St George's Cross

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Template:Distinguish2 Image:England flag.svg The St George's Cross, a red cross on a white background, is the national flag of England and was adopted for the uniform of English soldiers during the military expeditions by European powers to recapture the Holy Land from Muslims (Crusades of the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries), and on or about 1277 it officially became the national flag of England. After England joined with Scotland by the Act of Union 1707 a Union Flag was created which was used for all national matters, but the flag of England (as opposed to the United Kingdom) remains St George's Cross, and continues to be used when showing allegiance to England alone — primarily nowadays at events such as international football and rugby union competitions, in particular the 2003 Rugby World Cup, where the English Rugby Union team were crowned World Champions.

Saint George is the patron saint of England, and various other countries and regions. The St George Cross is also the symbol of Milan, Genoa, Freiburg and Montreal; and used, for example, in the flag of the city of Barcelona in Spain, and it appears on the flag of Georgia. The Lega Nord, a popular Italian political party campaigning for the independence of Northern Italy, also uses the St George Cross as an official symbol.

The flag of St George is also the rank flag of an Admiral in the Royal Navy, and civilian craft are forbidden to fly it. However, ships which took part in the rescue operation at Dunkirk during World War II are allowed to fly it as a jack.

The flag of St George should not be confused with the flag of the Red Cross. The flag of St George has a red cross which reaches from edge to edge of the flag. The flag of the red cross, like the Swiss flag, has a cross which does not reach the edges.

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St George's Cross

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