The flag of Portugal, its meaning, the history of appearance

Portugal is a small European state,located at the very edge of the continent. The country has a rich cultural and historical heritage, which is carefully preserved by its modern inhabitants. Some facts of the history of Portugal are directly reflected in its state symbols. What can its flag tell?

Description of the panel

Not everyone knows what the flag of Portugal looks like. This state symbol has a rectangular shape. The cloth is divided into two parts. The shaft has a green strip, which takes two-fifths of the entire length of the flag. The second part is made in bright red color and occupies, respectively, three fifths. The width refers to the length of the panel as two to three. In the center of the line separating the green and red parts, there is a fragment of the coat of arms of the country - a shield with an armillary sphere. Therefore, for a deeper understanding of the meaning of such symbols it is worthwhile to understand not only the meaning of each shade. You should also learn about the history of the coat of arms of Portugal.

History of appearance

The flag of Portugal was approved more than a hundred yearsback. It happened on June 30, 1911, some time after the collapse of the constitutional monarchy of the country. Above what flag of Portugal will be during the reign of the Republican Party, a special commission worked. It included a Portuguese artist Columban Bordal Pinheiro, Prime Minister Joao Pinheiro Chagash, writer and diplomat Abel Botelho. The combination of red and green was at that time a very bold decision, uncharacteristic for flags. The commission chose him in order to emphasize that the new country does not have in common with the previous monarchy. Since January 31, 1891, when the republican movement experienced an unsuccessful attempt at an uprising, these colors became the main symbol of the party.

What does each color mean?

Red is designed to symbolize the veryrevolution, this is an energetic shade of a determined people. Green color reminds the Portuguese of the reign of Henry the Navigator. His name is connected to them with hope and travel to new lands. The symbolism of the state emblem is connected with Henry the Navigator, which makes the green color particularly significant for the Portuguese. This flag of Portugal allows us to demonstrate the country's connection with its history. This is very important for any character of this kind.

What did the Portuguese flag look like?

Before the appearance of such a cloth one of the mainsymbols of the country looked completely different. The former flag was created in the time of King Afonso the First Great. Then it looked like a square white cloth with a blue cross. It was this design that persisted in the country right up to the establishment of the republican regime that took place on June 19, 1911. The National Assembly, which headed the republic, created a commission, which was to replace the symbol of the departed constitutional monarchy.

National emblem

Since in the center of the panel there is a fragmentanother state symbol, its value also deserves attention. Without him, it is impossible to understand the flag of Portugal. The emblem of the country looks like a gold armillary sphere, on which the shield is located. It is silver with a scarlet border and is decorated with seven castles of gold color. In the center are located five small azure shields. On them there are five silver bezants, arranged as follows: in the first and third row there are two, and in the center one. The golden laurel branches framing the sphere are bandaged with two ribbons. The colors that adorn the coat of arms, the flag of Portugal shows, too, so the commission of the creators wanted to connect the two symbols with a single meaning. And she succeeded.

History and meaning of the arms

This symbol was created in the process of combatingArab conquerors of the Iberian Peninsula. The blue shields depicted on the arms are reminiscent of King Afonso the First Enrique, who defeated his Saracenic opponents in 1139. In the battle, the Earl received five wounds, which is reminiscent of the silver circles, the bezant. The scarlet rim and the golden castles recall the coat of arms of Castile. They were added after the marriage of Afonso the Third to Beatrice, the daughter of the Castilian king. Locks were won from Mauritania by Portugal at the time of the Reconquista. The armillary sphere, on which the coat of arms is located, recalls the glory and greatness of the country in the era of geographical discoveries. It is a tool by which the coordinates of the heavenly bodies are determined. The sphere is formed by a moving part with a horizon and a meridian, as well as a celestial equator. A wide ring on it is decorated with images of the zodiac signs, and smaller rings depict the northern and southern tropics. Until the seventies of the twentieth century it was assumed that the armillary sphere also symbolized the magnitude of the colonial empire. Now it has broken up. The branches of the laurel, surrounding the coat of arms, symbolize the glory of the state. This symbol was adopted on the same day as the flag, namely on June 30, 1911.