Cross of St. George flag

In the late middle ages, a group of city-states grew up in Italy. Since these had no king or other ruler, they evolved the idea of a flag to symbolize the state itself.

One such state was Genoa, which obtained a guarantee of separate rights in 958 A.D. St. George was adopted as the patron Saint of the city at some later date, and about the year 1100 A.D., the flag of St. George came into use.

St. George was a Roman soldier of the 3rd century A.D. who converted to Christianity and slew a dragon and died a martyr. In about 1100 A.D., Genoa was visited by English Crusaders. The story of the flag and its legend captivated them and took both back to England.

The red cross of St. George has been the national banner of England for centuries. It was first carried by the English Crusaders in 1100 A.D. and by John Cabot, Sir Walter Raleigh and Francis Drake during their explorations. The colonies of Jamestown and Plymouth first flew this flag over their stockades.