 23–25. The mark fulfilled this condition perfectly by its equal distribution of flag colours. The two countries were given separate, but parallel flag systems, clearly manifesting their equality. The union mark remained in all flags of the two countries until the dissolution of the Union in 1905, except for the merchant and state flags of Norway. Due to increasing Norwegian dissatisfaction with the Union, it was removed from those flags in 1899. The 1814

Constitution of Norway nb, Kongeriket Norges Grunnlov nn, Kongeriket Noregs Grunnlov , jurisdiction =Kingdom of Norway , date_created =10 April - 16 May 1814 , date_ratified =16 May 1814 , system =Constitutional monarchy , b ...

stipulated that the war flag or

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

was to be a union flag, thereby preventing its removal from that flag. The union jack was still flown from the

jackstaff A jack staff (also spelled as jackstaff) is a small vertical spar (pole) on the bow of a ship or smaller vessel on which a particular type of flag, known as a jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * ...

in the bow of Norwegian warships until 9 June 1905, and by Swedish warships until 1 November 1905.

References

Literature

* Heimer, Zeljko; Engene, Jan Oskar (2005). "Unionstidens norske flagg - Norwegian Flags of the Union Period". In: ''Nordisk Flaggkontakt'' No. 40, pp. 33–49. * Munksgaard, Jan Henrik (2012). "Flagget – Et nasjonalt symbol blir til". Kristiansand, Vest-Agder-museet. {{ISBN, 978-82-91178-26-4 Sweden and Norway Flags of Sweden Flags of Norway Nordic Cross flags United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway Sweden and Norway et:Sillsallaten no:Sildesalaten nn:Sildesalaten sv:Sillsallaten

The union mark

See also

References

Literature