The flag of Malta (Maltese: Bandiera ta' Malta) is a bicolour, with white in the hoist and red in the fly. A representation of the George Cross, awarded to Malta by George VI in 1942, is carried, edged with red, in the canton of the white stripe.[1] The flag was first recognized in the May of 1952.[2]
The red hue in the Maltese flag is officially documented as Pantone 186 C, RGB (207,20,43), Hex #CF142B or Spot Colour - 50% rubine red • 50% warm red.[3]
The constitution of Malta also states that the white side must be on the hoist pole while the red side must be "in the fly"[4]
Tradition states that the colours of the flag were given to Malta by Roger I of Sicily in 1091. Roger's fleet landed in Malta on the completion of the Norman conquest of Sicily.[5] It is said that local Christians offered to fight by Roger's side against the Arab defenders. In order to recognize the locals fighting on his side from the defenders, Roger reportedly tore off part of his chequered red-and-white flag.[6] However, this story has been debunked as a 19th-century myth,[7] possibly even earlier due to the Mdina, Malta's old capital, associating its colours with Roger's in the late Middle Ages.[8][9]
The flag of the Knights of Malta, a white cross on a red field,[11] was a more likely source of the Maltese colours, inspiring the red and white shield used during the British colonial period.[7] The flag used by the knights was also known to be the oldest still-in-use national flag.[12][13] The blue canton present in the 1943 to 1964 version of the flag was removed after Maltese independence, with the George cross instead given a red fimbriation.[14]
The George CrossEdit
The George Cross (National War Museum, Malta)
The George Cross originally appeared on the flag placed on a blue canton (see List of flags of Malta). The flag was changed on 21 September 1964 with Malta's independence when the blue canton was replaced by a red fimbriation, the intention being that the Cross appear less prominent. His Majesty King George the Sixth bestowed the George Cross to Malta on April 15, 1942.[15] in recognition of its courageousness during World War II.[16][6] The symbol was later officially added to the Maltese flag on the 28th of December 1943[17] despite symbolism being in circulation between April 1942 and December 1943 depicting the flag.[18]
CampaignEdit
Every few years, the debate to remove the George Cross from the national flag comes up. In 1975 an act passed in parliament allowing the George Cross to be removed by a simple parliament majority[19] with the reasoning being that the cross ties Malta to its turbulent, colonial past.[20][7] A campaign on social media in 2013 further emphasized this point, coming up with an alternative of replacing it with the Maltese cross.[21][22]
Critics of the George Cross argue that the George Cross ties Malta to its Colonial history, and that no other nation has a military award on its national flag. Arguments in favour of keeping the George Cross on the national flag argue that the George Cross shows Maltese strength and determination during World War II.
A representation of what the alternate flag of Malta could have looked like
Civil ensignEdit
The civil ensign shows a red field, bordered white and charged with a blank Maltese cross. It is also known as the Merchant's flag[23] and/or the maritime flag of Malta.[24][25][16]
^Murphy, Philip (2013). Monarchy and the End of Empire: The House of Windsor, the British Government, and the Postwar Commonwealth. OUP Oxford. ISBN978-0-19-921423-5.
^"World unites in Fair Play". Times of Malta. 21 September 2007. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
^Gaul, Simon (2007). Malta, Gozo and Comino. New Holland Publishers. p. 25. ISBN1860113656.
^Hardman, William (1909). A history of Malta during the period of the French and British occupations, 1798–1815. London: Longmans, Green & Co. p. 114.
^Guillet (sieur.) (1705). The Gentleman's Dictionary: In Three Parts. Viz. I. The Art of Riding the Great Horse ... II. The Military Art ... III. The Art of Navigation ... H. Benwicke ... T. Goodwin, M. Wotton, B. Tooke ... and S. Manship.
^Strickland, Adrian (1997). "The vexillological heritage of the Knights of Saint John in Malta" (PDF). Proceedings of the XVII International Congress of Vexillology.
^Bamford, Paul Walden (1964). "The Knights of Malta and the King of France, 1665-1700". French Historical Studies. 3 (4): 429–453. doi:10.2307/286150. ISSN 0016-1071. JSTOR 286150.
^Smith, Whitney (August 11, 2011). "flag of Malta | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
^Office, Great Britain Colonial (1963). Malta Independence Conference, 1963. H.M. Stationery Office.
^Mallia, Amy (April 15, 2022). "The Story Of Malta And The George Cross". Lovin Malta. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
^Bonnici, Alfred (August 2004). "Lord Gort's air mail letter to the U. K. (1942) & the George Cross on Malta stamps & flag". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^Xuereb, Charles (February 23, 2019). "75 years of the George Cross on the flag - do we still need a Colonial war medal?". Times of Malta. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
^Xuereb, Charles (September 1, 2022). "Republican Malta is still not colonially free". Malta Today. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
^"Campaign wants George Cross replaced by the Maltese Cross on the flag". Times of Malta. 24 September 2013. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
^"George Cross controversy". Times of Malta. 11 October 2013. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
^"Flags, Symbols and their uses". www.gov.mt. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
^Inc, IBP (2013). Malta Recent Economic and Political Developments Yearbook Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments. Lulu.com. ISBN978-1-4330-6350-3. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
^Holden, Edward Singleton (1906). Our Country's Flag, and the Flags of Foreign Countries ... D. Appleton and Company.
flag, malta, flag, malta, maltese, bandiera, malta, bicolour, with, white, hoist, representation, george, cross, awarded, malta, george, 1942, carried, edged, with, canton, white, stripe, flag, first, recognized, 1952, maltausenational, flag, state, naval, ens. The flag of Malta Maltese Bandiera ta Malta is a bicolour with white in the hoist and red in the fly A representation of the George Cross awarded to Malta by George VI in 1942 is carried edged with red in the canton of the white stripe 1 The flag was first recognized in the May of 1952 2 MaltaUseNational flag and state and naval ensignProportion2 3Adopted21 September 1964DesignA vertical bicolour of white and red with the representation of the George Cross edged in red on the upper hoist side corner of the white band Designed byRoger I of Sicily Original design UseCivil ensignDesignA red field with a white border and a white Maltese cross in the center National flag of Malta alongside the flag of the Knights of Malta Contents 1 Colours 2 The George Cross 2 1 Campaign 3 Civil ensign 4 Historical flags of Malta 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksColours EditThe red hue in the Maltese flag is officially documented as Pantone 186 C RGB 207 20 43 Hex CF142B or Spot Colour 50 rubine red 50 warm red 3 The constitution of Malta also states that the white side must be on the hoist pole while the red side must be in the fly 4 Tradition states that the colours of the flag were given to Malta by Roger I of Sicily in 1091 Roger s fleet landed in Malta on the completion of the Norman conquest of Sicily 5 It is said that local Christians offered to fight by Roger s side against the Arab defenders In order to recognize the locals fighting on his side from the defenders Roger reportedly tore off part of his chequered red and white flag 6 However this story has been debunked as a 19th century myth 7 possibly even earlier due to the Mdina Malta s old capital associating its colours with Roger s in the late Middle Ages 8 9 The white and red standard was reportedly used by Maltese insurgents during a rebellion against French occupation in September 1798 10 The flag of the Knights of Malta a white cross on a red field 11 was a more likely source of the Maltese colours inspiring the red and white shield used during the British colonial period 7 The flag used by the knights was also known to be the oldest still in use national flag 12 13 The blue canton present in the 1943 to 1964 version of the flag was removed after Maltese independence with the George cross instead given a red fimbriation 14 The George Cross Edit nbsp The George Cross National War Museum Malta The George Cross originally appeared on the flag placed on a blue canton see List of flags of Malta The flag was changed on 21 September 1964 with Malta s independence when the blue canton was replaced by a red fimbriation the intention being that the Cross appear less prominent His Majesty King George the Sixth bestowed the George Cross to Malta on April 15 1942 15 in recognition of its courageousness during World War II 16 6 The symbol was later officially added to the Maltese flag on the 28th of December 1943 17 despite symbolism being in circulation between April 1942 and December 1943 depicting the flag 18 Campaign Edit Every few years the debate to remove the George Cross from the national flag comes up In 1975 an act passed in parliament allowing the George Cross to be removed by a simple parliament majority 19 with the reasoning being that the cross ties Malta to its turbulent colonial past 20 7 A campaign on social media in 2013 further emphasized this point coming up with an alternative of replacing it with the Maltese cross 21 22 Critics of the George Cross argue that the George Cross ties Malta to its Colonial history and that no other nation has a military award on its national flag Arguments in favour of keeping the George Cross on the national flag argue that the George Cross shows Maltese strength and determination during World War II nbsp A representation of what the alternate flag of Malta could have looked likeCivil ensign EditThe civil ensign shows a red field bordered white and charged with a blank Maltese cross It is also known as the Merchant s flag 23 and or the maritime flag of Malta 24 25 16 Historical flags of Malta Edit nbsp 19th century Crown Colony of Malta nbsp 1875 1898 Crown Colony of Malta nbsp 1898 1923 Crown Colony of Malta 26 nbsp 1923 1943 Crown Colony of Malta nbsp 1943 1964 Crown Colony of Malta nbsp 1943 1964 Unofficial flag of Malta 27 nbsp The History of the Maltese Flag 28 See also EditAward of the George Cross to Malta Coat of arms of Malta Culture of Malta Flags and symbols of Malta List of flags of MaltaReferences Edit LEĠIZLAZZJONI MALTA legislation mt Retrieved 2022 11 28 Murphy Philip 2013 Monarchy and the End of Empire The House of Windsor the British Government and the Postwar Commonwealth OUP Oxford ISBN 978 0 19 921423 5 Gonzi Lawrence 2008 Graphical Specifications for the National Flag of Malta in Maltese Office of the Prime Minister of Malta p 2 Mifsud Ivan 2022 03 21 Constitutional Law in Malta Kluwer Law International B V ISBN 978 94 035 4430 4 Rudolf Uwe Jens Berg Warren G 2010 04 27 Historical Dictionary of Malta Scarecrow Press p 94 ISBN 978 0 8108 7390 2 a b Nevins Debbie Sheehan Sean Yong Jui Lin 2019 07 15 Malta Cavendish Square Publishing LLC ISBN 978 1 5026 4749 8 a b c Flags Symbols amp Currencies of Malta WorldAtlas 2021 02 24 Retrieved 2022 11 29 World unites in Fair Play Times of Malta 21 September 2007 Retrieved 2022 11 28 Gaul Simon 2007 Malta Gozo and Comino New Holland Publishers p 25 ISBN 1860113656 Hardman William 1909 A history of Malta during the period of the French and British occupations 1798 1815 London Longmans Green amp Co p 114 Guillet sieur 1705 The Gentleman s Dictionary In Three Parts Viz I The Art of Riding the Great Horse II The Military Art III The Art of Navigation H Benwicke T Goodwin M Wotton B Tooke and S Manship Strickland Adrian 1997 The vexillological heritage of the Knights of Saint John in Malta PDF Proceedings of the XVII International Congress of Vexillology Bamford Paul Walden 1964 The Knights of Malta and the King of France 1665 1700 French Historical Studies 3 4 429 453 doi 10 2307 286150 ISSN 0016 1071 JSTOR 286150 Smith Whitney August 11 2011 flag of Malta Britannica www britannica com Retrieved December 2 2022 Office Great Britain Colonial 1963 Malta Independence Conference 1963 H M Stationery Office a b Sheehan Sean 2000 Malta Marshall Cavendish p 34 ISBN 978 0 7614 0993 9 Mallia Amy April 15 2022 The Story Of Malta And The George Cross Lovin Malta Retrieved November 29 2022 Bonnici Alfred August 2004 Lord Gort s air mail letter to the U K 1942 amp the George Cross on Malta stamps amp flag a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Xuereb Charles February 23 2019 75 years of the George Cross on the flag do we still need a Colonial war medal Times of Malta Retrieved November 29 2022 Xuereb Charles September 1 2022 Republican Malta is still not colonially free Malta Today Retrieved November 29 2022 Campaign wants George Cross replaced by the Maltese Cross on the flag Times of Malta 24 September 2013 Retrieved 2022 11 29 George Cross controversy Times of Malta 11 October 2013 Retrieved 2022 11 29 Flags Symbols and their uses www gov mt Retrieved 2022 11 28 Harwood Stephenson 2006 Shipping finance 3rd ed London Euromoney Books p 400 ISBN 978 1 84374 460 3 OCLC 826658118 Inc IBP 2013 Malta Recent Economic and Political Developments Yearbook Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments Lulu com ISBN 978 1 4330 6350 3 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a last has generic name help Holden Edward Singleton 1906 Our Country s Flag and the Flags of Foreign Countries D Appleton and Company Paper trail retraces a 400 year old murder History of the Maltese Flag vexillology Reddit com 2010 07 22 Retrieved 2022 04 23 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to National flag of Malta Flags Symbols and their uses Malta at Flags of the World Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Flag of Malta amp oldid 1177318760, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
