Zagreb celebrated the Croatian Flag Day and Branimir's Day (Craotian Statehood Day)

HKRV
Jun 7
10 min read

On Sunday, June 7, the Croatian Royal Council in Zagreb marked the Croatian Flag Day (June 5, 1848) and Croatian Statehood Day (Branimir's Day, June 7, 879) with the Open Doors Day of the Croatian Royal Council. On this occasion, an exhibition of flags from the 19th century and a presentation of literature related to heraldry and vexillology as well as early medieval history were prepared, thus presenting the work of the Croatian Royal Council association to the public. Croatian Flag Day June 5th is an important day because we remember the enthronement of Ban Josip Count Jelačić Bužimski, during which the Croatian tricolor red - white - blue entered official state and national use. The Croatian Royal Council Association has great importance in marking this day, because it is the first organization in Croatia to regularly celebrate it since 2013, and as of 2015 has been leading the initiative to declare June 5th a national memorial day or holiday. Therefore, we are very pleased that many other associations, organizations, politicians and individuals have accepted our initiative, and thus even advocated in the Parliament for the proclamation of Croatian Flag Day, which will be officially celebrated at the state and national level for the first time in 2026. On this occasion, we presented an exhibition with replicas of historical flags from the 19th century, . In addition to vexillology, we also presented literature related to Jelačić's enthronement as the Ban of Croatia, the history of Croatian coats of arms and flags, but also poetic culture related to poems dedicated to the Croatian tricolor by August Harambašić and Ivan pl. Trnski. Branimir's Day (Croatian Historical Statehood Day)

The day of June 7th is extremely important in Croatian history, when Pope John VIII in 879 in a letter addressed to the Croatian Duke Branimir recognized his authority over the land and people, thereby recognizing not only his independent authority but also the foundation of Croatian millennial statehood. It is precisely because of the importance of that day that it is celebrated as the Day of Croatian (historical) Statehood, unlike the Statehood Day of the Republic of Croatia, which is often changed under political auspices. In 1990, there was a proposal to postpone the session of the Croatian Sabor (Parliament) for several days in order to emphasize the state course of Croatia on June 7th. The Croatian Royal Council has been proposing for years that, due to the importance of that day for the millennial Croatian statehood, it be chosen as the Statehood Day.

On the history of the Croatian flag, text by heraldist and historian Count Mikulić:

On the importance of the flag symbol

A flag, whether in a vexillological or heraldic sense, belongs to the order of visual symbols that tell a certain story through their visuality and symbolism, thus representing different subjects that can be international, national, ideological, regional, local, family, religious, etc. content. The flag as a combination of a work of art on the material of drapery has existed as a systematic element of recognition since the very beginning of human civilization. Therefore, its significance, witnessed by war and battles, has become the center of gathering people. In military history, it served a special purpose, first as a symbol of armies, then of military units whose tradition exists to this day. The symbolism of the flag exists from its mention in the Holy Scriptures to national legends such as that of the French Durea flamma (Oriflamme), a banner that brought victory given by God. A similar story follows the Danish flag Dannebrog, which is considered the oldest continuously operating state flag and comes from a legend during the Battle of Lindan in 1219 when it descended from the very heavens. An example of it bears a cross on its base, which is an exceptional phenomenon with an exclusively Christian meaning since the time of Emperor Constantine. With the advent of the heraldic era, which arose during the Crusades, or the emergence of heraldry as a visual discipline and art. From that time on, the clear connection of visual art to certain laws and rules began, i.e. the uniformization and codification of the methods of making and presenting coats of arms and flags began. It was precisely at that time that the combination of symbols and rules began that would create the basis for all today's European, and later world flags.

History of the Croatian national flag

Croatia, as it has belonged to the Central European and Mediterranean circle built on Catholic foundations for centuries, accepts and inherits flag traditions that it will itself build on with its own Croatian flag traditions. The history of the national flag begins with the royal coronation flag, which becomes the flag symbol of the Croatian king and the Kingdom. One of the most important historical sources of this tradition is the coronation charter of King Dmitar Zvonimir. Following historical events and the charter itself, we can see that during the coronation in the Coronation Basilica of St. Peter and Moses in Solin, in which Pope Gregory VII through the envoy (legate) Gebizon hands him the symbols of royal honor in 1075/1076, which also include the flag:

"...I Demetrius, who also call myself Zvonimir, by the grace of God the prince of Croatia and Dalmatia... introduced and appointed king by you, sir Gebizon, elected by the authority of the Apostolic See as an envoy of our lord Pope Gregory, will rule by means of a banner, sword, scepter and crown..."

From those early days of medieval history, we can follow the banner and flag tradition of the coronations of Croatian kings. From this tradition, the first form of the state flag developed, namely the Croatian royal coronation flag. Initially, it was a single flag, but with the development of our coronations, each flag of Croatia, Slavonia, Dalmatia and Rama (Bosnia) was displayed and became part of the coronation. The oldest preserved depictions are coats of arms that accompany titles dating back to the time of the Arpads and Angevins. The modern forms of our coats of arms are shown in a heraldic and vexillological depiction from 1515 in the Triumphal Procession of Emperor Maximilian, drawn by Albrecht Altdorfer. While the oldest detailed preserved depiction of such a state flag exclusively as a coronation flag within the coronation depiction itself exists from 1618 and the coronation of King Ferdinand II of Habsburg. This flag is also the oldest existing Croatian state flag from 1647 and the coronation of Ferdinand IV, which is still preserved today in the Esterhazy Castle in Austria. This tradition, which represents the most important or main flag of the Kingdom, will be used at every coronation of the Croatian and Hungarian king until 1916 and the last coronation of the blessed Charles IV of Habsburg-Lorraine.

Ban's Royal flag

Along with the royal and coronation flags, also appeared the Ban's (royal) standard (flag) as a symbol of Ban's authority. Within the Croatian Kingdom itself, this flag became the main state flag. From its early appearance in the late Renaissance and early Baroque era, we began to divide flags into two types. The first was the Ban's standard, or banner, and the second were crown flags for the ban's enthronement. Since the ban's enthronement and honor belonged to the Croatian Ban (viceroy), i.e. the first representative of the king and the kingdom, his enthronement was extremely ceremonial. The ban carried his own flag, which traditionally bore on one side the coats of arms of the Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia, and separate crown flags of these kingdoms, which were carried by notables, presenting the crown jewels during the enthronement itself as a sign of authority over the lands under the ban's administration. The oldest depiction of the ban's flag dates from 1620 for the ban, Count Tome II. (Bakača) Erdedi (Erdődy), while the flag of the ban's crowns dates from 1708. The oldest preserved ban's banner is from 1670, during the enthronement of Ban Nikola III. Erdedi is still kept in the possession of the Zagreb Archdiocese. This tradition also had one interesting feature: all ban's banners were red until Ban Josip Count Jelačić, who in 1848 introduced the first tricolor, which Ban Josip Baron Šokečević would also use during his enthronement in 1861. Both of these flags are still preserved in the ownership of the Croatian History Museum in Zagreb. The last ban's enthronement, and thus the ban's banner, was introduced during the enthronement of Baron Levin Rauch in 1869, which is still preserved today and is located in the Zagreb City Museum.

History of the Croatian tricolor

The first use of the tricolor flag and tricolor colors in Croatia is much older, occurring during the reign of Queen Maria Theresa, who introduced it when establishing the Severin County (Comitatus Szeverinensis) in 1776, which connected the Littoral and the Continental region with Karlovac as its seat, which we can see on the diploma. One of the reasons for the introduction is the connection with the symbols of the Dutch tricolor of the same colors, which also correspond to the Croatian heraldic colors. In fact, these heraldic colors give us the basic reason for the creation of our tricolor, which we can see in other examples before 1848, such as the use of these colors in the flaming prongs of the flag of the Požega archers from the Napoleonic Wars during the reign of King Francis II. Regardless of all these phenomena that give us a clear basis for the theory of the heraldic basis as the inspiration for the first tricolor flag, its introduction only began with the revolutionary year of 1848, when it was already being used when it was shown in a lithograph of the May Slavic barricade in Vienna carried by Derutin Kušlan. And the choice of these three colors becomes one of the most prominent at the Slavic Congress in Prague next June.

Jelačić and the institutionalization of the Croatian tricolor

In Croatia, the turmoil of 1848 gave a completely different enthusiasm, we became a combination of the people's desires for self-determination in the Monarchy and the reactionary views of preserving the Monarchy and the old order. No one person represented the combination of these two views as well as Count Josip Jelačić Bužimski, the former baron and Glina colonel who, through war glory and quality government, would establish many modern institutions, which is why he can rightly be called the father of the modern Croatian state. Having accepted the principles of the Slavic view and the demands of the Croatian people expressed in the Parliament of 1848, as a ban who carried within himself state and military power, he embarked on complex processes of state and military reform. At that time, we can see three forms of Croatian flags in general military and national use. The first are tricolor flags without a coat of arms, the second are with the coat of arms of the Triune Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia (with and without the Illyrian coat of arms) and the third with a crowned checkered coat of arms (it would become more present later as a naval flag). This fact tells us about the acceptance of the Croatian tricolor as an equally national, military and state symbol, which will be displayed in the official part as the displayed flag of military units, royal and banal (state) institutions and for general use by the common people in private and official use (associations, guilds, organizations, etc.).

Enthronement of Ban Jelačić on June 5th

All of the above events can be summed up in one point in time and one event, which was the ceremonial enthronement of the then Baron Jelačić as Ban of the Triune Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia. An extremely solemn event in a time of war incitement and crisis, which was attended by the entire high-ranking delegation from Croatia, Slavonia, Dalmatia, as well as the entire elite of the state and delegations from neighboring countries. The ceremony lasted three days as a combination of ancient traditions of the ban's enthronement but also a manifestation of a new national revival. On June 4, 1848, Ban Jelačić entered Zagreb in a ceremonial military procession on horseback, and was welcomed by representatives of the city and the newly appointed members of the government (Ban's Council), which had only been formed on April 27, a week after his appointment as Ban. The procession was greeted with Croatian tricolors and showed the new direction of the then reviving Croatia. The following day, June 5, on St. Catherine's Square in front of the church of the same name, the ancient act of enthronement began. Ban Jelačić sat on the ban's throne, taking over the symbols of royal power - the flag and scepter. For the first time, the centuries-old tradition of red banners was replaced by red - white - blue. This Croatian tricolor flag bore on one side the united coat of arms of the Triune Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia with the Illyrian coat of arms, while on the other the Jelačić family coat of arms. Having received these symbols, he took a solemn oath in which he swore to the Triune God, Our Lady and all the saints to defend and serve before the ranks of the people and the land of Croatia, after which he was raised three times on his chair with shouts of glory and approval.

Legal regulation of the flag

Today, the Croatian flag represents a state, national, folk, ethnic, cultural, etc. symbol. In addition to the national flag of the Republic of Croatia, other tricolors of a historical, cultural, folk, national, business, religious, etc. character are also used in general use. All are connected by one point, which is the three colors red - white - blue. These three colors were not created as a pale copy of either Slavic ideas or Dutch ideals that were later taken over by the Pan-Slavic and Russian movements. They were created as a Croatian response to our cultural revival. These three colors represent the three basic colors of our Kingdom. Thus, red represents Croatia, white represents Salvonia, and blue represents Dalmatia (Bosnia was later added to the symbolism). At that time, the three Croatian crowns under the Habsburg scepter, which in 1848 demanded and received unity under the Croatian ban, a desire that has been heraldically represented since the time of ban Toma Erdedi, and whose title dates back to the Middle Ages. In fact, these three Croatian colors are a living symbol of the meaning of the word triune, because all three colors make up one body, one flag, just as the three crowns made up one Croatia. In addition to the added clear title and heraldic basis, the Croatian character was also added to these colors. Thus, red describes the blood shed for the freedom of our country and people, a reminder that Croatia is the Antemurale Christianitatis (Bulwark of Christendom) that paid with blood for its freedom that other eastern neighboring countries did not have. White has a double symbol, the first is the peace and prosperity that our country enjoys in its freedom, and the third is geographically natural, depicting our plains as the source of that prosperity. The third color is blue and it stands for our Adriatic Sea, the sea that defined us as the first Slavic maritime people and culture, this color is also a sign of nobility that the once celebrated people of noble Croats carried.