The Legend of the Dannebrog: the World’s Oldest National Flag Turns 800

Today marks an interesting anniversary, probably more legend than fact.  Myths may not be real, but they can still be enormously historically and culturally influential.  On this date in 1219, a Danish army found itself in grave peril in what is today Estonia.  Danish King Valdemar II had launched a crusade against Baltic pagans who met him in great numbers at the Battle of Lyndanisse.  As Estonian forces threatened to overwhelm Valdemar’s lines, a red flag with a white cross appeared in the sky floating down to the beleaguered Danes.  Valdemar grabbed the banner, showing it to his troops.  Inspired, they turned the tide and won the battle.  According to Danish lore, God sent the Dannebrog (translated as “the strength of the Danes”), which at 800 years old is the world’s oldest continuously used national flag.  It is certainly true that the Dannebrog is one of the oldest national flags, maybe as old as the Danes claim.  Though the story is most likely not factual,the Dannebrog’s ascension as a national symbol is no less fascinating.  It has long been incorporated in Denmark’s national memory passed down for generations told to children at a young age and celebrated by young and old alike every year.  Whether genuine or apocryphal, the Dannebrog’s story reveals a lot about the Medieval Age in which it came to be associated with Denmark. 

The Legend of the Dannebrog

There are few contemporaneous accounts of the Battle of Lyndanisse and they do not mention the fantastic descent of a banner from God.  The story first appeared in the 15^th century in monastic texts which are inconsistent on the details.  In the 1500s, a monk named Petrus Olai produced the most popular version which is believed to be based on an older, now lost manuscript from the previous century.  In Olai’s account, Danish King Valdemar II pursued a religious crusade to convert pagans in modern Estonia.  The Danes met a strong army at Lyndanisse near modern Tallinn.  The battle was going badly for the Christians and it appeared the Estonians might overwhelm the Danish lines.  At this critical moment, Bishop Anders Sunesen raised his arms to the skies pleading for help.  Miraculously, a red lambskin banner emblazoned with a white cross fluttered down from the clouds.  Valdemar took hold of the banner waving it and exhorting his hard-pressed warriors.  Believing God was on their side, the Danes rallied, turned back the Estonian assault and captured Lyndanisse converting many to Christianity. 

Historiographical Context and Background

One of the great challenges of interpreting history lies in assessing the credibility of sources.  Generally, the further one goes back in time, the fewer sources exist.   Frequently historical accounts survived through oral communications which could change from source to source.  They are written years or decades later only after passing from source to source which increases the likelihood the original account will be altered.  As an example, I previously wrote about the song John Barleycorn.  Though first written down in the 1568 the song was a traditional folk ballad passed down for generations that included lyrics reflecting much older beliefs, including some that may have originated in Britain’s misty pagan past: Halloween, Melding the Ancient and the Modern. 

Even when an account comes from a participant, the passage of time could have  affected memories significantly. They are also often also biased accounts reflecting a limited perspective.  Medieval sources are further limited by the fact that few were literate enough to record events.  Those accounts reduced to writing were recorded on organic materials that inevitably decay meaning few writings survive the ravages of time.  Many accounts we have today were copied from older sources that could be misunderstood, mistranslated or distorted. 

The story of a divine sign in the sky was not a Medieval innovation.  Such stories are almost as old as writing itself.  One cannot dismiss these stories as an influence though, as they often reflect some truth.  In Europe, one of the most widely known came from Roman times.  Facing a difficult opponent on the eve of the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, Constantine claimed to see a glowing Chi Rho in the sky with the words In hoc signo vinces (“under this sign you will conquer”).  Other more recent parallel stories popped up elsewhere in Europe.  In 1139, the Portuguese claimed a crucified Christ appeared in the sky the day before a battle with the Moors and again in 1217 believed a glowing standard bearing the cross appeared just before another fight with Moorish opponents.

All that said, we know the Battle of Lyndanisse occurred in 1219 led and won by Valemar II accompanied by Bishop Sunesen.  The origins of the Dannebrog are more clouded.  Banners bearing the cross certainly existed by 1219.  Flags led soldiers into battle dating back to the Ancient World.  They took on a new importance though during the Crusades.  Knights clad in armor could not be easily identified in battle so they wore colorful crests and symbols on their armor, shields and horses.  The Crusades began as a quest to recapture Jerusalem from Muslim control.  Religious considerations were a primary motivation so it is no surprise the cross became a widely used symbol.  The Greek Cross, consisting of a vertical and horizontal lines, came first.  Other designs soon followed.

Out of the need to defend captured lands in the Levant and maintain safe passage for Christian pilgrims, numerous knightly orders arose.  These orders adopted simple but recognizable symbology including the two most famous orders: the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller (the Knights of St. John, later Knights of Malta).  The Templars went into battle with a red cross on a white field while the Hospitallers reversed the color scheme, a white cross on a red background.  Additionally, European knights favored broad swords as a primary weapon which resembled the Greek Cross (Muslim knights sported crescent shaped swords and quickly made the crescent a prominent part of their armor.  The crescent remains an important symbol in Muslim culture often appearing on flags and the Red Crescent, the Muslim version of the Red Cross).   It is possible that a cohort of Knights Hospitallers accompanied Valdemar and fought at Lyndanisse.  The legend of the Dannebrog could be a representation of those knights’ valor and/or an important contribution to victory. 

Timing is important to this story.  The era from 1000 AD to 1400 saw important changes in Northern Europe.  Viking interaction through raids and later settlements across Europe exposed them to Christianity.  Norwegian and Danish King Harold Bluetooth ruled in the late 900s and converted to Christianity.  Harald’s traditional banner was a red flag with a raven, an icon of Nordic god Odin.  It is possible (though nowhere in evidence) that Harald replaced the raven with a cross.  One of his successors, King Cnut the Great (1016-1035)added England to his territory in Norway and Denmark solidifying Christianity as the dominant religion. 

Denmark became a Christian nation on the rise as the Crusades began.  The success of the First Crusade in capturing Jerusalem made heroes of leaders like Godfrey of Bouillon.  Stories and incidents from the First Crusade became important in Medieval Europe particularly from the pulpit.  Priests used exempla (stories represented as historical and therefore factual) to make a larger point.  Through the ages, priests highlighted the travails and stories of early Christian martyrs and saints, and biblical groups like the Maccabees (Jewish rebels who temporarily wrested Jerusalem from Roman control in 65 AD).  After 1099, Crusaders joined the list as latter day Christian heroes.  Crusading was an important endeavor in Medieval Europe and these stories were often motivational calls to “take up the cross.”  

The Christians lost Jerusalem to the great Muslim commander Saladin in 1187 creating a frenzy in Europe to retake the city where Christ was crucified.  The Third Crusade made inroads into the Levant recapturing Acre, Beirut and other territories.  Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II managed to regain part of Jerusalem and surrounding lands through negotiation in 1228.  The successes were short term but opened new lands in the Levant, Mediterranean, Balkans and Orthodox Byzantine lands to Catholic missionaries.  The missionary imperative extended to the still pagan Baltic states in the north which explains Valdemar II’s invasion of Estonia in 1219.

Importantly, crusade exempla did not always a call for more crusading.  They doubled as useful parables for virtuous conduct in everyday life.  Thus, crusaders and related symbolism became culturally significant in the popular mind across Europe.  Kings and queens seeking to maintain the appearance of authority seized on the well-known to associate themselves with the noble Christian heroes of the Crusades. 

Danish kings were no exception.  Valdemar IV added the Dannebrog to his crest in the 1300s.  From that point, the Dannebrog became an important representation of royal power.  The use of the white cross on a red field gradually entered wider use in the 1600s when soldiers began carrying Dannebrog and the Danish Navy adopted the flag as its ensign as well.  The king initiated the Order of Dannebrog in 1660, traced back to Valdemar II, awarded to “those who have particularly distinguished themselves by faithful service, or by virtuous or manly deeds.”  A 1696 royal ordinance established the official proportions “as Dannebrog had been presented by God to the King, only the latter could determine its shape and use.”  [3]

As Denmark became more democratized, the Dannebrog evolved from a marker of royalty to a national symbol particularly after the liberalized June Constitution of 1849.  By the 1800s, the legend appeared in Danish history texts patriotic songs.  A commentator noted: “The legend of Dannebrog descending from Heaven is so deeply rooted in the hearts of the Danish people, that every child hears of it in the home or at school, with or without explanation.”  P. 280.   The lyrics of a popular 1807 song by B. S. Ingemann further reflect how entrenched Dannebrog had become in Danish culture:

“From Heaven thou didst fall, thou Denmark’s sacred sign! . . .

Over heroes thou didst wave, who in death’s embrace did sing;

Thy shining cross hath raised to Heaven Denmark’s praise”  [2]

The Denmark Society formed in 1908 and pushed June 15^th as Valdemar’s Day which has since become a day to celebrate the flag.  Most spectacularly on June 15, 1994, the 775^th Anniversary, three Danish soldiers parachuted from 10,000 feet with the Dannebrog to the old Lyndanisse battlefield in Estonia

Influences on Other Flags

As the first nation to convert to Christianity, the Dannebrog influenced others, especially in Scandinavia.  Norway, Iceland and Denmark were often under the same rule so not surprisingly, the Norwegian and Icelandic flags closely resembles the Dannebrog.  The Norwegians used the same red background, white cross later adding a blue cross within the white.  Iceland inverted Norway’s colors but otherwise utilized the same cross. 

Finland and Sweden followed the Danish design changing only the colors of the background and cross (it must be noted that Finland’s flag was also influenced by Russian flags).  The Swedes went a step further seemingly adapting the Danes’ origin story.  According to legend, Swedish King Eric IX saw a golden cross in the sky when he embarked on the First Swedish Crusade.  Like the Danish, the Swedes began using their yellow and blue emblem in the 1300s. 

Denmark

Norway

Iceland

Sweden

Finland

Crosses in Other Flags

Even if not influenced by the Danes, other European nations include crosses on their flags.  The Swiss chose a white Greek Cross on a red field in the belief that Christ had delivered their nation from Austrian control.  The International Red Cross followed the Swiss with a white flag and a red Greek Cross intended to reflect the influences of Swiss neutrality and the nation of origin of the organizational founders. 

Switzerland

the Red Cross

Greece’s flag has varied since gaining independence in 1822 but currently includes a blue Greek Cross in the upper left corner with nine blue and white stripes.  Medieval French and German flags featured crosses though the Germans eventually chose other symbols of the Teutonic Knights, a Maltese Cross and black eagle.  Catholic Lord Baltimore’ crest included the Teutonic Cross which made its way across the Atlantic and is now part of Maryland’s flag.  The Cross of Lorraine came to symbolize French anger over losing provinces in the Franco-Prussian War and was added to the center of the French Tricolor in World War II as the banner of Free France. 

Greece

Teutonic Cross and Maryland

Free France

The British Union Jack is interesting and unique as a representation of the union of Scotland, England and Ireland.  The current flag incorporating three crosses from each nation’s respective patron saints.  Edward III made St. George’s red Greek Cross on a white field of part of his banner in 1348 which evolved into the English flag.  When the Scots and English joined together, their flag combined St. George’s Cross with Scots patron St. Andrew (a blue field with a white cross in the shape of an “X.”  One explanation for turning the cross was that St. Andrew was crucified on an crux decussata of saltire– X shaped cross).  Later when Ireland became part of Great Britain, the current design came into being through the addition of St. Patrick’s saltire red cross. 

It is worth pointing out that I have identified only a few flags that feature crosses.  There are dozens more and many not in Europe.  Each has its own history and set of influences.  Some were principalities (Italian city states).  These flags are not national, but still have force as symbol for a discrete population.  Some remain are autonomous but part of a commonwealth such as Australia and New Zealand include the Union Jack in left corner to denote their association with the United Kingdom.  The Faroe Islands ae another unusual example.  The islands are internally autonomous but still part of the Kingdom of Denmark.  The Faroe Islands flag borrows from the Danish model with a blue and red cross with a white background.  These are but a few of the world’s national flags with varying cross designs, some new, some very old.    

Undoubtedly there will be large celebrations across Denmark celebrating an anniversary that though legendary reflects a shared history and common values that are much more than a piece of red and white fabric.  The legend also reveals much about the larger Medieval world reflecting religious fervor intersecting with the Crusades and the slow emergence of nation states.  In researching this article, I found a painting reflecting the Danish sense of nationalism.  Fra 1890’ernes Nordslesvig by Anna Marie Mahrn visually tells the story of a young Dane conscripted to join the Prussian Army in 1890 in a Danish province lost to the Germans in 1864 where he will be forced to swear allegiance to the German Empire.  His mother shows him a Dannebrog hidden since 1864 and reminds him: “Whatever happens and whatever you may be forced to swear to, remember that Dannebrog and you belong together.” [4]  Thus it is so that no matter what happens, Denmark and the Dannebrog belong together. 

 Citations:

[1] MacGregor, James B. “The First Crusade in Late Medieval “Exempla”.” The Historian 68, no. 1 (2006), p. 34. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24453491.

[2]  Adriansen, Inge. “The Danish National Flag as a Gift from God: A National-religious Myth.” Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte 27, no. 2 (2014): 288. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24329830.

[3]  Ibid., 282.

[4] Ibid., 291.

Sources:

Adriansen, Inge. “The Danish National Flag as a Gift from God: A National-religious Myth.” Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte 27, no. 2 (2014): 277-98. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24329830.

Healey, Tim, The Symbolism of the Cross in Sacred and Secular Art.  Leonardo, Vol. 10, No. 4 (Autumn, 1977), pp. 289-294

MacGregor, James B. “The First Crusade in Late Medieval “Exempla”.” The Historian 68, no. 1 (2006): 29-48. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24453491.

Martindale, C. C. “The Problem of the Saints.” Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review 15, no. 58 (1926): 241-54. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30093269.

Robertson, John G., Robertson’s Words for a Modern Age.  Wiesbaden, Germany: Senior Scribe Publications (1991)

Ryan, James D. “Missionary Saints of the High Middle Ages: Martyrdom, Popular Veneration, and Canonization.” The Catholic Historical Review 90, no. 1 (2004): 1-28. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25026518.

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