Flags

The Kingdom of Eastern Zartania uses several different flags for different purposes and functions, following a great vexillological history. Below you will find flags in the groupings of government flags, military flags, political flags, stek flags, personal flags, and historical flags. As always, enjoy!

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This is the national flag of the Kingdom of Eastern Zartania, known simply as dir Vexilya. First designed in 1068, the flag has seen only minor changes over the centuries, and survives to this very day. The last major change came on October 16, 1362, when the royal government issued a decree disposing of the old Government Triblade symbol. With the old symbol representing the parts of the government (Crown, legislature, people, & military) gone from the top of the center white part, it was decided to replace it with a gold crown, the symbol of royal authority within the Kingdom. Serving as the civil and state flag, as well as the state ensign, dir Vexilya represents the Kingdom on land and at sea.

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The civil ensign, commonly known as the Merchant flag, is flown on all privately-owned Zartanian ships and boats at sea. It is a plain white flag with dir Vexilya in the canton. This flag is also flown by naval hospital and non-combatant ships in order to protect them from attack.

Government Flags
The flags shown below are those used by the various portions of the Royal Government, and consist mainly of the flags of the various ministries and ministers.

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The Royal Standard is the flag which represents the monarchy as a whole and the Royal Family in particular. This flag is flown from all royally owned locations, such as the Imperial Palace and the royal vacation homes. It is also flown from the royal yacht, ZS Zeok'Tu. The Royal Standard is a banner of arms: the first and fourth quarters are the arms of the vun Q'Leist family, while the second and third quarters are the arms of Southern Confederation, which joined the Kingdom as steks in 1065. In the center is a shield bearing the arms of the Kingdom of Eastern Zartania. This flag design was adopted officially in 1066, and has been used ever since.

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Foreign Minister personal flag

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Minister of the Interior personal flag

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Minister of Public Information & Customs personal flag

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Minister of Treasury & Commerce personal flag

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Minister of Science personal flag

Military Flags

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The flag of the Grand Admiral High General represents the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Armed Forces, and incorporates his rank insignia in that capacity. The top half of the flag is gold anchor on a black background, indicating the rank of Grand Admiral. The bottom half is red with a gold crown and sword for the rank of High General. Around the flag is a blue and white checkered border, representing the land and the sea. The flag of the Grand Admiral High General was designed and officially adopted in 1116.

Imperial Zartanian Navy

The flags of individual naval officers (rank of commodore and above) are black with a red border when flown at sea, and red with a black border when flown on land.

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On October 16, 1362, a new naval ensign was introduced to the Imperial Navy following the Royal Decree doing away with the old Government Triblade symbol. With the discarding of that ancient symbol, the old naval ensign became obsolete. It was decided to replace the ensign with one incorporating the major colors of the Kingdom, as well as the royal government symbols of sword and crown. The naval ensign is displayed by all warships of the Imperial Navy, whether in war or peace.

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The jack of the Imperial Zartanian Navy has been in constant use for almost 300 years. It is a simple square divided diagonally with the royal colors of the Kingdom: black and red. The jack is flown from the bow of warships when docked in order to show the nationality of the ship.

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The naval commissioning pennant is flown constantly from the masthead of every commissioned ship of the Imperial Navy from the time of its commissioning until its decomissioning. The pennant tells at a quick glance the nationality of the vessel and the fact that it is commissioned in the Imperial Navy. The commissioning pennant was first designed in 1069, and has never been altered.

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First developed in 1069, just after the national flag, this version of the ensign served from 1069 to October 16, 1362, seeing only minor changes to its design over the almost three centuries since its inception.

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Fleet Admiral

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Upper Admiral

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Lower Admiral

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The rank of Commodore is a temporary rank, given only in wartime to a senior captain placed in command of a squadron. Upon completion of the squadron's duties, the Commodore reverts back to his "normal" rank of Captain. While in command, the Commodore flies the red broad pennant shown above.

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When several warships come together as a squadron, but there are no "flag officers" present, the senior-most officer of the squadron is charged to take command. To indicate his status as such, the ship of the Senior Officer Afloat flies the pennant shown above. Upon the arrival of a flag officer or an officer with more seniority, the Senior Officer Afloat pennant is transferred to the new flagship.

Royal Zartanian Army

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The battleflag is flown by the Royal Zartanian Army at all army installations and bases, and is flown by individual units in the army while on parade. The design was altered on October 16, 1362, with the discarding of the old Government Triblade symbol. In its stead, it was decided to replace the battleflag with a design reminiscent of the first years of the Kingdom, harkening to the swallowtail designs and the use of the crown and sword. The old flag, seen below, is still in use as a historical parade flag.
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(old battleflag design)

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SF Squad 1

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SF Squad 4, the King's Guard

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1st Regiment King's Infantry

Royal Zartanian Air Force

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The flag of the Eastern Zartanian Royal Air Force is effectively a parade flag, as it cannot be flown from aircraft or in combat. The flag is flown primarily from air force bases across the Kingdom, and by individual air force units in parade.

Political Organizations' Flags
Though national political parties are outlawed in the Kingdom, various steks allow the formation of political parties by virtue of their stek government. There are also several underground political movements opposed to the current government throughout the Kingdom. The flags of these organizations are shown below.

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The Zartanian Republic Movement is an underground political movement whose stated goal is the overthrow of the monarchy and the installation of a democratic federal republic in its place. The ZRM has been in existance since 1320 and is believed to be responsible for King Johannin's decision to request a protectorateship under the Republic of Terramarc. The ZRM's flag is a rearrangement of the national colors without the royal symbols.

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The Movement for a Communist Zartania is another underground political movement whose driving motivation is the overthrow of the current monarchist regime. The MCZ's great objective is to establish "a dictatorship of the peasantry" in the Kingdom to replace the monarchist government now in power. Though having little support currently, the MCZ's membership is growing, especially overseas as the movement advocates world-wide rebellion in the name of the "oppressed underclasses." The MCZ is strictly forbidden in the Kingdom, and members of the group are typically exiled when apprehended. The flag of the MCZ uses the traditional Eastern Zartanian colors of red and black, but adds the revolutionary symbols of the star and the hammer and sickle.

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Stek Flags
Each of the twelve steks of the Kingdom has its own flag, as befits a former duchy. Several cities throughout the Kingdom also fly their own flags, along with that of their stek and the Kingdom. Those flags are all listed below.

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The flag shown above is the traditional flag of the city of Q'Leist in the stek of Drilastia. The flag is orange and blue, the traditional colors of the city, and the orange half contains the city's arms, as granted in 1051 (13BP). This city is also the original home of the vun Q'Leist family, the dynasty which still maintains the throne of Eastern Zartania after 311 years in power.

Last updated September 1, 299.
©1998 Randy Young