Flags That Have Flown Over Georgia: The History of the Georgia State Flag

Royal Banner of Ferdinand and Isabella, 1474

Columbus and other early Spanish explorers to the New World brought with them the royal banner of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The flag incorporates the two monarchs' royal arms- the castle of Castile and the lion of Leon. Numerous Spanish flags were later produced utilizing these arms- often placed on a shield and capped by a crown. 

The first European known to have set foot on the southeastern mainland of North America was Spaniard Juan Ponce de Leon, who landed somewhere on Florida's eastern coast in 1513. His ship probably flew a flag with the royal banner, as did the ships of explorers and sea captains who later sailed through the coastal waters of present-day Georgia.

In 1518, Spain created a new imperial banner that included the coats of arms of other kingdoms that had joined Spain. The result was an ornate checkerboard of contiguous coats of arms. Each arm was portrayed at least twice on the flag, and some arms (such as Ferdinand and Isabella's) were shown four times.