Flag of England

National masthead

not to be confused with Union Jack

EnglandUseCivil and state flagProportion3:5[1]DesignA white field with centred red cross
(Argent, a cross gules)

The flag of England is derived from Saint George ‘s Cross ( heraldic coat of arms : Argent, a cross gules ). The association of the red cross as an emblem of England can be traced back to the Late Middle Ages, and it was increasingly used alongside the Royal Banner in the wake of the English Reformation, particularly as a maritime ease up referred to as a white national flag. It was used as a component in the plan of the Union Jack in 1606. [ 2 ] It has been widely used since the 1990s, specifically at national sporting events, specially during England ‘s home football team ‘s season. [ 3 ]

Origins

Angels wearing the heraldic badge of King Richard II holding the iris of Saint George surmounted by an ball displaying a miniature map of England. Wilton Diptych ( c. 1395–1399 ) In 1188 Henry II of England and Philip II of France agreed to go on a crusade, and that Henry would use a white crisscross and Philip a bolshevik cross. [ citation needed ] Thirteenth-century authorities [ who? ] are consentaneous on the indicate that the English king adopted the white thwart, and the french king the red one ( and not vice versa as suggested by subsequently use ). It is frankincense not clear at what point the English exchanged the whiten cross for the red-on-white one. [ according to whom? ] There was a historiographical custom claiming that Richard the Lionheart himself adopted both the flag and the patron saint from the Republic of Genoa at some steer during his crusade. This estimate can be traced to the priggish earned run average, [ 5 ] Perrin ( 1922 ) refers to it as a “ common belief ”, and it is still popularly repeated today even though it can not be substantiated as historic. [ 6 ] [ 7 ] red crosses seem to have been used as a distinguishing mark worn by english soldiers from the reign of Edward I ( 1270s ), [ 8 ] or possibly slightly earlier, in the Battle of Evesham of 1265, using a crimson cross on their uniforms to distinguish themselves from the white crosses used by the rebel barons at the Battle of Lewes a year earlier. [ 9 ] Perrin notes a roll of accounts from 1277 where the purchase of fabric for the king ‘s tailor is identified as destined for the fabricate of a large number of pennoncels ( pennons attached to lances ) and bracers ( worn by archers on their leave forearms ) “ of the arms of Saint George “ for the consumption by the king ‘s foundation soldiers ( pro peditibus regis ). [ 10 ] Perrin concludes from this that the initiation of the Cross of St George as a “ national emblem ” is originally due to Edward I. By 1300, there was besides a greater “ standard of St George ”, but not yet in a big function ; the king used it among several banners of saints alongside the royal standard. [ 11 ] Saint George had become popular as a “ warrior canonize ” during the Crusades, but the canonize most closely associated with England was Edward the Confessor until the time of Edward III, who in thanks for Saint George ‘s supposed treatment in his privilege at the Battle of Crécy gave him a particular position as a patron enshrine of the Order of the Garter in 1348. [ 12 ] From that time, his banner was used with increasing prominence alongside the Royal Banner and became a specify chemical element in the hoist of the Royal Standard. The pin shown for England in the Book of All Kingdoms of 1367 is solid crimson ( while St George ‘s Cross is shown for Nice and, in a five-cross version, for Tbilisi ). The Wilton Diptych from the late 1390s shows a swallow-tailed St George cross flag held by an angel in between King Richard II ( accompanied by royal saints Kings Edward the Confessor and Edmund the Martyr ) and a scene of the Virgin and Child flanked by angels wearing Richard ‘s own heraldic devices. St George ‘s Day was considered a “ double major fete ” from 1415, [ 13 ] but George was silent eclipsed by his “ rivals ” Saints Edward and Edmund. He ultimately rose to the position of the primary patron saint of England during the English Reformation, with the revised prayer koran of 1552, when all religious flags, including all saints ‘ banners except for his were abolished. [ 14 ] John Cabot, commissioned by Henry VII to sail “ under our banners, flags and ensigns ”, reportedly took St George ‘s banner to Newfoundland in 1497. [ citation needed ] The inaugural recorded use of St George ‘s Cross as a maritime iris, in junction with royal banners, dates to 1545. [ dubious – discuss ] [ 1 ] In 1606, after the Union of the Crowns in 1603, it was combined with the scots St Andrew ‘s Cross to form the Union Jack, which James VI & I ordered be flown from the independent tops of ships from both England and Scotland. The “ Red Crosse ” continued to be flown from the fore-top by James ‘ subjects in “ South Britaine ” —i.e., the St George cross was used together with the new marriage flag on English vessels. In the nineteenth hundred, it became desirable for all nations of Europe ( and former global ) to identify a national flag. [ citation needed ] During that time, the terms Britain and England were used largely interchangeably, the Union Flag was used as national flag de facto, even though never formally adopted. The observation that the Cross of St George is the “ national ease up of England ” ( as opposed to the Union Flag being the flag of all of the United Kingdom ) was made in the context of irish irredentism, as noted by G. K. Chesterton in 1933 ,
This is the Union iris, which is not the home flag of England

Derived flags

Union Flag

The flag of England is one of the key components of the Union Flag. The Union Flag has been used in a variety show of forms since the announcement by Orders in Council 1606, [ 16 ] [ 17 ] when the flags of Scotland and England were foremost merged to symbolise the Union of the Crowns. [ 18 ] ( The Union of the Crowns having occurred in 1603 ). In Scotland, and in especial on scots vessels at sea, historical evidence suggests that a branch invention of Union Flag was flown to that used in England. [ 19 ] In the Acts of Union of 1707, which united the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England to become the Kingdom of Great Britain, it was declared that “ the Crosses of St. George and St. Andrew be conjoined, in such Manner as her Majesty shall think fit, and used in all Flags, Banners, Standards and Ensigns, both at Sea and Land. ” [ 20 ] From 1801, to symbolise the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain with the Kingdom of Ireland, a raw design which included the St Patrick ‘s Cross was adopted for the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. [ 21 ] The Flag of the United Kingdom, having remained unchanged following the partition of Ireland in 1921 and creation of the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland, continues to be used as the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .

City of London

The flag of the City of London is based on the english pin, having a concentrate St George ‘s Cross on a white backdrop, with a red sword in the upper hoist canton ( the top left quarter ). The sword is believed to represent the sword that beheaded Saint Paul who is the patron ideal of the city. [ 22 ]

Royal Navy

The sag used by the british Royal Navy ( the White Ensign ) is besides based on the masthead of England, consisting of the St George ‘s Cross and a Union Flag in the quarter. In addition to the United Kingdom, several countries in the Commonwealth of Nations besides have variants of the White Ensign with their own national flags in the quarter, with the St George ‘s Cross sometimes being replaced by a naval badge. [ 23 ]

contemporaneous use

church of England

Churches belonging to the Church of England ( unless for special reasons another masthead is flown by custom ) may fly St George ‘s Cross. The chastise way ( since an order from the Earl Marshal in 1938 ) is for the church to fly the St George ‘s intersect, with the arms of the diocese in the left upper berth corner of the flag. [ 24 ]

Sporting events

The flag is besides seen during other sporting events in which England competes, for example during England Cricket matches ( the Cricket World Cup and The Ashes ), during Rugby Union matches [ 25 ] and in football. [ 26 ] It is besides used in icons on the Internet and on the television receiver screen to represent teams and players from England. Before 1996, most of the flags waved by supporters were Union Flags. It is now observed that most are England flags. [ 27 ] In a clean context, the flag is frequently seen being waved by supporters with the unofficial addition of the password ‘England ‘ across its horizontal bar .

Queen ‘s ninetieth Birthday Celebration

In May 2016, the St George ‘s intersect was flown from horseback [ 28 ] during The Queen ‘s ninetieth birthday celebration at Windsor, alongside the flags of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales .

english nationalism

As the national flag of England, the St George ‘s cross is besides used in english nationalism in conscious distinction from the Union Flag. This is parallel to the use of the flag of Scotland as clear-cut from the Union Flag in scots patriotism. While the flag of Scotland has been formally defined by the scots Parliament in 2003, the sag of England does not figure in any official legislation, and its use by english nationalists was for some time limited to the “ reactionary ”, notably the british National Party ( establish 1982 ). Since the pin ‘s widespread consumption in sporting events since the mid-1990s, the association with reactionary nationalism has waned, and the ease up is now frequently flown throughout the area both privately and by local authorities, [ 29 ] although it besides remains in use by nationalist groups such as the English Defence League ( establish 2009 ).

outside England

ascribable to the circulate of the british Empire, the flag of England is presently, and was once used on assorted flags and coats of arms of different countries, states and provinces throughout the territories of the british Empire. The St George ‘s Cross is besides used as the city flag of some northerly italian cities, such as Milan and Bologna and other countries such as Georgia .