British Flag History & Information
The flag of the United Kingdom is often referred to as the British flag or the Union Jack. The flag consists of red and white stripes vertically, horizontally, and diagonally with a blue background. The white on the flag is symbolic of peace/harmony, the color red stands for bravery and strength, and the color blue is symbolic of truth, loyalty, and justice. The flag is known as the Union Flag because it symbolizes the administrative union of the countries of the United Kingdom. It is comprised of the individual Flags of the three of countries that make up the United Kingdom: England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.
When Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, England and Scotland existed as independent nations. Because Queen Elizabeth did not have any children, she designated that her cousin King James VI of Scotland be the heir to the throne after she died. Because of this, King James VI of Scotland became the ruler of both nations simultaneously. In England, he was referred to as James I.
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At the time, England's flag consisted of a red cross on a white background, which is known as St. George's cross. The Scottish flag consisted of a diagonal white cross with a blue background. King James superimposed the English red cross on top of the Scottish flag, and added a white border to create what became known as the Union Flag. The Union Flag was created by King James in 1606.
During the reign of Queen Anne, the parliaments of England and Scotland united to form the new nation of Great Britain. Queen Anne officially adopted the Union Flag r as the national flag of Great Brittan. In 1801, when Ireland became a part of Great Britain, the Union Flag was redesigned to include the Cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. This version of the British Flag is widely used today.
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The United Kingdom was formed in 1707, uniting England, Scotland, and Wales. In 1801 Ireland joined, but in 1921 the south broke away. The Union Flag is probably one of the best known flags, partially due to its unusual design, but more importantly because of the importance of the British Empire in World history.
When King James of Scotland became king of England in 1603, both countries retained there own flags. Even today, the St. George's Cross and St. Andrew's Cross remain the flags of England and Scotland respectively. In 1606 King James considered in necessary to have a flag reflecting the new union of Scotland and England and ordered the a Union Flag, more commonly known as the Union Jack, be flown on British ships, combining the English Cross of St. George with the Scottish Cross of St. Andres.
In 1801, when Ireland joined the Union, the so-called Cross of St. Patrick was added to form the present flag, but was counterchanged with the Cross of St. Andrew.
The Union Flag was established as a maritime flag and it remains a royal flag, not officially a national flag. In 1915, King George V gave permission for British citizens to use the flag on land.
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