The Russian-American Company (RAC) was an enterprise that combined political, commercial and administrative functions. The main task of the RAC was to expand its holdings on the North American mainland and the Pacific Islands. It was originally founded as the North-Eastern Company by Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov, a merchant, industrialist and explorer in 1783.
After Russian colonies appeared on Kodiak island and other American islands under the jurisdiction of the Russian state, Russian flags were raised on these territories.
In 1799, Emperor Paul I issued a decree on establishing the Russian-American Company and approved its official name “Under the Highest Patronage of His Imperial Majesty, the Russian American Company”. The flag of the Russian-American Company was approved by Emperor Alexander I in 1806. The flag became a symbol of Russian statehood in the territories of continental Alaska.
The flag was a confirmation of the fact that the enterprise had received special privileges among other merchant companies and the highest degree of monarch’s patronage. Initially, the plan to introduce its own RAC flag was proposed by Nikolay Petrovich Rumyantsev, Minister of Commerce. This project was proposed to the Senate on October 19, 1806. It was approved by the Senate and forwarded to the Main Board of the Russian-American Company to be implemented.
The approved sketch of the
flag had the following description:
