Flag of England

23px The Flag of England

The Flag of England is the St George's Cross. The legend of Saint George slaying the dragon dates from the 12th century and Saint George became the patron saint of England in the 13th century. The red cross appeared in the crusades and is one of the earliest known emblems representing England. The flag is derived from that of the Knights Templar.

The flag consists of a red cross on a white field with the cross having a width of 1/5 of the height of the flag. The flag proportion is 5:3.

When the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland were united in a personal union under James VI/I, the Cross of Saint George was combined with the Cross of St. Andrew (representing Scotland) to form the original Union Flag (or "Union Jack"). This flag later became the national flag of the Kingdom of Great Britain, and was combined with the flag of St. Patrick (representing Ireland) in 1801, producing the current Union Flag of the United Kingdom. The proportions of the Union Flag are 2:1.

The flag is incorporated in the flag of the Canadian province of Alberta.

See also

* List of British flags

External links

* Flag of England at FOTW

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