Last modified: 2022-10-14 by kryštof huk
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Moravia is the eastern part of the Czech Republic. Great Moravia was
an independent kingdom in the 9th century, comprising Bohemia and other
territories in Central Europe. It was conquered by the Magyars in 893,
reconquered by Bohemia in 1029. In 1849 became a separate crown land of
Austria with capital at Brno, and in 1918 organized
as a province of Czechoslovakia. United with Silesia
1927 forming province of Moravia and Silesia. All of Silesia and some areas
in north and south Moravia became part of German
Sudetenland in 1938. The remainder of Moravia joined with Bohemia as
German protectorate (1939-45) of Bohemia-Moravia.
Restored to Czechoslovakia in 1945 and since 1990
part of the Czechia.
Jarig Bakker, 10 Dec 2000
Moravia - I think, that its flag is horizontal yellow-blue (this
flag of Moravia was used by one separatist political party in 1st half
of 1990s). I don't know any other flag of Moravia.
Jiri Martinek, 26 Jan 2000.
The regional flag of Moravia is yellow-over-red, not yellow-over-blue.
Jan Zrzavy, 27 Jan 2000
Recently I sent a contribution attempting to explain why Moravia uses YR flag (horizontal) if the Moravian coat of arms includes red-silver chequered eagle on the blue shield.
The ancient Moravian coat of arms is indeed WR/B but no flag was derived from it. This coat of arms was improved by Emperor Frederick III. (December 7, 1462) to include golden-red checkered eagle on blue field (YR/B); however, in the great coat of arms of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire (including arms of all crown lands) the old WR/B Moravian shield was erroneously displayed up to 1836. A declaration of the Chancellery at Court (April 7, 1838) said that "including the older, unimproved Moravian arms to the great state coat of arms was erroneous but because the coat of arms had already been published in all Austrian lands as well as abroad, the mistake cannot be corrected at time". This declaration also confirmed that YR flag derived from the improved coat of arms (YR/B) is fully legal.
Politically, the YR flag has not been used by Czech-speaking Moravians.
They preferred the colors of Bohemia (WR) as this flag became Czech national
(not only Bohemian regional) symbol. In practice, only German-speaking
Moravians used the YR regional flag during the XIX century's Czech national
revival (evidently because the YR flag is not Czech, because they oppose
the formation of a "union of Czech-speaking lands" within the Empire, and
because the YR flag is similar to the German national tricolore NRY). It
is consequently not surprising that the Czechoslovak Republic returned
to the old WR/B Moravian arms in 1918, that this version was accepted also
by all succeeding regimes, including the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
(1939-1945), the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic (1990-1992), as well
as the Czech Republic (since 1990), and that the Moravian regional colors
were almost forgotten. (Note that traditional lands, Bohemia, Moravia,
and Silesia, were cancelled and replaced by smaller regions in 1948, and
have never been restored.) Only few (and quite weak) regionalist, autonomist,
and separatist parties/movements use the Moravian and Silesian regional
colors since 1989 ("Movement for Self-Government Democracy - Community
for Moravia and Silesia", "Moravian National Party", "Moravian Democratic
Party), and I do not believe that many Moravians know their flag.
Jan Zrzavy, 23 Sep 1999