Why did the old French flag used to be a white flag?
The pure white flag that was used from 1814-1830 is known as the Drapeau Blanc. After the French Revolution, the flag of France had been the Tricolore. When the Bourbon Monarchy was restored in 1814, Louis XVIII replaced the Tricolore with the Drapeau Blanc. The Drapeau Blanc had been the naval flag used in France in pre-revolutionary times. Louis XVIII chose to use the Drapeau Blanc as a symbol of the restoration of the Bourbon Monarchy.