The Blood Banner
The Blood Banner of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation was a very special flag, for a very specific purpose. It signaled the position of the king / emperor as owner of the blood jurisdiction, but also the top seigniory. Its name comes from the fact that under it – until the 17th century – were awarded by the Emperor the with the bloodbane connected fiefdoms. The bloodbane itself was the right of a sovereign over life and death of his subjects. This right was also called blood jurisdiction, high courts or 'neck jurisdiction'. Thus, it was transferred from the emperor to the vassal under this flag. Some feudal lords took the symbol of this right – like the flag a single-coloured red field – in a so-called regalia field in their coat of arms. The Blood Banner was initially a simple red square, with the time it graced also red tongues on the waving end. It wore different names: Blood Banner, Blood Flag, vexilium sanguineum, vexilium imperial, vexilium praetorium, vexillum cruentum, vexillum roseum imperial.
The Blood Banner
Coat of arms of the Princes of Anhalt with the red regalia field (bottom center)
Source: Jürgen Kaltschmitt, Volker Preuß, Wikipedia (D), Brockhaus Konversationslexikon, Pierer's Universal-Lexikon
