oriflamme

Oriflamme banner

The Oriflamme (from Latin aurea flamma, "golden flame") was the battle standard of the King of France.

It was originally the sacred banner of the Abbey of St. Denis,^[1] a monastery near Paris. The banner was red or orange-red and flown from a lance. It was suggested that the lance was originally the important object, with the banner a decoration - but that this changed over time.^[2] Its colour stems from the legend of it being dipped in the blood of the recently-beheaded St. Denis. Although the azure ground (blue background of St. Martin of Tours) strewn with gold fleur-de-lis remained the symbol of royalty until the fourteenth century, the Oriflamme became the royal battle standard of the King of France, and it was carried at the head of the king's forces when they met another army in battle. The surviving descriptions of the Oriflamme are in Guillaume le Breton (thirteenth century), in the "Chronicle of Flanders" (fourteenth century), in the "Registra Delphinalia" (1456), and in the inventory of the treasury of St. Denis (1536). They show that to the primitive Oriflamme was succeeded in the course of centuries newer Oriflammes which little resembled one another.^[3]

The bearer of the standard, the porte-oriflamme, became an office (like that of Marshal or Constable) and a great honour, as it was an important and very dangerous job to take charge of such a visible symbol in battle. At the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 and at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 English captured the Oriflamme.^[3]

The Oriflamme was mentioned in the eleventh century ballad the Chanson de Roland^[4] as a royal banner, first called Romaine and then Montjoie.^[3] It is mentioned as the banner of Charlemagne in Anne of Geierstein by Sir Walter Scott^[5].

The Oriflamme was first used by Louis VI in 1124 and was last flown in battle at Agincourt in 1415.^[6] When the Oriflamme was displayed on the battlefield it indicated that no quarter was to be given, and hence it was called "the oriflamme of death".^[7] In the fifteenth century, the fleur-de-lis on the white flag of Joan of Arc became the new royal standard replacing both the symbol of royalty and the Oriflamme on the battle field.^[3]

Porte oriflamme

Notable Bearers of the Oriflamme:

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• Geoffroi de Charny - 14th century knight and author of several works on chivalry. Died at Poitiers defending the banner.
• Arnoul d'Audrehem - 14th century former Marshal of France.

References