flag of Montenegro

Montenegrin independence was recognized in 1878, and that year Montenegro adopted the horizontal red-blue-white tricolour of Serbia (with which it had loose links) for its own state flag. Its pan-Slavic colours were inspired by the Russian flag. When Montenegro acquired a navy, symbols of Prince (later King) Nicholas appeared on the design. After World War I, independent Montenegro along with several other Balkan countries became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later renamed Yugoslavia) and had no flag of its own. Yugoslavia was dissolved by the Axis powers during World War II; Montenegro, nominally independent, was occupied by Italy and again flew the red-blue-white tricolour from July 1941 to November 1943.

Yugoslavia was reestablished as a federation after the war, and its constituent republics were allowed to adopt flags. Montenegro used its tricolour, with a yellow-outlined red star in the centre, from December 1946 until 1993. The republic remained (with Serbia) in the Yugoslav federation after the other republics had seceded from it in the early 1990s; the country was known as Serbia and Montenegro in 2003–06.

On July 13, 2004, Montenegro adopted a distinctive flag. Based on an old royal banner, the new flag of Montenegro was red bordered with yellow. At its centre was a yellow double-headed eagle displaying a shield with a lion—the dynastic arms of the Njegoš dynasty that once ruled Montenegro. In 2006 a popular referendum in Montenegro favoured its secession from the federation, and independence was proclaimed on June 3; the flag of 2004 became Montenegro’s national flag on that day.