Our second home is in the Catalonia part of southern France. I am Swiss. We put up the flags when we (or the dog and his housesitters are in residence).
I had just told my guest the story (apocryphal) of the Catalan flag which first appeared in 1551.
War
Guifré el Pilos was the last count of Barcelona owing allegiance of the Frankish king. In a battle with the Normans, el Pilos was killed. The Frankish king dipped his hand in the blood of el Pilos and ran them down the yellow Barcelona flag, thus creating, the four-red stripes. A variation of the flag is used by the Catalonians in Barcelona who want to separate from Spain.
Peace
Switzerland does not fight in wars, although it has a self-protection army. Since the Battle of Marignano in 1515, which it lost, there have been a number of treaties over the years including in 1516 with a peace treaty with France, confirming its neutrality. However, the country is heavily armed. All young men are expected to do military service or make some other contribution to the country.
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