Flag of Germany
When Heinrich XI, Prince Reuss of Greiz was appointed by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor to rule the then-new Principality of Reuss-Greiz on 12 May 1778, the flag adopted by the "Fürstentum Reuß-Greiz" was the first-ever appearance of the black-red-gold tricolour in its modern arrangement in any sovereign state within what today comprises Germany – the Reuss elder line that ruled the principality used a flag whose proportions were close to a "nearly square"-shape 4:5 hoist/fly ratio, instead of the modern German flag's 3:5 figure.
Habsburg flag
The original form of this flag, introduced in 1686, featured a yellow background with the double-headed eagle. However, this proved to be a complicated design and was too hard to reproduce. From 1720 onward, the simpler form with the yellow and black bars started to appear. With the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1804, this flag was approved for use as a civil flag. For naval and military uses, the newly founded Austrian Empire introduced the now-familiar red-white-red with the Austrian coat of arms.