Subnational Flags of the German Empire 1871-1919 (Germany)

Flaggen der Gliedstaaten des Deutschen Kaiserreichs 1871-1919

Last modified: 2014-01-09 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: german empire | subnational |
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• German States - alphabetically
• German States - by status
• Civil Flags - Landesfarben

• Prussian Provinces
• Germany 1871-1918 - Clickable map
• Saxon Duchies 1871-1918 - Clicable map
• Explanation of Landesfarben
• Proposed Baltic Duchy 1918 - Estonia and Latvia
• Proposed Duchy of Courland 1918 - Herzogtum Kurland, Latvia
• Subnational Flags 1919-1933
• Index of all German Pages

• German Empire Territories' Coats-of-Arms - clicable map, coats-of-arms scanned from Ströhl's Deutsche Wappenrolle (at the Lebendiges virtuelles Museum Online)
• Prussian Historical Coats-of-Arms at Adam Kromer's Polish Heraldry website

German States - alphabetically

Between 1864 and 1870, Bismarck led the German states in three wars, which resulted ultimately in the unification of the states into the German Empire, extending from west of the Rhine River to the eastern Baltic Sea by 1871:

1. Alsace - Historical flags of French Alsace - Imperial German period 1871-1919
2. Alsace-Lorraine - Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine - Reichsland Elsass-Lothringen
3. Anhalt - Duchy of Anhalt - Herzogtum Anhalt
4. Baden - Grand Duchy of Baden - Großherzogtum Baden
5. Bavaria - Kingdom of Bavaria - Königreich Bayern
6. Bremen - Free Hanseatic City of Bremen - Freie Hansestadt Bremen
7. Brunswick - Duchy of Brunswick - Herzogtum Braunschweig
8. Hamburg - Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg - Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg
9. Hesse - Grand Duchy of Hesse - Großherzogtum Hessen
10. Lippe - Principality of Lippe - Fürstentum Lippe
11. Lübeck - Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck - Freie und Hansestadt Lübeck
12. Mecklenburg-Schwerin - Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin - Großherzogtum Mecklenburg-Schwerin
13. Mecklenburg-Strelitz - Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz - Großherzogtum Mecklenburg-Strelitz
14. Oldenburg - Grand Duchy of Oldenburg - Großherzogtum Oldenburg
15. Prussia - Kingdom of Prussia - Königreich Preußen
16. Reuss-Gera or Reuss Younger Line - Principality of Reuss-Gera or Reuss Younger Line - Fürstentum Reuss-Gera oder Reuss jüngere Linie
17. Reuss-Greiz or Reuss Elder Line - Principality of Reuss-Greiz or Reuss Elder Line - Fürstentum Reuss-Greiz oder Reuss ältere Linie
18. Saxony - Kingdom of Saxony - Königreich Sachsen
19. Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach - Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach - Großherzogtum Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach
20. Saxe-Meiningen - Grand Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen - Herzogtum Sachsen-Meiningen
21. Saxe-Altenburg - Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg - Herzogtum Sachsen-Altenburg
22. Saxe-Coburg-Gotha - Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha - Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha
23. Schaumburg-Lippe - Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe - Fürstentum Schaumburg-Lippe
24. Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt - Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt - Fürstentum Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
25. Schwarzburg-Sondershausen - Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen - Fürstentum Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
26. Waldeck-Pyrmont - Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont - Fürstentum Waldeck-Pyrmont
27. Württemberg - Kingdom of Württemberg - Königreich Württemberg

German States - by status

1. Kingdoms:
1. Bavaria - Kingdom of Bavaria - Königreich Bayern
2. Prussia - Kingdom of Prussia - Königreich Preußen
3. Saxony - Kingdom of Saxony - Königreich Sachsen
4. Württemberg - Kingdom of Württemberg - Königreich Württemberg
2. Grand Duchies:
1. Baden - Grand Duchy of Baden - Großherzogtum Baden
2. Hesse - Grand Duchy of Hesse - Großherzogtum Hessen
3. Mecklenburg-Schwerin - Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin - Großherzogtum Mecklenburg-Schwerin
4. Mecklenburg-Strelitz - Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz - Großherzogtum Mecklenburg-Strelitz
5. Oldenburg - Grand Duchy of Oldenburg - Großherzogtum Oldenburg
6. Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach - Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach - Großherzogtum Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach
3. Duchies:
1. Anhalt - Duchy of Anhalt - Herzogtum Anhalt
2. Brunswick - Duchy of Brunswick - Herzogtum Braunschweig
3. Saxe-Meiningen - Grand Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen - Herzogtum Sachsen-Meiningen
4. Saxe-Altenburg - Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg - Herzogtum Sachsen-Altenburg
5. Saxe-Coburg-Gotha - Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha - Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha
4. Principalities:
1. Lippe - Principality of Lippe - Fürstentum Lippe
2. Reuss-Gera or Reuss Younger Line - Principality of Reuss-Gera or Reuss Younger Line - Fürstentum Reuss-Gera oder Reuss jüngere Linie
3. Reuss-Greiz or Reuss Elder Line - Principality of Reuss-Greiz or Reuss Elder Line - Fürstentum Reuss-Greiz oder Reuss ältere Linie
4. Schaumburg-Lippe - Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe - Fürstentum Schaumburg-Lippe
5. Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt - Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt - Fürstentum Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
6. Schwarzburg-Sondershausen - Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen - Fürstentum Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
7. Waldeck-Pyrmont - Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont - Fürstentum Waldeck-Pyrmont
5. Free Cities:
1. Bremen - Free Hanseatic City of Bremen - Freie Hansestadt Bremen
2. Hamburg - Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg - Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg
3. Lübeck - Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck - Freie und Hansestadt Lübeck
6. Other territories:
1. Alsace-Lorraine - Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine - Reichsland Elsass-Lothringen

Civil Flags or Landesfarben

The [civil] flags of German states were generally horizontal stripes [or Landesfarben]:

1. Kingdoms:
1. Prussia - Preußen: black-white (see also Prussian Provinces)
2. Bavaria - Bayern: white-blue
3. Saxony - Sachsen (Kingdom): white-green
4. Württemberg: black-dark red
2. Grand Duchies:
1. Baden: yellow-red-yellow
2. Hesse - Hessen: red-white
3. Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz: blue-yellow-red and blue-white-red both reported
4. Oldenburg: red St. George Cross on blue; also reported a red Scandinavian cross on blue.
5. Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach - Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach: black-yellow-green
3. Duchies:
1. Brunswick - Braunschweig: blue-yellow
2. Anhalt: red-green-white
3. Saxony-Meiningen - Sachsen-Meiningen and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha - Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha: green-white
4. Principalities:
1. Lippe: yellow-red
2. Reuss (senior and junior branches): black-red-yellow
3. Schaumburg-Lippe: white-red-blue
4. Waldeck and Pyrmont: black-red-yellow
5. Free Cities:
1. Bremen: eight red and white horizontal stripes, at the hoist chequered in two rows
2. Hamburg: white castle on red
3. Lübeck: white-red

(Editor's note: see also the Explanation of Landesfarben).

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