THE MAD POET
The Mad Poet's
Ravings
It struck pride and hope into the hearts of men and women defending a bomb-shattered London. Its presence kindled resentment and rebellion in the hearts of nations across the globe. It has waved on every continent, and it still resides quite comfortably in the canton (flag-speak for upper left corner) of many other flags today, a link binding them to an ancient crown. The fact that the flag of a nation is closely tied to its identity is well demonstrated by the history of the flag of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the Union Jack. It is easily recognizable even at a distance, with its three crosses laid on top of each other in a simple but effective display of unity. Each of these crosses has its own story. It’s widely known that each cross stands for one of three British realms. The red vertical-horizontal cross, known as St. George’s Cross, is for England. The second cross, that of St. Andrew, is composed of white diagonal bars and is the ancient symbol of Scotland. The third and final cross, of diagonal red bars, is lesser known, but the fact that it is considered the cross of St. Patrick leaves little doubt about which country it represents. St George’s Cross This cross actually predates its use as an English flag. In fact, its first appearance was among the medieval city-states of northern Italy. The Republic of Genoa has used the red cross on white as its symbol since the 10th century. (Italy itself would later use a color-inverted version of this, a white cross on a red field, as a national symbol). A red cross on white was also used by the Knights Templar, albeit with some variations. The Cross of Genoa The question of how the English came to use it is a bit muddied by legend. Some claim that King Richard I (The Lionheart) paid the Doge of Genoa a yearly fee for the right to bear the cross while on crusade in the late 12th century. The connection between the cross and St. George, the legend holds, stems from the fact that Richard had a personal devotion to the dragon-slaying warrior saint. One potential problem with this crusade legend is that it is commonly recorded that English crusaders at this time typically wore white crosses, while the French wore red; it is unlikely that Richard would adopt the cross of England's rivals. It is known that the red cross flag was often carried alongside a banner depicting St. George and his dragon when the Genoese went to war; the practice has been traced back to the early 13th century. The legend of King Richard’s deal with the Doge is however, partly corroborated (or perhaps just continued) by the Mayor of Genoa, who wrote a letter to the current Queen of England half-jokingly inquiring why the fee for Genoa’s cross had not been paid since 1771! (He was polite about it though, saying a donation to charity would be enough to settle the matter). What is documented with more certainty is that English crusaders were using badges with the red cross by the 1270’s. These typically would have been cloth patches sewn into the shoulders, sleeves or breasts of the soldier’s cloaks, tunics or padded gambesons; among knights, they would have appeared on decorated epaulets. Crusader with St. George's Cross Throughout the 14th century, artwork pops up across Europe depicting St. George wearing the cross on his shield and surcoat. After the final failure of the Crusades, the symbol became less associated with “taking the cross.” In 1348, King Edward III created the honorary Order of the Garter, with the cross of St. George as its official badge. It was time for England to appropriate the symbol, not as a Crusading badge, but as a royal battle flag. From then on, it appeared as an official royal standard of the Kings of England, carried alongside the royal arms of the lions and lilies. In 1356, English soldiers went into battle at Poitiers shouting “St. George! St. George!" English nobles also would include the cross at the fronts of their own standards as a display of their allegiance and a declaration of their identity as lords of England. English Battle Standard (House of York) Things would change in 1606, when the throne of England would be straddled by a Scotchman.
Stay tuned for Part 2 - St. Andrew's Cross!
2 Comments
AuthorThe Mad Poet Himself: History Lover, Medieval Enthusiast, Amateur Poet and Filmmaker, Folk Musician, and Madman Extraordinaire Archives
December 2023
Categories |