Flag of Denmark
The flag of Denmark, the Dannebrog, may have originated earlier than any other national flag. According to legend, the white cross on red was given as a sign to the crusader king Valdemar II of Denmark, before the Battle of Lyndanisse against the pagan Estonians in 1219. The distinctive off-center cross with the upright set towards the hoist was used as a model by other Scandinavian countries, some of which were ruled in the past by Denmark. The plain square-ended flag is the civil flag. Cut into a swallow-tail shape it becomes the naval ensign and state flag. The ratio of the flag is 28:34.
