Cross of Burgundy

The Cross of Burgundy (

Burgundy

The banner strictly speaking dates to the early 15th century, when the supporters of the Duke of Burgundy adopted the badge to show allegiance in the Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War. It represents the cross on which Andrew the Apostle was crucified. The design is a red saltire resembling two crossed, roughly-pruned, branches on a white field. In heraldic language, it may be blazoned argent, a saltire ragulée (or raguly) gules.

Pedro de Ayala, writing in the 1490s, claims a previous Duke of Burgundy first adopted this emblem to honour his Scottish soldiers. This must be a reference to the Scottish soldiers recruited by John the Fearless in the first years of the fifteenth century, led by the Earl of Mar and Earl of Douglas.^{[original research?]} However, earlier chronicle accounts and archaeological finds of heraldic badges from Paris indicate widespread adoption dates from 1411 in the context of factional warfare in the city. It was more likely to have been adopted because St. Andrew was the patron saint of the dukes of Burgundy.^[1]

Habsburgs and Spain

The year 1506 is the earliest use in Spain as it made appearance on the standards carried by Philip the Handsome's Burgundian life guards. Philip was Duke of Burgundy since 1482. After marrying Joanna of Castile, Philip became the first Habsburg King of Spain and used the Cross of Burgundy as an emblem. It was the symbol of the house of his mother, Mary of Burgundy.

From 1519 to 1556, during the reign of Philip and Joanna's son, Emperor

Users mostly have some direct or indirect relation to the historical Burgundy, though such connection can be very vague and lost in the mists of time. Owing to the impact of the Spanish Empire as a global powerhouse across the world, numerous flags and coats of arms of bodies, in various colours and in combination with other symbols can be found in old Spanish domains. Most of them have a direct link with the Spanish Empire, where this symbol had a global impact.

In Spain

• A
  Biscayan merchant ensign (inclusive of the so-called Consulate of Bilbao
  ) (c. 1511–1830)
• A pre-1785 general Spanish merchant and privateering flag
• The Spanish
  Carlist Flag, from the Spanish Civil War
  (1936–1939) up to the present
• The third co-official
  Francoist
  regime (1939–1975)
• In Spain some local flags and coats of arms display the cross of Burgundy in
  Castile-La Mancha (Las Labores) and Catalonia (Creixell
  ).
• A
  Basque Nationalist flag (for instance that of the Basque Alpinists
  in 1921–1978: Green Cross of Burgundy on white edged with red border)
• The Cross of Burgundy was used as a supporter in the
  Spanish Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon
  .
• The current
  fin flash on all the aircraft from the Spanish Armed Forces except the ones in the Navy, is a simplified monochrome version of the Cross of Burgundy.^[4]
• The Cross of Burgundy is present in many of the symbols of the units of the
  6th Paratroopers Brigade "Almogávares"
  one example among many others.

• A French army colour
  • Of the two line infantry regiments raised in the Franche-Comté of Burgundy: "Bourgogne" and "Royal-Comtois", both units raised in the late 17th century, together with the Household cavalry companies "Gendarmes Bourguignons" and "Chevaux Légers Bourguignons" and the Dijon, Autun, Vesoul and Salins provincial militia regiments
  • In the 1870 Franco-Prussian War, the militia "gardes mobiles" from Dijon wore a red Burgundian saltire on their left cuff or shoulder)
• Continuing Burgundian and "Comtois" regionalism in France is keen on the Cross of Burgundy
• The coat of arms of the French commune of Villers-Buzon bears a sort of yellow or white Burgundian saltire on a wider red saltire
• The new (2015) region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté does not use the Cross of Burgundy in its flag

In Belgium and the Austrian Netherlands

• The Austrian Netherlands' ensign in 1781–1786 was a black double-headed eagle on a red Burgundian saltire over a background of red over white over yellow

  

• As a
  Rexist Walloon Belgian Ultra-Right-wing flag and badge since 1940, including the Walloon Legion in German service on the Russian front, a unit eventually transferred to the Waffen-SS
  in 1943 (a red Cross of Burgundy, either on white or black)
• As the merchant ensign and badge of the Ostend Company (Austrian Netherlands) in 1717–1731
• The local flag and coat of arms of Philippeville (Belgium) bears a yellow Burgundian saltire on blue.
• The current
  Belgian naval ensign
  , which dates from 1950, may well be an homage to the cross of Burgundy

In the Netherlands

• The
  Military William Order
  , the foremost Dutch military decoration since 1815, bears a white Maltese cross and a green Burgundian saltire
• A similar style flag was used by the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands in the 15th and 16th centuries, which had been part of the Spanish Empire as well
• The flag of the Dutch municipality of Eijsden bears a red Burgundian saltire since 1966 (same for the municipal coat of arms or crest), also as a heritage of Burgundy, as a part of the Spanish Empire.

In North, Central and South America

During the

• In present-day Bolivia the Cross of Burgundy (which is represented with a golden crown in the center) is the official flag of the department of Chuquisaca.
• The Flag of Valdivia, which is composed of a red saltire on a white field is thought to have originated from the Spanish Cross of Burgundy, as the city of Valdivia in southern Chile was a very important stronghold of the Spanish Empire.
• The Cross of Burgundy appears on the coats of arms of the Chilean cities of Talca and Osorno.
• The Cross of Burgundy was used by
  right-wing nationalist, Hispansita, Monarchist and anti-Republican groups in Peru following the election of left-wing candidate Pedro Castillo^[8]

• The flags of Alabama and Florida each include a red saltire representing the cross of St. Andrew, deriving from the Cross of Burgundy used during Spanish colonial periods.
• The Cross of Burgundy is still flown at former Spanish fortifications such as
  Fort San Cristóbal and Fort San Felipe del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as well as the Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas in St. Augustine, Florida
  .

• 
  Flag of the Quito Revolution, a rebellion against Spanish authorities in Ecuador, where a flag with a reversed Cross of Burgundy was raised.
• 
  Coronela flag of the Spanish Tercios Morados Viejos Tercios division (old murrey or purpure)
• 
  Banner of the Burgundian Cross of Burgundy with firesteel and Golden Fleece.
• 
  Cross of Burgundy in red over a white flag was a flag of

  Requetés during Francoist Spain.^[9]

  (note: see the coat of arms of the king)
• 
  Flag and royal standard of New Spain.

Standard Colours (1700–1761)[2]	Royal Coat of arms of Spain Common Version of the Standard Colours (1761–1843)[2]

Coat of arms of Spain – Version of the Standard Colours (1843–1868, 1874–1931) Variant with the lesser royal arms quarters[2]	Coat of arms of Spain – Version of the Standard Colours (1871/1873) Reign of King Amadeo[2]	Coat of arms of Spain – Version of the Standard Colours (1874–1931) Variant with the national quarters[2]	King Juan Carlos I[2]

See also

• History of Spain
• Burgundy (disambiguation)
• Saint Patrick's Flag
• Vexillology

References