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{{About|the battle standard of the King of France||Oriflamme (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Battle of Poitiers.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The [[Battle of Poitiers]] 1356. The oriflamme can be seen on the top left.]]
The '''Oriflamme''' (from Latin ''aurea flamma'', "golden flame"), a pointed, blood-red banner flown from a gilded lance, was the [[battle standard]] of the [[King of France]] in the Middle Ages. The oriflamme originated as the sacred banner of the [[Abbey of St. Denis]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.xenophongroup.com/montjoie/orifl-fa.htm |title=Oriflamme Society |access-date=2005-10-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051028022144/http://www.xenophongroup.com/montjoie/orifl-fa.htm |archive-date=2005-10-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref> a monastery near Paris. When the oriflamme was raised in battle by the French royalty during the Middle Ages, most notably during the [[Hundred Years War]], [[No quarter|no prisoners were to be taken]] until it was lowered. Through this tactic they hoped to strike fear into the hearts of the enemy, especially the nobles, who could usually expect to be taken alive for ransom during such military encounters.<ref>Robert Southey (1841) '' Joan of Arc: a poem'', Longman et autres. [https://archive.org/details/JoanOfArc1841/page/n322 <!-- quote=oriflamme no quarter given. --> p. 280]</ref>
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The Oriflamme was mentioned in the eleventh-century ballad the ''[[Chanson de Roland]]'' (vv. 3093-5) as a royal banner, first called ''Romaine'' and then ''Montjoie''.<ref name=CathEncy/> According to legend, [[Charlemagne]] carried it to the Holy Land in response to a prophecy regarding a knight possessing a golden lance, from which flames would burn and drive out the [[Saracens]].<ref>{{cite book |title=A Distant Mirror |
== History ==
The Oriflamme was first used by [[Louis VI of France|Louis VI]] in 1124 and was last flown in battle at Agincourt in 1415,<ref>Richard W. Barber (1984) ''The Penguin guide to medieval Europe''
Louis VI replaced the earlier banner of [[Martin of Tours|Saint Martin]] with the oriflamme of the Abbey of St. Denis, which floated about the tomb of St. Denis and was said to have been given to the abbey by [[Dagobert I|King Dagobert]].
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*[[Battle of Agincourt|Agincourt 1415]] (disputed; see below)
The Oriflamme was lost at least four times during its medieval history: Mons-en-Pévèle,<ref>
Although the ''Oriflamme'' has often been depicted as present at the battle of Agincourt, modern historians have disputed this. The banner was given to Guillaume de Martel by [[Charles VI of France|Charles VI]] on September 10, 1415, and carried by Martel from Paris to Rouen. <ref>Barker (2005).{{clarifyme}}</ref> This was likely an attempt to raise French morale and rally troops, however there is no evidence that the ''Oriflamme'' was then taken on campaign and unfurled at Agincourt.<ref>Anne Curry
== Appearance ==
The banner was red or orange-red silk and flown from a gilded lance.<ref>{{cite book |title= The Complete Book of Heraldry|author=Stephen Slater
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 Saint-Denis]] (1536). They show that the primitive Oriflamme was succeeded in the course of the centuries by newer Oriflammes which bore little resemblance to one another except for their colour.<ref name=CathEncy>{{CathEncy|wstitle=Oriflamme}}</ref>
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== Significance on the battlefield ==
When the Oriflamme was displayed on the battlefield, it indicated that [[no quarter]]
was to be given: its red colour being symbolic of cruelty and ferocity.<ref>{{cite book |title=The laws of War in the late Middle Ages |
Although the azure ground (from the blue cope of [[Martin of Tours|St. Martin of Tours]]) strewn with gold [[fleur-de-lis]] remained the symbol of royalty until the 15th 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. 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.<ref name=CathEncy/
==Porte oriflamme==
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Froissart vividly describes ''porte-oriflamme'' [[Geoffroi de Charny]]'s fall at the side of his king at the [[Battle of Poitiers (1356)|Battle of Poitiers]] in this passage:
<blockquote>There Sir Geoffroi de Charny fought gallantly near the king (note: and his fourteen-year-old son). The whole press and cry of battle were upon him because he was carrying the king’s sovereign banner [the Oriflamme]. He also had before him his own banner, [[gules]], three [[Escutcheon (heraldry)|escutcheons]] [[argent]]. So many English and Gascons came around him from all sides that they cracked open the king’s battle formation and smashed it; there were so many English and Gascons that at least five of these men at arms attacked one [French] gentleman. Sir Geoffroi de Charny was killed with the banner of France in his hand, as other French banners fell to earth.<ref name=":0">Jean Froissart; trans Geoffrey Brereton, ''Chronicles'' ( Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, UK, 1978), p. 247.</ref></blockquote>
=== Notable Bearers of the ''Oriflamme'' ===
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{{Expand list|date=February 2011}}
*[[Geoffroi de Charny]] – 14th-century [[knight]] and author of several works on [[chivalry]]. He first bore the Oriflamme during the failed attempt to relieve Calais in 1347.<ref
*[[Arnoul d'Audrehem]] – 14th-century former [[Marshal of France]]. He held the office from 1368 to his death in 1370 but never carried the banner in action.
*[[Guillaume de Martel]] – Seigneur de [[Bacqueville]]. He carried the Oriflamme at Agincourt and died there.<ref>Barker (2005), p. 323.{{clarifyme}}</ref>
*Sir Pierre de Villiers carried the Oriflamme at the [[Battle of Roosebeke]] against the Flemish rebels of Ghent led by [[Philip van Artevelde|Philip van Artvelde]] in 1382.<ref name=":0" />
== The Oriflamme in literature ==
In canto XXXI of ''Paradiso'', Dante describes the Virgin Mary in the Empyrean as ''pacifica oriafiamma'' (Musa's translation, "oriflame of peace"):<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Divine Comedy, Volume 3: Paradise|
{{Poemquote
|text=
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Only to those an enemy, whose lust
Of sway makes them the enemies of man."
||Robert Southey, ''Joan of Arc. Book VIII''<ref>Robert Southey, ''The Poetical Works of Robert Southey: With a Memoir of the Author'', in X Volumes, Volume I, Boston: Little Brown and Company, New York, 1860, p. [https://archive.org/details/poeticalworksro22soutgoog/page/n343 <!-- pg=307 --> 181], [https://archive.org/details/poeticalworksro22soutgoog/page/n343 307]</ref>}}
The 20th-century Martiniquais poet and politician, [[Aimé Césaire]] (1913–2008) invokes the Oriflamme in his poem "Your Hair" ("Chevelure"). By invoking the Oriflamme, Césaire also invokes the French Colonial Empire, war, and oppression. The poem is included in ''The Collected Poetry of Aimé Césaire.'' An excerpt reads:
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are like these discordant words written by the flames of pyres
over the sublime oriflammes of your revolt
||Aime Cesaire, ''Solar Throat Slashed''<ref>Aime Cesaire, ''The Collected Poetry of Aime Cesaire
The Oriflamme is depicted in season 2 of the History Channel series ''[[Knightfall (TV series)|Knightfall]]''. {{fact}}
In the [[Discworld]] novel ''[[Small Gods]]'' by Terry Pratchett, the flag of the theocracy of Omnia is referred to as an Oriflamme.{{fact}}
==References==
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