The Kingdom of Sweden

The National Flag of Sweden

According to Myth, in the 12th Century, Eric the Holy was undertaking a campaign in Finland, and saw a golden cross on the blue sky. Taking it as a sign from God, he took the yellow cross on a golden banner as his flag. Another story states that before independence, Sweden used a blue flag with a white cross, which was changed to a yellow cross on independence from Denmark.

However, the first recorded flag comes in the mid-1500's, with records detailing a blue field featuring a yellow cross on a double-tailed flag. 

And in the 17th Century, the flag was altered from being double tailed, to triple tailed. 

In 1815, Sweden and Norway entered into union together, even though they remained administratively separate. As a mark of this union, a red square with a white diagonal cross was added to the Swedish flag in the upper hoist canton, for both the civil and military ensigns.

In 1844, the King issued a decree creating a new badge of union to represent the equal nature of the two kingdoms. This new badge took elements of both flags, and mixed them together. The top and bottom fields bore elements of the flag of Norway, with the right and left fields take elements from the flag of Sweden. 

Each nation was allowed to use its own flag, however, it had to add the union badge in the upper hoist canton to both of the civil and military ensigns.

Then in 1905, with the dissolution of the union, the union badge was dropped, then in 1906, the government issued a law stipulating use of the flag. The square flag became the state flag and civil ensign, with the triple tailed flag being used as the war flag, and naval ensign.

The Royal standard takes the triple tailed flag, and places the Royal coat of arms at the centre of the cross.