🇦🇹Austria

Austria's red-white-red flag is one of the oldest national flags in the world, dating back to 1230. According to legend, Duke Leopold V of Austria fought so fiercely during the Siege of Acre in the Third Crusade (1191) that his white surcoat was completely soaked in blood, except for a white band where his belt had been. Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI was so impressed that he granted Leopold the red-white-red as his coat of arms. While this legend is likely apocryphal, the colors have been associated with the Austrian Babenberg dynasty since at least 1230. The modern flag was officially adopted in 1945 after the end of Nazi occupation, restoring the pre-Anschluss design.