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Saint George's Cross
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Saint George's Cross
In heraldry, Saint George's Cross (also known as the Cross of Saint George) is a red cross on a white background, which, from the Late Middle Ages, has been associated with Saint George, a military saint who is often depicted as a crusader.[citation needed]
Associated with the Crusades, the red-on-white cross has its origins in the 10th century. Perhaps as early as that time, it was used as the ensign of the Republic of Genoa.[citation needed] The symbol was later adopted by the Swabian League in the pre-Reformation Holy Roman Empire. George became recognized as the patron saint of England in the fourteenth century, replacing St. Edmund the Martyr.
Since then, the flag has commonly been identified as the national flag of England. Saint George is also the patron saint of Catalonia and the country of Georgia. Across Europe, it appears in the coat of arms of Barcelona, and the national flag of Georgia supplements the symbol with Jerusalem crosses. Across Northern Italy, in cities such as Bologna, Genoa, Padua, Reggio Emilia, Mantua, Vercelli, and Alessandria, the design has received significant support. However, the flag of Milan, which was adopted in 1045, instead represents a simplification of the cross of Saint Ambrose, who was bishop of Milan in the 4th century.
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. 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.
The red cross in particular was associated with the Knights Templar, from the time of the Second Crusade (1145), 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.[clarification needed] The red-on-white combination was chosen by the Kingdom of 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 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 Reichsbanner ("imperial banner") by the German crusaders in the 12th century, and 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 Reichssturmfahne ("imperial war flag") of the Holy Roman Empire, eventually giving rise to the flag of Savoy and the present-day flags of Switzerland and Denmark. Via the conflict between (pro-Pope) Guelphs and (pro-Imperial) Ghibellines, the cross entered the heraldry of several north Italian principalities.
A 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[clarification needed] 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 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.
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).
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Saint George's Cross
In heraldry, Saint George's Cross (also known as the Cross of Saint George) is a red cross on a white background, which, from the Late Middle Ages, has been associated with Saint George, a military saint who is often depicted as a crusader.[citation needed]
Associated with the Crusades, the red-on-white cross has its origins in the 10th century. Perhaps as early as that time, it was used as the ensign of the Republic of Genoa.[citation needed] The symbol was later adopted by the Swabian League in the pre-Reformation Holy Roman Empire. George became recognized as the patron saint of England in the fourteenth century, replacing St. Edmund the Martyr.
Since then, the flag has commonly been identified as the national flag of England. Saint George is also the patron saint of Catalonia and the country of Georgia. Across Europe, it appears in the coat of arms of Barcelona, and the national flag of Georgia supplements the symbol with Jerusalem crosses. Across Northern Italy, in cities such as Bologna, Genoa, Padua, Reggio Emilia, Mantua, Vercelli, and Alessandria, the design has received significant support. However, the flag of Milan, which was adopted in 1045, instead represents a simplification of the cross of Saint Ambrose, who was bishop of Milan in the 4th century.
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. 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.
The red cross in particular was associated with the Knights Templar, from the time of the Second Crusade (1145), 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.[clarification needed] The red-on-white combination was chosen by the Kingdom of 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 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 Reichsbanner ("imperial banner") by the German crusaders in the 12th century, and 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 Reichssturmfahne ("imperial war flag") of the Holy Roman Empire, eventually giving rise to the flag of Savoy and the present-day flags of Switzerland and Denmark. Via the conflict between (pro-Pope) Guelphs and (pro-Imperial) Ghibellines, the cross entered the heraldry of several north Italian principalities.
A 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[clarification needed] 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 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.
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).
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