Why the Russian flag is obliged to the fleet. History of the state flag of Russia
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State flag of the Russian Federation- This is the official symbol of Russia along with its coat of arms and anthem. The rectangular panel of white, blue and red colors - the Russian tricolor - has its own history. The flag has changed over the centuries, and its history reflects the stages of development and change in Russia.
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Until the 17th century, there was no single state flag in Russia. The first mention of it is associated with the name of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov. In 1668, in accordance with European tradition, he commanded to raise the flag over the first Russian warship, named "Eagle". It is known that for the manufacture of the first flag, scarlet, white and blue matter were purchased, although there is no exact information about how it looked. There are several versions on this score, according to one of them, a double-headed eagle was also depicted on the flag. It is believed that in its type the first naval flag went back to some archery banners of the middle of the 17th century, or even earlier periods.
1693
This year, while sailing on the White Sea, Peter the Great used the “flag of the Tsar of Moscow” on his yacht for the first time. The flag consisted of three horizontal stripes (white, blue and red), in the center of the flag was a golden double-headed eagle. Thus, the fleet got its own single flag, which de facto can be considered the state flag of Russia.
1705
On January 20, Peter I issued a decree on placing a white-blue-red flag on merchant ships. This flag was also used as the field flag of the Russian army, and white-blue-red scarves were part of the officer's uniform from 1700 to 1732.
1712
In the navy, the Andreevsky flag, white with an azure cross, created in honor of the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, was approved. The layout of the flag was created personally by Peter I.
1806
On the basis of the Petrovsky tricolor, other flags were subsequently developed. So, in 1806, the flag of the Russian-American campaign appeared: a traditional tricolor with a black double-headed eagle and the inscription "Russian-American Company" in the middle of the white stripe.
1858
Alexander II approved a new design for the flag for solemn occasions (black-yellow-white). The initiator of the changes was Baron Kene, who drew the emperor's attention to the fact that the colors of the flag did not match the colors of the coat of arms, while this circumstance was contrary to the rules of German heraldry.
1865
A decree was issued in which black, orange (gold) and white were called the state colors of the Russian Empire. Its colors symbolized earth, gold and silver. Note that the black-yellow-white flag has never been popular in society - associations with Austria and the House of Habsburg were too strong.
1883
During the celebration of the coronation of Alexander III, the emperor drew attention to the contrast of the festive procession, decorated with black-yellow-white flowers, and the city, which was dominated by white-blue-red colors. On April 28, 1883, the emperor ordered the use of the white-blue-red flag of the merchant marine fleet exclusively on solemn occasions.
1896
On the eve of the coronation of Nicholas II, the Peter's tricolor was officially given the status of the state flag. At the same time, the red color symbolized "sovereignty", azure - the patronage of the Mother of God, and white - freedom and independence.
1918
In April of this year, at the suggestion of Sverdlov, a red flag with a gold inscription of the RSFSR in the upper left corner became the state flag. The idea of the flag seems to have been borrowed from European revolutionaries and socialists.
1954
Until that time, the state flag of the RSFSR was often replaced by a red flag without inscriptions and drawings. On May 2, 1954, the final version of the flag was approved by decree of the Presidium of the RSFSR. Now the flag consisted of a red cloth with a light blue stripe at the pole in the entire width of the flag. On the red cloth, in the upper left corner, were depicted a golden hammer and sickle, as well as a red five-pointed star, bordered by gold, above them.
1991
On August 22, 1991, a new history of the Russian flag began. The state flag was recognized as a rectangular panel with different-sized horizontal stripes of white, blue and red colors and an aspect ratio of 1:2. Since 1994, August 22 has been declared the Day of the State Flag of the Russian Federation.
1993
On December 11 of this year, Russian President Boris Yeltsin issued Decree No. 2126 “On the State Flag of the Russian Federation”, which approved the colors and proportions of the flag in the form in which we have them now.
2008
Since October 15, 2008, the state flag of the Russian Federation can be used by individuals, public associations, enterprises, institutions and organizations for purposes that are not desecration of the flag.
Plan.
I. Modern, official, state flags of Russia.
A) the state flag of Russia
B) the standard of the President of the Russian Federation
B) the banner of victory
II. History of the state flags of Russia
B) standard
III. History of the Russian flag
A) the birth of the Russian flag
B) St. Andrew's flag
C) state flags of the Russian Empire
D) flags of the Soviet era
D) the banner of Victory
IV. The modern state flag of Russia
A) the revival of the tricolor of Peter I
B) laws and decrees on the state flag, the banner of Victory
C) the meaning of the flag as a symbol of the state
Equipment:
computer presentation
Decrees and laws on the state flag of Russia, decree on the banner of Victory
Illustrations
Target:
Contribute to the formation, formation of spiritual, moral and patriotic qualities of the individual.
Tasks:
To instill a sense of patriotism and civic responsibility, a respectful attitude towards the symbols of the statehood of Russia. To provide students with more complete information about the history of the appearance of the state flag of Russia, about the history of standards and banners in Russia. Increase the motivation of educational activities through the use of non-traditional forms of presentation of material, ICT tools, elements of gaming activities. Find, systematize and analyze information. Learn to analyze historical sources and draw conclusions. To teach to convey information to listeners, to defend one's point of view with reason. Develop students' creativity.
Move.
Teacher:
Today we are holding a press conference on the topic "The flag of Russia is a symbol of state power."
Our guest:
Researcher at the Institute of Statistics and Public Opinion.
Candidates of historical sciences, dealing with issues of flag science and sign science.
Doctor of Historical Sciences, specialist in vexillology, deals with the Soviet period in the history of our state.
Political scientist.
Our conference is attended by high school students and university students. During the conference, you can ask participants questions, take part in discussions, and answer questions.
So, we start our conference and give the floor to a statistician
Teacher:
Summing up the results of the questionnaire about symbols.
Each state has its own distinctive signs - state symbols, which include the coat of arms, flag, anthem. To know and understand their meaning is the duty of every citizen. We were destined to be born in Russia, and we must respect its symbols and history, we must be proud of our people. It is difficult to teach, it must be understood and felt. And I would very much like you to understand that the flag, coat of arms, anthem are symbols of the historical continuity of the main values of the state.
The famous Russian thinker V. Belinsky wrote: “The ancient emblem or color of the nation, like the coat of arms of an ancient family, must always and invariably be kept intact. Otherwise, the emblem itself loses its symbolic and historical meaning, does not gain popularity among the people and becomes nothing more than an official, official stamp. I would very much like this not to happen to our flag. And it depends a lot on you.
Questionnaire questions:
Question
Answers:
1. Name the symbols of state power in Russia.
2. Name the colors of the national flag of Russia and the order in which they are placed on the flag.
3. What do the colors of the national flag of Russia symbolize?
4. What is the first line of the national anthem of Russia.
On December 1 (11), 1699, Tsar Peter I Alekseevich established the Andreevsky flag as the official flag of the Russian Naval. The main ship banner of the Russian Navy is a white, rectangular panel, crossed diagonally from corner to corner with two blue stripes that form an oblique cross. The tsar explained his choice by the fact that it was from the Apostle Andrew the First-Called that Russia first received holy baptism, and he became its heavenly patron, and thus Peter wanted to perpetuate the name of the saint.
The symbolism of the St. Andrew's flag has deep roots. One of the disciples of Jesus Christ was Andrew - the brother of the Apostle Peter (Cephas, former Simon), the patron saint of Tsar Peter I. According to the Gospel, both brothers fished on the Lake of Galilee, that is, they were directly related to the sea. Andrew was the first to be called by Jesus Christ as a disciple and therefore was called the First-Called. According to some sources, Andrei was sent for missionary work to Scythia (Northern Black Sea). A number of Russian sources report on the journey of the apostle from the Crimea to Rome via Ladoga. It is said that Andrew made a stop on the hills near the Dnieper, where Kyiv would be founded, and informed his disciples that the grace of God would shine here and a great city would be founded. He climbed the hills, blessed them and erected a cross. Then he visited the northern lands of Russia, marveling at the custom of the Slavs, who, while washing in the baths, beat themselves with “young rods”, douse themselves with kvass and ice water. Some sources report on the further journey of the Apostle Andrew to the north, where he put a cross near the present village of Gruzino on the banks of the Volkhov, to Lake Ladoga and a visit to the island of Valaam. At the same time, it should be noted that many authors, including Orthodox church historians, question the existence of this journey.
One thing is certain, the Apostle Andrew became famous as a tireless traveler and preacher of Christianity. The missionary's activity was closely connected with the sea. The Golden Legend (a collection of Christian legends and the lives of saints written in the 13th century) reports the salvation and even the resurrection of 40 travelers who were heading to the apostle by sea, but were killed by a storm (in another version, the sea is calmed by prayer). This can explain the veneration of Andrew the First-Called as the patron saint of sailors. His life was completed by martyrdom - crucifixion on an oblique cross (which received the name of the apostle).
The veneration of the Apostle Andrew in the Russian state and the special attitude of Tsar Peter Alekseevich towards him was also expressed in the fact that in 1698 the first Russian order was established - the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. The main part of the order was the image of the Apostle Andrew, crucified on an oblique cross. St. Andrew's Order on a blue ribbon until 1917 remained the main and most revered award in the Russian Empire (since 1998, the highest award of the Russian Federation). It should also be noted that the symbolism of the St. Andrew's flag came from Peter's father, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who established a special flag for the Eagle ship built under him - a white-blue-red flag with a double-headed scarlet eagle.
Having become king, Pyotr Alekseevich paid great attention to the development of drawings for the flag of the Russian fleet. So, in 1692, two sketches were created. One - with three horizontal stripes and the signature: "white", "blue", and "red". The second drawing - the same colors are indicated with the St. Andrew's Cross "superimposed" on them. In 1693 and 1695, the flag of the second project was listed in a number of European atlases as the "flag of Muscovy". I must say that in search of the final version of the naval flag of Russia, the tsar went through about 30 projects over two decades. In August 1693, Tsar Peter raised St. Peter" a flag of three horizontal stripes (white, blue and red) with a golden eagle in the center. From this moment on, one can trace the development of the naval flag of the Russian state. Unfortunately, there is no information about the banners under which the boats of Russian soldiers sailed in the first millennium of our era, the ships of Novgorod merchants and ushkuiniki sailed. Although it can be assumed that the Russian battle banners were red from the earliest antiquity.
In 1696, during the second siege of the Turkish fortress of Azov, Russian ships carried a flag with a blue straight cross and quarters of white and red at the stern. However, the very next year, Tsar Peter established a new navy flag of three horizontal stripes - white, blue and red, actually returning to the 1693 version. Under this flag, in 1699, the ship "Fortress" went to Constantinople with the first official diplomatic mission of the Russian navy. At the same time, the Russian sovereign, who had just returned from a trip to Western Europe, continued to search for a drawing of the naval flag of Russia. In the autumn of 1699, for the first time, the “St. Andrew's” oblique blue cross appeared on a white-blue-red cloth - a sign of the patron saint of Russia, the Apostle Andrew the First-Called. He was also placed by the king in the white head of the tricolor pennant known since 1697, which existed under the name "ordinary" until 1870.
In 1700, Tsar Peter examines the engravings and drawings of the 58-gun ship "Goto Predestination" ("God's foresight"). In the engravings by Adrian Schonebeck and in the watercolors by Bergman, the warship is depicted with six different flags! One of the views depicts a flag, in the cloth of which nine horizontal stripes of white, blue and red colors are successively located; on the other - a white-blue-red flag with three horizontal stripes (1697 version); on the third - a flag of seven stripes, on the wide white central strip of which is placed a black St. Andrew's cross, above this strip are narrow white, blue and red, and below it are narrow blue, white and red stripes. However, the tsar believes that the flag of 1697 is outdated, and the nine-stripe cloth is hard to read and, moreover, is very similar to the Dutch flag of the rear admiral. The king is satisfied with the flags on the drawings: white, blue and red with St. Andrew's blue cross in the upper quarter of the flag near the hoist. This system was similar to that adopted in the British Navy. At the same time, flags of the galley fleet were established, which differed from ship flags in the presence of braids (the ends of the flag are in the form of right-angled triangles). In addition, white, blue and red pennants began to be raised on the masts of ships, in the white head of which was placed a blue St. Andrew's cross. The blue and red flags and pennants, which were sometimes abolished and reintroduced into circulation, generally lasted until 1865. The white flag received a new design already in 1710 - the blue St. Andrew's cross was moved to the center of the panel and seemed to hang in it, without touching the ends of the flag. The St. Andrew's flag adopted its familiar image in 1712: a white flag with a blue St. Andrew's cross. In this form, this flag existed in the Russian Navy until November 1917.
Since 1720, the guis began to be raised on the bowsprit of the ships of the Russian fleet - a special flag that was previously used as the flag of sea fortresses and was called the "keyser flag". The red cloth was crossed not only by an oblique blue cross, but by a straight white cross. It is believed that he appeared in 1701. Until 1720, Russian ships carried a smaller copy of the stern ensign as a guis. The word "guis" has an interesting one: it comes from the Dutch "gyoz", that is, a beggar. So in the 16th century, the inhabitants of the Netherlands who rebelled against Spanish rule were called. The largest group of gueuzes fought at sea ("sea gueuzes") and for the first time began to use this flag.
Guys, the flag of sea fortresses.
The supremacy of the white flag, with a blue St. Andrew's cross, was finally enshrined in the Charter of 1797: "If the ships are not ranked anywhere, they fly white flags." At the same time, the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet from its foundation until 1918 sailed only under the white flags of St. Andrew. Colored - blue and red flags, were abolished during the reigns of Anna Ioannovna and Catherine the Great. In the roofs (the upper quarter of the flag at the pole) of the blue and red flags from 1797 to 1801 (during the reign of Pavel Petrovich), not the St. Andrew's flag was placed, but a guis, which for Emperor Paul I, who from childhood held the rank of Admiral General, had special meaning as a personal sign. It should be noted that it was Tsar Pavel Petrovich who turned the old flags and banners from items of clothing allowance into military relics. In addition, during the reign of Emperor Paul, some Russian ships for some time raised a red flag with a white cross of Joannites. This flag was created as a stern sign of the Maltese squadrons created by the newly-made head of the Order of Malta. On December 16, 1798, Paul I was elected Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem and planned to create a fleet based in Malta to ensure the interests of the Russian Empire in the Mediterranean and in southern Europe. The flag was abolished after the death of Pavel Petrovich.
In the 19th century, several more new fodder flags will appear in the Russian Empire. So, back in 1797, the ships of the Naval Cadet Corps received a special stern flag, where the coat of arms of the educational institution was placed in the center of the St. Andrew's flag in a red oval. And on the main mast, the ships of this educational institution began to raise "ordinary" pennants with tricolor braids. Since 1827, ships of training marine crews have been given the right to raise a special flag, where there was an image of a cannon and an anchor (they were also placed in a red oval). Received their stern flags and hydrographic vessels of the Russian imperial fleet. In 1828, a flag "for sailing" was established, on the St. Andrew's flag in the center there was a drawing of a black compass coil with a gold anchor pointing north. True, already in 1837 this flag was replaced by the flag of the hydrograph general established in 1829. It had the same black compass coil, but with a small blue cover. In addition, in the years 1815-1833. there was also a stern flag for the ships of the Vistula military flotilla (Flag of the military courts of the Kingdom of Poland). It was the St. Andrew's flag with a small red roof, in which a white Polish eagle was placed. This flag was abolished after the defeat of the Polish uprising of 1830-1831.
Flag of the Hydrograph General of the General Staff. The flag of ships intended for navigation.
Until 1797, auxiliary ships of the navy of the Russian Empire carried a tricolor flag at the stern, and a guis on the bowsprit. From 1794 to 1804 auxiliary vessels were distinguished by a military pennant. And since May 1804, they received a special flag with a white or blue panel, with a roof of national colors (white-blue-red) and crossed anchors under it. In addition, the armed transport carried a military pennant at the same time. All these flags were abolished in 1865.
St. George pennant - a tricolor pennant with the St. Andrew's flag in the head, on the center of the cross of which is superimposed a red shield with the image of the patron saint of the military, St. George the Victorious, was established in 1819. He began to distinguish the guards crew, which earned this honor in the battle of the city of Kulm in 1813. Other differences that distinguished senior officials were the St. George admiral's flag (it had the cloth of the St. Andrew's flag, but with the red shield of St. George the Victorious), St. George's braid pennant and the rear admiral's boat flag. In addition, during the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829. in battles with the Turks, the 74-gun battleship Azov (the hero of the Battle of Navarino) and the 18-gun brig Mercury (defeated two Turkish battleships) especially distinguished themselves, they were marked with Admiral St. George flags, which were raised as stern. In the entire subsequent history of the Russian Empire, no other warship of the Russian fleet has received such an award.
With the development of the country, there were changes in the flags of the navy. In 1865, blue and red flags and pennants were canceled due to uselessness. Also canceled and all, except for Andreevsky, stern flags. In 1870, the boat flags became admirals' flags, the "ordinary" pennant was eliminated, under which ships sailed that were not assigned to any part. St. George's pennant received instead of tricolor, white braids. In the same year, the blue flag, which had the image of the St. Andrew's flag in the roof, became the stern flag of the auxiliary ships of the Russian Navy. In addition, as the armed forces develop, flags of naval fortress ships, new flags of officials, ships of individual units, ships of a separate Border Guard Corps, and maritime flags appear.
The 1917 revolution brought new symbols. Next to the Andreev flags, red flags began to be raised. Since the spring of 1918, the hoisting of the Andreevsky flag on the ships of Soviet Russia was stopped. At the end of 1924, the Andreev flags were also lowered on the ships of the White fleet in Bizerte (the ships were laid down by the French, they would soon “put them on pins and needles”). The guis and the fortress flag, with some changes - in the central part of the cloth in a white circle depicted a red star with a hammer and sickle in the middle, existed until 1932. In addition, during the Second World War, the symbols of the St. Andrew's flag were used by the collaborationist units of General Vlasov.
On January 17, 1992, the Russian government adopted a resolution that returned the status of the Russian Naval Flag to the St. Andrew's flag. As a result, the pre-revolutionary St. Andrew's flag and guis were restored to the Russian Navy and are still in operation.
The Russian flag has changed quite significantly throughout the entire period of its existence. And the last option, which is used in the modern world, is as close as possible to the one that appeared first. In honor of this symbol of the country, the Day of the Flag of the Russian Federation is celebrated annually on August 22, since it was on this day in 1991 that the modern arrangement of colors was approved, which, however, were used in Tsarist Russia long before that. It should be noted that this date did not become a holiday immediately, but only starting from 1994, when the corresponding presidential decree was published.
Flag History
It is believed that it owes its appearance in the version in which the Russian flag exists now to Peter the Great and his actions aimed at creating a fleet. It is precisely because of the need to indicate that the ship belonged to one or another power that the modern version of the tricolor white-blue-red flag arose. However, there is still no evidence of the actual reasons why these colors were chosen. Many theories have been proposed, ranging from an attempt to imitate other countries that have similar flag colors, to such a simple reason that by the time the problem arose, the warehouses simply did not have fabric of other colors in stock. Of course, before the appearance of such a symbol in Ancient Russia, and later, various banners were used, but they were not officially approved. Only on August 22, 1991, the modern version of the flag was recognized as the state one, and it was at that moment that such a holiday as the Day of the Flag of the Russian Federation appeared. Nevertheless, since the reign of Peter the Great, this symbol in one form or another has been actively used in trade, in diplomatic missions, and even during hostilities.
Flag of the Russian Empire
The first mention of the new colors of the Russian banner appears in 1731, but in fact the black-yellow-white flag was officially approved only in 1858. Nevertheless, already in 1883, a law was passed, according to which during solemn holidays and other state events, only the white-blue-red flag should be used for decoration. And despite this, both options were in use for a very long time. Thus, over a very long period of history, two variations of the national flag were used simultaneously.
Flag of the USSR
The first variation of the USSR flag was approved in 1918. Before that, either a white-blue-red version was used, or just a red banner. Subsequently, it was refined and modified before becoming the way most people know it: a red background and a crossed hammer and sickle in the upper left corner. This banner became in 1924, and further changes did not add anything significantly new. Each republic that was part of the USSR had its own variations of the flag, but it was the main version that was taken as the basis.
Modern Russian flag
Since 1991, a white-blue-red banner has been used as the state flag. It remains so to this day. There are many interpretations of what the Russian flag means. The most common interpretation of colors is as follows. White - frankness and nobility, blue - honesty, fidelity, chastity and impeccability, and red - love, generosity, courage and courage. According to other options, the colors symbolize Great, White and Little Russia. There are many more lesser-known assumptions, according to one of which white symbolizes freedom, blue - the Virgin, and red - power. It is also believed that such colors are traditional for the entire Slavic world. Of the modern flags of different powers, the banners of Azania (Somalia) and Slovenia are very similar to the Russian flag. In the latter, this symbol is almost identical, but in Somalia, instead of blue, it is rather turquoise or something similar to it. Previously, similar colors and their similar arrangement were also found on the symbols of the Duchy of Carniola and Slovakia, but later they were changed to more unique ones.
Results
In general, the history of the flags of the Russian Federation is rather confused, complex, has many contradictions and relatively little documentary evidence. The initial choice by Peter I of just such an arrangement and such colors of the flag is incomprehensible. Despite the active use of this symbolism for a long time, in fact, it was officially approved relatively recently. It should be noted that most of the flags of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation bear little resemblance to the state symbol, and only some have similar colors. An interesting fact is that everyone has their own flag, except for the Pskov region, although the different administrative units that are included in it have their own insignia.
Over time, banners appeared in Russia in the form of a canvas attached to a pole. They were called banners, they gathered warriors around them.
Banners could be of different shapes, but in Russia they were often found in the form of an elongated triangle.
Since the 15th century, the word “banner” has been increasingly used to designate the banner and banners. From now on, the banner was perceived not just as a sign, but as a relic common to the entire army, like an icon with saving properties. The banners depicted the face of Jesus Christ, the Virgin, saints, scenes from the Bible, the text of the Gospel, the cross. In medieval Russia, both military units and military regalia were also called banners. The banner is a symbol of unification. The troops met around the battle banner. The banner meant the headquarters of the commander or the center of the battle order. The number of banners determined the number of troops. Raising the banner meant declaring readiness for battle, lowering it meant admitting defeat. The loss of the banner was a heavy shame on the entire military unit. Capturing an enemy banner in battle was considered a special distinction.
It is difficult to judge the color scheme, but in historical sources they are named: red, green, blue, blue, white.
In XVII-XVIII, a kind of banners appeared in Russia - ensign (a small banner with long tails). Thus, even in the second half of the 7th century in Russia there was no state, national flag, and the royal banner could not be considered as such.
The Russian flag owes its birth to the Russian fleet.
In 1667-1669. in the village of Dedinovo on the Oka, the first flotilla of Russia was built. It was intended to protect trade caravans sailing along the Volga and the Caspian Sea, and consisted of a three-masted ship "Eagle" and four smaller ships.
By that time, the leading maritime powers already had their own flags, which were raised on ships. The flags served as the identification mark of the ship and the state to which the ship belonged. It is from maritime flags that many state phages originate.
It is known that the first flag set on the Eagle ship consisted of white, blue and red colors, but they were not arranged in horizontal stripes. Some historians think so. They believe that the flag consisted of four parts. The blue cross divided the cloth into 4 parts, and the white and red colors were staggered. There is another opinion that the flag looked like the modern flag of Russia.
It is known that in 1693 in Arkhangelsk on ships Peter I raised a flag with horizontal stripes (white - blue - red), named the flag of the Tsar of Moscow. In 1690, the white-blue-red flag became the symbol of the Russian state, primarily at sea.
The Russian tricolor (tricolor flag) probably originated from the Dutch model. Holland in the 17th century was one of the great maritime powers. Its flag is orange, white and blue. Soon the orange color was changed to red.
The arrangement of the stripes on the Russian flag was different, and the symbolism of the colors reflected Russian traditions. The order of colors on the flag is white, blue, red.
The red color, the color of blood, as it were, denoted the earthly world, blue - the celestial sphere, white - the divine light. All three colors have long been revered in Russia.
Red was considered a symbol of courage and courage, as well as a synonym for beauty. The blue color was considered a symbol of the Mother of God. White color personified peace, purity, nobility. All three colors also corresponded to the Moscow coat of arms: on a white horse St. George in a blue mantle on a red field of the shield.
In the era of Peter the Great, other Russian flags appeared. One of them is St. Andrew's flag - a blue oblique cross on a white field. Apostle Andrew was considered the patron saint of Russia and navigation. St. Andrew's flag has become the flag of the Russian Navy, it is raised on warships. But the tricolor was not forgotten. In 1705, the tsar issued a decree on what the flag should be on Russian merchant ships. The text of the decree was accompanied by a drawing of a flag of three stripes - white, blue and red. CONTINUED ON THE SITE
