Flag of Wales
Use | National flag |
---|---|
Proportion | 3:5 |
Adopted | 1959 (current version) |
Design | The Welsh Dragon centered on a horizontal bi-colour of white and green |
The flag of Wales (
The colours of green and white are the colours of the
It was officially recognised as the Welsh national flag in 1959. Several cities include a dragon in their flag design, including Cardiff, the Welsh capital.
Symbolism
In the Historia Brittonum, there is a narrative in which Vortigern (Welsh: Gwrtheyrn), King of the Celtic Britons from Powys is interrupted whilst attempting to build a fort at Dinas Emrys. He is told by Merlin/Ambrosius (Welsh: Myrddin) to dig up two dragons beneath the castle. He discovers a red dragon representing the Celtic Britons (now Welsh) and a white dragon representing the Anglo-Saxons (now English). Merlin/Ambrosius prophesies that the Celtic Britons will reclaim the island and push the Anglo-Saxons back to the sea.[1][2]
The Historia Brittonum was written c. 828, and by this point, the dragon was associated with a coming deliverer from the Saxons and, for the first time, as a symbol of independence. It is also the first time that the colour of the dragon is verifiably given as red. There may well be an older attribution of red to the colour of the dragon in Y Gododdin.[3] The story of Lludd a Llefelys in the Mabinogion wrote that the red dragon of the Celtic Britons was in opposition with the white dragon of the Saxons.[4]
The dragon of Wales was used by numerous Welsh rulers as a propaganda tool; to portray their links to the Arthurian legend, the title given to such rulers is
Henry VII recognised the red dragon upon its blessing at Saint Paul's Cathedral following his victory at Bosworth Field under the realm of 'England and Wales' in 1485; the United Kingdom would not recognise the flag's official status again until 1959,[10] despite the dragon being used by Romanised Celtic Britons since at least the fall of the Roman empire in the 6th century AD.[11]
History
Kingdom of Gwynedd
The Senior line of the House of Aberffraw descended from Prince
Owain Glyndŵr
In 1400, Owain Glyndŵr raised the dragon standard during his revolts against the occupation of Wales by the English crown. Owain's banner known as Y Ddraig Aur ('The Golden Dragon') was raised over Caernarfon during the Battle of Tuthill in 1401 against the English. Glyndŵr chose to fly the standard of a golden dragon on a white background, the traditional standard.[13][14][15]
Henry VII
In 1485, Henry Tudor flew the red dragon during his invasion of England.[16] Henry was of Welsh descent and after leaving France with an army of 2,000, landed at Milford Haven on 7 August. He made capital of his Welsh ancestry by gathering support and gaining safe passage through Wales. Henry met and fought Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, and took the English throne in victory. After the battle, Henry carried the red dragon standard in state to St Paul's Cathedral.[17]: 52 The Tudor livery of green and white was added to the flag later.[17]: 63
Modern flag
In 1807, the red dragon on a green mount was adopted as the
Between 1910 and 1916,
In 1932, the 'Welsh Nationalist Party' (who would later be rebranded as
In 2017, the Unicode Consortium approved emoji support for the Flag of Wales[31] following a proposal from Jeremy Burge of Emojipedia and Owen Williams of BBC Wales[32] in 2016.[33] This was added to major smartphone platforms alongside the flags of England and Scotland in the same year.[34] Prior to this update, The Daily Telegraph reported that users had "been able to send emojis of the Union Flag, but not of the individual nations".[35]
-
Flag of Wales from the 1919 Marshal Foch victory-harmony banner
-
Variant depicting the dragon on a green mount[36]
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Flag depicting the Royal Badge of Wales after its augmentation of honour, used 1953–1959
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Flag of Y Wladfa
-
Welsh Australian flag[37]
-
House flag of the Cory Brothers[38]
-
House flag of John Byford and Son[39]
Other flags
Flag of Saint David
The
Government ensign
An ensign for use aboard ships used by the Welsh Government, such as the patrol boats of the
In popular culture
The flag of Wales has been used by those in the arts, sport and business to show a sense of patriotism or recognition with Wales. During the 1999 Rugby World Cup, which was hosted in Wales, the opening ceremony used the motif of the dragon several times; the flag was worn on a dress by Welsh singer Shirley Bassey.[41]
Other musicians to have used the flag, include Nicky Wire of Manic Street Preachers, who will often drape the Welsh flag over amps when playing live,[42] and Cerys Matthews who has worn the image on her clothes,[43] while classical singer Katherine Jenkins has taken the flag on stage during live performances.[44]
Former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters's album Radio K.A.O.S. (1987) follows the story of a young disabled Welsh man, grounded in California, who regularly expresses nostalgia and a hope for return to his home country. The chorus of "Sunset Strip" uses the imagery of the flag of Wales to further emphasise this:
And I sit in the canyon with my back to the sea
There's a blood-red dragon on a field of green
Calling me back, back to the Black Hills again.
In 2018, the flag made an unexpected appearance in Black Panther, during a scene set in the United Nations. The flag is displayed alongside those of independent sovereign nations, leading to speculation that Wales is an independent nation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The scene led to comments and discussions, including from the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru.[45][46][47]
See also
- List of flags of the United Kingdom
- List of Welsh flags
- National symbols of Wales
- Flags of Europe
References
- ^ Williams, Ifor (1959). "Gwrtheyrn (Vortigern)". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales.
- ^ "Red Dragon of Wales". www.maryjones.us. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- OCLC 1302083973.
- ^ Historia Brittonum, ch. 40–42.
- ^ "Has Wales turned on Mark Drakeford over Covid? | the Spectator". 11 December 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7083-1084-7.
- ^ Stephens, Thomas II (1849). The Literature of the Kymry Beeing a Critical Essay on the History of the Language and Literature of Wales During the 12. and Two Succeeding Centuries (etc.). William Rees and Longman. p. 381.
- ^ Hemans, Mrs (1881). The Poetical Works of Felicia Hemans: With Memoir, Explanatory Notes, Etc. J. Wurtele Lovell. p. 246.
- ^ Owen, Robert (1891). The Kymry: Their Origin, History, and International Relations. W. Spurrell and Son.
- ^ "Dragon spirit: The legend of the Welsh dragon". 5 July 2023.
- ^ "Wales history: Why is the red dragon on the Welsh flag?". BBC News. 6 July 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-14-192633-9. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
The plot was carried out (by a Scot) in 1378, and Saint Leger on the banks of the Garonne (opposite Chateau Calon Segur - not a Welsh name, alas) became the burial place of the last of the senior male line of the house of Aberffraw. Following the extinction of that line,...
- ISBN 9781445637037.
- ISBN 9780140284751.
- ISBN 9781445608761.
- ^ The dragon and war BBC Wales history
- ^ a b Perrin, W.G. (1922). British Flags. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6.
- ^ Origin of Y Ddraig Goch Archived 11 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine Flags of the World
- ^ "Wales: History of Welsh Flags". Flags of the World.
- ^ Raeside, Rob. "Origin of Y Ddraig Goch". Flags of the World. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ISBN 9780415444040.
- ^ Black, Ronald (1992). "Studies in honour of James Carney (1914–89)". Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies (23): 109.
- ^ Barraclough, EMC. Flags of the World, 1965.
- ^ "Welsh Flag (Hansard, 23 February 1959)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 23 February 1959.
- ^ Lofmark, C. A History of the Red Dragon Archived 7 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Caernarvon & Denbigh Herald, Friday 20 October 1916 - https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002967/19161020/096/0006
- ^ Western Mail, Friday 07 April 1916. https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000104/19160407/130/0004
- ^ Liverpool Echo, Thursday 09 April 1914 - https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000271/19140409/144/0008
- ^ Western Morning News, Wednesday 02 March 1932 - https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000329/19320302/071/0007
- ^ Titcomb, James (2017). "Emoji for England, Scotland and Wales flags to be released this year". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ "Wales flag emoji arrives on Twitter". BBC News. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ Thomas, Huw (5 August 2016). "Wales flag emoji decision awaited". BBC News. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ "Wales flag emoji arrives on iPhone". BBC News. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ "Flags of England, Wales and Scotland given thumbs up by emoji chiefs". The Daily Telegraph. 11 December 2016. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ Barraclough, E.M.C. (1969). Flags of the World. London: Frederick Warne & Co Ltd. p. 55.
- ^ "The Welsh Australian Flag 1988". Australiana Flags. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "House flag, Cory Brothers". Royal Museums Greenwich. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "House flag, John Byford & Son Ltd". Royal Museums Greenwich. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ Flag Institute Flagmaster Issue 160
- ^ "World Cup kicks off in style". BBC News Online. 1 October 1999.
- ^ "Manic Street Preachers – Nicky Wire". BBC Wales Music.
- ^ "Pop music: The changing face of Brit guitar rock". The Independent. 27 March 1998.
- ^ "Katherine Jenkins threatens to spill out of dress on stage as boyfriend Gethin Jones looks on". Evening Standard. 25 August 2008. Archived from the original on 5 April 2010.
- ^ Brennan, Shane (16 February 2018). "Marvel movie franchise recognises Welsh independence". North Wales Live. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ^ "Black Panther's universe features an 'independent Wales'". BBC. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ^ Williams, Kathryn (16 February 2018). "Welsh flag flies as independent state in Marvel superhero film Black Panther". Wales Online. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
Bibliography
- Davies, John; Jenkins, Nigel (2008). The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6.
- Eriksen, Thomas; Jenkins, Richard (2007). Flag, nation and symbolism in Europe and America (1. publ. ed.). London: Routledge. p. 80. ISBN 9780415444040.