No.0014 - Union Flag

The flag of the United Kingdom is known as Union Flag or Union Jack, although the Royal Navy uses the term "Union Jack" only when the flag is on their ships and all other times they refer the flat as "Union Flag".

The following image shows the creation of the current Union Flag. Original Union flag was created in 1606, 3 years after the King James VI of Scotland become the King James I of England. Although it was the Union of the Crowns, the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland would not merge together until the "Act of Union 1707" to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. Its design is the superimposition of the flag of England on the flag of Scotland (or more correctly the Cross of St. George on the Cross of St. Andrews, who are the patron saints of England and Scotland respectively).

The second and the current Union Flag was adopted on 1 January 1801 as a result of the "Act of Union 1800" which merged the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Its design is superimposition of the flag of Ireland (or the Cross of St. Patrick, who is patron saint of Ireland) on the original Union Flag.

Notes: Wales was officially part of the Kingdom of England since 1542, after the Laws of Wales Acts 1536-1542. Ireland was ruled by the reigning King of England since 1542, after the Crown of Ireland Act 1542, but become a new Kingdom, Kingdom of Ireland (rather like in 1606, when James VI become James I of England, creating a union of crowns, but political institutions remained separate).

So in effect, when the Kingdom of England of Kingdom of Scotland merged officially in 1707, it was the United Kingdom, rather than the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Wales was unrepresented in the Union Flag in 1606, as it was part of England, therefore the flag of England represented Wales.

However, as the Kingdom of Ireland was not part of the Kingdom of England, or later Great Britain, but existed as a personal union with England. But it still had no representation in the Union Flag. So in 1658, the flag of the Protectorate was created by incorporating the arms of Ireland on the original Union Flag (shown below). However, soon in 1660, the arms of Ireland was removed after the Restoration, supposedly because the restored monarch, Charles II disliked it.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was changed to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1922, after the Anglo-Irish Treaty 1921, which resulted in the created of Irish Free State. However the Northern Ireland opted out to be a part of Irish Free State and remained within the UK. So, the Union Flag was unchanged.

As there is representation of Wales in Union Flag, there have been suggestions to incorporate either the dragon (from the flag of Wales) or the Cross of St. David, who is the patron saint of Wales into the Union Flag.