The Story of the Union Jack

The British flag, like the flag of any country, is a symbol of a nation. All flags have their history, and the Union Jack tells us about the history of the United Kingdom (the UK). The flag has quite an unusual design. In fact, it is a combination of three flags – the flags of England, Scotland and Ireland.

The UK flag nowadays.

But when and why were these three flags combined?

. After the Queen of England Elizabeth the First (Elizabeth I) died in 1603, King James the Sixth of Scotland (James VI), who was Elizabeth’s nearest living relative, also became King James the First (James I) of England. So England and Scotland both had the same king. James called his new kingdom ‘Great Britain’.

. But there was a problem – which flag should they use? All ships carried a national flag, and the English sailors did not want to show the Scottish flag. The Scottish sailors didn’t want the English one. The Scottish flag was the Saint Andrew’s cross, a white diagonal cross on a blue background. The English flag was the Saint George’s Cross, a red cross on a white background. You can see both flags in the picture.

. So, in 1606, the problem was solved by combining the two flags. The new flag was called

The “Union Flag”. You can see the new flag in the picture.

In 1707, the Act of Union was passed by Parliament, and this Act of Union officially joined England and Scotland together, creating a single kingdom with a single Parliament called “The United Kingdom of Great Britain”.

. Then, nearly one hundred years later, in 1801, Ireland was united with Great Britain. A new flag that included an Irish symbol was needed! The cross of Saint Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland, is a red diagonal cross on a white background. You can see it in the picture.

This flag was combined with the Union Flag of Saint George and Saint Andrew to create the flag that we know today. Its official name is the Union Flag, but it is usually called “The Union Jack” because the sailors called it so!

. So, UK has one flag now. But, at the football World Cup in South Africa, English fans still waved the English flag of St George when they supported the England team. And of course, at a Scottish match, you’ll see the flag of St Andrew. Ireland also has a new flag now.

Словарь

Union Jack "Юнион Джек" (государственный флаг Великобритании)

relative ['relətIv] родственник

Act of Union ["æktəv'jHnjən] Акт об унии (1707 - англо-шотландской и 1801 - англо-ирландской)

sailor ['seIlə] матрос, моряк

diagonal [daI'æg(ə)n(ə)l] диагональный

background ['bækgraund] фон

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