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Flag of England

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England
UseCivil and state flag
Proportion3:5
Adopted16th century
DesignA centred red cross on a white background

The Flag of England is the St George's Cross. The red cross appeared in as an emblem of England during the Middle Ages and the Crusades and is one of the earliest known emblems representing England. It achieved status as the national flag of England during the 16th century.

Saint George became the patron saint of England in the 13th century, and the legend of Saint George slaying a dragon dates from the 12th century.

Origins

The exact origins of the Flag of England are unclear and have multiple supporting theories; though it is known that the flag appeared during the Middle Ages. It has been recorded that the first known recorded use of the St George's Cross as an emblem (but not as a flag) of England was in a roll of account relating to the Welsh War of 1275. There is a story (not generally accepted by historians) that the design was adopted by England and the City of London in 1190 to benefit from protection of the powerful Genoese navy, and that the English king paid an annual tribute to the Doge of the Republic of Genoa.

The use of a red cross on a white background was a symbol of St. George in the middle ages. This is seen, for example, in the flag of Georgia, another nation with St George as patron saint.

At the beginning of the Crusades, St George's red cross on white was already associated with England. Although the pope decided English crusaders would be distinguished by wearing a white cross on red, and French crusaders a red cross on white (German knights were allocated yellow and blue), English knights soon decided to claim instead "their" cross of red on white, like the French. As both English and French knights wore this pattern, the red cross on white became the typical crusader symbol regardless of nationality, an indirect result of its English associations.

St George's cross may not have achieved the full status of national flag until the 16th century, when all other saints' banners were abandoned during the Reformation. The earliest record of St George's flag at sea, as an English flag in conjunction with royal banners but no other saintly flags, was 1545. In the past few years the Flag of St George has become increasingly used by the English, particularly at sports events. For example, when England won the football World Cup in 1966, most of the flags waved by supporters were Union Flags. Now they have largely been supplanted by the English flag. This has led to one local council banning the wearing of the flag by their employees

Proportions

The flag consists of a red cross on a white field with the cross having a width of 1/5 of the height of the flag. The flag proportion is 3:5.

Union

The flag of England was incorporated into what is now the Union Flag.

When the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland were united in a personal union under James VI/I, the Cross of Saint George was combined with the Cross of St. Andrew (representing Scotland) to form the original Union Flag (or "Union Jack"). This flag later became the national flag of the Kingdom of Great Britain, and was combined with the flag of St. Patrick (representing Ireland) in 1801, producing the Union Flag of the United Kingdom.

During the 20th Century, the flag was adopted by white supremacist groups in England. [1] More recently, however, it has become more affiliated with supporters of the English football team, with 27% of English adults having bought a flag during Soccer World Cup 2006. [2] Despite this shift in the flag's popular connotations, many black English people still view the flag with suspicion: During a poll of readers of New Nation, "most black people interviewed said they felt alienated by the flag of St George and still associated it with the BNP." [2] Despite this, some young, non-white people have been reported displaying the flags in support of the football team. [3] This rise in the popularity of the flag as a symbol of football has had a distinctive social class element to it, with middle class English people having been seen greeting the display of the flag by one of their number with disbelief.

Other uses

The flag of England was incorporated into what is now the Flag of the Canadian province of Alberta

The flag is incorporated in the flag of the Canadian province of Alberta, by way of the coat of arms of the Hudson's Bay Company and the province's arms.

The provincial coats of arms of Manitoba and Ontario also use the Cross of St George; in each case, the coat of arms is used in the provincial flag. The flag of the City of Montreal is derived from the cross as well.

References

  1. ^ Allirajah, Duleep; A confusing cross to bear; Spiked; 27 July 2006
  2. ^ a b Conn, David; Sour English stereotypes linger amid the flag-waving; The Guardian; 12 July 2006
  3. ^ Crampton, Robert; Dad, how come rich people don't fly flags and show they're patriotic?; The Times; 21 June 2006

See also

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