Until the middle of the XIX century, Italy was fragmented and consisted of several separate states. Heraldic symbols - the flag and coat of arms - each had its own. The unification of the Italian lands occurred after their conquest by Napoleon, then the prototype of the modern flag of Italy appeared - a tricolor of equivalent lines of green, white and red.
Italian flag in the image of the French
The flag was created in the image of the French, the blue stripe of which was replaced by a green one.
- Green color speaks of inexhaustible faith in a bright future
- White — about hope
- Red symbolizes love.
These colors are historically associated with Italy and are considered traditional for the country. White and red borrowed from the flag of Milan - a scarlet cross on a white background, and green repeats the color of the uniforms of the Milan Guards. Since then, the appearance of the flag has changed several times, but the colors have remained the same.
Metamorphoses of the Italian flag
The official date of birth of the flag of Italy is December 9, 1797. The green-white-red tricolor with horizontally arranged lines becomes the heraldic symbol of the Cispadan Republic - the vassal republic of France. Subsequently, the Cisalpine Republic, the Italian Napoleonic Republic and, finally, the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy were formed.
With the advent of the new state, the appearance of the flag also changed. First, the stripes on the flag turned 90 degrees, placing them vertically. Then, instead of stripes on the flag, three squares of red, green and white colors were depicted, superimposed on each other. In the era of the Napoleonic kingdom of Italy, a gold-colored eagle is added to the flag - a symbol of the French Empire.
What happened to the flag of Italy after the fall of Napoleon
Heraldic symbols that appeared in Italy during the times of foreign domination were forgotten after the defeat of Napoleon for many decades. In the 30s of the XIX century, revolutionary movements intensified in the country, which fought for the unity of Italy - this era was called Risorgimento,which means revival. It was then that they remembered the Napoleonic tricolor, where instead of a blue stripe, green is a symbol of hope for a bright future, a symbol of change. This flag became the banner of the unification of the disparate Italian states into a single country under the rule of the Kingdom of Savoy-Sardinia.
Flag of the Kingdom of Italy
The flag of the United Kingdom of Italy absorbed the features of the flag of the Kingdom of Sardinia and the already familiar tricolor, on the white stripe of which the coat of arms of the Savoy dynasty in a blue border was placed. In this form, the flag will live almost 70 years.
Interestingly, even during mussolini's fascist regime, the flag was not touched. The Nazis simultaneously used their heraldic symbols, which depicted lictor bundles (fascia).
Modern tricolor
In 1946, in Italy, the monarchy was replaced by a republic. The Savoy coat of arms is removed from the flag of the country - and the green-white-red tricolor remains, which is the heraldic symbol of Italy to this day. After heated debate about the correct shades of stripe color, the final version of the flag was approved in 2006.
Italians love and respect their flag, affectionately and chanting it il Tricolore. Songs and poems are dedicated to the flag, practicing the skill of interpreting symbolism:
- Green is interpreted as the color of hope and optimism, similar to strawberry leaves, a laurel wreath or green plains.
- White is a symbol of faith and people's love, similar to the snow-white tops of the Alps.
- Red is the joy and blood of heroes and sufferers, the color of volcanoes and ripe strawberries.
Also, the colors of the Italian flag are the colors of Christian virtues: faith, hope and love.
