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About French Flag

The French flag, as we know it, is one of the many results of the French Revolution. Made of three vertical stripes in blue, white, and red, the flag is called the "French Tricolour" by English speakers and simply "Tricoloure" by the French. The story behind the flag's creation has to do with the Paris militia. When the Bastille was stormed, the militia wore a cockade of blue and red, the traditional colours of Paris. According to Lafayette, the colour of France, white, was added to make it a national cockade. The cockade went on to become a part of the National Guard's uniform, going on to inspire the creation of the French flag, which was adopted in 1794. The flag has been used ever since, except for a 15-year break during the Bourbon restoration. The colour white, considered the "ancient French colour", became popular in the 15th century after Joan of Arc adopted it as her own colour. It is also the colour of the Virgin Mary and has been associated with France ever since Louis XIII consecrated the Kingdom of France to the Virgin Mary. Combined with the colours of Paris, the tricolour French flag was soon accepted by all the French. The French Navy uses a slightly modified version of the flag, with unequal vertical bands in the ratio 30:33:37, the colour red taking up the most space, because colours farther away from the pole appear smaller on a waving flag. The three colours on the French flag may also be taken to represent the three elements of the French Revolution's motto: blue for liberty, white for equality, and red for brotherhood. The French flag is used as the backdrop for all speeches by the French President and has inspired the design of several national flags, especially in Europe.