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| Italian flag (1861–1946) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Flag of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946) |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | 17 March 1861 |
| Relinquished | 2 June 1946 |
| Design | Vertical tricolour of green, white and red with Savoyard coat of arms centered |
| Designer | Uncertain; derived from Cisalpine and Sardinian traditions |
Italian flag (1861–1946) The national banner used from Italian unification in 1861 until the birth of the Italian Republic in 1946 was a vertical tricolour of green, white and red bearing the white cross on a red escutcheon of the House of Savoy. The flag accompanied the Kingdom of Italy through events such as the Risorgimento, the Third Italian War of Independence, the First Italo-Ethiopian War, the Italo-Turkish War, World War I, and World War II, appearing in diplomatic contexts including the Treaty of Milan and the Treaty of Versailles. It served as a visible emblem during reigns of monarchs like Victor Emmanuel II, Umberto I, and Victor Emmanuel III, and during governments led by figures such as Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour and Benito Mussolini.
The tricolour roots trace to revolutionary and Napoleonic entities including the Cisalpine Republic, the Transpadane Republic, and the Cispadane Republic, which adopted green, white and red between 1796 and 1798 alongside leaders like Napoleon Bonaparte and Giacomo Alberini. After the Congress of Vienna (1814–1815), the tricolour re-emerged in uprisings such as the Revolutions of 1848 and the First Italian War of Independence where patriots like Giuseppe Garibaldi, Giuseppe Mazzini, and Carlo Cattaneo employed it. The Kingdom of Sardinia under Charles Albert of Sardinia institutionalized a tricolour with the Savoyard shield during reforms preceding unification. On 17 March 1861, the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy under Victor Emmanuel II led to formal adoption of the flag for the new state, consolidating symbols from the House of Savoy and the Sardinian naval tradition exemplified by the Regia Marina.
The design featured three vertical bands—green at the hoist, white at center, red at fly—in a 2:3 proportion, with the Savoyard royal coat of arms (a white cross on a red escutcheon bordered by the Savoyard collar) placed centrally. The color interpretations varied: some revolutionaries linked green with the Napoleonic uniforms worn by the Lombardy–Venetia volunteers, white with the House of Savoy heraldry, and red with the blood shed during the Risorgimento in battles such as the Battle of Magenta and the Siege of Gaeta. The central escutcheon directly associated the flag with the monarchy of Victor Emmanuel II and later Umberto I and Victor Emmanuel III, signaling dynastic legitimacy during treaties like the London Conference (1864) and state visits to capitals such as Paris and Vienna.
Various civil and state variants were defined by royal decrees and naval regulations emanating from the Palazzo Carignano and later the Royal Palace of Turin and Quirinal Palace. Civil ensigns omitted the Savoy shield for merchant use under statutes influenced by the Regio Decreto system; state ensigns and government flags retained the coat of arms for representation at missions like the Italian embassy in London and at international events including the Exposition Universelle (1900). Provincial and municipal uses often juxtaposed the national tricolour with local banners from cities such as Milan, Naples, Florence, Genoa, and Rome. During colonial administration, colonial flags in Eritrea (Italian colony), Italian Somaliland, and Italian Libya used adaptations juxtaposing the tricolour with colonial badges under directives from the Ministero dell'Africa Italiana.
The Regia Marina flew a war ensign incorporating the Savoyard coat of arms in canton or center for ships like the ironclad Re d'Italia and during engagements in the Battle of Lissa (1866). The Regio Esercito and the Regio Esercito dei Bersaglieri used standards and guidons that combined the tricolour field with unit badges and royal monograms, displayed during ceremonies at sites such as the Altare della Patria and parades on the Via dei Fori Imperiali. Air service ensigns emerged with the Corpo Aeronautico Militare and later the Regia Aeronautica, which adapted roundels and fin flash designs for aircraft that took part in conflicts like the Battle of Caporetto and campaigns over Ethiopia (1935–1936). Government ministries including the Ministero della Marina, Ministero della Guerra, and Ministero degli Esteri used specific flags denoting ministerial authority and royal patronage.
With the rise of Benito Mussolini and the National Fascist Party, the flag's use intersected with fascist iconography during events such as the March on Rome and the Lateran Treaty (1929). Official protocol sometimes paired the tricolour with the fascio littorio, banners at the Piazza Venezia and during mass rallies at venues like the Stadium of Capannelle. While the Savoy shield remained legally part of the national flag, fascist regimes introduced emblems and standards for paramilitary bodies such as the Blackshirts (Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale) and the MVSN, and fascist ministries issued variant pennons for delegations to the Rome–Berlin Axis conferences with Adolf Hitler and Joachim von Ribbentrop.
Following World War II and the institutional referendum of 2 June 1946, the monarchy of House of Savoy ended with Umberto II's exile and the proclamation of the Italian Republic, prompting removal of the Savoyard escutcheon. The post-referendum provisional administrations in cities like Milan, Turin, Rome, and Naples oversaw the replacement of the royal arms; the republican tricolour adopted thereafter became the basis for the modern flag presented at ceremonies in the Quirinale and ratified by the Constituent Assembly (1946–1948). The 1861–1946 flag remains a subject of study in museums such as the Museo del Risorgimento (Turin), the Museo Centrale del Risorgimento (Rome), and the Museo Storico della Liberazione, and figures in memorials to conflicts like Caporetto and the Armistice of Cassibile; its visual continuity influenced later national emblems displayed in campaigns by parties like the Christian Democracy (Italy), Italian Socialist Party, and post-war monarchist groups.
Category:Flags of Italy Category:Kingdom of Italy