During the reign of Edward III, the king founded the Order of the Garter in St. George’s name, and adopted him as the nation’s Patron Saint. However, at the time, England already had at least three de facto Patron Saints, Edmund the Martyr, Gregory the Great, and Edward the Confessor.

St Edward the Confessor had been canonised by Pope Alexander III in 1161, and to this day he remains Patron Saint of the Royal Family. As an Anglo-Saxon, St Edward was seen as being a truly English saint, and as such his adoption as the nation’s Patron Saint appealed to the bulk of the population … who were Anglo-Saxon.

Initially, the Norman-controlled church was less enthusiastic about his canonisation, and this resistance was led by the Abbotts of Westminster. By the twelfth century this attitude had changed, and the Osbert of Clare – the Prior of Westminster Abbey – went to Rome to petition for Edward’s canonisation. His mission was unsuccessful, mainly due to lack of support from the rest of the church’s hierarchy in England and King Stephen’s ongoing quarrel with the then Pope, Innocent II.

In 1159 there was an election for a new Pope, and King Henry II of England’s support helped to secure to election of Alexander III. On the back of this, the Abbott of Westminster Abbey – with the support of the king and the church hierarchy – again pushed for Edward’s canonisation, and this was granted on 7th February 1161.

So why was St George chosen to replace the other Patron Saints?

We know that during the reigns of Edward I (1272 to 1307) and Edward II (1307 to 1327), St George’s popularity in England grew due to his association with piety, chivalry, bravery, and military victory during the Crusades. It is therefore not a great surprise that when Edward III came to the throne and needed to revive the nation’s military standing, he chose to replace St Edward the Confessor with St George. Politically, it was an astute move and suited the martial aspirations of the king and his supporters.

As to the association of St George with the red cross on a white background … well, English knights were wearing the cross to identify themselves during the Kings‘ or Third Crusade (1189 to 1192), and it seems that when St George became England’s Patron Saint, it was natural for the cross to be adopted as the saint’s flag.

It is worth noting that at various points in the history of Christianity in England, several other candidates have been suggested as possible Patron Saints. These include St Augustine – because of his role in re-establishing Christianity in England – and St Alban, who is regarded as the first British Christian martyr.