Byzantine flags and insignia

For most of its history, the

The single-headed Roman

The emblem mostly associated with the Byzantine Empire is the double-headed eagle. It is not of Byzantine invention, but a traditional Anatolian motif dating to Hittite times, and the Byzantines themselves only used it in the last centuries of the Empire.^[11][12] The date of its adoption by the Byzantines has been hotly debated by scholars.^[9]

In 1861, the Greek scholar

• 
  The double-headed eagle with the Palaiologos family monogram (ΠΑΛΓ), from Demetrios Palaiologos' personal bible.^[26][40]
• 
  Michael VIII Palaiologos standing on a suppedion decorated with single-headed eagles
• 
  John VI Kantakouzenos standing on a suppedion decorated with gold-embroidered double-headed eagles
• 
  Manuel II Palaiologos with his family. The two younger sons wear red robes with golden double-headed eagles
• 
  Alexios III of Trebizond and his wife Theodora Kantakouzene, wearing a robe with embroidered golden double-headed eagles
• 
  Arms of the despots Michael and Philip Palaiologos, envoys to the Council of Constance, by Ulrich of Richenthal^[41][42]
• 
  Seal of Demetrios Palaiologos, Despot of the Morea
• 
  Banner with the double-headed eagle, used in Western portolans to mark Trebizond in the 14th century
• 
  Arms of

  Count palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos, as Despot of Epirus^[29]

The tetragrammatic cross appears with great frequency in the 14th and 15th centuries: it appears on Byzantine coins during the joint rule of Andronikos II Palaiologos and his son Michael IX Palaiologos, on several Western portolans to designate Constantinople and other Byzantine cities, above one of the windows of the Palace of the Porphyrogenitus, and is described by pseudo-Kodinos as "the customary imperial banner" (basilikon phlamoulon).^[43][47][48] On coins, the "B"s were often accompanied by circles or stars up to the end of the Empire, while Western sources sometimes depict the Byzantine flag as a simple gold cross on red, without the "B"s.^[49][50] The symbol was also adopted by Byzantine vassals, like the Gattilusi who ruled Lesbos after 1355, or the Latin lords of Rhodes Vignolo dei Vignoli and Foulques de Villaret. It was placed on the walls of Galata, apparently as a sign of the Byzantine emperor's—largely theoretical—suzerainty over the Genoese colony. Along with the double-headed eagle, the tetragrammatic cross was also adopted as part of their family coat of arms by the cadet line of the Palaiologos dynasty ruling in Montferrat.^[48][51] It was also adopted in Serbia, with slight changes.^[52]

The interpretation of the emblem's symbolism hinges on the identification of the four devices either as letters or as firesteels, a dispute where even contemporary sources are inconsistent, and which has led to much scholarly debate since the time of the 17th-century scholars

• 
  Cross quartered with golden discs, the rendition based on the historian Babuin^[46]
• 
  Early 14th-century depiction of Constantinople during the

  1204 siege by the Fourth Crusade
• 
  Attributed arms of the Latin Empire from the reign of Philip I, who held the title of Latin Emperor of Constantinople from 1273 to 1283
• 
  tornese coin from the joint reign of John V Palaiologos

  and John VI Kantakouzenos (1347–1353)
• 
  The tetragrammatic cross emblem of the

  Palaiologos dynasty

  , from the 15th-century Harley 6163 manuscript
• 
  Imperial banner of the

  Conosçimiento de todos los reynos (ca. 1350)^[56]
• 
  Byzantine flag as shown on some portolan charts^[57]
• 
  The Byzantine imperial ensign of the 14th century according to Pietro Vesconte's portolan chart.
• 
  The Flag of Salloniq with 10 diagonal stripes and The Byzantine symbol present in the 14th century.
• 
  Bronze denaro of Domenico Gattilusio, lord of Lesbos in 1455–1458, with a large "D" on the obverse, and the tetragrammatic cross on the reverse
• 
  Arms of Stefan Uroš IV Dušan Nemanjic, King and later Emperor of Serbia, who held the title of Emperor of Serbs and Greeks, in the 14th century.
• 
  Serbian Cross variant
• 
  Arms of Serbian Orthodox Church
• 
  Arms of

  William IX Palaiologos

  , Marquess of Montferrat in 1494–1518
• 
  Arms of the

  Dukes of Mantua
• 
  Modern Lesser Coat of arms of Serbia, c. 18th century.
• 
  In modern Greece variants of the Byzantine flag are hoisted sometimes in churches.
• 
  Serbian Orthodox Church flags variants are hoisted sometimes in churches.

Personal and family insignia

Unlike the Western

Another very Western design could be found on one of the now-demolished towers of the seaward

The frequent use of the star and crescent moon symbol, which appears on coins, military insignia and, perhaps, as a sometime municipal emblem of the imperial city, appears to be connected to the cult of Hecate Lampadephoros ("light-bearer") in Hellenistic-era Byzantium.^[59][60] In AD 330, Constantine the Great used this symbol while re-dedicating Constantinople to the Virgin Mary.^[61]

It is known that Anna Notaras, daughter of the last megas doux of the Byzantine Empire Loukas Notaras, after the fall of Constantinople and her emigration to Italy, made a seal with her coat of arms which included two lions facing each other, each holding a sword on the right paw, and a crescent with the left. However, this most likely represents a design that was created after her emigration to Italy.^[62] On the other hand, the adaptation of Byzantine forms to Western uses can be seen with the seal of Andreas Palaiologos, which includes the imperial double-headed eagle on an escutcheon, a practice never used in Byzantium.^[63]

Military flags and insignia

The

Illuminated chronicles, such as the

Saracens are shown as flying a flag topped with a cross.^[72] The historian A. Babuin furthermore notes that the flags shown in the manuscript vary widely in appearance and that no singular pattern can be discerned, apart from a relatively restricted range of colours (red, white, and blue) used either monochromatically or in alternting bands. In addition, the "considerable length of the streamers" shown in the manuscript does not appear in similar sources from areas under direct Byzantine control, but reflects iconography common in southern Italy, where the manuscript was illuminated.^[73]

• 
  Scene of a battle from the 13th-century Madrid Skylitzes
• 
  Example of a military banner appearing in the Madrid Skylitzes
• 
  Example of a military banner appearing in the Madrid Skylitzes
• 
  Example of a military banner appearing in the Madrid Skylitzes
• 
  Example of a military banner appearing in the Madrid Skylitzes
• 
  Example of a military banner appearing in the Madrid Skylitzes
• 
  Example of a military banner appearing in the Madrid Skylitzes
• 
  Example of a military banner appearing in the Madrid Skylitzes
• 
  Example of a military banner appearing in the Madrid Skylitzes
• 
  Historical re-enactors

  of Byzantine soldiers, with flags inspired by the Madrid Skylitzes

According to the Stratēgikon, the colours of the standard reflected a unit's hierarchical subordination: the banda of the regiments of the same brigade (

hypostratēgos), should be more conspicuous than those of the other merē, and that the flag of the commanding general (or the emperor, if he was present) should be the most conspicuous of all. In addition, the Stratēgikon prescribes a separate standard for the baggage train (touldon) of each moira. The standards were not only used for distinguishing units, but also as rallying points and for conveying signals to the other formations.^[74][75] In the Byzantine navy, likewise, each ship had its own standard. As with their land counterparts, they were also used to convey signals.^[76] In the 10th century, the cross became a more prominent symbol, and was often used as a finial instead of a spear point. Under Nikephoros II Phokas (r. 963–969) large crosses of gold and jewels were used as standards, perhaps carried on a pole or otherwise displayed on the flags. In addition, the use of pieces of the True Cross is often mentioned in military parades.^[77][78]

In the late Byzantine period, pseudo-Kodinos records the use of the Palaiologan "tetragrammatic cross" (see above) on the imperial ensign (Greek: βασιλικόν φλάμουλον, basilikon phlamoulon) borne by Byzantine naval vessels, while the navy's commander, the megas doux, displayed an image of the emperor on horseback.^[79]

Ceremonial insignia

From the 6th century until the end of the empire, the Byzantines also used a number of other insignia. They are mostly recorded in ceremonial processions, most notably in the 10th-century De Ceremoniis, but they may have been carried in battle as well. When not used, they were kept in various churches throughout Constantinople.^[80] Among them were the imperial phlamoula of gold and gold-embroidered silk, and the insignia collectively known as "sceptres" (σκῆπτρα, skēptra), which were usually symbolical objects on top of a staff. A number of them, the so-called "Roman sceptres" (ῥωμαϊκὰ σκῆπτρα, rhōmaïka skēptra) resembled to old vexilla, featuring a hanging cloth (βῆλον, vēlon, from Latin velum).^[81][82] Further insignia of this type included the eutychia or ptychia (εὐτυχία or πτυχία), which probably bore some representation of Victory.^[83][84]

A further group, collectively known as skeuē (σκεύη), is mentioned in the De Ceremoniis, mostly old military standards handed down through the ages. They were the laboura (λάβουρα), probably a form of the labarum; the kampēdiktouria (καμπηδικτούρια), descendants of the batons of the late Roman drill-masters or campiductores; the signa (σίγνα, "insignia"); the drakontia (δρακόντια) and the banda.^[85] The drakontia are clearly the descendants of the old Roman draco, and the term draconarius for a standard bearer survived into the 10th century. It is not certain, however, what the later standards looked like. According to the description of Niketas Choniates, they still included the windsock that was the draco′s distinctive feature, but this may be a deliberate archaicism. At any rate, the use of the dragon as an image is attested well into the 14th century.^[84][86]

Pseudo-Kodinos also enumerates various banners and insignia used in imperial processions: one named archistratēgos (ἀρχιστράτηγος, "chief general"); another with images of renowned prelates and eight streamers known as oktapodion (ὀκταπόδιον, "octopus"); another in the form of a cross with the images of

dēmarchoi (the heads of Constantinople's quarters) bringing up the rear.^[88] The dibellion's nature has been debated, but its name – most likely a mixed Greek-Latin compound meaning "double velum" – apparently describes a forked pennon, evidently of Western European origin.^[89]

See also

• Chi Rho
• Christogram
• Double-headed eagle

Notes

1. ^ For a survey of the evidence available at the time, cf. Tipaldos 1926, pp. 206–222.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Cernovodeanu 1982, p. 409.
2. ^ ODB, "Coats of arms" (A. Kazhdan), pp. 472–473.
3. ^ ODB, "Insignia" (A. Kazhdan), pp. 999–1000.
4. ^ Crouch 2002, p. 28. "Current consensus places the beginnings of a systematised and self-conscious use of heraldry by aristocrats in the mid twelfth century."
5. ^ Cernovodeanu 1982, pp. 409–411.
6. ^ Cernovodeanu 1982, pp. 411–412.
7. ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 129–130.
8. ^ Babuin 2001, pp. 15–16.
9. ^ ^{a b c} ODB, "Eagles" (A. Cutler), p. 669.
10. ^ Soloviev 1935, p. 130.
11. ^ von Koehne 1871–1873, p. 1.
12. ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 119–126.
13. ^ ^{a b} Soloviev 1935, p. 120.
14. ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 119–121, 130–132.
15. ^ Cernovodeanu 1982, p. 412.
16. ^ Soloviev 1935, p. 121.
17. ^ Androudis 2017, p. 184.
18. ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 126–127.
19. ^ Androudis 2017, pp. 185–186.
20. ^ Cernovodeanu 1982, pp. 412–413.
21. ^ Verpeaux 1966, p. 171.
22. ^ Verpeaux 1966, pp. 144–145.
23. ^ Verpeaux 1966, p. 148.
24. ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 133–135.
25. ^ Babuin 2001, pp. 37–38.
26. ^ ^{a b} von Koehne 1871–1873, p. 6.
27. ^ von Koehne 1871–1873, pp. 7–8.
28. ^ Cernovodeanu 1982, pp. 413–414.
29. ^ ^{a b} Osswald 2018.
30. ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 134–135.
31. ^ Babuin 2001, p. 37.
32. ^ Soloviev 1935, p. 136.
33. ^ Babuin 2001, pp. 36–37.
34. ^ Androudis 2017, pp. 187–196.
35. ^ Androudis 2017, pp. 179–184.
36. ^ Androudis 2017, pp. 190–192.
37. ^ Androudis 2017, pp. 196–201.
38. ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 137–149, 153–155.
39. ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 150–153.
40. ^ Babuin 2001, pp. 42, 52, 56.
41. ^ von Koehne 1871–1873, p. 8.
42. ^ Cernovodeanu 1982, p. 414.
43. ^ ^{a b} Babuin 2001, pp. 38–39.
44. ^ Soloviev 1935, p. 155.
45. ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 156–158.
46. ^ ^{a b} Babuin 2001, p. 39.
47. ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 155, 157–158.
48. ^ ^{a b} Grierson 1999, p. 88.
49. ^ Babuin 2001, pp. 39–40.
50. ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 158–159.
51. ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 159, 160.
52. ^ Soloviev 1935, pp. 161–162.
53. ^ ^{a b} Tipaldos 1926, pp. 209–221.
54. ^ Grierson 1999, pp. 88–89.
55. ^ Soloviev 1935, p. 159.
56. ^ Martins 2007.
57. ^ Guillem Soler's portolan chart of c. 1380; Catalan Atlas of 1375
58. ^ ^{a b} van Millingen 1899, pp. 189–190.
59. ^ Holmes 2003, pp. 5f.
60. ^ Limberis 1994, p. 15.
61. ^ Cathedral of Learning (March 4, 2012). The Turkish Nationality Room Dedication Book. University of Pittsburgh. p. 3.
62. ^ Tipaldos 1926, pp. 221–222.
63. ^ Tipaldos 1926, p. 208.
64. ^ Grosse 1924, pp. 359–364.
65. ^ Dennis 1981, pp. 51–52.
66. ^ Babuin 2001, pp. 7–9.
67. ^ ^{a b} Dennis 1981, p. 52.
68. ^ Grosse 1924, p. 365.
69. ^ Dennis 1981, pp. 52–53.
70. ^ Dennis 1981, p. 53.
71. ^ Dennis 1981, pp. 58–59.
72. ^ Tsamakda 2002, p. 312.
73. ^ Babuin 2001, p. 33.
74. ^ Dennis 1981, pp. 54–55.
75. ^ Grosse 1924, pp. 368–370.
76. ^ Dennis 1981, pp. 56–57.
77. ^ Dennis 1981, p. 57.
78. ^ Haldon 1990, pp. 245–247.
79. ^ Verpeaux 1966, p. 167.
80. ^ Haldon 1990, pp. 271–273.
81. ^ Babuin 2001, pp. 10–13.
82. ^ Haldon 1990, pp. 271–272.
83. ^ Babuin 2001, p. 13.
84. ^ ^{a b} Haldon 1990, p. 272.
85. ^ Haldon 1990, pp. 272–274.
86. ^ Babuin 2001, pp. 13–15.
87. ^ Verpeaux 1966, pp. 195–196.
88. ^ Verpeaux 1966, p. 196.
89. ^ Hendy 1992, pp. 175–176.

Sources

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• Babuin, A. (2001). "Standards and insignia of Byzantium". Byzantion: Revue internationale des études byzantines. 71 (1): 5–59.
• Bees, Nikos A. (1912). "Zum Thema der Darstellung des zweiköpfigen Adlers bei den Byzantinern". Repertorium für Kunstwissenschaft (in German). XXXV: 321–330.
• Cernovodeanu, Dan (1982). "Contributions à l'Étude de l'héraldique byzantine et post-byzantine". Jahrbuch der Österreichischen Byzantinik. 32 (2): 409–422.
• ISBN 9781843830368
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  ISBN 9783402036518
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• ISBN 0-19-504652-8
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External links

• Tetragrammkreuz (article on the tetragrammic cross) at heraldik-wiki.de (in German)
• Heraldry In Byzantium & The Vlasto Family
• Byzantine Heraldry at heraldica.org
• Byzantine Empire at Flags of the World