Flag and coat of arms of Normandy


The flag and coat of arms of Normandy are symbols of Normandy, a region in northern France.

Normandy

The traditional provincial flag, gules, two lions passant or, is used in both former regions of France: Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. It is based on the design of arms which had been attributed by medieval heralds to William the Conqueror, ultimately related to the 12th-century coat of arms of the House of Anjou.
The red flag with two leopards is nicknamed les p'tits cats "the little cats" in Norman. The three-leopards version may also be seen, which is based on the coat of arms of Richard I of England. The arms De gueules aux deux léopards d'or, armés et lampassés d'azur, passant l'un sur l'autre was described by Jacques Meurgey in 1941.
In 1939 Jean Adigard des Gautries created the flag of Saint Olaf, a Nordic cross flag inspired by the Papal Cross borne on a standard by William the Conqueror. The Le Mouvement Normand adopted this flag in the 1970s, and it is used unofficially by some associations and individuals, especially those with an interest in the Viking origins of the Normans, although the Normans are also of Celtic and Continental Germanic origins. A flag combining the Saint-Olaf and the P'tit Cats, called the Croix de Falaise can sometimes be seen.

Channel Islands

The three-leopard is used by some associations and individuals, especially those who support reunification of the regions. Jersey and Guernsey use three leopards in their national symbols.