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Switzerland, officially called the Swiss Confederation, is made up of a union of cantons or states situated in west-central Europe.
It was one of the original three Swiss cantons, Schwyz, that provided Switzerland with its name and it is believed Switzerland’s flag may also have been based on a banner used by
the Schwyz canton, dating back to the 13th century.
What is known is that by the late 14th century, Swiss Confederation soldiers had begun to wear emblems featuring a white cross on a red field into battle as a sign of their Christian faith and to distinguish themselves from their enemies.
From the late 15th century a white floating cross on a red field had been universally accepted as a symbol of the Confederation.
In 1814, a white cross on a red field appeared on the seal of the Confederation and in 1848 a square red flag charged with a white cross was adopted as the Confederation’s military flag.
The same square design was adopted as the national flag on the 12th of December 1889.
Interestingly, the flag of the international humanitarian organisation the Red Cross was created in 1906 by reversing the colours of the Swiss national flag.
Its adoption was to honour the nationality of the founder of the Red Cross, Swiss citizen Henri Dunant. |
