Editing Flag of Finland (section)

==History==
The first known "Flag of Finland" was presented in 1848, along with the unofficial national anthem "{{Lang|fi|[[Maamme]]|italic=no}}". Its motif was the [[coat of arms of Finland]] surrounded by laurel leaves on a white flag.

The current blue-crossed design was first used in Finland by [[Nyland Yacht Club|Nyländska Jaktklubben]], a [[yacht club]] founded in [[Helsinki]] in 1861. In addition to the blue cross on the white background, the yacht club flag had the crowned arms of the province of [[Uusimaa]] within two crossed branches in the upper hoist quarter. Except for the position of the cross, the flag was similar to the flag of the [[Neva Yacht Club|St. Petersburg Yacht Club]], which had been founded the previous year. The design can be traced to the [[Russian Navy]]'s [[ensign (flag)|ensign]], which has a blue cross [[saltire]] on a white background. During the [[Crimean War]], Finnish merchant ships that were captured by the British-French fleet flew a flag called ''Flag of St. George'', which was based on the [[Russian Customs]] flag. This variant had the cross was thinner than in the modern flag, and the proportions were equal. Another flag with a blue cross was made official in 1861 for private vessels.

In 1910, in connection with [[Russification of Finland]], the Russian authorities decreed for a Russian flag to be added to the canton. However, it was met with resistance and was derided as the "slave's flag" (''{{Lang|fi|orjalippu}}''), and most Finns refused to fly it. Instead, a triangular [[pennon|pennant]] without this modification was flown, thereby circumventing the decree concerning flags.

Shortly after [[independence of Finland|Finland declared its full independence in 1917]], a competition was held for the design of the Finnish flag. Several different designs were submitted. Regarding the colours, the entries fell mainly into two categories: one using the red and yellow from the Finnish coat of arms and the other using the present blue and white colours.

One entry had the [[flag of Denmark|Dannebrog]] cross design but with a yellow cross on a red background. Another entry had diagonal blue and white stripes, but it was criticized<sup>[''[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Words to watch#Unsupported attributions|by whom?]]'']</sup> as being more suitable for a [[barber]] shop than a newly independent country. [[Akseli Gallen-Kallela]] proposed a similar cross flag but with colours inverted (white cross on blue), but this was considered too similar to the [[Swedish flag]] and particularly the contemporary [[Greek flag]]. Finally, the artists [[Eero Snellman]] and Bruno Tuukkanen specified the final form of the flag. According to tradition, the flag was based on a design by the poet [[Zachris Topelius]] in about 1860.<ref>{{cite book|last=Inglefield|first=Eric|title=Flags|page=53|publisher=Ward Lock|date=1978}}</ref>

The Finnish state flag was further modified in 1922, when the [[coronet]] was removed, and again in 1978, when the shield-shaped coat of arms was changed into a rectangular shape.