View source for Saint George's Cross

{{short description|Red cross on a white background}}
{{About||the English national flag|Flag of England|the Glasgow subway station|St George's Cross subway station}}
{{Redirect|Cross of St. George|the Russian military distinction|Cross of St. George (Russia)}}
{{Distinguish|text=the [[George Cross]], a British medal}}

[[File:St_George's_Cross.svg|thumb|right|320 px|The Cross of Saint George as a rectangular ([[List of aspect ratios of national flags|3:5 ratio]]) flag.]]
[[File:St. George's Cross (square version).svg|thumb|right|320px|The Cross of Saint George as a square flag.]]
In [[heraldry]], '''Saint George's Cross''' (or the '''Cross of Saint George''') is a red [[heraldic cross|cross]] on a white background, which from the [[Late Middle Ages]] became associated with [[Saint George]], the [[military saint]], often depicted as a [[crusades|crusader]].

Associated with the [[crusades]], the red-on-white cross has its origins in the 10th century. It has been used as the [[Ensign (flag)|ensign]] of the [[Republic of Genoa]] from perhaps as early as the 10th century.  

The symbol was adopted by the [[Swabian League]] in the pre-[[Reformation]] [[Holy Roman Empire]]. [[Saint George|George]] became associated as [[Patronages of Saint George |patron]] saint of [[kingdom of England|England]] in the fourteenth century, replacing St [[Edmund the Martyr]]. Since then this flag is commonly identified as the national [[flag of England]]. Saint George is the patron saint  of [[Catalonia]] and of the country of [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]].  It figures in the [[coat of arms of Barcelona]]. The [[Flag of Georgia (country)|national flag of Georgia]] supplements this cross with [[Jerusalem cross]]es.

Across the rest of [[Northern Italy]] as the symbol of [[Bologna]], [[Genoa]], [[Padua]], [[Reggio Emilia]], [[Mantua]], [[Vercelli]] and [[Alessandria]], the form has only received a cult of Saint George bolstering and simplification to the cross of Saint [[Ambrose]], the origin of the cross in their civic designs, as the latter was adopted by the Commune of [[Milan]] in 1045, Ambrose having been a late 4th-century bishop of that city.<ref>[http://mediagallery.comune.milano.it/cdm/objects/changeme:86704/datastreams/dataStream25815397508522062/content?pgpath=/SA_SiteContent/SEGUI_AMMINISTRAZIONE/PATROCINIO_COMUNALE/Patrocinio__comunale Official site of Commune of Milan. Historical background]. The chronicles say it was chosen as a combination of the ancient white flag of Milanese plebs,<!-- ? --> attested in 1038 during [[Conrad II]]'s siege of Milan, and the red [[cross pattée]] that was an ancient symbol of Lombard nobility. It is also attested, in this older version, in a diplomatic letter dated 1155. See also: [https://digilander.libero.it/breschirob/milano.html Evolution of Milan's flag].</ref>

==Origins and medieval use==
{{further|Flag of Genoa}}
[[File:St George BNF Fr 241 101v.jpg|thumb|Miniature of Saint George and the Dragon, ms. of the ''[[Golden Legend|Legenda Aurea]]'', dated 1348 (BNF Français 241, fol. 101v.)]]
[[File:Saint George Knight in Vies de Saints Manuscrit 588 f. 113 c1290-1310.jpg|thumb|Saint George as a crusader knight, miniature from a ms. of ''Vies de Saints'', {{Circa|1310}} (Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, Ms. 588)]]
[[File:St George Royal19BXVII 109.jpg|thumb|Miniature of Saint George and the Dragon, ms. of the '' Legenda Aurea'', Paris, 1382 (BL Royal 19 B XVII, f. 109).]]
[[Saint George]] became widely venerated as a [[warrior saint]] during the [[Third Crusade]]. There was a legend that he had miraculously assisted [[Godfrey of Bouillon]]; also that [[Richard the Lionheart]] had placed himself under his protection.<ref>William Woo Seymour, ''The Cross in Tradition, History and Art'', 1898, [https://archive.org/stream/crossintraditi00seym#page/386/mode/2up p. 387]</ref>
According to legend, the crusaders received miraculous help at the [[siege of Antioch]] on 28 June 1098 from a great army on white horses, clothed in white and bearing white banners, led by St George, St Demetrius, and St Mercurius. However, there was no association of the red cross with St George before the end of the crusades.<ref>Perrin, ''British Flags'' (1922), [https://archive.org/stream/britishflagsthei00perrrich#page/20/mode/2up p. 20]: "they imagined that they had seen a great army on white horses, clothed in white and bearing white banners in their hands, issue from the neighbouring mountains and come to their assistance. The leaders of this ghostly army, recognised by their names written on their banners, were St George, Saint Demetrius, and St Mercurius. If at this time the red cross had become the distinctive sign of St George one or other of these writers would surely have mentioned it, but all agree that the banners were white."</ref>

The [[Saint George's Cross|''red'' cross]] in particular was associated with the [[Knights Templar]], from the time of the [[Second Crusade]] (1145),<ref>Barber, ''The New Knighthood'', p. 66: "According to William of Tyre it was under Eugenius III that the Templars received the right to wear the characteristic red cross upon their tunics, symbolising their willingness to suffer martyrdom in the defence of the Holy Land." (WT, 12.7, p. 554. James of Vitry, 'Historia Hierosolimatana', ed. J. ars, ''Gesta Dei per Francos'', vol I (ii), Hanover, 1611, p. 1083, interprets this as a sign of martyrdom.)</ref>
but in 1188 red and white crosses were chosen to identify the French and English troops in the "Kings' Crusade" of [[Philip II of France]] and [[Henry II of England]], respectively. 
Together with the [[Jerusalem Cross]], the plain red-on-white became a recognizable symbol of the crusader from about 1190, and in the 13th century it came to be used as a standard or emblem by numerous leaders or polities who wanted to associate themselves with the crusades.{{Clarify|date=April 2013}} 
The red-on-white combination was chosen by the Kingdom of [[coat of arms of Aragon|Aragon]], among others. 

Saint George was depicted as a crusader knight during this time, but the red cross had no particular association with him. A [[:File:Affreschi cripta santa maria1.JPG|crusader-era fresco]] in the crypt of [[Trani cathedral]] shows Saint George wearing a white cross on a red surcoat. The white-on-red version was chosen as the {{lang|de|[[Flags of the Holy Roman Empire#War_flag|Reichsbanner]]}} ("imperial banner") by the German crusaders in the 12th century, and [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Frederick II]] used it in his European campaigns of the 1250s after he had returned from the crusades. It continued to be used as the {{lang|de|Reichssturmfahne}} ("imperial war flag") of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], eventually giving rise to the [[flag of Savoy]] and the present-day flags of [[flag of Switzerland|Switzerland]] and [[flag of Denmark|Denmark]]. Via the conflict between [[Guelphs and Ghibellines|(pro-Pope) Guelphs and (pro-Imperial) Ghibellines]], the cross entered the heraldry of several north Italian principalities.

A {{lang|la|vexillum beati Georgii}} is mentioned in the Genovese annals for the year 1198, referring to a red flag with a depiction of St George and the dragon. An illumination{{clarify|date=January 2018}} of this flag is shown in the annals for the year 1227. The Genoese flag with the red cross was used alongside this "George's flag", from at least 1218, and was known as the {{lang|la|insignia cruxata comunis Janue}} ("cross ensign of the commune of Janua"). The flag showing the saint himself was the city's principal war flag, but the flag showing the plain cross was used alongside it in the 1240s.<ref>Aldo Ziggioto, "Genova", in ''Vexilla Italica'' 1, XX (1993); Aldo Ziggioto, "Le Bandiere degli Stati Italiani", in ''Armi Antiche'' 1994, cited after [http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/it-genoa.html Pier Paolo Lugli, 18 July 2000] on ''[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]]''.</ref>

The cross ceased to be a symbol directly associated with the "taking of the cross", the resolve to fight in a crusade, after the failure of the crusades in the 14th century. With the development of systematic [[heraldry]], there was great demand for variations of the cross symbol and associated terminology. [[Juliana Berners]] reports that there were ''Crossis innumerabull born dayli''. The term "St George's cross" was at first associated with any plain [[Greek cross]] touching the edges of the field (not necessarily red on white).<ref>William Woo Seymour, ''The Cross in Tradition, History and Art'', 1898, [https://archive.org/stream/crossintraditi00seym#page/362/mode/2up/search/George p. 363]</ref>

Early representations of Saint George as a crusader knight with bearing a red-on-white cross still date to the late 13th century,<ref>E.g., Bibliothèque municipale de Valenciennes ms. 838, a martyrology dated to the last quarter of the 13th century, depicting St George in miniature on fol. 78v. ([http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4850/11962/ /manuscriptminiatures.com], [http://www.enluminures.culture.fr/documentation/enlumine/fr/BM/valenciennes_371-01.htm enluminures.culture.fr])</ref> and become widespread as the saint's [[attributed arms]] in the 14th and 15th centuries.
[[Edward III of England]] chose Saint George as the patron saint of his [[Order of the Garter]] in 1348, and also took to using a red-on-white cross in the hoist of his [[Royal Standards of England|Royal Standard]].

==England==
[[File:BodleianDouce231Fol1rEdCrouchbackAndStGeorge.jpg|thumb|upright|Saint George with an [[earl of Lancaster]] (probably [[Edmund Crouchback]]), from an English Book of Hours, {{circa|1330}}.]]
[[File:St George's flag on Leeds Town Hall.jpg|thumb|left|Saint George's flag flying on [[Leeds Town Hall]] (2009).]]
{{Main|Flag of England}}

===Origin===
There was a historiographical tradition claiming that Richard the Lionheart himself adopted both the flag and the patron saint from Genoa at some point during his crusade. This idea can be traced to the Victorian era, Perrin (1922) refers to it as a "common belief", and it is still popularly repeated today even though it cannot be substantiated as historical.

On the origins of the flag and its connection to the Genoese flag, [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent]], said in a speech in [[Genoa]] in 1992:

<blockquote>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 the Doge of Genoa for this privilege.<ref> Celia Lee, ''HRH The Duke of Kent: A Life of Service'' (2015), [https://books.google.com/books?id=BBkvDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT82 p. 82]</ref></blockquote>
 
The red cross was introduced to England by the late 13th century, but not as a flag, and not at the time associated with Saint George. It was worn by English soldiers as an identification from the early years of the reign of [[Edward I of England|Edward I]] (1270s),<ref>"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, ''British Flags'', 1922, [https://archive.org/stream/britishflagsthei00perrrich#page/n15/mode/2up p. 15]</ref><ref>Perrin, ''British Flags'', 1922, [https://archive.org/stream/britishflagsthei00perrrich#page/20/mode/2up p. 20].</ref> and perhaps originated a few years earlier, in the [[Second Barons' War]] (specifically in the [[Battle of Evesham]] of 1265, during which, according to chronicler [[William Rishanger]], [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester|Simon de Montfort]] observed that the king had taken from him the idea of having his soldiers marked with a cross).<ref>"[W]hen Montfort saw the advance of the royal troops [wearing a red cross as their distinguishing mark], he exclaimed that 'They have not learned that for themselves, but were taught it by me.{{'"}} M. Prestwich, ''Plantagenet England: 1225-1360'' (2005), p. 51.</ref>

[[Saint George]] rose to the position of "patron saint of England" in a process beginning in 1348 with the foundation of the [[Order of the Garter]] and culminating with the abolition of all saint's banners except for the [[Flag of England|St George's banner]] in 1552. From 1348 and throughout the 15th century, the Saint George's Cross was shown in the hoist of the [[Royal Standards of England|Royal Standards]] of the [[House of Plantagenet|Plantagenet]] kings of England.

=== Flag ===
[[File:Flag of England.svg|thumb|[[Flag of England]]]] 
[[File:Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg|thumb|[[Union Jack]]]]
[[File:Flag of Georgia.svg|thumb|The [[Flag of Georgia (country)|Flag of Georgia]] with Saint George cross in middle]] 
[[File:Flag of Barcelona.svg|thumb|right|The [[flag of Barcelona]]]] 
[[File:Flag_of_Genoa.svg|thumb|[[Flag of Genoa]]]]
[[File:Flag of Sardinia, Italy.svg|thumb|The [[Flag of Sardinia]] with Saint George cross in middle]] 
[[File:Civil Flag and Civil Ensign of the Kingdom of Sardinia (1816-1848).svg|thumb|right|The [[flag of Sardinia|flag of Piedmont–Sardinia]]]]
A [[Flag of the United Kingdom|combined British flag]] was created in 1606 (after the [[personal union|dynastic union]] of England and [[Scotland]] in 1603, the so-called "[[Union of the Crowns]]") by combining Saint George's Cross with the [[Saltire|Saint Andrew's Cross]] (the [[flag of Scotland]]). The flag was initially for maritime display, later restricted to the King's ships. Afterwards, the Saint George flag remained the flag of England for other purposes until the [[Acts of Union 1707]]. At the union, the first [[Union Flag]] became official for all purposes in the new [[Kingdom of Great Britain]].
From this time, the Saint George's Cross came to be seen as a symbol of [[England and Wales]] when used alongside symbols for Scotland or Ireland; so in the [[flags of the Commonwealth of England]] during 1649 to 1660.

The flag of Saint George is also the rank flag of an [[Admiral (United Kingdom)|Admiral]] in the [[Royal Navy]], and civilian craft are forbidden to fly it. However, surviving [[little ships of Dunkirk]], which participated in the [[Dunkirk evacuation]] during [[World War II]], are allowed to fly it as a [[jack (flag)|jack]]. This is normally done in the [[Defacement (flag)|defaced]] form of the [[Dunkirk jack#Dunkirk jack|Dunkirk jack]].

Churches belonging to the [[Church of England]] may fly the Saint George's Cross (unless another flag is flown by custom for special reasons). The correct way for the church to fly the Saint George's cross (since an order from the [[Earl Marshal]] in 1938) is with the arms of the [[diocese]] in the upper left-hand corner of the flag.<ref name="cofe">[https://www.fotw.info/flags/gb_coe.html#use Church of England - Use of the flag]; ''[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]]''; 23 October 2008</ref>

The flag of St George has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity since the late 20th century, partly due to football-inspired nationalism, and also in response to the devolution movements in [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]].<ref name="independent">{{cite news |title=Identity parade: What do flags say about nations – and human nature? |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/identity-parade-what-do-flags-say-about-nations--ndash-and-human-nature-1951698.html |date=23 April 2010 |work=The Independent |first=Michael |last=McCarthy |access-date=12 January 2012}}</ref>

During the 2010 World Cup, UK Prime Minister [[David Cameron]] told Parliament that the flag would fly above his official residence at "no extra cost to the tax payer" while England played in the contest.

===Derived usage===
{{main|Flag of England}}
Most of the derived usage is from the flag of England. That article has illustrations of its derivations particularly across Canada, eastern Australia, the Caribbean and the Channel Islands apart from Jersey since Guernsey commonly used the English flag from 1936 (then moved to its present variant in 1985), however the illustrations below have an extremely complex or nil derivation from that flag.  

The [[flag of the City of London]] use the St George's Cross on a white background, with a red [[sword]] in the canton.  The sword is believed to represent the sword that beheaded [[Saint Paul (apostle)|Saint Paul]] who is the patron saint of the city.<ref name="BFN">{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090123111156/http://britishflags.net/cityoflondon.html City of London]}}, Britishflags.net</ref>

<gallery>
File:Flag of Abkhazia (GE).svg|[[Abkhazia|Proposed flag of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia]]
File:Flag of Adjara.svg|[[Flag of Adjara]]
File:Flag of the City of London.svg|[[Flag of the City of London]]
</gallery>

==Georgia==
{{Main|Coat of arms of Georgia (country)|Flag of Georgia (country)}}
[[Saint George]] is the patron saint of the nation of Georgia, and the Saint George flag was [[attributed arms|supposedly]] used in the 5th century by [[kingdom of Georgia|Georgian king]] [[Vakhtang Gorgasali]].<ref>Theodore E. Dowling, ''Sketches of Georgian Church History'', New York, p. 54</ref>{{Dubious|reason=Georgia's flag in the 5th century?|date=October 2011}} In the 13th century, Queen [[Tamar of Georgia]] used the Saint George flag during her campaign against [[Great Seljuq Empire|Seljuk]] Turks. The four [[Jerusalem]] crosses were later added by King [[George V of Georgia]], who drove out the [[Mongols]] from Georgia in 1334.

The flag fell out during the [[Russian Empire|Russian]] annexation of Georgia and abolition of the [[Bagrationi Dynasty|Georgian monarchy]]. However, the flag was revived by the Georgian patriotic movement in the 1990s. A majority of Georgians supported the restoration of the medieval flag of Georgia, including the influential Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia [[Ilia II]] of the [[Georgian Orthodox Church]]. The flag was finally adopted by the [[Parliament of Georgia|Georgian parliament]] on 14 January 2004. It was formally endorsed by a presidential decree signed by [[Mikheil Saakashvili]] on 25 January, following his election as [[President of Georgia]]. The Georgian Navy's naval ensign also used a St. George's Cross during its existence.

==Other==
[[File:Frimurarkors.svg|thumb|Saint George's cross as used in Sweden and Finland]]
{{Multiple image
|perrow=3
|image1=Naval Ensign of the Bahamas.svg
|image2=Naval Ensign of Jamaica.svg
|image3=Naval Ensign of Latvia.svg
|image4=Naval Ensign of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg
|image5=Naval ensign of South Africa.svg
|image6=Naval Ensign of Ukraine.svg
|footer=The naval ensigns of the Bahamas, Jamaica, Latvia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, South Africa, and Ukraine incorporates St. George's Crosses.}}
*The [[flag of Barcelona]] combines the cross of Saint George, the patron saint of [[Catalonia]], with the traditional red and yellow bars of the [[Senyera]], the ancient symbol of the [[Crown of Aragon]].<ref name="vexicat">{{cite web|url=http://www.vexi.cat/vexicat/ComunicacionBuenosAires.pdf|title=La bandera de Barcelona, 1991-2005|last=Herreros i Agüí|first=Sebastià|date=2005|trans-title=The flag of Barcelona, 1991-2005|publisher=International Congress of Vexillology - Vexilobaires |access-date=28 July 2018}}</ref>
*The flag of [[Almería]], Spain, consists of a St George's Cross.
*The crest of [[Royal St. George's College]] in Toronto, Canada, contains a St George's Cross.
*The Indian naval flag used to feature a St. George Cross until it was removed in 2022
*Both the [[flag of Sardinia]] and the [[flag of Corsica]] are derived from the Four Moors flag, also known as the "Cross of Alcoraz". This consists of a red cross of Saint George on a white background with a ''maure'' (moor's head) in each quarter. This is also found in the flag of [[Aragon]], (Spain), and is based on a war flag of the [[Reconquista]] following the [[Battle of Alcoraz]] in 1096.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.vaguelyinteresting.co.uk/blindfolded-moors-the-flags-of-corsica-and-sardinia/|title=Blindfolded moors – the flags of Corsica and Sardinia – Almost History|last=Curry|first=Ian|date=16 November 2018 |language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-25}}</ref>
*The flag and arms of [[Freiburg im Breisgau]], Germany, consist of a St George's Cross, as St George is one of the city's patron saints.
*In [[Sweden]], the term "Saint George's cross" sometimes refers to the [[Cross pattée]] used by [[Swedish Freemasons]].<ref>''Nationalencyklopedin'', [http://www.ne.se/georgskors "Georgskors"], retrieved 12 August 2010. Swedish.</ref> For example, the cross of the [[Swedish Order of Freemasons]] was defined by the [[Monarchy of Sweden|King of Sweden]] in 1928 to be a "red St George's cross with triangular arms".<ref>
{{Citation
 |author      = Norrgård, Leif
 |title       = Frimurarkorset – symbol med dunkelt ursprung
 |url         = http://issuu.com/svenskafrimurareorden/docs/frimuraren_nummer_1_2009/31
 |magazine    = Frimuraren
 |date        = 2009-02-18
 |pages       = 31–32
 |access-date = 3 February 2015
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160818163223/https://image.issuu.com/140530184640-5a4a54d4b88d5d03b80ec1db68b2babe/jpg/page_31.jpg
 |archive-date = 2016-08-18
 |url-status  = live
 |publisher    = [[Swedish Order of Freemasons]]
 |id           = 1651-35766
 |issue        = 1
 |language     = sv
}}.
</ref>
*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".<ref> Kimmo Kara, Vaakunaselitys, Helsinki 1989, {{ISSN|0784-7602}}, p. 49&nbsp;51</ref>
* Some British Commonwealth countries used the St. George's Cross on their naval ensigns, including the Bahamas, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, South Africa.
* The naval jack of Italy contains a St. George's Cross on the second quarter.
* Naval flags of [[Latvia]], contain a St. George's Cross coloured in the same pattern as the Latvian national flag.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}
* Depicted on the trumpet banner of the Angel from the Judgement card in the Tarot Deck.
* The naval ensign of Ukraine contains a St. George's Cross.
* On the canton of the flags used by the Northern Ireland Loyalist paramilitary organisation the [[Ulster Volunteer Force]] and its affiliated group the [[Red Hand Commando]].
{{Clear}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Cross of Saint George}}
* [http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-eng.html Flag of England] at FOTW
* [http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/rel-stgb.html Banners of English saints] at FOTW

{{Saint George}}
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