Legacy St George | This is England - The Flag Of St George | 1
Oct 28, 2025
Peter and Afua dive into the fascinating origins of the flag of St George, uncovering its ties to a multicultural background. They explore St George's transformation from a Roman soldier to England's patron saint amid myth, martyrdom, and royal propaganda. The hosts discuss how dragon-slaying legends and Christian cults intertwined with pagan traditions, shaping the flag's modern symbolism. They also reflect on George's rise in Britain, his military associations during the Crusades, and how his image influenced English identity and imperialism.
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Public Forgetting Of St George
- Most English people don't know basic St George facts like the date of his feast, showing weak popular memory of the patron saint.
- Peter Frankopan learned St George's Day (23 April) because historians use fixed dates for chronology, not national devotion.
St George’s Foreign Origins
- St George was not English but likely born in Cappadocia with Greek and Palestinian parentage.
- His traditional burial site is Lydda in mandatory Palestine, now Israel, far from England.
Martyrdom Made George Iconic
- Early sources present George as a Roman soldier who converted to Christianity and refused to worship Roman gods.
- His resistance and extreme tortures made him a ‘megalomartyr’ central to early Christian identity.
