View source for Flag of Denmark

{{short description|none}}
<noinclude>{{Requested move notice|1=Dannebrog|2=Talk:Dannebrog#Requested move 24 July 2025}}
</noinclude>{{Infobox flag
| Name = Denmark
| Article = 
| Image = Flag of Denmark.svg
| Alt = 
| Noborder = <!-- Leave blank for rectangular flag; for non-rectangular flag, type "no". -->
| Morenicks = 
| Use = 100100
| Symbol = {{FIAV|100100}} {{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Mirror}} {{FIAV|Vertical normal}}
| Proportion = 28:37 national<ref name="R.1748"/><ref name="encyklopædien" /><br>56:107 royal
| Adoption = {{Start date and age|15 June 1219}} (Dannebrog legend)<br />{{Start date and age|1625|5|8|df=y}} (recognised as national flag)<ref name="world-record"/>
| Design = A white Nordic cross with a red background
| Relinquished = 
| Nickname2 = {{lang|da|Rigets flag}}—Flag of the Kingdom [of Denmark]; <br /> also known as {{lang|da|Splitflaget}}
| Image2 = Flag of Denmark (state).svg
| Alt2 = 
| Noborder2 = yes
| Morenicks2 = 
| Use2 = 011010
| Symbol2 = {{FIAV|011010}} {{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Mirror}}
| Proportion2 = 56:107<ref name="encyklopædien" />
| Adoption2 = 
| Design2 = 
| Nickname3 = {{lang|da|Orlogsflag}}
| Image3 = Naval Ensign of Denmark.svg
| Alt3 = 
| Noborder3 = yes
| Morenicks3 = 
| Use3 = 000001
| Symbol3 = {{FIAV|000001}} {{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Mirror}}
| Proportion3 = 7:17<ref name="encyklopædien" />
| Adoption3 = 11 June 1748
| Design3 = 
}}

The '''flag of [[Denmark]]''' ({{langx|da|Dannebrog}}, {{IPA|da|ˈtænəˌpʁoˀ|pron}})<ref>The word ''Dannebrog'' is recorded since the 19th century, and in the opinion of A. D. Jørgensen ("Om Danebroges Oprindelse", ''Historiske Afhandlinger'' 2, 1899), the word may be of medieval coinage. Old Danish ''brog'' continues Old Norse ''[[:wikt:brók|brók]]'' "piece of cloth; breeches, trousers"; the word is not now current in Danish outside of composition, and the ''[http://ordnet.dk/ods/ordbog?query=brog Ordbog over det danske Sprog ]'' (1920 edition) listed it as "dated or poetic" (''foræld. og poet.'') for "trousers".</ref> is red with a white [[Nordic cross flag|Nordic cross]], which means that the cross extends to the edges of the [[flag]] and that the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side.

A banner with a white-on-red cross is attested as having been used by the [[kings of Denmark]] since the 14th century.<ref name=bjerg>"Dannebrog" by Hans Christian Bjerg, p.12, {{ISBN|87-7739-906-4}}.</ref> An origin legend with considerable impact on Danish national historiography connects the introduction of the flag to the [[Battle of Lyndanisse|Battle of Lindanise]] of 1219.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9_GfdBAASUQC&pg=PA27 |author=Andrew Evans|title=Iceland|year=2008|publisher=Bradt|isbn=9781841622156|quote=Legend states that a red cloth with the white cross simply fell from the sky in the middle of the 13th-century Battle of Valdemar, after which the Danes were victorious. As a badge of divine right, Denmark flew its cross in the other Scandinavian countries it ruled and as each nation gained independence, they incorporated the Christian symbol.|access-date=2007-12-31}}
Inge Adriansen, ''Nationale symboler'', Museum Tusculanum Press, 2003, p. 129: "Fra begyndelsen af 1400-tallet kan Dannebrog med sikkerhed dokumenteres som rigsflag, det vil sige statsmagtens og kongens flag" (English: "Dannebrog can with certainty be documented as flag of the [[Reich|realm]], that is the flag of the authority of state and of the king, from the beginning of the 1400s")</ref>

The elongated Nordic cross, which represents [[Christianity]], reflects its use as a maritime flag in the 18th century.<ref>The medieval flags displaying crosses can be traced to the [[crusades]] and were later used as representing saints (as in the [[Saint George's Cross|Saint George's Flag]]), the cross representing Christianity
{{cite book |author=Jeroen Temperman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Khag6tbsIn4C&pg=PA88 |title=State Religion Relationships and Human Rights Law |publisher=[[Martinus Nijhoff Publishers]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-9004181489 |quote=Many predominantly Christian states show a cross, symbolizing Christianity, on their national flag. Scandinavian crosses or Nordic crosses on the flags of the Nordic countries–Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden–also represent Christianity. |access-date=2007-12-31}}. The elongated cross design was subsequently adopted by other [[Nordic countries]]: [[Flag of Sweden|Sweden]], [[Flag of Norway|Norway]], [[Flag of Finland|Finland]], [[Flag of Iceland|Iceland]], and the [[Flag of the Faroe Islands|Faroe Islands]], as well as by the [[United Kingdom|British]] archipelagos of [[Flag of Shetland|Shetland]] and [[Flag of Orkney|Orkney]].</ref> The flag became popular as a [[national flag]] in the early 16th century. Its private use was outlawed in 1834 but again permitted by a regulation of 1854. The flag holds the [[Guinness World Records|Guinness world record]] of being the oldest continuously used national flag, that is since 1625.<ref name="world-record">{{cite web | url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/oldest-continuously-used-national-flag/ | title=Oldest continuously used national flag | work=Guinness World Records | access-date=2023-11-10}}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:CyclingTeamPursuitBeijing2008.jpg|thumb|left|The Danish flag at the medal ceremony for the [[Cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's team pursuit|men's team pursuit at the 2008 Summer Olympics]] in Beijing]]

A 1748 regulation, which is still in force, defines the flag as constructed of two squares of {{frac|4|4}}, with a white cross {{frac|1|7}} the height of the flag and the two rectangular fields as {{frac|6|4}}.<ref name="R.1748">{{cite web |url=https://www.retsinformation.dk/Forms/R0710.aspx?id=59171 |title=Forordning om Coffardi-Skibes og Commis-Farernes samt de octrojerede Compagniers Skibes Flag og Giøs, samt Vimpeler og Fløie af 11. juli 1748 |date=7 November 1748 |access-date= 21 August 2016 |language=da}}</ref> Multiplying the proportions by three to get whole numbers gives the proportions in the construction sheet below (28 divided by 4 being 7 for the white cross).<!-- Specifically, it gives the proportions 28 (12:4:12) by 34 (12:4:18). A longer (37; 12:4:21) version seems to be in common use, but there is no source for it being the official ratio.) --><!-- unsourced section: "In May 1893 a new regulation to all chiefs of police stated that the police should not intervene, if the two last fields in the flag were longer than  6⁄4 as long as these did not exceed  7⁄4, and provided that this was the only rule violated. [citation needed] This regulation is still in effect today and thus the legal proportions of the National flag today are 3:1:3 in width and anywhere between 3:1:4.5 and 3:1:5.25 in length."
The way that it is presented here, a police regulation to show leeway for minor deviations in no way makes the "legal proportions" of the flag to be "anywhere between 3:1:4.5 and 3:1:5.25 in length", while the 1748 regulation is still in force. This needs real sources or should not be included in the article. -->

=== Colour ===
No official definition of "Dannebrog rød" exists. The private company ''Dansk Standard'', regulation number 359 (2005), defines the red colour of the flag as [[Pantone]] 186c.

=== Construction sheet ===
{{gallery
|height=250
|width=380
|File:Flag of Denmark-proportions-en.svg|Flag construction sheet
}}

== History ==
{{More citations needed section|date=March 2019}}

=== 1219 origin legend ===
[[File:Danmarks flag 1219 Lorentzen.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Dannebrog falling from the sky during the [[Battle of Lyndanisse|Battle of Lindanise]], 15 June 1219. Painted by [[Christian August Lorentzen]] in 1809. Original located at {{lang|da|[[Statens Museum for Kunst]]|italic=no}}, Denmark.]]
[[File:Danish flag info sign.jpg|thumb|left|Information sign at Guinness World Records Copenhagen]]
A tradition recorded in the 16th century traces the origin of the flag to the campaigns of [[Valdemar II of Denmark]] (r. 1202&ndash;1241). The oldest of them is in [[Christiern Pedersen]]'s ''Danske Krønike'', which is a sequel to [[Saxo Grammaticus]]'s {{Lang|la|[[Gesta Danorum]]}}, which was written in 1520 to 1523. Here, the flag falls from the sky during one of Valdemar's military campaigns overseas. Pedersen also states that the very same flag was taken into exile by [[Eric of Pomerania]] in 1440.

The second source is the writing of the [[Franciscan]] friar [[Petrus Olai]] (Peder Olsen) of [[Roskilde]] (died {{Circa|1570}}). This record describes a battle in 1208 near [[Viljandi|Fellin]] during the [[Livonian Crusade|Estonia campaign]] of King [[Valdemar II]]. The Danes were all but defeated when a lamb-skin banner depicting a white cross fell from the sky and miraculously led to a Danish victory. In a third account, also by Petrus Olai,{{dubious|date=July 2016}} in ''Danmarks Tolv Herligheder'' ("Twelve Splendours of Denmark"), in splendour number nine, the same story is retold almost verbatim, with a paragraph inserted correcting the year to 1219.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}<!--the existence of such a work cannot be substantiated except for mentions in passing in exactly this context (Dannebrog). Also, if it exists, it is not clear that "Peder Olsen" is the same Peder as the Petrus Olai of Roskild--> Now, the flag is falling from the sky in the [[Battle of Lyndanisse|Battle of Lindanise]], also known as the Battle of Valdemar (Danish: ''Volmerslaget''), near [[Lindanise]] (Tallinn) in [[Estonia]], of 15 June 1219.

It is this third account that has been the most influential, and some historians{{Who|date=April 2010}} have treated it as the primary account taken from a (lost) source dating to the first half of the 15th century.

In Olai's account, the battle was going badly, and defeat seemed imminent. However the Danish bishop, [[Anders Sunesen]], was on top of a hill overlooking the battle and prayed to God with his arms raised. The Danes moved closer to victory as prayed. When he raised his arms, the Danes surged forward, but when his arms grew tired, and he let them fall, the Estonians turned the Danes back. Attendants rushed forward to raise his arms once again, and the Danes again surged forward, but for a second time he grew so tired that he dropped his arms, and the Danes again lost the advantage and became closer to defeat. He needed two soldiers to keep his hands up (a story almost identical to the battle described in Exodus 17:11-12). When the Danes were about to lose, the ''Dannebrog'' miraculously fell from the sky. The King took it and showed it to the troops, their hearts were filled with courage, and the Danes won the battle.

The possible historical nucleus behind this origin legend was extensively discussed by Danish historians in the 19th to 20th centuries. One such example is [[Adolf Ditlev Jørgensen]], who argued that [[Theoderich, Bishop of Estonia|Bishop Theoderich]] was the original instigator of the 1218 inquiry from Bishop [[Albert of Buxhoeveden]] to King [[Valdemar II of Denmark|Valdemar II]] which led to the Danish participation in the Baltic crusades. Jørgensen speculates that Bishop Theoderich might have carried the Knight Hospitaller's banner in the 1219 battle and that "the enemy thought this was the King's symbol and mistakenly stormed Bishop Theoderich tent. He claims that the origin of the legend of the falling flag comes from this confusion in the battle".<ref name="Adolf Ditlev Jørgensen 1875"/>

The Danish church-historian L. P. Fabricius (1934)<ref>L. P. Fabricius ''Sagnet om Dannebrog og de ældste Forbindelser med Estland'' (1934)</ref> ascribes the origin to the 1208 Battle of Fellin, not the [[Battle of Lyndanisse|Battle of Lindanise]] in 1219, based on the earliest source available about the story. Fabricius speculated that it might have been Archbishop [[Andreas Sunesøn]]'s personal ecclesiastical banner or perhaps even the flag of Archbishop [[Absalon]] under whose initiative and supervision several smaller crusades had already been conducted in Estonia. The banner would then already be known in Estonia. Fabricius repeats Jørgensen's idea about the flag being planted in front of Bishop Theodorik's tent, which the enemy mistakenly attacked believing it to be the tent of the King.

A different theory is briefly discussed by Fabricius and elaborated more by Helge Bruhn (1949). Bruhn interprets the story in the context of the widespread tradition of the miraculous appearance of crosses in the sky in Christian legend, specifically comparing such an event attributed to a battle of 10 September 1217 near [[Alcácer do Sal|Alcazar]] in which it is said that a golden cross on white appeared in the sky and brought victory to the Christians.<ref name="Bruhn1949">{{cite book|author=Helge Bruhn|title=Dannebrog: og danske faner gennem tiderne|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WIXUAAAAMAAJ|year=1949|publisher=Jespersen og Pio|pages=17–}}</ref>

In Swedish national historiography of the 18th century, there is a tale paralleling the Danish legend, in which 
a golden cross appears in the blue sky during a Swedish battle in Finland in 1157.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Flag of Scania - ENG Part 1 |url=https://www.skaneflaggan.nu/04_flaggskriften/flageng/index.html |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=www.skaneflaggan.nu}}</ref>

=== Middle Ages ===
[[File:Gelre Folio 55v.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[Gelre Armorial]] (fol. 55v), the entry for the king of Denmark showing the white-on-red cross banner]]
The white-on-red cross emblem originates in the age of the [[Crusade]]s. In the 12th century, it was also used as [[Reichssturmfahne|war flag]] by the [[Holy Roman Empire]].

In the ''[[Gelre Armorial]]'', dated {{circa}} 1340–1370, such a banner is shown alongside the [[coat of arms of Denmark|coat of arms]] of the [[king of Denmark]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flaggenlexikon.de/fdaen.htm |title=National Flagge des Königreich Dänemark|access-date=2005-02-14 |author=Volker Preuß|language=de}}</ref> This is the earliest known undisputed colour rendering of the Dannebrog. About the same time, [[Valdemar IV of Denmark]] displays a cross in his coat of arms on his ''Danælog'' seal (''Rettertingsseglet'', dated 1356). The image from the Armorial Gelre is nearly identical to an image found in a 15th-century coat of arms book now located in the [[National Archives of Sweden]] (''Riksarkivet''). The seal of [[Eric of Pomerania]] (1398) as king of the [[Kalmar Union]] displays the arms of Denmark's chief dexter, three lions. In this version, the lions hold a Dannebrog banner.

<gallery class="center">
File:War flag of the Holy Roman Empire (1200-1350).svg|Reichssturmfahne of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]
File:Royal Banner of Denmark (14th Century).svg|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]]The royal banner of the kings of Denmark based on the royal coat of arms
File:Erikafpommernsdanskeunionssegl.jpg|Seal of [[Eric of Pomerania]] as king of the [[Kalmar union]], 1398. A small Dannebrog banner is depicted as held by the three Danish lions in the top-left corner.
</gallery>

The reason that the kings of Denmark in the 14th century began displaying the cross banner in their coats of arms is unknown. Caspar Paludan-Müller (1873) suggested that it may reflect a banner sent by the pope to support the king during the [[Livonian Crusade]].<ref>

Caspar Paludan-Müller ''Sagnet om den himmelfaldne Danebrogsfane'' (1873)</ref> [[Adolf Ditlev Jørgensen]] (1875) identifies the banner as that of the [[Flag of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta|Knights Hospitaller]], an order that had a presence in Denmark from the later 12th century.<ref name="Adolf Ditlev Jørgensen 1875">Adolf Ditlev Jørgensen, ''Danebroges Oprindelse'' (1875)</ref>

Several coins, seals and images exist, both foreign and domestic, from the 13th to the 15th centuries and even earlier and show similar heraldic designs similar, alongside the [[Coat of Arms of Denmark|royal coat of arms]] (three blue lions on a golden shield.)

[[File:Saxo Chr P front version 002.png|thumb|upright|The Danish flag from the front page of [[Christiern Pedersen]]'s version of [[Saxo Grammaticus]]'s {{Lang|la|[[Gesta Danorum]]}}, 1514 (see [[:File:Saxo Chr P front version 001.jpg|here]] for a larger version)]]

There is a record suggesting that the Danish Army had a "chief banner" (''hoffuitbanner'') in the early 16th century. Such a banner is mentioned in 1570 by Niels Hemmingsøn in the context of a 1520 battle between Danes and Swedes near [[Uppsala]] as nearly captured by the Swedes but saved by the heroic actions of the banner-carrier [[Mogens Gyldenstierne]] and [[Peder Skram]]. The legend attributing the [[#1219 origin legend|miraculous origin]] of the flag to the campaigns of [[Valdemar II of Denmark]] (r. 1202-1241) was recorded by [[Christiern Pedersen]] and [[Petrus Olai]] in the 1520s.

[[Hans Svaning]]'s ''History of King Hans'' from 1558 to 1559 and [[Johan Rantzau]]'s ''History about the Last [[Dithmarschen]] War'', from 1569, record the further fate of the Danish ''hoffuitbanner'': According to the tradition, the original flag from the Battle of Lindanise was used in the small campaign of 1500, when [[John, King of Denmark|King Hans]] tried to conquer [[Dithmarschen]] (in western [[Holstein]] in northern [[Germany]]). The flag was lost in a devastating defeat at the [[Battle of Hemmingstedt]], on 17 February 1500. In 1559, King [[Frederick II of Denmark|Frederik II]] recaptured it during his own [[Dithmarschen]] campaign.

In 1576, the son of Johan Rantzau, [[Henrik Rantzau]], also writes about the war and the fate of the flag, noting that the flag was in a poor condition when returned. He records that the flag after its return to Denmark was placed in the cathedral in [[City of Schleswig|Slesvig]]. Slesvig historian [[Ulrik Petersen]] (1656–1735) confirms the presence of such a banner in the cathedral in the early 17th century and records that it had crumbled away by about 1660.

Contemporary records describing the battle of Hemmingstedt make no reference to the loss of the original Dannebrog, although the capitulation state that all Danish banners lost in 1500 was to be returned. In a letter dated 22 February 1500 to [[Oluf Stigsøn]], King John describes the battle but does not mention the loss of an important flag. In fact, the entire letter gives the impression that the lost battle was of limited importance. In 1598, [[Neocorus]] wrote that the banner captured in 1500 was brought to the church in [[Wöhrden]] and hung there for the next 59 years until it was returned to the Danes as part of the peace settlement in 1559.

===Modern period ===
[[File:Otto Bache - Soldaternes hjemkomst til København i 1849.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Danish soldiers return to Copenhagen after the [[Battle of Fredericia]] (1849), a Danish victory against German insurgents in [[Duchy of Holstein|Holstein]] and [[Duchy of Schleswig|Schleswig]] in the [[First Schleswig War]] (1894 painting by [[Otto Bache]])]]
[[File:Danish West Indies, from Flags of All Nations, Series 2 (N10) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands MET DP841370.jpg|thumb|[[Cigarette card]] of 1890, depicting the [[royal standard]] of the [[Danish West Indies]]]]

Used as a maritime flag since the 16th century, the Dannebrog was introduced as a regimental flag in the Danish army in 1785, and for the militia (landeværn) in 1801. From 1842, it was used as the flag of the entire army.<ref name=Achen108>Sven Tito Achen, '' Heraldikkens femten glæder'' (1978), p. 108f.</ref>

During the first half of the 19th century, in parallel to the development of [[Romantic nationalism]] in other European countries, the military flag increasingly came to be seen as representing the nation itself. Poems of the period invoking the ''Dannebrog'' were written by B.S. Ingemann, N.F.S. Grundtvig, Oehlenschläger, Chr. Winther and H.C. Andersen.<ref name=Achen108/> By the 1830s, the military flag had become popular as an unofficial national flag, and its use by private citizens was outlawed in a circular enacted on 7 January 1834.

In the national enthusiasm sparked by the [[First Schleswig War]] from 1848 to 1850, the flag was still very widely displayed, and the prohibition of private use was repealed in a regulation of 7 July 1854 that for the first time allowed Danish citizens to display the Dannebrog (but not the swallow-tailed ''Splitflag'' variant.<ref>''[https://www.retsinformation.dk/Forms/R0710.aspx?id=58409 Cirkulærer om ophævelse af forbuddet mod flagning i kanceli cirkulære af 7. januar 1834]'' (retsinformation.dk)</ref> Special permission to use the ''Splitflag'' was given to individual institutions and private companies, especially after 1870.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} In 1886, the war ministry introduced a regulation indicating that the flag should be flown from military buildings on thirteen specified days, including royal birthdays, the date of the signing of the Constitution of 5 June 1849 and days of remembrance for military battles. In 1913, the naval ministry issued its own list of flag days. On 10 April 1915, the hoisting of any other flag on Danish soil was prohibited.<ref>''International Law Studies'', Naval War College (U.S.), 1918, [https://books.google.com/books?id=trmPvyYVRhgC&pg=PA83 p. 83].</ref> The prohibition was lifted on 24 June 2023, after a Supreme Court ruling.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-23 |title=Fra på lørdag er der fri bane til at flage med andre nationers flag i Danmark (From Saturday it's allowed to hoist other nations' flags in Denmark) |url=https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/seneste/paa-loerdag-er-der-fri-bane-til-flage-med-andre-nationers-flag-i-danmark |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=DR |language=da-DK}}</ref> From 1939 to 2012, the yearbook ''Hvem-Hvad-Hvor'' included a list of flag days. As of 2019, flag days can be viewed at the [https://www.justitsministeriet.dk/temaer/flagning/flagdage/ "Ministry of Justice (Justitsministeriet)"] as well as [http://www.danmarks-samfundet.dk "The Denmark Society (Danmarks-Samfundet)"].

== Variants ==
=== Maritime flag and corresponding Kingdom flag ===
[[File:DannebrogUpDSR.ogv|thumb|left|The Rigets flag/Splitflag raised at the opening of the DSR rowing club]]

{{flag image|Image = Flag of Denmark (state).svg|NoBorder = yes|NoCentering = yes|Caption = {{FIAV|011010}}{{FIAV|normal}}''Rigets flag'' – the Danish state flag <br /> Also known as the ''Splitflag''.<br> Proportions: 56:107<ref name="encyklopædien">[[Store Danske Encyklopædi]] – entry "Danmark -nationalflag"</ref><!--proportions frequently rendered as: horizontally: 3+1+5 5/8 ; vertically: 3+1+3-->|Width=210}}

{{flag image|Image = Naval Ensign of Denmark.svg|NoBorder = yes|NoCentering = yes|Caption = {{FIAV|000001}}{{FIAV|normal}} The ''Orlogsflag'' – the Danish naval flag.<br> Proportions: 7:17<ref name="encyklopædien" /><!--proportions frequently rendered as: horizontally: 3+1+13 ; vertically: 3+1+3-->|Width=210}}

The size and shape of the [[civil ensign]] (''Koffardiflaget'') for merchant ships is given in the regulation of 11 June 1748, which says: "A red flag with a white cross with no split end. The white cross must be {{frac|7}} of the flag's height. The two first fields must be square in form and the two outer fields must be {{frac|6|4}} lengths of those". The proportions are thus: 3:1:3 vertically and 3:1:4.5 horizontally. This definition are the absolute proportions for the Danish national flag to this day, for both the civil version of the flag (''Stutflaget''), as well as the merchant flag (''Handelsflaget''). The civil flag and the merchant flag are identical in colour and design.

A regulation passed in 1758 required Danish ships sailing in the [[Mediterranean]] to carry the [[royal cypher]] in the center of the flag to distinguish them from Maltese ships because of its similarity of the [[flag of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta]].

According to the regulation of 11 June 1748, the colour was simply red, which is common known today as "Dannebrog rød" ("Dannebrog red"). The only red fabric dye then available was made of [[Rubia|madder root]], which can be processed to produce a brilliant red dye and was used historically for British and Danish and soldiers' jackets. A regulation of 4 May 1927 once again stated that Danish merchant ships had to fly flags according to the regulation of 1748.

The first regulation regarding the ''Splitflag'' dates from 27 March 1630, in which King [[Christian IV of Denmark|Christian IV]] ordered that Norwegian ''Defensionskibe'' (armed merchants ships) were allowed to use only the ''Splitflag'' if they were in Danish war service. In 1685, an order was distributed to a number of cities in [[Duchy of Schleswig|Slesvig]] and stated that all ships had to carry the Danish flag, and in 1690, all merchant ships were forbidden to use the ''Splitflag'' except for ships sailing in the [[East Indies]], the [[West Indies]] or along the coast of [[Africa]]. In 1741, it was confirmed that the regulation of 1690 was still very much in effect that merchant ships were not allowed to use the ''Splitflag''. At the same time, the [[Danish East India Company]] was allowed to fly the ''Splitflag'' past the [[equator]].

Some confusion must have existed regarding the ''Splitflag''. In 1696 the Admiralty, presented the King with a proposal for a standard regulating both size and shape of the ''Splitflag''. In the same year, a royal resolution defined the proportions of the ''Splitflag'', which was called ''Kongeflaget'' (the King's flag), as follows: "The cross must be {{frac|7}} of the flags height. The two first fields must be square in form with the sides three times the cross width. The two outer fields are rectangular and {{Frac|1|1|2}} the length of the square fields. The tails are the length of the flag".

Those numbers are still the base for the ''Splitflag'' and the ''Orlogsflag'' though the numbers have been slightly altered. The term ''Orlogsflag'' dates from 1806 and denotes its use in the Danish Navy.

From about 1750 to the early 19th century, a number of ships and companies in which the government has interests received approval to use the ''Splitflag''.

In the royal resolution of 25 October 1939 for the Danish Navy, it was stated that the ''Orlogsflag'' is a ''Splitflag'' with a deep red (''dybrød'') or madder red (''kraprød'') colour. As for the national flag, no shade was given, but it is now stated as 195U. Furthermore, the size and the shape were corrected in the new resolution: "The cross must be {{frac|7}} of the flag's height. The two first fields must be square in form with the height of {{Frac|3|7}} of the flag's height. The two outer fields are rectangular and {{frac|5|4}} the length of the square fields. The tails are {{frac|6|4}} the length of the rectangular fields". Thus, if compared to the standard of 1696, both the rectangular fields and the tails have decreased in size.

The ''Splitflag'' and ''Orlogsflag'' have similar shapes but different sizes and shades of red. Legally, they are two different flags. The ''Splitflag'' is a Danish flag ending in a swallow-tail, it is ''Dannebrog red'' and is used on land. The ''Orlogsflag'' is an elongated ''Splitflag'' with a deeper red colour and is used only at sea.

The ''Orlogsflag'' with no markings may be used only by the [[Royal Danish Navy]], but there are a few exceptions. A few institutions have been allowed to fly the clean ''Orlogsflag''. The same flag with markings has been approved for a few dozen companies and institutions over the years.

Furthermore, the ''Orlogsflag'' is described as such only if it has no additional markings. Any swallow-tail flag, no matter the colour, is called a ''Splitflag'' provided it bears additional markings.

=== Royal standards ===
===Monarch===
The current version of the [[royal standard]] was introduced on 1 January 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nye kongelige flag |url=https://www.kongehuset.dk/nyheder/nye-kongelige-flag |date=1 January 2025 |access-date=5 January 2025 |language=da |website=www.kongehuset.dk}}</ref> after King [[Frederik X]] adopted a new version of his personal coat of arms on 20 December 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fastsættelse af nyt kongevåben |url=https://www.kongehuset.dk/nyheder/fastsaettelse-af-nyt-kongevaaben |date=1 January 2025 |access-date=5 January 2025 |language=da |website=www.kongehuset.dk}}</ref> The royal standard is the flag of Denmark with a swallow-tail and charged with the [[coat of arms of Denmark|monarch's coat of arms]] set in a white squared panel. The centre panel is 32 parts in a flag with the ratio 56:107.

{{Flag image|Image = Royal Standard of Denmark.svg|Width = 300|Pos = center|Caption ={{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Mirror}} Royal standard of Denmark|NoBorder = yes|NoCentering = yes}}

===Other members of the royal family===
<gallery class="center">
File:Standard of Queen Mary of Denmark (2025).svg|{{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Mirror}} Standard of [[Queen Mary of Denmark]]
File:Standard of the Crown Prince of Denmark (2025).svg|{{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Mirror}} Standard of [[Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark|Christian]], the Crown Prince of Denmark
File:Standard of the Regent of Denmark.svg|{{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Mirror}} Standard of the Regent of Denmark
File:Standard of the Royal House of Denmark.svg|{{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Mirror}} Standard of the Royal House that is used by other members of the [[Danish royal family|royal family]]
File:Standard of Frederik the Crown Prince of Denmark at Amalienborg.jpg|Standard of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark (now King Frederik X) flying at [[Amalienborg]] 
</gallery>

== Other flags in the Kingdom of Denmark ==
[[Greenland]] and the [[Faroe Islands]] are autonomous territories<ref name=territory>* {{Cite web|url=http://www.gfbv.it/3dossier/eu-min/autonomy.html|title=The working autonomies in Europe|publisher=[[Society for Threatened Peoples]]|quote=Denmark has established very specific territorial autonomies with its two island territories|last=Benedikter|first=Thomas|date=2006-06-19|access-date=2019-08-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309063149/http://www.gfbv.it/3dossier/eu-min/autonomy.html|archive-date=2008-03-09|url-status=dead}}
*{{Cite web|url=http://www.world-autonomies.info/tas/Greenland/Pages/default.aspx|title=Greenland|last=Ackrén|first=Maria|publisher=Autonomy Arrangements in the World|date=November 2017|quote=Faroese and Greenlandic are seen as official regional languages in the self-governing territories belonging to Denmark.|access-date=2019-08-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830110832/http://www.world-autonomies.info/tas/Greenland/Pages/default.aspx|archive-date=2019-08-30|url-status=dead}}
*{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/countries/greenland_en|title=Greenland|date=2013-06-03|website=International Cooperation and Development|publisher=[[European Commission]]|language=en|access-date=2019-08-27|quote=Greenland [...] is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.norden.org/en/fakta-om-norden-1/the-nordic-countries-the-faroe-islands-greenland-and-aaland/facts-about-the-faroe-islands|title=Facts about the Faroe Islands|publisher=Nordic cooperation|access-date=1 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423094907/http://www.norden.org/en/fakta-om-norden-1/the-nordic-countries-the-faroe-islands-greenland-and-aaland/facts-about-the-faroe-islands|archive-date=23 April 2018|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all|quote=The Faroe Islands [...] is one of three autonomous territories in the Nordic Region}}</ref> within the Kingdom of Denmark. They have their own official flags.

<gallery class="center" align="center" widths="150">
File:Flag of the Faroe Islands.svg|<small>8:11</small> {{FIAV|110110}}{{FIAV|normal}} [[Flag of the Faroe Islands]]
File:Flag of Greenland.svg|<small>2:3</small> {{FIAV|110110}}{{FIAV|normal}} [[Flag of Greenland]]
</gallery>

Some areas in Denmark have unofficial flags. While they have no legal recognition or regulation, they can be used freely.

The regional flags of Bornholm and Ærø are occasionally used by locals of those islands and in tourist-related businesses.

The proposal for a flag of Jutland has hardly found any actual use, maybe in part because of its peculiar design.<ref>[http://www.harteg.dk/bornholmsflag/?Artikler:Bornholms_omr%E5deflag_afvist] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814094115/http://www.harteg.dk/bornholmsflag/?Artikler:Bornholms_omr%E5deflag_afvist|date=2014-08-14}} harteg.dk Bornholms områdeflag afvist</ref>

The flag of Vendsyssel (Vendelbrog) is seen infrequently, but locals recognise it. According to an article in the newspaper ''[[Nordjyske]]'', the flag had been used in the former insignia of Flight [[Eskadrille 723]] of [[Ålborg Air Base|Aalborg Air Base]], in the 1980s.

{| class="wikitable"
! width="110"|Flag!!width="100"|Date introduced!!width="250"|Use!!width="250"|Description
|-
| [[File:Flag of Ærø.svg|100px|border]] || 1633 || Unofficial flag of [[Ærø]] || Nearly square banner of horizontal yellow, green, and red stripes repeated three times. A historically incorrect version similar to the [[flag of Lithuania]] was used until 2015
|-
| [[File:Flag of Denmark Bornholm.svg|100px|border]] || 1970s || Unofficial [[flag of Bornholm]] || [[Nordic Cross Flag]] in red and green. Also known in a version with a white fimbriation of the green cross in a style similar to design of the [[Flag of Norway|Norwegian flag]]
|-
| [[File:Flag of Jutland.svg|100px]] || 1975 || Proposed flag of [[Jutland]] || [[Nordic Cross Flag]] in blue, green and red. Designed by [[Per Kramer]] in 1975<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.klauber-flag.dk/flag.asp?cmd%3Ddetails%26flag%3D1796 |title=Flag, Danneborg, dannebrogsflag, dannebrogsvimpler og dannebrogsstander |access-date=April 1, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530234340/http://www.klauber-flag.dk/flag.asp?cmd=details&flag=1796 |archive-date=May 30, 2013 }} klauber-flag.dk</ref> Rarely seen in use.
|-
| [[File:Unofficial flag of Vendsyssel.svg|100px|border]] || 1976 || Unofficial [[flag of Vendsyssel]] || [[Nordic Cross Flag]] in blue, orange and green<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.klauber-flag.dk/flag.asp?cmd%3Ddetails%26flag%3D3884 |title=Flag, Danneborg, dannebrogsflag, dannebrogsvimpler og dannebrogsstander |access-date=April 1, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530205252/http://www.klauber-flag.dk/flag.asp?cmd=details&flag=3884 |archive-date=May 30, 2013 }} klauber-flag.dk – Vendelbrog</ref> Designed by Mogens Bohøj.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://nordjyske.dk/nyheder/det-faldt-ikke-nedfra-himlen----/d7dd1a00-9f34-4eef-ab98-c88111bbf75e/4/1513| title = nordjyske.dk Det faldt ikke nedfra himlen ...| access-date = 2013-04-01| archive-date = 2016-12-14| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161214122551/http://nordjyske.dk/nyheder/det-faldt-ikke-nedfra-himlen----/d7dd1a00-9f34-4eef-ab98-c88111bbf75e/4/1513| url-status = dead}}</ref>
|}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Denmark|Faroe Islands}}

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Coat of Arms of Denmark]]
*[[Flag of Greenland]]
*[[Flag of the Faroe Islands]]
*[[List of Danish flags]]
*[[Nordic Cross flag]]
*[[Raven banner]]
*[[Flag and coat of arms of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta|Flag of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta]]
*[[Flag of Savoy]]
*[[Danish Protest Pig]], a breed of pig bred to look like the Danish flag.
*[[Flag of Sweden]]
*[[Flag of Norway]]
*[[Flag of Iceland]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

===General references===
{{more footnotes|date=June 2011}}
* [http://www.danmarks-samfundet.dk Danmarks-Samfundet] – several rules and customs about the use of Dannebrog
* ''Dannebrog'', Helga Bruhn, Forlaget Jespersen og Pios, Copenhagen 1949
* ''Danebrog – Danmarks Palladium'', E. D. Lund, Forlaget H. Hagerups, Copenhagen 1919
* ''Dannebrog – Vort Flag'', Lieutenant Colonel Thaulow, Forlaget Codan, Copenhagen 1943
* ''DS 359:2005 'Flagdug''', Dansk Standard, 2005

== External links ==
{{Commons category|National flag of Denmark}}
* {{FOTW|id=dk|title=Denmark}}
* [http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/fpage/explore/attractions/old_town/newwin-place/print/id-174827 Danish flag legendary birthplace in Estonia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120823051043/http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/fpage/explore/attractions/old_town/newwin-place/print/id-174827 |date=2012-08-23 }}
{{Clear}}
{{Denmark topics}}
{{Danish flags}}
{{Flag of Europe}}
{{nationalflags}}

[[Category:National symbols of Denmark]]
[[Category:National flags|Denmark]]
[[Category:Flags of Denmark| ]]
[[Category:Nordic cross flags|Denmark]]
[[Category:Red and white flags|Denmark]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]