answersLogoWhite

0

When Elisabeth I Queen of England died on 24th March 1603 she did so without an heir. Worse that this due to the War of the Roses and years of family infighting the English Royal family died out leaving no English born contenders for the throne of England. At a time when any European Country without a monarch was likely to be invaded, this left the English Parliament with a real crisis on their hands.

Through marriages the Kings of other European Countries including Spain, France, Holland and Scotland all had legitimate clams for the throne of England. If all of these countries were to invade England and fight for the English Crown the result would have been a bloodbath. The English Parliament convened to resolve the situation. It was decided that the best option was to offer the English Crown to King James VI of Scotland for two main reasons. He was the son of Mary Queen of Scots, cousin to Elisabeth I and so carried the bloodline of the English Royal family. Secondly, as he was King of Scotland, the northern boarder of England would be protected from invasion by his Army in Scotland whilst the English Army could defend England from a threat of invasion from the south by Spain, France and Holland.

So it was on the 25 July 1603, James VI of Scotland became his Britannic majesty King James I monarch of the United Kingdom. James wanted a new flag for the new Union of England and Scotland. For this he took the white flag with red cross, the flag of St George, the patron Saint of England and juxtaposed this over the blue flag with white diagonal cross of St Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. Later on the red diagonal cross taken from the flag of St Patrick, the patron St of Ireland was integrated into the Union flag when Ireland was absorbed into the United Kingdom after Prince William of Orange defeated the deposed King James II at the battle of the Boyne. Incidentally, the present monarch her Britannic majesty Queen Elisabeth II is a descendent of James I.

User Avatar

Wiki User

14y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

What does the red on the union jack signify union jack?

the cross represents saint george


What coulers is union jack?

Blue,red and white. :P


What does the color Red on the Australian flag stand for?

the man in 19027 The Southern Cross are stars of a constellation which can be seen prominently in the southern hemisphere . It is widely used as a cultural national symbol in Australia .


What does the red white and blue mean on the union Jack?

the red cross means St George


What does the red stand for the Australia flag?

The red on the flag is the union jack and it stands for bravery and strength


What flags name is blue white red?

The Union Flag commonly known as the Union Jack is the blue, white and red flag of the UK.


What is the color configuration of the UK national flag?

The colors that are in the flag that represents the United Kingdom are red, white, and blue. These colors are set in a pattern that is called the Union Jack, which is one cross shape set on top of other.


What did the colonial flag look like?

These were probably the three most used flags in colonial America. 1: The "Union Jack". It was identical to the UK's current flag, but the X behind the cross in the union Jack had no red stripes. 2: The Red Ensign. It had the Union Jack in the canton (like the American flag's white stars) and the rest was red. 3: The Continental Colors. It was identical to the American flag, but where the stars are today there was a Union Jack.


What does the red on the union jack mean?

The red follows from the flag of St. George, which is a red cross on a white background.


What country's ships fly under the union jack?

Ships of the United Kingdom will fly under the Union 'Jack' (Union Flag) along with a 'Red Duster' (Red Ensign). Also, ships of other British Sovereign Territories (ex-empire) eg. Bermuda, Bahamas will also use the Union 'Jack' as well as their own flag.


What is the color of the UK flag?

Red, White and Blue. It is known as the Union Flag, or sometimes erroneously as the Union Jack.


Why are the colours on the union jack them colours?

navy for the royal navy red is for the soldiers