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400th anniversary
The union flag was first seen in 1606 and the version that we know today was drawn up by the College of Arms in 1801 to represent the Act of Union.
History
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The Union Flag before 1801
When James VI of Scotland inherited as James I of England in 1603,the crowns of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland were united in him,although each remained independent states.
On 12 April 1606,a new flag to represent this personal union between England and Scotland was specified in a royal decree,according to which the flag of England (a red cross with a white background,known as St George"s Cross) and the flag of Scotland (a white saltire with a blue background,known as the Saltire or Saint Andrew"s Cross) would be "joyned together according to the forme made by our heralds,and sent by Us to our Admerall to be published to our Subjects." The original sketches which accompanied this specification are lost.Until the Acts of Union 1707 it was practice for the flag in Scotland to have the Saltire over the St George"s Cross and vice versa when flown in England [citation needed].This royal flag was at first only for use at sea on civil and military ships of both Scotland and England.In 1634,its use was restricted to the monarch"s ships.Land forces continued to use their respective national banners.
After the Acts of Union 1707,the flag gained a regularised status,as "the ensign armorial of the Kingdom of Great Britain",the newly created state.It was then adopted by land forces as well.Various shades of blue have been used in the Saltire over the years.The ground of the current Union Flag is a deep "navy" blue (Pantone 280),while the currently accepted Saltire uses a lighter "royal" blue (Pantone 300),following the Scottish Parliament"s recommendation of 2003.
Wales had no explicit recognition in the flag because Wales had been annexed by Edward I of England in 1282,and since the Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542 was legally part of the Kingdom of England.(The present-day Flag of Wales and St David"s Cross emerged,or re-emerged,in the 20th century:the former based on a Royal badge and the latter on the arms of the Diocese of Saint David"s.) The Kingdom of Ireland,which had existed as a personal union with England since 1541,was likewise unrepresented in the original Union Flag.
The pre-1801 Union Flag is also shown in the canton of the Grand Union Flag (also known as the Congress flag,The First Navy Ensign,The Cambridge Flag,and The Continental Colors),the first widely-used Flag of the United States.
The blazon for the old flag,to be compared with the current flag,is Azure,the Cross Saltire of St Andrew Argent surmounted by the Cross of St George Gules,fimbriated of the second.
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Since 1801
The current Union Flag dates from 1 January 1801 with the Act of Union 1800,which merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.The new design added the red saltire cross attributed to St Patrick for Ireland.This saltire is overlaid on the saltire of St Andrew,but still beneath the cross of St George.To make it clear Ireland was not superior to Scotland,the Irish cross was made thinner and half covered by the saltire of St Andrew.The arrangement has introduced a requirement to display the flag "the right way up"; see specifications for flag use,below.The red cross is thought to have come from the heraldic device of the Fitzgerald family who were sent by Henry II of England to aid Anglo-Norman rule in Ireland and has rarely been used as an emblem of Ireland by the Irish:a harp,a Celtic cross,a shamrock,or (since 1922) an Irish tricolour have been more common.However,the exact origin of the flag is unknown,with evidence of saltires being present on ancient Irish coins and maps.The St Patrick"s saltire flag has been used in more recent times for St Patrick"s Day in Northern Ireland,by various organisations wishing to avoid the sectarianism that may be implied by the use of either the tricolour or symbols of Unionism.
The current flag is blazoned Azure,the Crosses Saltire of St Andrew and St Patrick,quarterly per saltire,counterchanged Argent and Gules,the latter fimbriated of the second,surmounted by the Cross of St George of the third,fimbriated as the saltire.
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Other proposed versions
The Union Flag as commonly used in Scotland until 1707
Other proposed versions.Various other designs for a common flag were drawn up following the union of the two Crowns in 1603,but were rarely,if ever,used [4].The two shown here include St George"s cross with St Andrew"s cross in the canton,and another version where the two crosses are side-by-side.Also,some Scots were upset that the Scottish flag was underneath the English flag in the version finally adopted,and preferred a version where the Scottish cross was on top (the English flag was placed between the cross of St Andrew and its background).[citation needed]
Many Welsh people have proposed modifying the Union Flag to include either the Red Dragon or the black and gold colours of the flag of Saint David,arguing that the current design fails to represent their country.[citation needed]
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