Despite their familiarity, few know the real origen of the colors of the bandera of Space. Far from being an arbitrary or merely symbolic choice, red and yellow were born from a very specific need: highlight. In 1785the king Carlos III ordered that a new flag be designed for the Spanish Navy.
The reason was practical: many of the great European powers used predominantly white flags -as France, Italia or even Spain itself, with the Bourbon emblem on white background – which caused confusion during naval clashes. To solve this problem, the monarch commissioned the Minister of the Navy, Antonio Valdésto present several alternative designs.
Of the twelve proposals, Carlos III He chose one with two red stripes and a yellow, wider central. The design, of great visibility even long distance, was first adopted for ships and eventually became the national flag.
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Although the origin was purely practical, more symbolic meanings have been attributed to these colors. He rojo has been interpreted as a representation of the spilled blood by the Spaniards in defense of the country, while the yellow is associated with wealth and the oro. Others suggest that colors also reflect the inheritance of the Aragon Crown, which used red and gold on its shield.
The current design was formalized as a national flag in the 19th century and has maintained its essence until today, with small changes in the shield. From 1981he central shield represents the ancient kingdoms of Spacethe monarchy and the motto “Plus Ultra”, symbol of overseas expansion.
