FLAG OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The flag of the United Kingdom is the national standard representing Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. All of these countries are governed by a single parliamentary monarchy, but each has independent flags. The UK flag is also known as the 'Union Jack', 'Union flag', or simply 'British flag'.

The current flag of the United Kingdom has been in force since 1801. It is considered to be the most important flag of all the member countries of the union and is hoisted by all its members anywhere in the world. In addition, it is also used as part of the flag of other countries, especially in commonwealths such as Australia, Tuvalu and New Zealand.

United kingdom flag. This work is in the public domain worldwide.

In 2013, it was proposed to modify the flag in the event of Scotland becoming independent from the UK. The scenario of the change would have to be given to know if any modification to the banner would be made or not, but the approach to change is on the table for the member countries of the British Union.

History

- First Union Flag (1606 - 1801)

The first Union flag was adopted after the union of Scotland with England. In 1603, England and Scotland were completely independent nations. In fact, both countries had already had a series of wars between them after territorial disputes by the local English kings.

It was also in 1603 that Queen Elizabeth I of England passed away. The queen was a cousin of the King of Scotland, James VI. Elizabeth I was never known to accept suitors and remained single throughout her life. This caused him to have no children, which left the English throne without a legal heir.

To resolve this conflict, it was Queen Elizabeth I herself who expressed her wish that James VI should become King of England. However, the fact that a monarch exercised dominance over two different countries was something that had never happened in history, much less in two nations with as many tensions as England and Scotland.

The first Union flag was a combination of the flags of England and Scotland. However, the Irish throne was also inherited by James VI of Scotland, as Ireland belonged to the English territory, although it acted independently as far as its policy is concerned.

First Union Flag (1606 - 1801). Made by Hoshie Sodipodi flag collection (original file). Public domain

Exclusion of the flag of Wales and Ireland

The original design of the Union flag does not incorporate any element of the Welsh flag. However, Wales was a part of the United Kingdom from its inception. The reason Welsh design was never incorporated was because, by this time, Welsh territory belonged to England.

Ireland, similarly, was also under English rule from the early Modern Age. The countries of the British Isles led to a series of internal struggles due to the Protestant reforms that were carried out at the time. This caused England to take control of Ireland.

In addition, the territory that today belongs to Northern Ireland, and that at that time was in the hands of the Catholic nobility of the country, was confiscated by the English and granted to the Protestant nobles of Scotland and England.

Ireland, which by this time had not been divided into two countries, became part of the English territory under special jurisdiction. That is, the country was established as an independent kingdom, but with a special union with the English Crown.

Thanks to the Protestant monarchy of the country, almost all of the British territory was in the hands of the English, with the exception of Scotland, which continued to exercise its sovereignty.

Official establishment of the first Union Jack

James VI of Scotland was named King of England after the death of Elizabeth I and the monarch went on to become the first British king to rule two sovereign nations at the same time. However, as soon as he obtained the crown, he asked that both countries be unified under the same banner.

The creation of the Union flag was a fact that was given in order to formalize the royal union between England and Scotland. It was legally adopted three years after James VI of Scotland was named James I of England, in 1606.

It became the legal flag of the kingdoms of Scotland and England, as well as the Irish and Welsh dominions.

- The Commonwealth of England (1649-1660)

Although the period in which the Commonwealth of England existed was short, it was 11 years in which the Union flag was not used officially. This country was formed after the English Revolution and the death of King Carlos I, son of Jacobo I, who was beheaded after a series of internal conflicts with the country's government.

The conflicts occurred mainly because Carlos I was an absolutist king who did not get involved with the decisions of Parliament and did not care what they thought of his actions, since he believed in the "divine right" of kings.

Charles I inherited the throne from his father in 1625. By this time, most of England and the United Kingdom were Protestant. However, Carlos I married the princess of France, a faithful Catholic. This caused much criticism among his subjects and two civil wars broke out in the country between those who supported the king and those who opposed him.

After having tried to dissolve the English Parliament on several occasions, Charles I was sentenced to the death penalty in 1649. The act of regicide occurred legally and, that same year, the king was beheaded on the premise of having committed high treason against your country.

- The «eleven years of tyranny»

This event led to the formation of the Commonwealth of England (also known as the Republic of England or, by its name in English, Commonwealth of England).

Oliver Cromwell and Richard Cromwell were the two main rulers of England during this time. Both were named "Lord Protector" of the country; first Oliver Cromwell and, after his death, it was his son, Richard.

During these years, England, Scotland, and Ireland were commonly ruled in the form of a Republic. That is, the beginning of the eleven years of tyranny and the creation of the commonwealth not only gave rise to a new flag, but also marked the temporary end of the monarchy in the United Kingdom.

The Commonwealth of England (1649-1660). By Richtom80 at English Wikipedia. Public domain

- Restoration of the Monarchy

After the end of the 11 years in which the Commonwealth of England replaced the United Kingdom, the monarchical order was re-established in the country with the restoration of a new king. In 1660, the monarchy returned to England at the hands of Charles II, who put an end to the Cromwell rule and ended the country's state of Republic.

However, the British continued to have a very strong anti-Catholic vision. It was around this time, in 1672, when the Supreme Admiral of England, Jacobo Estuardo, declared his faith in the Catholic religion. This fact made that the Parliament did not allow the Catholics to hold public office, causing the resignation of Stuart from his post.

After the death of Carlos II, Jacobo Estuardo happened to be the new king of England. They tried to re-impose religious freedom in the country, but the tensions that Stuart generated were very pronounced and, finally, they unleashed the Glorious Revolution of 1688, with which Stuart was removed from the throne.

- Act of the Union and restoration of the flag (1707)

In 1707, the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland made their political union official to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. Wales, at this time, was still part of the territories dominated by the English.

This declaration passed through the approval of the parliaments of England and Scotland. Thus, both countries officially decreed the Act of the Union, by which the creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain was imposed not only by the words of the kings, but also approved by the parliaments of both countries.

The previous union between the two countries, which occurred in 1603 in the hands of James VI of Scotland, was considered a personal union. The event was called Union of the Crowns, and it had not been approved by parliaments but made only from the point of view of the monarchy.

The country remained a sovereign nation for over 100 years, without officially annexing Ireland to the union. However, the Kingdom of Great Britain did control the entire territory of Ireland. That is, although Ireland was not part of the Kingdom officially, it was an indirect part of the union.

Restoration of the Union flag (1707 - 1800). Made by Hoshie Sodipodi flag collection (original file)

- Incorporation of Ireland and New Flag (1800 - Present)

During all the years that the Irish territories were under the control of the English, Ireland never ceased to consider itself an independent nation and even had its own flag. However, in 1800 the Act of the Union was signed. In this the incorporation of Ireland into the Kingdom of Great Britain was made official.

In fact, it is common to refer to the United Kingdom as the Kingdom of Great Britain, but this terminology is not correct. The Kingdom of Great Britain did not have Irish territory officially. With the signing of the Act of Union, both kingdoms merged to create the United Kingdom of Ireland and Great Britain.

It was in 1801 when the last modification was made to the British flag, thus giving it the shape it has today. The flag that had been in force until 1801 featured the Cross of St. Andrew (the flag of Scotland) and the Cross of St. George (the flag of England). The current flag of the United Kingdom also has the Red Cross of St. Patrick (Irish flag of the time).

Flag of the United Kingdom (1800 - Present). This work is in the public domain worldwide

- The Act of the Union

Although the Irish spent most of the Modern Age under English rule, the Constitution of 1782 officially made them an independent kingdom. They continued to depend in many respects on the Kingdom of Great Britain, but were no longer an official part of English territory. The country created its own parliament and ran independently of Great Britain.

The Act of Union was an official document signed by the parliaments of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland to formalize the Irish union with the United Kingdom. Under the premises of this treaty, the Irish obtained 100 seats in the British Parliament and were officially incorporated into the kingdom, after 100 years of English rule.

Many Irishmen had refused to rejoin England. Irish politicians, in fact, rejected the first idea of ​​signing the Act of the Union in 1798, but a rebellion in the country that was in favor of the union generated a change of idea in the politicians of the country.

In addition, the Kingdom of Great Britain offered titles of nobility, wealth, and land to the Irish politicians who made up the Parliament of Ireland. Finally, in 1800, an agreement was reached and both countries officially signed the document.

Meaning

The current flag of the United Kingdom is a harmonious way to demonstrate the union of three countries without belittling any one. In fact, by the time the first iteration of the flag consisting of the Scottish Cross and the Cross of England was created, it was seen as a form of union in which no country was seen as inferior to the other.

For this reason, when Ireland joined the United Kingdom, the flag was again altered to show that the Irish would have the same rights and relevance as Scotland and England. The only UK member country that is not represented on the flag is Wales, as it was never fully an independent nation. The Welsh Parliament was created only in 1998.

However, proposals have been made to incorporate the dragon from the Welsh flag into the Union flag, but none have met with sufficient approval.

References

1. Flag of the United Kingdom, Whitney Smith for Encyclopedia Britannica, 2018. Taken from Britannica.com
2. The Story of The Union Jack: The National Flag Of The United Kingdom, World Altas Website, (nd). Taken from worldatlas.com
3. History of the British Flag, National Park Service Website, (nd). Taken from nps.gov
4. British Empire, Wikipedia, 2019. Taken from Wikipedia.org
5. United Kingdom, Wikipedia, 2019. Taken from Wikipedia.org