History of the flag of England St George's Cross

And why the UK is also in the sport, but not always.

The red cross is immediately seen on a white background Flag of EnglandBut its origins go back to the Crusades and also passes through Italy, whose references you have surely already seen. In fact, the use of this flag began to spread in the thirteenth century, after the Third Crusade, but Its main symbol is the Cross of Saint GeorgeIn addition to its widespread distribution in various Italian families and small estates, it is above all Flag of the Maritime Republic of Genoaone of the most powerful cities of that time (along with Venice, Pisa and Amalfi).

The army of the Republic of Genoa actively participated in the Crusades⁽¹⁾officially displays the Cross of St. George as his banner after the Battle of Jerusalem (1099), during which legend says the saint's appearance urged Christian forces to victory (still today, in many Ligurian villages). You can see the flag with the Cross of St. George flying ).

The fame of the Genoese fleet led to the appearance of the white flag with the red cross as a symbol of immunity respected by the ships that flew it. For this reason, the English Crown adopted it for use on its own boats, as did the City of London⁽²⁾ -And he was already showing up NileBayeux Tapestry (c. 1070), describing the Norman conquest of England that culminated in the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Like many other modern national flags, the flag of England has survived for centuries Mainly as a nautical scienceoften flying with the royal banner and beginning to appear in official documents, such as the Book of All Kingdoms of 1367. From 1415, the day on which Saint George is celebrated began to be recognized as a national holiday, while in 1606 it was united with the Scottish flag to form the The first from the future Union Jack. It was only during the 19th century that the flag bearing the Cross of Saint George was officially adopted as the national flag of England, also in the wake of the geopolitical need to define a flag for each country on a global level.

Who is who? United kingdom (United Kingdom, United Kingdom) is the political identity, consisting of the four countries actually placed under the Crown: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Great BritainOn the other hand, it is the geographical designation of a territory, equivalent to the largest island including England, Wales and Scotland (then combined with the island of Ireland, which includes Northern Ireland and Ireland).

For many years, during the twentieth century, and indeed until the end of the century, moreover, In football, the Union Jack flag has almost only been used by English fans at away stadiums and matches (Also a symbol of cultural identity that reached its peak in the 1990s, with period Britannia is cold), while with the start of the new millennium and a new sense of national pride – particularly on the part of other nations, notably Wales and Scotland, individual state flags began to appear on the stands, with the Cross of St George now becoming a unique stadium banner for England fans.

United Kingdom or England? Depends on…

In European tournaments, such as in the UEFA Euro 2020, in the FIFA World Cup, or for example in rugby (in the Six Nations and in the World Cup) Each British country has its own national team, while in the Olympics or in any case in other sports (see tennis, for example) they always present themselves as the United Kingdom, or rather as “Team GB” (Team Great Britain). It may seem strange but it derives from habit acquired with the birth of football and rugby as distinct sports in the mid-19th century.

What is a union jack? It's science United kingdom (“Jack” is a slang term meaning “flag”) and is the result of the graphic superposition of three flags: the flag of England and the flag of Scotland (St. Andrew's Cross, blue background and white Ireland (St. Patrick's Cross, “St. Patrick's Cross”). White background and red X) . The Welsh symbol is not included, because at the time of this coat of arms' creation (1606) Wales was already united with England.

When the separate regulation of the two emerging sports, football and rugby, became official, the nations making up the United Kingdom individually joined the two reference federations, and were thus also endorsed by subsequent international bodies (UEFA, FIFA and FIFA). oval). However, none of these individual countries are officially recognized by the Olympic Committee The athletes therefore compete together in the UK's only uniform.

The flag of England is a rectangle with an official aspect ratio of 3:5, while the aspect ratio of the Union Flag is 1:2.

⁽¹⁾ It is not wrong to consider the banner of Saint George as such Evolution of the Banner of St. Peter (Flag of Saint Peter) granted by the papacy to those who fought to defend Christianity, i.e. those who soon afterwards effectively became crusaders

⁽²⁾The trick of the tax the English pay for the use of science: Over the years, subtly relaunched Recently, a legend has emerged that the English began using the flag of San Giorgio when paying tax to the Doge of Genoa. In fact, there is not a single historical document that refers to this honor, but more importantly, It is impossible that the English would have paid tribute to the Doge in 1190, simply because the Genoese doge as a form of government was only established in 1339 (More details here)

© Reproduction reserved