Flags of the world in 1600

About these flags

The states of around 1600, with the Spanish Empire at its height, and the flag or banner they flew. Hardly any state had a national flag then: many are royal standards or war flags. Those with no documented flag of the time (Ethiopia, for instance) are left out. Some are approximate:

• Spanish Monarchy: The Cross of Burgundy, flag of the tercios and the fleet of the empire; there was no national flag like today's.
• Kingdom of France: The royal standard (gold lilies on blue): France had no national flag.
• Holy Roman Empire: The emperor's banner: the Empire was a patchwork of states, each with its own flags.
• Papal States: The red and yellow of Rome, used until 1808; the popes also flew their own standards.
• Kingdom of Sweden: The yellow cross on blue was already in use; its shape and shades were settled later.
• Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: The royal banner with Poland's eagle and Lithuania's knight; there was no national flag.
• Duchy of Prussia: A duchy under Polish suzerainty; flag reconstructed from its coat of arms.
• Tsardom of Russia: Ivan the Terrible's banner of the Saviour (Kazan campaign, 1552), from his Illustrated Chronicle: the tsardom flew religious and military banners, with no single flag.
• Ottoman Empire: One of the Ottoman flags of the 16th to 18th centuries; several were used.
• Crimean Khanate: A vassal of the Ottoman Empire; flag with the tamga of the Giray dynasty.
• Republic of San Marino: A reconstruction of the flag used around 1465-1797; the colour of the last stripe (“alessandrino”) is read in several ways.
• Republic of Ragusa: Saint Blaise, patron of Ragusa (Dubrovnik), from the flags documented in 1804; the republic flew him earlier too.
• Saadi Sultanate of Morocco: War flag of the Marinid and Saadi dynasties (gold star on red); a white banner is also reported.
• Kanem-Bornu Empire: A flag attributed to the empire from travellers' accounts; it may not match 1600.
• Safavid Empire: The lion and sun on green, one of the Safavid flags; there were several versions.
• Mughal Empire: The alam, the imperial standard; the empire had no national flag.
• Ming China: A modern design with the character 明 (Ming): the dynasty had no national flag, and Commons marks it as fictitious. It is included so that China has its place on the map.
• Japan: The Tokugawa crest: they won Sekigahara in 1600 and founded the shogunate in 1603.
• Joseon (Korea): The king's standard; Joseon had no national flag until 1883.
• Ayutthaya Kingdom: The plain red of Siamese ships, the most described one; there is no official flag of the time.
• Đại Việt: A standard attributed to the Later Lê dynasty; sources are scarce.
• Aceh Sultanate: The sword and crescent on red, documented later; probably close to that of 1600.

Drawings from Wikimedia Commons, in the public domain except: Kingdom of France (Sodacan, CC BY-SA 3.0) · Holy Roman Empire (David Liuzzo, eagle by N3MO, CC BY-SA 3.0) · Grand Duchy of Tuscany (F l a n k e r, elements taken by: The Fleece Some elements of the fleur-de-lis, CC BY-SA 3.0) · Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Samhanin, CC BY 3.0) · Tsardom of Russia (Лобачев Владимир, CC BY-SA 3.0) · Republic of San Marino (HapHaxion, CC BY-SA 3.0) · Republic of Lucca (Dekodrak, CC BY-SA 4.0) · Republic of Ragusa (Facquis, CC BY-SA 4.0) · Mughal Empire (TRAJAN 117, CC BY-SA 3.0)

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