Congress Poland, merchant ensign, 1815-1867 or 1915 The Kingdom of Poland, informally known as
Congress Poland, merchant ensign, 1815-1867 or 1915 The Kingdom of Poland, informally known as Congress Poland, created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire. The state possessed the Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland, one of the most liberal in 19th century Europe. The blue saltire on a white field, called St Andrew’s flag, was also the Russian merchant ensign. The white eagle in a red field can be traced back to the 10th century as Polish coat of arms. It still can be seen on the civil and state ensign of Poland today. The Kingdom of Poland was gradually politically integrated into Russia over the course of the 19th century, made an official part of the Russian Empire in 1867, and finally replaced during the Great War by the Central Powers in 1915 with the theoretically existing Regency Kingdom of Poland. -- source link
#history#vexillology#poland#russia#europe