This web site is in the province of León,
in the autonomous community of Castille and León (Spain).

    A banner is a flag or emblem used in the past as insignia in the militia to distinguish the regiments, batallions, armies, etc.

     As there weren't organized armies in the Medieval times, every year the King, the noblemen, clergymen or councils made up "armed retinues", which served as temporary troops.

     There wasn't any draft quota of soldiers and the only professional soldiers were the "knights" - scarce in number.

     Battles used to be rather confusing due to the difficulty to distinguish the enemy. Uniforms were unknown and the army leaders used to change allies easily and frequently.

     To solve these conflicting situations flags became of paramount importance as their colours and heraldic emblems made it possible to tell - at any time - one army leader and his troop from other allies or enemies. That's how banners appear during the Middle Ages.

    It may be deduced that the present banners from León - judging by their shape, colour and function - seem to be direct descendents to those military banners that used to be carried by the "armed retinues" during the Reconquest. The oldest documents about banners date back to the Middle Ages.

    Once the crusades and wars finished, banners lost their military connotation and became a civil symbol. Besides, some banners were decorated with a metalic cross on their upper side and became a religious symbol. Eventually, banners only appeared in religious processions or local celebrations.

    In the old times, every village had its own banner. Many of them disappeared as time went by, others were kept in churches but their state of preservation is terrible.

    Nowadays, Leonese banners are making a comeback and quite a few villages use them in their religious processions and other festivities. Other villages are restoring the cloth and poles in their.