NATIONAL FLAG OF UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

British Empire, called the empire on which the sun never sets, has been closely

connected with many different civilizations and nations throughout the history.

Therefore, Britain is not a single, ethnically homogeneous country. It is formed by four

constituent nations. These nations are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern

Ireland

After their union in 1707, it began to be called as the United Kingdom of Great

Britain and Northern Ireland. They gathered under a single flag and in this

presentation, I am going to give information about the formation of this flag which

symbolizes the union of four nations, each of them reflecting its own distinctive features.

The Union Flag, known as the Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom It

is the British flag. It is called the Union Flag because it symbolizes the union of the

nations

It consists of the flags of three countries (England, Scotland and Northern Ireland) of

the Kingdom which are united under one sovereign. Because Wales was not a Kingdom, it couldn’t be included on the flag (The Story of the United Kingdom and the Union Flag

par.1,2).

To examine the Union Flag of Great Britain properly, we should first take a look at the

formations of the flags which form the Union Flag. In 1194 A.D. Richard I of England introduced the Cross of St. George, a red cross on a white ground,

as the National Flag of England.

St.George is the patron saint of England. He was burnt because of his

opposition to king who was a pagan and a bitter enemy to the Christians.

Because of his devotion to Christianity, he became the patron Saint of England.

(St.George par.1)

After the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, King James VI of Scotland inherited the English

throne and became King James I of England. The crowns of Scotland and

England were united but not the nations.

Despite the King James’ attempts, both English due to their xenophobia which

means an unreasonable fear of foreigner and Scottish with their strong sense of nationalism resisted the union. But the

resistance did not prevent King James from proclaiming himself as the King of Great Britain on 20 October 1604. It led to the

creation of the first Union Flag.

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On 12 April 1606, the National Flags of Scotland and England were

united for use at sea, thus making the first Union 'Jack'. A royal decree declared

that the ships of the Kingdom of Great Britain "shall bear on their maintops the red cross, commonly called St. George's cross, and the white cross, commonly

called St. Andrew's cross." (Brayley, 66) On 28th July, 1707, during the reign of

Queen Anne, this flag was by royal proclamation made the National flag of

Great Britain, for use ashore and afloat.

On 1 January 1801, Ireland was united with Great Britain and a new National flag in which Ireland was represented became necessary. The cross St Patrick was combined with the Union Flag of St George and St Andrew, to create the

Union Flag that has been flown ever since.

Union Flag or Union Jack is stil the national flag of Britain..The term 'Union Jack' possibly dates from Queen Anne's time, but its origin is not certain. It may come from the 'jack-et' of the English or Scottish soldiers, or from the name of

James I. (Union Jack par.15,16)

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It is today flown above Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Sandringham when The Queen is not in residence. The Union Flag is also flown on government buildings on days marking:

the birthdays of members of the Royal family,

Commonwealth Day, Coronation Day, The Queen's official birthday, Remembrance Day and on the days of the State Opening and

prorogation of Parliament. It is also flown on St David's Day (Wales), St

George's Day (England), St Andrew's Day (Scotland), and St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland).

To conclude, the Union Flag(Union Jack) is a reflection of United Kingdom’s multi-

national structure. It also is one of the symbols of Great Britain and the Monarchy

in UK and It was formed with the contribution of the other nations. It has a historical background and a product of a

historical process.