Kroaz Du

The Kroaz Du (Black Cross, French: Croix Noire) is a flag of Brittany, used as an emblem of the independent duchy in the late Middle Ages.

However, very few Breton barons joined that Third Crusade, so it is more probable that the earliest Kroaz Du was given to Peter I, Duke of Brittany by Pope Gregory IX in 1236 or 1237.

The black cross standard became widely used as the emblem of the Breton soldiers and as the flag for the ships from the end of the Hundred Years' War in the 15th century.

After annexation of 1532, there was never any treaty of union,[1] the admiralty of Brittany kept using the black cross flag for Breton ships (with a modified design).

The Kroaz du has been revived since the late 1990s and was briefly regarded as an emblem of right-wing Breton nationalists (like Adsav), but it is now more and more popular.

Kroaz Du
Banner attributed to Breton and French Knights at the Combat of the Thirty in 1351, during the Breton civil war .
A medieval version of the Kroaz Du
A contemporary illustration of the Breton warship Cordelière and the English warship Regent ablaze at the Battle of St Mathieu on 10 August 1512. Both are flying banderoles : the Breton Kroaz Du and the English flag of St George . The side of the Cordelière is adorned with shields bearing the ducal coat of arms.
Cornish flag of St. Piran