Flag of the Netherlands the 15th century, when the majority of the Netherlands provinces were united under the Duke of Burgundy, the Cross of Burgundy Flag of the Duke of Burgundy was used for joint expeditions, which consisted of a red saltire resembling two crossed, roughly-pruned (knotted) branches, on a white field. Under the later House of Habsburg this flag remained in use. In 1572 provinces of the Low Countries rose in revolt against King Philip II of Spain, and William Prince of Orange (1533–1584) placed himself at the head of the rebels. The colour "orange" is a reference to the name of the
Flag of Sarawak originally made up of a cross, half blue and half red, on yellow, thought to be based on Brooke's coat of arms. There is a controversy on whether the first flag was made up of "purple" and red, or "blue" and red. On 7 May 1870, the colour of the half blue cross was changed to black by the second Rajah, Charles Brooke, and was hoisted on 26 September, the birthday of the then Rajah Muda Charles Vyner Brooke. It was retained as a coat-of-arms on a Blue Ensign when Sarawak was ceded to the British Crown on 1 July