Provence

The flag of Provence displays vertical red and gold stripes (paly of gules and or), a pattern directly inherited from the medieval County of Provence and shared with the wider Crown of Aragon heritage. The alternating red and yellow vertical bars — typically four red on five gold — trace back to the legendary origin of the Catalan-Aragonese arms: according to tradition, the Frankish king Charles the Bald drew four red stripes with his bloodied fingers on the golden shield of Wilfred the Hairy. Provence fell under Aragonese influence through the Counts of Barcelona before passing to the House of Anjou and eventually to the French crown in 1481.