Trumbel flag

The Trumbel flag is the current flag of Seven, and has been used officially by the state in some form since its creation in 1944. It was developed by then governor W. T. Trumbel, and its creation is the main reason that he is remembered today.

History
Up until 1944, Seven had used the Seven Cross as a flag - this was a relic from the first days of Seven's settlement, when it was dominated by Scandinavians, and consisted of a white or cream Nordic cross on a maroon background. A number of other designs had been proposed since, but no-one was able to agree on the preferred version.

Like many governors of Seven, Trumbel struggled with a population that was deeply divided socially, ethnically and linguistically. He hoped that introducing a new flag might help fuel a new period of regionalism, hence the outline of the state on the flag. Furthermore, Trumbel was a freethinker and a firm believer in secularism, and felt that the Cross was being hijacked by Christian groups in the state.

The new flag was designed and manufactured in secret, and on midnight of New Year's Eve, 1943, the old flag was lowered from the Seven Court House and replaced with the new one. When the citizens of Kinley woke the next morning, they were rather startled to see an unusual flag flying, and when the full story was discovered, it provoked some strong reactions. A few were positive, with Trumbel's most well-known supporter being the Queen herself, but on the whole more were negative. The conservative wing of Trumbel's old party condemned the move, as did the clergy of the Church of the Sacred Heart. The Scandinavian community of Seven, which had now dwindled to a few percent of the population and was one of the most integrated ethnicities, was also mildly critical. A large number of Seveners were simply indifferent, though polling showed that the new design was thought to be aesthetically better than the old.