 In August 1919, the Sejm (lower house of parliament) of the renascent Republic of Poland adopted a law defining the Banner of the Republic of Poland ("chorągiew Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej").The banner was part of the insignia of the head of state—the State Leader ("Naczelnik Państwa") and, later, President of the Republic.It was plain red emblazoned with the crowned White Eagle and bordered with a "wężyk generalski", a wavy line used in the Polish military as a symbol of general's rank.