Editing Flag of Sweden (section)

=== Early history ===
{{gallery|mode=nolines|whitebg=y|height=200|align=center
|Royal Banner of Sweden (14th Century).svg|{{FIAV|historical}} Royal banner of Sweden (14th century)
|Swedish 1620 soldier banner.jpg|One of the oldest preserved Swedish flags. This banner was made in 1620 and was used by soldiers on board ships of the [[Swedish Navy]].
|Swedish historical flags at Maritime Museum2.jpg|Swedish historic maritime flags at the [[Maritime Museum (Stockholm)|Maritime Museum]] in Stockholm. The striped designs are some of the earliest variants on the general theme of the state colours of blue and yellow.
|Two-tailed Swedish ensign.jpg|{{FIAV|historical}} Early variant of state flag and war ensign. This design was also used by the [[Swedish East India Company]].
|Arms of John III of Sweden as the Duke of Finland.svg|Coat of arms of [[John III of Sweden|Prince John]] when he was the Duke of Finland 1556–1563, showing the two-pointed Swedish ensign in the lower right-hand quadrant.
}}
The exact age of the Swedish flag is not known, but the oldest recorded pictures of a blue cloth with a yellow cross date from the early 16th century, during the reign of [[Gustav I of Sweden|King Gustav I]].{{citation needed|date=November 2014}} The first legal description of the flag was made in a royal warrant of 19 April 1562 as "yellow in a cross fashioned on blue".<ref>Original quote: "''gult udi korssvijs fördeelt påå blott''"; Kongl. bref, den 19. April 1562</ref> As stipulated in a royal warrant of 1569, the yellow cross was always to be borne on Swedish battle standards and banners. Prior to this, a similar flag appeared in the coat of arms of [[John III of Sweden|King John III]]'s duchy, which is today [[Southwest Finland]]. The same coat of arms is still used by the province.

==== Triple-tailed flag ====

A royal warrant of 6 November 1663, regulated the use of the triple-tailed flag, to be used only as a state flag and naval ensign.<ref name="plakat">''Plakat, av den 6. Nov. 1663, angående den åtskillnad som härefter bör observeras emellan de flaggor som Kongl. Maj:ts enskilda skepp och farkoster föra, så ock de skepps och farkosters flaggor, som private personer tillhöra och af dem brukas skola.''</ref> According to the same royal warrant, merchant ships were only allowed to fly square-cut city flags in their respective provincial colours. In practice, however, the merchant fleet began using a square-cut civil ensign of the state flag. In a government instruction of ship building of 1730, this civil ensign should have the same proportions and colors as the state flag, with the notable difference of being square-cut.<ref>Tomas Rajalin, ''Nödig underrättelse om skiepz-byggeriet och der utaf härflytande högnödige och siöväsendet samt taklingen tilhörige proportioner'', Carlscrona : 1730</ref> In 1756, the use of pennants by private ships was prohibited.<ref>''Kongl. Maj:ts förbud, den 19. November 1756, emot vimplars bruk på kofferdi- och privata fartyg.''</ref>

==== Blue ensign ====
A royal warrant of 18 August 1761, stipulated that an all blue triple-tailed flag to be used by the [[archipelago fleet]], a branch of the [[Swedish army|army]] tasked with defending the archipelago along the Swedish coastlines. The commander of the fleet also had the right to order the use of the ordinary war ensign instead of the blue ensign when that was "appropriate".<ref>Kongl. bref, den 18. Augusti 1761</ref> The blue flag was used until 1813.