Île Bourbon, 1642
The House of Bourbon ruled France from 1589 to 1792 and from 1815 to 1848. The Royal Banner of France or “Bourbon Flag” was blue with three gold fleur-de-lis (or fleur-de-lys), a common heraldic charge shaped like a lily. The lily has always been the symbol of fertility and purity; in Christianity, it symbolises the Immaculate Conception. Réunion was ruled under this flag from 1642–1793 and 1815 to 1830. A white flag with 86 gold fleurs de lis served as the royal standard, but this was not the flag of the Kingdom of France.