Last modified: 2014-04-11 by zoltán horváth
Keywords: lithuania | grand duchy of lithuania |
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image by Audrius Slapsinskas, 24 July 2003
See also:
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didzioji
Kunigaikstyste) - The flag of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, 1578
(reconstructed according to descriptions). This flag I drew
according to the cutting from booklet. Smaller picture is placed
in Encyclopedia of Soviet Lithuania, volume 4, General editorial
office of encyclopedia of the Lithuanian SSR, Vilnius, 1988.
Audrius Slapsinskas, 24 July 2003
The earliest known picture
of flag of Lithuania: it was drawn by Diebold Lauber of
Hagenau and shows the arrival of Lithuanian prince Zygimantas
Kaributas to Prague in 1422. The manuscript is stored in the
National Library of Austria, No.13975, vol.1, p.138.
The whole picture is small (it is just the illustration to
manuscript), so not so many details of flag can be
researched. But several facts can be extracted:
- the flag shows on red field the white/silver dexter-faced
mounted knight, i.e. the main elements of Vytis arms were
already stabile;
- the knight holds lance, i.e. the late 14th century
variations of sword vs. lance were probably still continuing
(other explanations are also possible);
- the flag contains upper tail, similarly to the German
fashion of 15th century; that supports the theory about major
influence of German traditions to the early arms and flags of
Lithuanians, despite of the century-long total war between them.
Virginijus Misiunas, 3 January 2010
