Saint George's Cross facts for kids
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The Saint George's Cross is a famous symbol: a bright red cross on a white background. You might know it best as the flag of England! This special cross became linked to Saint George, a brave military saint who lived a long, long time ago. People often imagine him as a crusader knight.
This red-and-white cross has a very old history, going back to the 900s. It was first used by the Republic of Genoa, a powerful trading city in Italy, as a flag for their ships. Later, in the 1300s, Saint George became the special patron saint of England.
Today, the Saint George's Cross is not just the flag of England. It's also important in other places! Saint George is the patron saint of Catalonia in Spain and the country of Georgia. You can see this cross in the coat of arms of Barcelona and on the national flag of Georgia, where it's joined by four smaller crosses. Many cities in Northern Italy, like Genoa and Milan, also use similar cross designs because of their own long histories.
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The History of the Saint George's Cross
Early Uses of the Red Cross
During the Third Crusade, a series of religious wars, Saint George became very popular as a warrior saint. Legends said he helped famous leaders like Godfrey of Bouillon and Richard the Lionheart. One story tells of crusaders getting help from a mysterious army led by Saint George during a battle in 1098.
The red cross itself was first linked to the Knights Templar, a group of warrior monks, around 1145. Later, in 1188, red and white crosses were used to tell French and English soldiers apart during another crusade. By the 1200s, the simple red-on-white cross became a common symbol for crusaders. Many leaders and groups who wanted to show their connection to the crusades adopted it.
The Cross in Europe
Even though Saint George was often shown as a crusader knight, the red cross wasn't always directly linked to him at first. For example, German crusaders in the 1100s used a white cross on a red background as their "imperial banner." This design eventually led to the flags of countries like Switzerland and Denmark.
In Genoa, Italy, records from 1198 mention a red flag with Saint George and a dragon. By 1218, the plain red cross on a white background was also used as a flag for the city. This shows how the cross symbol was becoming important in different places.
After the crusades ended in the 1300s, the cross became less about fighting in those wars. Instead, it became a popular design in heraldry, which is the study of coats of arms and symbols. People started calling any plain cross that touched the edges of a flag a "St. George's cross," even if it wasn't red on white.
However, by the late 1200s and into the 1300s and 1400s, Saint George was widely shown as a knight with a red-on-white cross. In 1348, Edward III of England chose Saint George as the patron saint for his special group, the Order of the Garter. He also started using a red-on-white cross on his royal flags.
England's Flag: The Saint George's Cross
How England Adopted the Flag
Some stories say that Richard the Lionheart brought the Saint George's Cross to England from Genoa during his crusades. While this is a popular idea, historians haven't found strong proof for it.
In 1992, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, explained that England and the City of London adopted the Saint George's flag in 1190. They used it for their ships sailing into the Mediterranean Sea to get protection from the powerful Genoese fleet. The English king even paid Genoa a yearly fee for this special privilege!
The red cross first appeared in England in the late 1200s. English soldiers wore it to identify themselves, possibly starting around 1265 during a battle.
Saint George officially became the "patron saint of England" over time. This process began in 1348 and finished in 1552, when his banner became the only saint's banner used. From 1348 and through the 1400s, the Saint George's Cross was proudly displayed on the royal flags of England's kings.
The Flag of England Today
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In 1606, a new British flag was created. This happened after England and Scotland joined under one king in 1603. The new flag combined Saint George's Cross with the Saint Andrew's Cross (the flag of Scotland). This combined flag was first used on ships. The Saint George's flag continued to be the flag of England until 1707, when England and Scotland officially formed the Kingdom of Great Britain. At that point, the first Union Flag became the official flag for everything.
Since then, the Saint George's Cross has been seen as a symbol of England and Wales when used alongside symbols for Scotland or Ireland.
The Saint George's Cross is also the flag for an Admiral in the Royal Navy. Regular boats are not allowed to fly it. However, the brave "little ships of Dunkirk" that helped rescue soldiers during World War II are allowed to fly a special version of it.
Churches belonging to the Church of England can fly the Saint George's Cross. Since 1938, the correct way for them to fly it is with the symbol of their local church area (diocese) in the top left corner.
The Saint George's Cross has become very popular again since the late 1900s. This is partly because of excitement around football and also because of movements in Scotland and Wales that want more local control.
Other Uses of the English Flag Design
Many flags and symbols around the world have been inspired by the English flag. You can see its influence in places like Canada, eastern Australia, the Caribbean, and the Channel Islands.
The flag of the City of London uses the Saint George's Cross on a white background. It also has a red sword in the top left corner. This sword is thought to represent the sword that beheaded Saint Paul, who is the patron saint of the city.
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Flag of Adjara
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Georgia's Saint George Flag
Saint George is also the patron saint of the country of Georgia. It's believed that the Saint George flag was used by Georgian King Vakhtang Gorgasali in the 400s. In the 1200s, Queen Tamar of Georgia used the Saint George flag during her battles. Later, King George V of Georgia added four smaller Jerusalem crosses to the flag after he drove out the Mongols in 1334.
The flag was not used during the time when Georgia was part of the Russian Empire. However, it was brought back by a Georgian patriotic movement in the 1990s. Many Georgians wanted to restore their old medieval flag. The flag was officially adopted by the Georgian parliament on January 14, 2004, and confirmed by President Mikheil Saakashvili on January 25, 2004.
Other Places Using the Saint George's Cross
- The flag of Barcelona in Spain combines the cross of Saint George with the traditional red and yellow stripes of the Senyera, an old symbol of the Crown of Aragon.
- The flag of Almería, Spain, also features a Saint George's Cross.
- The crest of Royal St. George's College in Toronto, Canada, includes a Saint George's Cross.
- The Indian naval flag used to have a Saint George's Cross until it was changed in 2022.
- Both the flag of Sardinia and the flag of Corsica come from the "Four Moors flag." This flag has a red Saint George's Cross on a white background, with a "moor's head" in each corner. This design is also seen in the flag of Aragon, Spain, and is based on a war flag from the Reconquista after a battle in 1096.
- The flag and coat of arms of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, use a Saint George's Cross because Saint George is one of the city's patron saints.
- In Sweden, the term "Saint George's cross" sometimes refers to a different type of cross called a Cross pattée, used by Swedish Freemasons.
- In Finland, the Cross pattée is called Yrjön risti ("George's cross"), while the red cross on a white background is called Pyhän Yrjön risti ("Saint George's cross").
- Some British Commonwealth countries, like the Bahamas, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and South Africa, use the Saint George's Cross on their naval flags.
- The naval jack (a small flag flown at the bow) of Italy includes a Saint George's Cross.
- Naval flags of Latvia feature a Saint George's Cross in the same colors as the Latvian national flag.
- The naval flag of Ukraine also contains a Saint George's Cross.
