Editing Flag of Austria (section)

== History ==
=== Origins ===
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2022}}
[[File:Frederick II, Duke of Austria.jpg|thumb|left|19th century draft of the seal of Duke Frederick II]]
The flag traces back to the coat of arms of the medieval [[House of Babenberg|Babenberg dynasty]], a silver [[fess|band]] on a red [[field (heraldry)|field]] (in [[heraldry]]: ''[[Gules]] a fess [[Argent]]''). The origin of the ''Bindenschild'' has not been conclusively established; it possibly derived from the [[March of Styria|Styrian]] margraves of the [[Otakars|Otakar]] noble family, who themselves may have adopted the colours from the descendants of the [[Duchy of Carinthia|Carinthian]] duke [[Adalbero, Duke of Carinthia|Adalbero]] (ruled 1011–1035), a scion of the House of [[Eppenstein]] extinct in 1122. However, the Babenberg margrave [[Leopold III, Margrave of Austria|Leopold III of Austria]] (1095–1136) had already been depicted with a triband shield in 1105.

When the last Otakar Duke [[Ottokar IV, Duke of Styria|Ottokar IV of Styria]] died in 1192, the [[Duchy of Styria|Styrian duchy]] was inherited by the Babenberg duke [[Leopold V, Duke of Austria|Leopold V of Austria]] according to the 1186 [[Georgenberg Pact]]. According to the 18th-century historian [[Chrysostomus Hanthaler]], his grandson Duke [[Frederick II, Duke of Austria|Frederick II of Austria]] (1230–1246), [[nickname]]d the "Quarrelsome" or the "Warlike", the last of the Babenberg dynasty, designed a new coat of arms in red-white-red after his accession—an attempt to prevail against reluctant local nobles and to stress his autonomy towards Emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]]. The triband is first documented in a seal on a deed issued on 30 November 1230, confirming the privileges of [[Lilienfeld Abbey]]. The medieval chronicler [[Jans der Enikel]] reports that the duke appeared in a red-white-red ceremonial dress at his 1232 [[accolade]] in the Vienna [[Schottenstift, Vienna|Schottenstift]].

The Babenberg family colours developed to the coat of arms of their Austrian possessions. After the dynasty had become extinct with Frederick's death at the 1246 [[Battle of the Leitha River]], they were adopted by his [[Přemyslid dynasty|Přemyslid]] successor King [[Ottokar II of Bohemia]]. Upon the 1278 [[Battle on the Marchfeld]] the colours were assumed by the victorious [[House of Habsburg]] and gradually became the coat of arms of the dynasty's Hereditary Lands within the [[Habsburg monarchy]].

=== Legend ===
[[File:Herzog Leopold V. Babenberg.jpg|thumb|Duke [[Leopold V, Duke of Austria|Leopold V]] (left of centre, kneeling) receiving the red-white-red banner from Emperor [[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry VI]], from the Babenberger Stammbaum, [[Klosterneuburg Monastery]], {{circa|1490}}]]
According to legend, the flag was invented by Duke Leopold V of Austria as a consequence of his fighting during the [[Siege of Acre (1189–1191)|Siege of Acre]]. After a fierce battle, his white [[surcoat]] was completely drenched in blood. When he removed his belt, the cloth beneath remained unstained, revealing the combination of red-white-red. So taken was he by this singular sight that he adopted the colours and scheme as his banner.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=scHXHTkRmZcC&pg=PA19 Thomas Hylland Eriksen and Richard Jenkins (editors) 2007, ''Flag, Nation and Symbolism in Europe and America''], Routledge, {{ISBN|0-203-93496-2}} (pp. 19–20)</ref> The incident was documented as early as 1260.{{citation needed|date=October 2012}}

In fact, the [[Flags of the Holy Roman Empire|war flag of the Holy Roman Empire]] during the Crusades was a silver cross on a red field quite similar to the later Austrian arms. This sign was used by the Austrian capital [[Vienna]] from the late 13th century onwards.

=== Habsburg Monarchy ===
{{main article|Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy}}
[[File:Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy.svg|thumb|{{FIAV|historical}} Flag of the [[Austrian Empire]] (used {{circa|1804}}–1867)]]
Since the days of [[Rudolph I of Germany|Rudolph of Habsburg]] and the 1283 [[Treaty of Rheinfelden]], the combination of red-white-red was widely considered to be the [[Archduchy of Austria|Austrian]] (later also [[Inner Austria]]n) colours used by the ruling Habsburg dynasty. However, the black-yellow flag was used as the ''national flag'' (in a modern sense) of the Austrian [[Habsburg monarchy]], the later [[Austrian Empire]] and the [[Cisleithania|Austrian]] part of [[Austria-Hungary]], and sometimes even for the entire empire until 1918. These were the family colours of the Imperial House of Habsburg, and were themselves in part derived from the banner of the [[Holy Roman Empire]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flaggenlexikon.de/foest3.htm |title=National Flaggen des Österreich-Ungarn |access-date=2004-11-03 |author=Volker Preuß|language=de}}</ref>

Beginning in the reign of Emperor [[Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor|Joseph II]], the [[Austro-Hungarian Navy|Austrian, later Austro-Hungarian Navy]] used a [[Austro-Hungarian Navy#Naval flags|naval ensign]] (''Marineflagge'') based on the red-white-red colours, and augmented with a shield of similar colours. Both of these flags became obsolete with Austria-Hungary's dissolution in 1918, and the newly formed rump state of [[German Austria]] adopted the red-white-red triband as its national flag.