Kaisers Dank by Ludwig Koch from 1915. Visible various flags used in Austria-Hungary
During its existence, Austria-Hungary did not have a common flag – a "national flag" could not exist since the Dual Monarchy consisted of two sovereign states. However, the black-gold flag of the ruling Habsburg Dynasty was sometimes used as a de facto national flag and a common civil ensign was introduced in 1869 for civilian vessels. Until 1918, the k.u.k. War Fleet continued to carry the Austrian ensign it had used since 1786 and the regiments of the k.u.k. Army carried the double-eagle banners they had used before 1867, as they had a long history in many cases. New ensigns created in 1915 were not implemented due to the ongoing war. At state functions, the Austrian black-gold and the Hungarian red-white-green tricolor were used.
Austria was represented by the black-gold flag. The Hungarian half of the state, on the other hand, legally had no flag of its own.[1] According to the Croatian–Hungarian Settlement (art. 62 and 63), in all joint Croatian and Hungarian affairs, symbols of both Croatia and Hungary respectively had to be used. For instance, whenever the joint Hungarian-Croatian Parliament held its session in Budapest, both the Croatian and Hungarian flags were hoisted on the parliament building in Budapest.[1][2][3] In Vienna, in front of Schönbrunn Palace, the black and gold flag was flown for Cisleithania (Austrian half), while both Croatian and Hungarian flags were flown for Transleithania (Hungarian half).[3] Hungary proper used a red-white-green tricolor defaced with the Hungarian coat of arms, sometimes used to represent the entirety of the Lands of the Hungarian Crown. The "double" civil ensign, as a symbol of "corporate identity", was also used as the consular flag, as decreed on 18 February 1869. It came into use on 1 August 1869. Legations, however, flew the black-and-gold flag of Austria alongside the red-white-green flag of Hungary, while embassies flew the two national flags alongside the imperial standard.[4]
Poster from Österreichischer Lloyd showing the civil ensign and the company's logo on a navy blue flag, 1910
SS Carniola - Austro-Hungarian civilian steamship with civil ensign, 1912
Military parade in Vienna (two-color flags), 1913
Imperial Standard on the car of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, 1914
Soldiers of Infanterieregiment Nr. 17 with two-color flag, 1914
Austro-Hungarian propaganda poster encouraging to buy war bonds
World War I-era propaganda postcards depicting the flags of the Central Powers. The Austro-Hungarian flag shown as black-yellow
A propaganda postcard commemorating the release of the Przemyśl fortress. Austria-Hungary represented by the black-yellow and red-white-green flags, 1915
Copy of the naval ensign taken by the Italian army from the submarine U12 at the Piave river mouths on 5 August 1915 (exposed in Museo Storico Navale, Venice).
Emperor Charles I visiting Pergine (two- and three-color flags), 1917
^Austria. Reichsrat. Abgeordnetenhaus (1903). Stenographische protokolle über die sitzungen ...: 1. (eröffnungs-) bis [485.] sitzung ... Aus der K.-k. Hof -und staatsdruckerei. p. 20714.:
Der § 63 spricht auch von einer kroatisch-slavonisch-dalmatinischen vereinigten Fahne auf Reichstagsgebäude. Diese Fahne war bis anno domini 1902 allen Dimensionen nach gleich ungarische Fahne.
.svg)
.svg)
![Unofficial,[a] but common flag of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia](File:Flag_of_the_Triune_Kingdom_of_Croatia,_Slavonia_and_Dalmatia.svg)
![Emperor's imperial standard (until 1915)[5]](File:Imperial_Standard_of_Austria-Hungary_(Before_1915).svg)
![Empress's imperial standard (until 1915)[5]](File:Austro-Hungarian_Empress_Standard_(Before_1915).svg)
![Emperor's and Empress's imperial standard (1915–1918)[5]](File:Imperial_Standard_of_the_Emperor_of_Austria_(1915%E2%80%931918).svg)
.svg)
![Military standard (example of many variants)[6]](File:Austrian_Imperial_Standard_-_Infantry_pattern_mix_early_19th_century.svg)
![Civil ensign 1786–1869[7]](File:Austria-Hungary-flag-1869-1914-naval-1786-1869-merchant.svg)
![Civil ensign 1869–1918[8]](File:Ensign_of_Austro-Hungarian_civil_fleet_(1869-1918).svg)
.svg)
![Naval ensign 1786–1915 (de facto until 1918)[7]](File:Naval_Ensign_of_Austria-Hungary_(1894%E2%80%931915).svg)
![Naval ensign 1915–1918 (not implemented)[9]](File:Naval_Ensign_of_Austria-Hungary_(1915).svg)
.png)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
_02.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
