It has been widely used since the 1990s, specifically at national sporting events, especially during the campaigns of England's national football teams.[3]
There then follows a historiographical tradition claiming thatRichard the Lionheart himself adopted the full red cross flag and the patron saint from theRepublic of Genoa at some point during his crusade. This idea can be traced to theVictorian era,[6] Perrin (1922) refers to it as a "common belief", and it is still popularly repeated today even though it cannot be substantiated.[7]Prince Edward, Duke of Kent made a variation to this in a bilingual preface to a brochure made for the British Pavilion atGenoa Expo '92. The relevant passage read:
The St. George's flag, a red cross on a white field, was adopted by England and the City of London in 1190 for their ships entering the Mediterranean to benefit from the protection of the Genoese fleet. The English Monarch paid an annual tribute to theDoge of Genoa for this privilege[8][9][10]
Red crosses seem to have been used as a distinguishing mark worn by English soldiers from the reign ofEdward I (1270s),[11] or perhaps slightly earlier, in theBattle of Evesham of 1265, using a red cross on their uniforms to distinguish themselves from the white crosses used by the rebel barons at theBattle of Lewes a year earlier.[12] Perrin notes a roll of accounts from 1277 where the purchase of cloth for the king's tailor is identified as destined for the manufacture of a large number of pennoncels (pennons attached to lances) and bracers (worn by archers on their left forearms) "of the arms ofSaint George" for the use by the king's foot soldiers (pro peditibus regis).[13] Perrin concludes from this that the introduction of the Cross of St George as a "national emblem" is originally due to Edward I. By 1300, there was also a greater "banner of Saint George", but not yet in a prominent function; the king used it among especially banners of king-saintsSaint Edward the Confessor andSaint Edmund the Martyr alongside theroyal banner.[14] George had become popular as a "warrior saint" during theCrusades, but the saint most closely associated with England was Edward the Confessor. This was so until the time ofEdward III, who in thanks for Saint George's supposed intervention in his favour at theBattle of Crécy gave him a special position as a patron saint of the inceptiveOrder of the Garter in 1348.[15] From that time, his banner was used with increasing prominence alongside the Royal Banner and became a fixed element in the hoist of theRoyal Standard. Yet the flag shown for England in theBook of All Kingdoms of 1367 is solid red (while Saint George's Cross is shown forNice and, in afive-cross version, forTbilisi). TheWilton Diptych from the late 1390s shows a swallow-tailed Saint George cross pennant held by an angel in between (the then reigning) KingRichard II (accompanied byEdward the Confessor andEdmund the Martyr) and a scene of theVirgin and Child flanked by angels wearing Richard's own heraldic devices.[citation needed]
That Saint George is the primary patron saint of England is among several lasting changes of height of theEnglish Protestant Reformation, via the content whichthe teenage king and his Protestant advisors issued to all churches and clerics. These rules were therevised prayer book of 1552. Just as with theMarian persecutions (four years of counter-revolution after his natural death) all defecting clerics faced likely deprivation which was the loss of their office and if more broadly heretical, burning at the stake. The book made clear all religious flags, including saints' banners except for Saint George were abolished.[17]
Further use of this cross as amaritime flag alongside royal banners, is found in 1545.[9]
Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!" [Exeunt. Alarum, and chambers go off.][18]
thus promoting the notion that the cult or festivities specifically to the saint, or focus on the Order of the Garter put him significantly ahead of two other national saints – instead of depicting that they were approximately equal. The quote became rapidly well known in London, across social classes, and thus imagery entrenched that Saint George was "historically" the primary saint.[citation needed]
In 1606, after theUnion of the Crowns in 1603, it was combined with the ScottishSt Andrew's Cross to form theUnion Jack, whichJames VI & I ordered be flown from the maintops 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 Saint George cross was used with the new union flag on English vessels.[citation needed]
In the 19th century, it became desirable for all nations of Europe (and later worldwide) to identify a national flag.[citation needed] During that time, the termsBritain and England were used largely interchangeably, theUnion Flag was used as national flag de facto, even though never officially adopted. The observation that the Cross of St George is the "national flag of England" (as opposed to the Union Flag being the flag of all of the United Kingdom) was made in the context ofIrish irredentism, as noted byG. K. Chesterton in 1933:
The Union flag
As a very sensible Irishman said in a letter to a Dublin paper: "The Union Jack is not the national flag of England." The national flag of England is the Cross of St. George; and that, oddly enough, was splashed from one end of Dublin to the other; it was mostly displayed on shield-shaped banners, and may have been regarded by many as merely religious.[19]
The flag of England is one of the key components of theUnion Flag. The Union Flag has been used in a variety of forms since the proclamation by Orders in Council 1606,[20][21] when the flagsof Scotland and England were first merged to symbolise theUnion of the Crowns.[22] (The Union of the Crowns having occurred in 1603). In Scotland, and in particular on Scottish vessels at sea, historical evidence suggests that a separate design of Union Flag was flown to that used in England.[23] In theActs of Union of 1707, which united theKingdom of Scotland and theKingdom of England to become theKingdom 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."[24]
Theflag of the City of London is based on the English flag, having a centred St George's Cross on a white background, with a redsword in the upper hoistcanton (the top left quarter). The sword is believed to represent the sword that was used to beheadSaint Paul, who is thepatron saint of the city.[26]
Royal Navy
TheWhite Ensign of the United Kingdom, consisting of the flag of Saint George,defaced with theUnion Flag in the first quarter
The flag used by the BritishRoyal Navy (theWhite Ensign) is also based on the flag of England, consisting of St George's Cross and aUnion Flag in the canton. In addition to the United Kingdom,several countries in theCommonwealth of Nations also have variants of the White Ensign with their own national flags in the canton, with St George's Cross sometimes being replaced by a naval badge.[27]
Churches belonging to theChurch of England which have a pole may fly St George's Cross. A desirable variant (per an order from theEarl Marshal in 1938) is for the church to fly the flag with the arms of thediocese in the left-hand upper corner.[28]
The flag heavily dominates for that of England at sports events in which England competes, for example during England Cricket matches (theCricket World Cup andThe Ashes), during Rugby Union matches[29] and infootball.[30] It is also used in icons on the internet and on the TV screen to represent teams and players from England.[citation needed]
For at least some decades before about 1996, most of the flags waved by supporters were Union Flags.[31] In a sporting context, the flag is often seen being waved by supporters with the addition of 'ENGLAND' across its horizontal bar.[citation needed]
As the flag of England, it is used inEnglish nationalism. This is largely in parallel to the use of theflag of Scotland inScottish nationalism. However Scotland has been recognised as a nation within a nation. The flag of Scotland has been officially defined by the Scottish Parliament in 2003 and is flown there and almost universally by Scottish authorities. There is no English legislature; the entire British legislature sits in England and is only subject to very weak conventions on voting on English matters. The flag of England does not figure in legislation, and its use by English nationalists is complex as these divide among those who arefar-right as heavily opposed to further immigration and seeking to distinguish between residents in the jobs market and welfare state system such as theBritish National Party (founded 1982) and theEnglish Defence League (founded 2009) and those who merely seek the level of devolution of Scotland, or Wales. Underscoring this complexity, in January 2012Simon Hughes, the deputy leader of theLiberal Democrats, supported calls for adevolved English parliament and which continues under such lobbies as theCampaign for an English Parliament, and is occasionally a minor debate subject at all of the major parties' annual conferences.[32]
Since the flag's widespread use in sporting events since the mid-1990s, the association with far-right nationalism has waned, and the flag is now frequently flown throughout the country both privately and by local authorities.[33]
In September 2025, theEngland flag and theUnion Jack became increasingly visible in theUK, in what was described as a “flag phenomenon”.[34] The first major display occurred inWeoley Castle, a neighbourhood of largely postwar council stock homes, before spreading to other parts ofBirmingham in response to the ‘proliferation’ ofPalestine flags.[34][35] The phenomenon drew media attention after local authorities inBirmingham andYork ordered the removal ofBritish flags while allowingPalestine flags to remain, prompting public backlash and accusations of political double standards.[34][35]
^England (United Kingdom)Archived 28 April 2008 at theWayback Machine;Gallery of sovereign state flags"The...proportion for the national flag of England is 3:5, with the each [limb of] the cross being1⁄5 of the flag's height. The same ratio is used for Scotland and Wales. The saltire on Scotland's flag is [the same width]. It was chosen as being the closest 'standard' shape to the golden rectangle. Rectangular naval rank flags are actually 2:3, with the cross [each limb] being1⁄6 of the height of the flag." Graham Bartram, 5 April 1999
^The Tudor naval streamer was a long, tapering flag, flown from the top of the forecastle, from 20 up to 60 yards in length. "A streamer shall stand in the toppe of a shippe, or in the forecastle, and therein be putt no armes, but a man's conceit or device, and may be of the lengthe of twenty, forty, or sixty yards." – Harleian MS 2358 onthe Syze of Banners, Standardes, Pennons, Guydhomes, Pencels, and Streamers (cited after Frederick Edward Hulme,The Flags of the World (1896), p. 26).
^Collins, Michael (5 April 2018). "The Banner of St George".St George and the Dragons: The Making of English Identity. Fonthill.ISBN978-1-781-55649-8.
^E.g. "Richard Coeur de Lion embarked on Genoese galleys under their banner of the Red Cross and the flag of St. George, which he brought home to become the patron of Old England".The Journal of the Manchester Geographical Society, Volumes 7–8, 1891, p. 139. There are variants; in another version Richard is impressed with the Genoeseat Acre.
^"I have been unable to find any solid ground for the common belief that the cross of St George was introduced as the national emblem of England by Richard I, and am of opinion that it did not begin to attain that position until the first years of the reign of Edward I". (Perrin 1922,p. 15)
^This version was taken at face value on the website of a "Ligurian Independence Movement", presented by Vincenzo Matteucci in an article entitledL'Inghilterra "pagava" per poter innalzare la bandiera della gloriosa Repubblica di Genova sulle sue navi! ("England paid for flying on its ships the banner of the Glorious Republic of Genoa!") on that website (Movimento Indipendentista LigureArchived 12 February 2012 at theWayback Machine 7 No. 3/4 2002), and posted on flags of the world.
^"Among the greater banners that of St George was not as yet supreme; it was indeed only one of four, for when the Castle of Carlaverock was taken in the year 1300:Puis fist le roy porter amont / Sa baniere et la Seint Eymont / La Seint George et la Seint Edwart [...]" (Perrin 1922, p. 37)
^"The first step towards the promotion of St George to a position of predominance seems to be due to Edward III, who in gratitude for his supposed help at the Battle of Crecy founded the Chapel of St George at Windsor in 1348." (Perrin 1922, pp. 37f.)
^It was first introduced as a minor feast day observed in the Church of England in 1222, but its omission from later lists suggests that it was not universally adopted. (Perrin 1922, p. 38).
^"When the Prayer Book was revised under Edward VI (1547–1553), the festival of St George was abolished, with many others. Under the influence of the Reformation the banners of his former rivals, St Edward and St Edmund, together with all other religious flags in public use, except that of St George, entirely disappeared, and their place was taken by banners containing royal badges" (W. G. Perrin (1922).British Flags. Cambridge University Press. p. 40).
^The Life of King Henry V Act 3, end of Scene 1 France. Before Harfleur...with scaling ladders, William Shakespeare, Project Gutenburg, Release Date: November, 1998 [eBook #1521]
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