French Oriflamme Banner

Timeline

1. c. 750–1100Abbey of Saint-Denis · Saint-DenisThe Oriflamme was traditionally a red silk war banner, kept at the Abbey of Saint-Denis, closely tied to the French royal burial site and the cult of Saint Denis, symbolizing the king's divine protection.
2. c. 1100–1300Paris—Saint-Denis · Île-de-FranceBefore launching foreign wars, the Capetian kings personally went to Saint-Denis to collect the Oriflamme and bestowed it upon their commanding generals; the banner's presence signified the symbolic authority of the king's presence on the battlefield, accompanied by strict ritual taboos.
3. c. 1300–1415Battlefields of northern France · NorthDuring the Hundred Years' War, the Oriflamme appeared with the French army at battles such as Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt; the banner-bearer's duty was sacred and dangerous, and the banner's fall was regarded as a grave ill omen.
4. c. 1415–1500France · FranceIn the late 15th century, as royal military organization and symbolic systems changed, the Oriflamme appeared less and less in practice and in written records, with the blue banner bearing the fleur-de-lis becoming a more common identifier of the French crown.