thumb|Manx flags on the Loch Promenade, [[Douglas, Isle of Man|Douglas]]
The flag of the Isle of Man () is a triskelion, composed of three armoured legs with golden spurs, upon a red background. It has been the official flag of the Isle of Man since 1 December 1932 and is based on the Manx coat of arms, which dates back to the 13th century.
The three legs are known in Manx as . The triskelion is an ancient symbol, used by the Mycenaeans and the Lycians.
History
Crovan dynasty
Until 1265, the Isle of Man formed part of the Kingdom of the Isles, ruled by the Crovan dynasty. The last member of that ruling family died in 1265 without a legitimate heir, when the Isle passed into the possession of Alexander III, King of Scotland (d.1286). In 1266 sovereignty of the Isle of Man and the Hebrides was formally transferred from the King of Norway to King Alexander III of Scotland (1241–1286). The heraldic era in England and Scotland started in about 1215, slightly earlier in Western Europe, and members of the Crovan dynasty are known to have borne ships and lions on their seals, and no evidence exists of their use of the triskeles. It is possible that the origin of the Manx triskeles is a knotted device depicted on the coinage of their 10th-century Viking predecessors on the Isle. However, that device is dissimilar to the Manx triskeles, and the nearly 300-year gap between its use and the appearance of the Manx triskeles suggests that there is no connection between the symbols. The most ancient name of Sicily, then a Greek province, was , meaning in Greek 'three-cornered', , referring to the triangular shape of the island.
In 1250, the Germanic Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, died after having ruled Sicily for 52 years. He was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220, and King of Jerusalem from 1225. His mother was Constance, Queen of Sicily and his father was Emperor Henry VI of the House of Hohenstaufen. Although there is no evidence that the triskeles was used in Sicily in the 13th century, there is architectural evidence of its use in Austria at that time, almost certainly relating to a personal emblem of Frederick, and almost certainly stemming from his Sicilian connection.
Four years after Frederick's death, the pope invested the Sicilian kingship in Edmund Crouchback (died 1296), the second surviving son of King Henry III of England (died 1272), and for about ten years afterwards Edmund was styled King of Sicily.
Following English domination of the isle in 1346, the triskelion was retained and has endured as a symbol of the Isle of Man.
By the mid-19th century, the Manx flag began appearing on merchant ships from the Isle of Man. However, such usage of the flag was not sanctioned by the Board of Trade and the Admiralty under Section 105 of the 1854 Merchant Shipping Act in favour of the Red Ensign. This decision was reversed by the Admiralty on 4 March 1889 and Manx merchant ships were permitted to fly the Flag of the Isle of Man.
In July 1968, steps were taken to standardise the flag. This flag featured a red field with the Union Jack in the canton. The triskelion of Man is emblazoned off centre towards the fly. Another Manx flag in use is the flag of Tynwald, the legislature of the Isle of Man, which has flown outside the Legislative Buildings since 1971.
Other flags
Certain parishes on the Isle of Man have flags, namely Onchan, Maughold, Douglas and Malew.
Gallery
<gallery>
File:Flag of the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man.svg| Standard of the Lieutenant Governor
File:Tynwald flag.svg| Flag of Tynwald
File:Civil Ensign of the Isle of Man.svg| Civil Ensign of the Isle of Man
File:Flag of the Isle of Man Civil Defence Service.svg| Flag of the Civil Defence Corps
File:Australian Manx-heritage flag.svg|Manx Australian heritage flag
File:House Flag of Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.svg|House Flag of Isle of Man Steam Packet Company
File:House Flag of Isle of Man Steam Packet Co (Swallowtail).svg|IMSPC old fleet commodore’s flag
</gallery>
See also
- Coat of arms of the Isle of Man
- Flag of Sicily, a similar flag with a triskelion