The flag of Scotland is also known as the Saltire. It has a great white cross spanning diagonally across a blue background. It’s supposed to be the shape of St. Andrew’s cross after he became a martyr and therefore, the flag is also referred to as the “cross of St. Andrew.”
The history of Scotland’s flag is shrouded in legends and mystery. There are many versions of how the flag came to be, but the most common legend links it to a 9th century battle that took place in Athelstaneford, Lothian. Before we get to the battle, we must start the flag story with St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland.
St. Andrew was one of the original apostles who were fishermen, along with his brother Peter. There is not much known about his life, but after the crucifixion of Jesus, he preached to the people. When the Romans decided to crucify him, he asked for his crucifixion to be different from that of Jesus. He didn’t think he was worthy of emulating Jesus and the Romans crucified him on diagonal pieces of wood. The Saltire symbol originated here.
It’s said that after being entombed for more than 300 years, Constantine II wanted to move St. Andrew’s relics to Constantinople (Istanbul). St. Rule, a Greek monk, received a warning from an angel who told him to move the relics to the end of the earth. St. Rule removed a kneecap, arm bone, a tooth and some fingers from the tomb and started his journey to the end of the world. In those days, Scotland was thought to be that place.
In 832AD, the high king of Alba, Angus Mac Fergus was leading a Pictish army along with a Scots detachment led by the King of Dalriada, Eochaidh Mac Etsin. He was the grandfather of Kenneth Mac Alpin who was Scotland’s first king. A large Angles force surrounded them under Athelstane and King Angus prayed to God for victory. He had a smaller army but during the battle, the clouds in the sky formed a white diagonal cross across the blue sky as a sign. Angus promised to make St. Andrew the patron saint of the kingdom if he helped them win the battle. The Picts and Scots emerged victorious and St. Andrew became the patron saint. Kenneth Mac Alpin may have been in the battle. He united the Picts and Scots and called the kingdom Scotland. And this is how, according to legend, Scotland got its national flag.
In 1385, the Scottish Parliament decreed that every Scottish soldier wear the saltire to distinguish them in battle. At the time, the decree said the background color should be blue, either on a square or round cloth. The Saltire and not the background was the badge of the scots. Several explanations try to explain how the blue background came to use. One explanation includes the cross on the sky during the battle, while another connects it to the alliance with the French who had a blue background flag with a cross at the time.
During James IV Scotland’s reign, the navy built the greatest ship in 1511, known as the Great Michael. The flag had a blue background with a St. Andrew’s cross at the hoist and a red and yellow fly with royal badges of the white unicorn and red lion.
Another dated use of the blue background is Sir David Lindsay’s armorial in 1542. There is also a carved stone dated 1588 at Newhaven that shows a Scottish ship with three saltires on blue backgrounds. The blue blanket flag of the Trades of Edinburgh was also made of blue cloth and had a satire in the canton.
In 1606, the white saltire on blue was combined with St George’s red cross on white to design the British flag by James IV & I. This flag was the original Union Flag. Most Scots did not like the new flag as it gave precedence to England. In 1606, they designed their variant that had the cross on a blue background but with the saltire at the front. When England and Scotland in the Act of Union in 1707 required a new national flag, Queen Anne chose to continue with James’s design. The Scotland ensign was created, and this became the start of a quiet period for the flag that lasted until the 20th Century.
During the 1970s, the Scottish Nationalist movement rose and brought back the Saltire by using it instead of the Union Flag. In a reconvening of the Scottish Parliament on July 1st, 1999, they flew a Saltire and a Union Flag.
The Scottish flag is today flown alongside the Union Flag. The Scottish government flies the flag on all it’s buildings daily except on national days when the Union Flag replaces the Saltire. The national days are the same as those of the United Kingdom except for September 3rd. September 3rd is Merchant Navy Day in Scotland and the Red Ensign flies then. The Scottish national days also differ with the UK on Saint Andrew’s Day, November 30th. On this day, the Saltire is not lowered for the Union Flag if only one flagpole is available. They raise the Union Flag if a building has more than one flagpole. This decision came after members of the Scottish Parliament complained. According to them, Scotland was the only country in the world that wasn’t allowed to fly its national flag on National Flag Day.
The Lion Rampant is the second flag of Scotland that has a red lion embedded on a yellow background. The background also has two double lines on all sides. The flag’s first usage was when Scotland and England united. When the English rejected the old flag, they introduced the Lion Rampant, a decree by King William I. The lion was a symbol of strength and power found in the union. The satire flag flies on all occasions, but the Lion Rampant is mostly used by the Monarchy and during sporting events.
Colour
White on the Scotland flag represents honesty and peace while blue is a symbol of perseverance, loyalty, truth, justice, and vigilance.
Shape
The proportion of the flag is not fixed but usually falls within 1:2, 2:3, 3:5 or 4:5, while the bars take up 20% of the width of the flag.
Do you know any other interesting facts about the flag of Scotland? Share your thoughts below.
Twitter
Add a Comment
Please do not post:
Thank you once again for doing your part to keep Edarabia the most trusted education source.