The flag of each country has the function of representing its people, government and State to the entire world. Although their meaning is symbolic, they tend to represent the culture, geography or some representative characteristic of that country.
The flag of England is represented by a red cross on a white background, but what does it mean? Why was it adopted as the official flag? If you want to know what do the colors of the flag of England mean and more curiosities about this country, at OneHowTo.com we explain everything you need to know.
What country does it represent?
England is one of the four nations that form the United Kingdom, located in the lower and central area of the Island of Great Britain, is the one that occupies more land, bordering Scotland to the north and Wales to the west.
For more than 35,000 years, different cultures have occupied the territory of present-day England, but the name is taken from the Anglos, a Germanic people that settled on the island in the 5th century.
England was a Independent status from 927 to 1606, the year in which it joined with Scotland to form what is still known today as the United Kingdom, a country that has undergone some political changes to become what it is today: the union of these two nations, plus Wales and Ireland from North.
Origin of the flag
The flag of England, which has been used as a national symbol since the 13th century, has its own name, as it is known as St. George’s Cross. In its origin, this flag was representative of the Republic of Genoa, whose ships had the hegemony of maritime trade in the Mediterranean Sea. From the year 1190, by royal decision, England paid a tribute to the Dogue de Genoa with the intention of granting permission to English ships to fly the flag and be protected when they entered the Mediterranean Sea.
But this seems like a very simple reason to come to represent an entire country, especially when the flag should symbolize the ideals of the nation. However, delving into the history of England, we find strong ties between the country and San Jorge that ended up crystallizing in the adoption of his cross as a national emblem.
Barely 150 years after adopting the flag as a maritime insignia, in 1348 Saint George was adopted as england pattern and in 1415 April 23, the day of this saint, was declared a national holiday. The origin of this devotion to the saint dates from the time of the Crusades, when English soldiers asked for his protection in battle, thanks to those victories in the holy land, the one who is now their patron was gaining great popularity in the country until become a symbol that spread throughout the world.
Saint George is not only the patron saint of England, in fact the red cross on a white bed is present in many flags and symbols of different countries, cities and regions around the world. Apart from the aforementioned Republic of Genoa, we find his cross on the flags of countries like Georgia, regions like Sardinia and even in cities like Barcelona.
The Union Jack
Many times the terms between England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom are confused. In this article we have explained the origin of the flag of England and certain features of this country, however many people mistakenly believe that the Union Jack is the flag of England. This flag is the one represents the United Kingdom, that is to say, the political union of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The national symbol, although it does come from the cross of St. George, is different from the one that only identifies England.
In 1606, a year after the kingdoms of Scotland and England were unified with the accession to the throne of King James VI of Scotland, the monarch proclaimed that all ships of the British navy should carry this new flag, which symbolized the unification of the two kingdoms. But what does it mean?
Meaning of the British flag
The British flag, popularly known as Union Jack, has a simpler origin than it may seem at first glance. Design is nothing more than the cross of St. George, the flag of England, on top of the cross of St. Andrew, Scottish pattern, represented by a white cross on a blue background.
In 1802, as a result of the incorporation of Ireland to the United Kingdom, the final version of this flag appeared, adding to the cross of Saint George and that of Saint Andrew, the red sails of St. Patrick, the patron of Ireland.
At present, as a consequence of the great expansion of the British Empire during colonialism, we can find many countries in which the Union Jack appears as part of their national flag, some examples are the flag of New Zealand, Australia or the Republic of Fiji.
If you want to know the origin and meaning of other flags such as Spain, Colombia or Venezuela, visit these unHowTo.com articles.
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