Albanian Flag

Albania Flag PNG

The struggle for independence has been a recurrent theme in the history of the Republic of Albania, and the red flag featuring a black double-headed eagle has been the central symbol of this struggle for centuries.

History of the Flag

One of the earliest pages in the history of the flag tells us about George Kastrioti. Also known as Skanderbeg or Iskander Bey, he was a prince who led the Albanians in their fight against the Turks in the 1440’s. On November 28, 1443, his troops took over the fortress of Krujë and raised the red flag with black eagle, which marked the beginning of a period of independence for the Albanians. Though this period was brief and ended in 1468 with Skanderbeg’s death, the flag outlived him.

Once part of the Ottoman Empire, Albania became independent in 1912, and that was when a flag looking pretty much like the current one was officially introduced as the national flag. No matter, whether Albania became a monarchy, a republic, a communist state or even a Nazi-occupied country, the flag has almost always been a variation of that basic structure.

1912

On 28 November 1912, Albania declared independence from the Ottoman Empire. Just days later, the Senate and Government were created by the Assembly of Vlorë.

Historians haven’t found any 100%-reliable information as to which flag was raised on the Independence Day. They are sure that it featured the familiar double-headed eagle over the red field, but where exactly it came from remains unknown. There are at least ten possible versions, out of which we’ll discuss two.

• Don Aladro Kastriota’s flag

A 1913 postcard showcases a design that looks very close to the current flag. Next it, there is a picture of Don Aladro Kastriota, a prominent Spanish-Basque diplomat who at a certain moment was a candidate for the Albanian throne.

Eqrem bey Vlora, an Albanian politician and writer, sheds some light on this story in his memoirs. He writes that Don Aladro once handed him “an Albanian flag, a black double-headed eagle on the red field” as a present during their meeting in Paris. Eqrem bey Vlora then had this flag hanging in his bedroom for five years. Prior to the Albanian Declaration of Independence on 28 November 1912, there were so many things going on that the need for a flag was overlooked. At some point, of course, the problem surfaced, and, as the easiest solution, the flag that used to be in Eqrem bey Vlora’s bedroom, was raised. This version was supported by Syrja bey Vlora in his memoirs.

Eqrem bey later stated that the flag had been taken away from him, together with some other things he owned, and burned by the new government in 1915.

• Marigo Posio’s flag

However, there’s another version of where the flag came from. Kristo Floqi, an Albanian playwright, politician, and lawyer, told the details of this story in the Arbënia newspaper in 1936. He claimed that the flag was created by Marigo Posio, an activist of the Albanian National Awakening and Independence Movement, who was also known for promoting the social status of Albanian women.

The claim that the flag raised during the Albanian Declaration of Independence in Vlorë was made by Marigo Posio was supported by Vinçenc Prennushi from the Order of Friars Minor and by Posio’s assistant Thina Ferra. The latter said that Marigo painted the eagle on a thin red cloth, and then they put it to dry near the brazier.

1912 – 1914 (the flag of the Provisional Government)

The first government the country had after it declared its independence was the Qemali Government, also known as Provisional Government. This organization had an official flag. It looked close to the ones discussed above, with a two-headed eagle over the red field, but was standardized and uniform.

1913 – 1914 (the flag of the self-proclaimed Republic of Central Albania)

Essad Pasha Toptani established the Republic of Central Albania based in Durrës in 1913. In a 1915 letter from Essad Pasha to the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was discovered by scholar Marenglen Kasmi, Essad Pasha states he is the country’s interim president and give information about the national flag. That’s a red rectangle with a 2:3 ratio featuring a white five-pointed star at the lower right corner.

Interestingly, this design looks very similar to the Ottoman national flag, only the crescent is gone.

1915 (the flag of the Principality of Albania)

The Principality of Albania was a monarchy headed by Wilhelm, Prince of Albania. It was active from 1914 to 1925. A virtually intact example of the flag used at that time was introduced at a 2012 auction in Genoa, Italy.

It bore a striking resemblance to the flag of the Provisional Government. There was again a black eagle over a red field. Yet, this time, the field was of a different shade of red, with a very noticeable shift in the orange direction. More notably, though, the eagle wore a gold crown, had a royal shield on its chest, and its the legs were gold. All these perfectly supported the concept of the monarchy.

1916 – 1920 (Autonomous Province of Korçë)

Once again, we see a two-headed eagle over the red field. But the devil is in the details. The bird isn’t all black, but has grayish highlights. The agreement on the Autonomous Province calls the flag “the traditional standard of Skanderbeg” and also states that there should be a “tricolor tie in the colors of the French flag.” The France-inspired tricolor can be seen in the top left corner.

1920 (the Congress of Lushnjë)

On January 21-31, 1920, in Lushnjë, the country’s political leaders held a conference to discuss the problems caused by the fact that the territory was controlled by Italian and French troops. During the conference known as the Congress of Lushnjë, or Mbledhja Kombiare Lushnje, a red flag with an eagle was used. The eagle was similar to the one from the flag of the Provisional government, but the shade of red was by far darker and more saturated.

1925 – 1928 (the Albanian Republic)

After the monarchy, the Principality of Albania, was abolished, a parliamentary republic called the Albanian Republic was declared. Its flag was dominated by a dark shade of red, similar to the one used by the Congress of Lushnjë.

There was also a two-headed black eagle, but it looked pretty different. The reason why the bird was redrawn from scratch was the need to make it fit into a square – this was the shape that the republic chose for itself. It was pretty popular during that era.

1928 – 1939 (the Albanian Kingdom)

The Constituent Assembly declared Albania a monarchy in 1928. Ahmet Bej Zogu, the country’s former Prime Minister and President, was declared King Zog I. Supported by Italy’s fascist regime, the Albanian Kingdom existed until Italy suddenly invaded it in 1939.

There were at least three flags, or versions of the same flag, used during these 11 years. All of them featured a black eagle over the red field, but there were a couple of notable differences.

From 1928 to 1934, the flag was dark red with nothing but the black eagle on it.

The version used from 1934 to 1939 featured a lighter shade of red and a gold crown over the eagle’s head.

Additionally, there was a royal flag. In contrast to the two designs described above, it was a square filled with a lighter and brighter shade of red. The crown looked different, and there was a gold wreath below.

1939 – 1943 (the Kingdom of Albania)

Both the eagle and the red field were still present in the version of the design used during the Italian occupation. But there was a whole complex of new symbols. The Yearbook of the Kingdom of Albania describes the new elements as “the sign of the lictor fasces.”

1943 – 1944 (under Nazi Germany)

The symbols introduced by the Italian government were gone. The eagle, which still had a gold crown over its head, was moved to the left of the emblem.

1944 – 1946 (the Democratic Government of Albania)

When Albania became free from the Nazis, it returned to the simplest version of the flag: the rectangular red field with a black eagle over it.

Late 1970s – 1992 (the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania)

A five-pointed star appeared over the bird’s heads. The star, which was a well-recognized Soviet symbol, was red with a gold outline. The ratio of the flag, according to the constitution, was 1:1-40.

1992 – present (national flag)

Parliamentary elections were held in Albania on 22 March 1992 marking the end of the communist era for the country. The star was removed in 1992 by the Assembly created after the early elections.

2014 – present (presidential flag)

In addition to the national flag, there is also a special version of it called the Presidential flag. It features the colors of the main flag, as well as the eagle. But there’re additional elements in golden hues. Their use and meaning is specified in the presidential decree issued on 10 July 2014.

The Skanderbeg helmet stands for “impartiality and determination in representing national unity.” The oak leaves symbolize “longevity, strength and dignity.” The document references ancient King Gentius of Illyrians, who used this symbol, as an inspiration. Also, there are crown-shaped oak branches “supporting” other elements.

Meaning of Symbols and Colors

The unofficial name of the country is “Shqipëria,” which means “land of the eagle.” An Albanian legend tells, that the people who live here are descendants of the eagle. When the struggle against Turkish occupation intensified, the two-headed eagle started to be used on flags.

The golden color featured in the Presidential flag and in the coat of arms represents “strength, prosperity and endurance,” according to President Bujar Nishani’s decree published on 10 July 2014.

Use of the flag

The national flag has the ratio of 5:7 (1:1.4 by law). When the flag is being hung as a banner, a variation with a vertical orientation is used, where there is empty red space above and below the eagle.

Also, there are two modifications used as ensigns, maritime flags used by civilian vessels and naval ships to denote their nationality. Both the ensigns have the ratio of 2:3, but their designs are different.

The civil ensign is a horizontal triband with a black stripe in the middle and two red stripes, one of them above, the other one below. The naval ensign features the same double-headed eagle as the national flag, but here it is placed over the white field. The contrast between white and black makes the eagle better visible, so it’s easier to identify the flag from afar. The heritage red color is still used, but just as a stripe in the lower part of the design.

Coat of Arms

The coat of arms is a slightly tweaked version of the national flag. Once again, we see the black eagle on the red background. This time, though, there is a gold helmet over the bird’s heads and an outline in the same color.

The helmet is drawn in light strokes and somewhat resembles a fire flame. The inspiration behind this image was the model of crown-like rank that used to be Skanderbeg’s property. The rank was first mentioned in 1593 as part of the Ambras armory inventory, and the model can currently be seen at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. It was only in 1926, though, that the helmet officially became part of the coat of arms.