The flag was adopted in England in the sixteenth century, though it appears as a symbol of English since the mid-medieval times. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the flag was used as a symbol of the British merchant marine.
It consists of a red cross on a white background. The red cross is St. George, the patron saint of England. According to legend, St. George fought and killed the dragon to save a princess. After killing the animal mythological, St. George made a cross on his shield with the blood of the dragon.
