St George's Cross

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with the Cross of St. George, a military distinction in Russia; or the highest civil distinction awarded in Catalonia; or the George Cross, a UK and Commonwealth medal.

Image:Merge-arrow.gif

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Flag of England. (Discuss)

Image:Flag of England.svg

The St George's Cross is a red cross on a white background. It is the national flag of England.

It is believed to have been adopted for the uniform of English soldiers during the Crusades of the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries. From about 1277 it officially became the national flag of England.

After the union of England with Scotland a combined British flag was created in 1606, initially for maritime display; however, the flag of England (as opposed to the United Kingdom) remains St George's Cross, and continues to be used when showing allegiance to England alone. Nowadays this is primarily done at events such as international football and rugby union competitions.

Saint George is the patron saint of England and various other countries and regions. The St George Cross is also the symbol of Milan, Genoa, Bologna, and Freiburg; and used, for example, in the flag of the city of Barcelona in Spain, and it appears on the flag of Georgia. The Lega Nord, a popular Italian political party campaigning for the independence of Northern Italy, also uses the St George Cross as an official symbol.

The flag of St George is also the rank flag of an Admiral in the Royal Navy, and civilian craft are forbidden to fly it. However, ships which took part in the rescue operation at Dunkirk during World War II are allowed to fly it as a jack.

The flag of St George should not be confused with the flag of the Red Cross. The flag of St George has a red cross which reaches from edge to edge of the flag. The flag of the red cross, like the Swiss flag, has a cross which does not reach the edges.

It has only recently enjoyed a resurgence in popularity fuelled partly by football-inspired nationalism, but also by the devolution movements in Scotland and Wales asserting a separate identity. Until the mid-90s, it was the Union Flag which was used to support the English football team - even, bizarrely, at games against Scotland where it was literally the flag of both nations. The Football League, despite being part of the national football league system of England alone, has had the Union Flag as part of its symbolism.