In ancient times, the words "the flag" and "banner" to use the word "banner". The phrase "put the flag" meant building a squad for the battle. Banner of "pulling" knights in battle order, and pointed out the core of the army. In his defense put styagovnikov-heroes.

As judged on the banner of battle. Banner of "Thou prostirashasya oblatsy" - then the battle is going well. Falling banner of telling about the plight of the troops, that the enemies' dosekoshasya up banner, banner and podsekosha. "  Our record is extremely laconic and stingy on details. However, they noted, even the loss of the banner of death, and styagovnika "bang styagovuyu sotorgosha", "our styagovnika potyati."

Notably, the origin of the word "banner". "Signs" was called the image of the Orthodox shrines. Once on the banner of St. depictions. George and other saints of the faces, they turned to "sign" and then in the "flags".

A single national flag in the pre-Petrine Russia did not exist. Since ancient times, on the banners of the great princes of the saints depicted, the faces of Christ and the Virgin Mary.
For many centuries, the Russian army was upon red flags. As early as the tenth century Knights of Svyatoslav the Great fought under the red banners. In one of the ancient manuscripts preserved their images. Cloth banners were wedge-shaped, and the pommel - a spear with a cross that is in the form of a cross.

Three centuries later, an army of Dmitry Donskoi went against the hordes of Mamaia. On the Kulikov field Russian army hovered over a huge red banner with the image of the image of the Savior Not-Made.

In fact, the same color and same was the regimental flag of Great Ivan the Terrible. In 1552 Russian troops marched under him to the victorious assault on Kazan. In the chronicle of the siege of record of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible (1552) says, "and told the emperor herugvi razvertiti Christian, that is to say the banner, they are the image of our Lord Jesus Christ made without hands, and hoisted up the life-giving cross, others like a grandparent Be it our sovereign, dostohvalnogo of Great Prince Dmitry-on-Don. "...

Visited all from Nepal ( MeermKamb, I took the site from your profil, because i can't read the link )

only another Trinidad 

visited, another PH for you. 
Cool, you've got 213 flags already.

Greetings from VC