Colours of the Royal Walloon Guards c.1734-1815 (Spain)

Last modified: 2002-11-30 by santiago dotor
Keywords: royal walloon guards | reales guardias valones | cross: saltire (red) | cross: burgundy |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors

• Introduction
• Regimental and King's Colours of the Royal Walloon Guards c.1734-1760
• Regimental Colour of the Royal Walloon Guards 1760-1815

See also:

• Military Flags 1701-1843 (Spain)
• Spain

Other sites:

• Banderas Militares (Military Flags, Spanish text only) by Sergio Camero:
  • Período Borbones hasta Guerra de la Independencia (The Bourbons until the War of Independence i.e. 1701-1812)

Today I saw some etchings of [Spanish] soldiers and other military figures in XVIIIth Century garb. They where etchings depicting the troops of the Royal House under King Charles III of Spain (1759-1788). Those etchings where like souvenirs from the Library of the Royal Palace at Madrid and bore the coat-of-arms of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies on them. As they seemed legitimate enough, I paid more attention and saw three flags, two of which I was able to catch enough details so as to bring them to you.

The first flag was described in the etching as Bandiera Collonella Reali Guardie Vallone [Editor's note: Colonel's Colour of the Royal Walloon Guards, i.e. King's Colour], and consisted of the Burgundy cross on a white field, with four Spanish Royal crowns on the four ends of this saltire. On its centre, the coat-of-arms of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (as far as I could tell).

The second was cited under the name of Bandiera dell'altre Comp[e] Re[li] Guardie Vallone [Editor's note: Colour of the other Companies of Royal Walloon Guards, i.e. Regimental Colour], was the same as the above mentioned but on a blue field (this was an etching from an original watercolour drawing, so the tone might be a bit off).

After that, I noticed a flag which I can barely describe (there was light reflecting on the glass protecting the etching). It was some sort of a Guidon paraded by a soldier (of an undetermined rank, I am not good at that) on horseback, consisting of a red field with all sorts of silver embroidery and decoration, and on its centre we could see something like a coat-of-arms of some sort, with the phrase 'SOLUM FORME DINE TERRAE' I believe, encircling a landscape protected by a vigorous and paternal sun, gleaming with sunrays. It said it was the Stendardi, e divisa delle porta-stendardi della Compagnia Spagnola delle Re[li] Granadieri del Corp. [Editor's note: Standard and standard-bearers' motto (or possibly badge) of the Spanish Company of the Royal Grenadiers-du-Corps].

Guillermo T. Aveledo, 29 December 1999

by Sergio Camero

This the sencilla flag (Regimental Colour) belonging to an Infantry Battalion of the Royal Walloon Guards Regiment (1760-1815). The coronela flag (King's Colour) for this regiment was the same, only the field was white instead of purple. The regulations for Line Infantry established that sencilla flags would not bear the royal arms (cf. the Louisiana Infantry 1779-1781 colour). Source: Antonio Manzano Lahoz, Las Banderas Históricas del Ejército Español.

Sergio Camero, 15 September 2001