Flag of the Russian-American company.
from /r/vexillology Top comment: From Wikipedia **The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty** (Russian: Под высочайшим Его Императорского Величества покровительством Российская-Американская Компания Pod vysochayshim Yego Imperatorskogo Velichestva pokrovitelstvom Rossiyskaya-Amerikanskaya Kompaniya) was a state-sponsored chartered company formed largely on the basis of the United American Company. Emperor Paul I of Russia chartered the company in the Ukase of 1799. It had the mission of establishing new settlements in Russian America, conducting trade with natives, and carrying out an expanded colonization program. Neat. Until this moment I had never considered that there was once a Russian America. I’m Canadian, we went over border disputes with Alaska in history class but only with the U.S. after the Alaska purchase. I knew Russia once owned Alaska, but never considered there was significant history beyond that.











