A number ofcross symbols were developed for the purpose of the emerging system ofheraldry, which appeared in Western Europe in about 1200. This tradition is partly in the use of theChristian cross an emblem from the 11th century, and increasingly during the age of theCrusades. Many cross variants were developed in the classical tradition of heraldry during the late medieval and early modern periods. Heraldic crosses are inherited in modern iconographic traditions and are used in numerousnational flags.
TheChristian cross emblem (Latin cross orGreek cross) was used from the 5th century, deriving from aT-shape representing thegibbet (stauros,crux) of thecrucifixion of Jesus in use from at least the 2nd century. Theglobus cruciger and thestaurogram is used in Byzantine coins and seals during theHeraclian period (6th century). Under theHeraclian dynasty (7th century), coins also depict simply crossespotent,patty, orpommy.
The cross was used as afield sign by the Christian troops during theCrusades. In 1188, KingsHenry II of England andPhilip II of France agreed to launch theThird Crusade together, and that Henry would use a white cross and Philip a red cross. The red-on-white cross came to be used by theKnights Templar, and the white-on-red one by theKnights Hospitaller (also white-on-black); theTeutonic Order used a black-on white version. Early cross or spiral-like shield decorations, not necessarily with Christian symbolism, are already found on depictions of shields of the 11th century.[1]
Heraldry emerged in western Europe at the start of the 13th century out of earlier traditions. The basic variants of the red-on-white (termed theCross of Saint George) and the white-on-red crusaders' cross were continued independently in theflags of various states in the 13th and 14th century, including the Duchy ofGenoa, the Electorate ofTrier, the Bishopric ofConstance and the Kingdoms ofEngland andGeorgia, which last two had special devotions to St George on one hand;[3] andSavoy, thewar flag of theHoly Roman Empire and (possibly from the latter)Switzerland andDenmark on the other.
The cross appears as heraldic charge in the oldestrolls of arms, from about 1250. A roll of arms of the 13th century (the reign ofHenry III of England) lists the coats of arms of various noblemen distinguished by crosses of different tinctures:
Glover's Roll (British Library Add MS 29796), a 16th-century copy of a roll of arms of the 1250s has depictions of various heraldic crosses, including theor a cross gules of theearl of Norfolk,gules, a cross argent ofPeter of Savoy,argent a cross gules ofRobert de Veer,gules a cross floryvair of Guillaume de Forz, Comte d'Aumale,gules a cross fleury argent of Guillaume Vescy,gules a cross saltire engrele of Fulke de Escherdestone,argent a cross fleury azure ofJohn Lexington,azure three crosses or of William de Sarren,or a cross gules, five scallops argent of Ralph Bigod,gules a cross fourchy argent of Gilbert de Vale,argent a cross fleury sable of John Lamplowe,or a cross saltire gules, a chief gules ofRobert de Brus,gules a cross saltire argent ofRobert de Neville,or a cross voided gules of Hamond (Robert) de Crevecoeur,andazure a cross or, four lions rampant or of Baudouin Dakeney. In addition, the Glover Roll hassemy of crosses crosslet as a tincture in several coats of arms.[citation needed]
The desire to distinguish one's coat of arms from others led to a period of substantial innovation in producing variants of the basic Christian cross by the early 14th century (in England, the reign ofEdward II).
The great number of variants of crosses, and the deep history of such variants (going back to the 14th century or earlier) results in confusing and often contradictory terminology.[4]
In theheraldry of the Holy Roman Empire, the cross is comparatively rare in the coats of arms of noble families, presumably because the plain heraldic cross was seen as animperial symbol (for the same reason, the eagle was rarely used as a charge because itrepresented the empire), but in the 14th century the plain cross is used in the seals and flags of severalprince-bishoprics, includingTrier,Constance andCologne.[5]
Looking back on the Crusades as the foundational period of knighthood, the badge of the cross became strongly associated with the idealized Christianknight of romance, as expressed by Spenser (Faerie Queene book 1, canto 1):[6]
And on his brest a bloodie crosse he bore,
The deare remembrance of his dying Lord,
For whose sweete sake that glorious badge he wore,
And dead, as living ever, his ador'd:
Upon his shield the like was also scor'd.
The black-on-white cross worn by theTeutonic Knights was granted byInnocent III in 1205. The coat of arms representing the grand master (Deutschmeisterwappen)[7] is shown with a goldencross fleury orcross potent superimposed on the black cross, with theimperial eagle as a central inescutcheon. The golden cross fleury overlaid on the black cross becomes widely used in the 15th century. A legendary account attributes its introduction toLouis IX of France, who on 20 August 1250 granted the master of the order this cross as a variation of theJerusalem cross, with thefleur-de-lis symbol attached to each arm. While this legendary account cannot be traced back further than the early modern period (Christoph Hartknoch, 1684) there is some evidence that the design does indeed date to the mid 13th century.[8] The black cross patty was later used for military decoration and insignia by theKingdom of Prussia and gave rise to the cross patty in the GermanReichskriegsflagge and theIron Cross andPour le Mérite orders.
TheNordic cross is an 18th-century innovation derived from cross flags adapted as swallow-tailed (or triple-tailed)pennonsused ascivil ensigns; the first official introduction of such a flag was in a regulation of 11 June 1748 describing the Danish civil ensign (Koffardiflaget) for merchant ships. The Danish design was adopted for the flags ofNorway (civil ensign 1821) andSweden (1906), both derived from a common ensign used during theUnion between Sweden and Norway 1818–1844,Iceland (1915) andFinland (1917).
The blazonCross without any addition signifies aheraldic ordinary, a pale and a fess of equal widths conjoined, the width being typically one-fifth of the shield (or one third of the shield when charges are placed on the cross).[9] The four arms should be of equal length (forming aGreek cross), as far as possible within the shape of theshield, and they meet in the center (fesse-point) of the shield, except when it is abased (lowered) in the presence of achief. The plaincross of gules in a field argent is termedSaint George's Cross.[9]
The ordinary formed when the cross' arms are oblique, passing through the top corners of the shield, is referred to as asaltire.
The ordinary cross may further be modify in itsflection (i.e. modification of its edges asengrailed (engreslée),embattled (bretessée),indented (denchée),invected (cannelée),wavy, (ondée),raguly (écotée),dancetty ordantelly (denché,émanchée), and so on. French heraldic terminology is even more diverse, with many synonyms leading to some confusion.[10]
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![Or [tenné] a cross chequy gules and sable](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aKryzius_02_Sachmatinis.png)
![Azure a saltire embattled parted [voided] or (John Allen-Petrie)](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aArms_of_John_Michael_Allen-Petrie.svg)
The ordinary cross may also be varied in its tincture, it may beparty, orchequy, compony, counter-compony, fretty, trellised, vair maçonnée and so on. It may also be of two tinctures, e.g. party per fesse, per pale, or per cross (equivalent to quarterly), mostly in connection with the partition of the field (i.e. counter-charged).
The term quarter-pierced (quarterly pierced) is used when the center of the cross has a separate tincture. Some heraldists have used quarter-voided or square-pierced for cases where the center of the cross is given the tincture of the field, or alternativelychequy of nine panes (Frenchéquipollée). Across quadrate has a square at the intersection point.
The cross voided (alsoune fausse croix) has the same tincture of the field with only a narrow border outlining the limbs. This is equivalent to superimposing one cross upon another (croix chargée, orremplie) when the second cross is of the tincture of the field.[9]
A voided cross might also be blazoned asfimbriated. Fimbriated crosses are more common invexillology, e.g. the fimbriated crosses in the national flags of theUnited Kingdom, ofNorway and ofIceland. The GermanBalkenkreuz, introduced originally as identification for GermanLuftstreitkräfte in 1918 and later used as a vehicle emblem by theWehrmacht, if used heraldically might be blazoned as a cross double fimbriated, or as a voided cross superimposed by a second cross. The "Bundeswehr cross" is a variant of theBalkenkreuz using a cross patty.
| Picture | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Cross hummetty (couped, alaisée, alésée) | When the ordinary cross is couped it acquires aspects of acharge (rather than an ordinary), i.e. aGreek cross with equal limbs. |
 | Cross pattée (patty, formée, formy) | A cross pattée (or formée/formy) has arms narrowing towards the centre, but with flat ends. It is usually found with curved inside edges as in the 13th c. arms ofBaron Berkeley (see alsoIron Cross); but sometimes encountered with straight edges (triangular arms). A cross pattée must be blazoned as throughout or fixed (passant), if it is intended that the four arms of the cross should reach to the edges of the shield. |
 | Cross potent | This cross has a crossbar at the end of each of its arms. "Potent" is an old word for a crutch, and is used in heraldic terminology to describe a T shape. |
 | Cross cercelée (recercely) | A cross recercely seems to be a cross moline parted or voided throughout—though it may be a cross moline very curly.[11] |
 | Cross moline (anchory) | In a cross moline, the ends of the arms are bifurcated, split and curved back, also called across ancré oranchory.As a mark ofcadency in English and Canadian heraldry, it marks an eighth son.[citation needed]Found in the coats of arms ofMolyneux and of theHouse of Broglie. |
 | Cross fourchy (fourchée) | One form of the heraldic cross fourchy or cross fourche (croix fourchée meaning "forked"). An example is the South African Postal Association[12] |
 | Maltese cross | With arms which narrow towards the center, and are indented at the ends, also known as the eight-pointed cross (with no curved lines). This is a gradual evolution of the eight-pointed cross moline. The sharp vertex of the modern "four-arrowhead" design is gradual, and takes place during the 15th to 16th century. The "Rhodian cross" of the early 16th century had almost, but not quite, achieved the "sharp arrowhead appearance". The modern form is known as theMaltese cross for its use by theSovereign Military Order of Malta. |
 | Cross crosslet | A cross with the ends of each arm crossed. A prominent early example is in the arms of theBeauchamp earls of Warwick. In early armory it is not always distinguished from a cross bottony. A variant is the cross crosslet double crossed,[13] with two bars crossing each arm, as in the arms ofRobert Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke (d.1502) sculpted on his tomb atCallington Church, Cornwall. The religious symbol of Latvian religionDievturība called akrustu krusts inLatvian. |
 | Cross bottony (trefly) | A cross with the ends of the armsbottony (orbotonny, i.e. "furnished with knobs or buttons"), i.e. shaped like atrefoil—and so it is sometimes called across trefly. In early armory it is not always distinguished from a cross crosslet. It occurs counterchanged on theflag of Maryland; a saltire botonny can be seen in the coat and flag of the Village of New Maryland,New Brunswick;[14] and a Latin cross trefly can be seen in the coat ofIsidore Popowych, it also appears in the canton of the arms and flag of theEpiscopal Church, where it is blazoned as "cross crosslet".[15] |
 | Cross fleury (flory) | A cross whose arms end infleurs-de-lys – as in the coats of arms of theMunicipalité de la Paroisse de Saint-Philémon in Canada and theBorough of Woking in England. In early armory it was not consistently distinguished from thecross patoncé. A version of the cross flory is used by the RomanianOrder of Michael the Brave. Another version, the "Cross of Saint Julian" (Cruz de San Julián) is a special form of the cross fleury used by the SpanishOrder of Alcántara,Order of Calatrava andOrder of Montesa. |
 | Cross patoncé | A cross patoncé (or patonce) is more or less intermediate between a cross pattée and a cross flory (or fleury). The ends of its limbs are trifurcated into leaf shapes, and seems to come in two sorts: one where the limbs are the same width all along as in the coat of Godfrey McCance Gransden;[14] and the other where the limbs gently widen from the centre (but do not curve) as in the coat of John Chiu] (both of Canada).[14] A medieval example is shown on the seal ofWilliam de Fortibus (d.1260). The name is derived from Frenchpatte d'once (“ounce's paw”).[16] |
 | Cross pommy | A cross pommy (croix pommée) has a round knob at the end of each arm, as in the coat ofPenwith District Council,[17] England. The name is derived from Frenchpommé, "grown round like anapple."[18] |
 | Cross gamma (gammate, cramponny) | Upright cross with truncated angled arms; essentially a variant of theswastika; uncommon, but can be found in the arms of Gordon of Hallhead.[19] Also known as a crosscramponny orcramponée, afylfot, agammate orgammadion cross, ortetragammadion, as it were combining four capital Greek letters Γ (gamma). |
 | Cross barby | In the coat of Tillie in Cornwall.[20] The symbol is also called a "barbed cross" or an "arrow cross". An arrow cross in green was also the symbol of theArrow Cross Party of Hungary. |
 | Cross erminée | A cross erminée is a cross of four ermine-spots, with the heads meeting, sharing their spots. Historically borne by Hurston (Cheshire, England) c. 1490 and others[21] |
 | Avellane cross | A form of cross which resembles fourhazelfilberts in their husks or cases, joined together at the great end. The term comes from the Latin name for the hazel, originallyNux avellana. It was fairly rare in English heraldry. |
 | Order of Christ Cross | A form of cross which resembling a mix between across pattée or thecross potent. Also known as a "Portuguese Cross", it is associated with thePortuguese discoveries. It is fairly common inPortuguese heraldry andBrazilian heraldry. |
| Picture | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Latin cross | The Latin cross has an elongated lower limb. Media related toLatin crosses in heraldry at Wikimedia Commons |
 | Cross of Saint Peter | The inverted Latin cross is known as the Cross ofSaint Peter. Media related toCross of Saint Peter in heraldry at Wikimedia Commons |
 | Cross of Saint Philip | The sideways Latin cross is associated withPhilip the Apostle.[citation needed] |
 | Cross portate | The oblique Latin cross, known as cross portate ("carried"),[22] is associated with SaintGilbert of Sempringham. |
 | Calvary cross | A Latin cross standing on steps (mostly three in number) is known as Calvary cross. Media related toCalvary cross in heraldry at Wikimedia Commons |
 | Cross fitchy | A cross fitchy has the lower limb pointed, as if to be driven into the ground.[23][24] From Frenchfiché, "fixed."[25] |
| Cross pattée fitchée | A cross pattée fitchée is a cross pattée with a sharp point added to the lower limb, as if for use in staking into the ground |
 | Cross fleury fitchy (Cross of Saint James) | A special form of the cross flory fitchy is used by theorder of Santiago. Also found in the Scottish arms of Mulino from Venezuela[26] and in the coats ofSanta Cruz de Tenerife, Spain;[27] andCaracas, Venezuela;[27]Santiago de Tete, Mozambique.[27] |
 | Cross crosslet fitchy | Shown here is across crosslet fitchy, a very frequent charge in British and French armory, appearing in the arms of theHouse of Howard, theMarquess of Ailsa, theEarl Cathcart,Macpherson of Cluny,Rattray of that Ilk, among many others.This is probably the most common form of the cross fitchy but others do exist, such as thecrosses formy fitchy found between the antlers of the stag supporters ofSouth Buckinghamshire District Council, England.[28] |
 | Patriarchal cross | The patriarchal cross or double cross was used in Byzantine seals since the early medieval period. It was adopted in thecoat of arms of Hungary in the late 12th century, and also appears on the more recentcoat of arms of Slovakia. |
 | Two-barred cross | A Latin cross with an extra bar added. The lengths and placement of the bars (or "arms") vary, and most of the variations are interchangeably called either of thecross of Lorraine, thepatriarchal cross, theOrthodox cross or thearchiepiscopal cross. It appears in the arms of theJagiellonian dynasty, which itself appears in themodern armsof Lithuania. |
In some cases, a separate name is given to the ensemble of a heraldic cross with four additional charges in the angles.
| Picture | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Cross-and-crosslets (a cross potent between four plain crosslets); Jerusalem cross) | The symbol of the CrusaderKingdom of Jerusalem, which existed for almost two hundred years after the First Crusade; in the rendering at left, the large cross is shown slightly "potent" (i.e., with T-shaped ends), but that is not always the case. The four smaller crosses are said to symbolize either the four books of the Gospel or the four directions in which the Word of Christ spread from Jerusalem. Alternatively, all five crosses can symbolize the five wounds of Christ during the Passion. This symbol is used in theflag of Georgia. Also found in the coat of arms of the Papal Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Vatican City (matriculated in Scotland as "Argent; a Jerusalem cross cantoned between four crosses couped, gules"—Scots Public Register, volume 75, page 112)—to be seen at variousEOHSJ websites; also in the Canadian coat of Robert Gerald Guest (Canadian Public Register Volume III, page 85). |
 | Tetragrammatic cross | A Greek cross with the letterbeta (Β) in each of its angles, which represent the imperial motto of thePalaiologos dynasty (mid-13th century,βασιλεὺς βασιλέων, βασιλεύων βασιλευόντων -Basileus Basileōn, Basileuōn Basileuontōn "King of Kings, Ruling Over Kings"). TheSerbian cross variant (Само Слога Србина Спашава - Only Unity Saves The Serbs) with four "firesteel" shapes develops in the early modernIllyrian Armorials. |
Flags with crosses are recorded from the later Middle Ages, e.g. in the early 14th century theinsignia cruxata comunis of the city ofGenoa, the red-on-white cross that would later become known asSt George's Cross, and the white-on-red cross of theReichssturmfahne used as the war flag of theHoly Roman Emperor possibly from the early 13th century.[citation needed]
Crosses on flags become more widespread in theAge of Sail, asmaritime flags, and from this tradition develop intonational flags in the 18th to 19th century, the BritishUnion flag (as naval flag) was introduced in 1606, after theUnion of the Crowns. TheNordic cross is a modern cross variant used on rectangular flags only, introduced for rectangularcivil ensigns forDenmark in 1748. This is to be distinguished from the (rare) heraldic charge of a horizontal Latin cross, known as the "Cross of Saint Philip".
Several national flags are based on late medieval war flags, including the white-on-red crosses of theflag of Denmark and theflag of Switzerland. The elongatedNordic cross originates in the 18th century due to the rectangular shape of maritime flags.
TheRed Cross flag originates in 1906 as a colour-switched version of the flag of Switzerland.
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