Flag of Switzerland dates to 1540, in the context of an auxiliary force sent by the Swiss to aid their associate, the city of Rottweil, in a feud against the lords of Landenberg. The "Tagsatzung" decided that the Swiss auxiliaries sent to Rottweil should receive "a red flag with a white upright cross". The first mention of the term "Confederate Cross" ("Eidgenossen Crütz") dates to 1533. Because of the Swiss pledge of neutrality, there was no military conflict in which the Swiss confederate troops participated after 1540. Consequently, the confederate field sign fell out of use. At the same time, the former field
Flag of Switzerland so that the ratio of cross to flag width is 5:12. The shade of red used in the flag was not defined by law prior to 2017. The 2017 flag law specifies the colour of the flag as: In 2004, the Federal Chancellery published a corporate design guide for the federal administration, in force since 1 January 2007. The colour specifications given there are compatible with those later put in the annex to the flag law. The matching of heraldic tincture to modern color specifications for print or screen display is very uncertain, and to some extent left to the