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THE TWO FLAGS OF SCOTLAND
When
St. Andrew, one of the Apostles, was
being crucified by the Romans in A.D. 60, it is
said that he believed himself unworthy to be crucified on a cross
like that of Christ, and so he met his end on a ‘saltire’, or
X-shaped cross (St. Andrew’s cross) which became his
symbol.
Two separate
legends help to explain the association between St. Andrew and
Scotland.
One
story tells how in A.D. 345 St. Regulus was instructed by an angel
to take some relics (bones) of St. Andrew to a far-off land. He
eventually arrived in Fife on the northeast coast of Scotland, where
he founded the settlement of St. Andrews.
Yet another version recalls how
in the
7th century, St. Wilfrid brought the saint's relics home with him
following a pilgrimage to Rome. The Pictish king, Angus MacFergus,
subsequently had them installed at his new
monastery of St. Regulus at Kilrymont,
later renamed St. Andrews.
And still yet
another legend links the adoption of St. Andrew’s cross as
Scotland’s national flag. This recalls how, in 832, on the eve of a
battle between a combined Picts and Scots army and an invading army
of Angles led by King Aethelstan of East Anglia, St. Andrew appeared
to the Pictish king, Óengus II (Angus) and assured him of victory.
The following morning a formation of clouds gathered against the
backdrop of a clear blue sky, depicting a white saltire that was
visible to both sides. The omen inspired the Picts and Scots to win
a famous victory over the Angles of King Aethelstan and so the white
cross on the blue background was adopted as the national flag of
Scotland.
Following Robert Bruce's victory at the
Battle of
Bannockburn in 1314, the Declaration of Arbroath officially
named Saint Andrew as the patron saint of Scotland. The saltire
appears to have become the official national flag in 1385 when the
Parliament of Scotland agreed that Scottish soldiers should wear the
white cross as a distinguishing mark.
In such times flags and banners were important to identify opposing
forces in heat of battle.
Whilst its exact
origin may have been lost in myth and legend, the flag of Scotland
is generally regarded as one of the oldest national flags still in
modern use.
Not content with
one flag however, Scotland also has a second unofficial national
flag. This one generally appears by the thousands wherever and
whenever the national sporting teams are competing and is commonly
known as the Lion Rampant. The flag is actually the Royal Standard
of the King or Queen of Scots and it remains the personal banner of
the monarch; as such its use is, strictly speaking, restricted.
It is thought
that it was
King
Richard I of England "the Lion-Heart" late in the 12th century
who first introduced a heraldic device showing a rampant lion, the
king of beasts, rearing up with three of its clawed paws
out-stretched as if in battle. This Lion Rampant was eventually
adopted as the Scottish royal coat of arms and incorporated into the
Great Seal of Scotland.
©
HUK
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