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The Flag of Scotland, ((スコットランド・ゲール語:Bratach na h-Alba), ), also known as St Andrew's Cross or the Saltire, is the national flag of Scotland. As the national flag, the Saltire, rather than the Royal Standard of Scotland, is the correct flag for all individuals and corporate bodies to fly.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Saltire )〕 It is also, where possible, flown from Scottish Government buildings every day from 8am until sunset, with certain exceptions. According to legend, the Christian apostle and martyr Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, was crucified on an X-shaped cross at Patras, (Patrae), in Achaea.〔 Use of the familiar iconography of his martyrdom, showing the apostle bound to an X-shaped cross, first appears in the Kingdom of Scotland in 1180 during the reign of William I. It was again depicted on seals used during the late 13th century, including on one used by the Guardians of Scotland, dated 1286. Using a simplified symbol which does not depict St. Andrew's image, the saltire or ''crux decussata'', (from the Latin ''crux'', 'cross', and ''decussis'', 'having the shape of the Roman numeral X'), began in the late 14th century. In June 1385, the Parliament of Scotland decreed that Scottish soldiers serving in France would wear a white Saint Andrew's Cross, both in front and behind, for identification.〔 The earliest reference to the Saint Andrew's Cross as a flag is found in the ''Vienna Book of Hours'', circa 1503, in which a white saltire is depicted with a red background. In the case of Scotland, use of a blue background for the Saint Andrew's Cross is said to date from at least the 15th century,〔 (www.flaginstitute.org )〕 with the first certain illustration of a flag depicting such appearing in Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount's ''Register of Scottish Arms,'' circa 1542. The legend surrounding Scotland's association with the Saint Andrew's Cross was related by Walter Bower and George Buchanan, who claimed that the flag originated in a 9th-century battle, where Óengus II led a combined force of Picts and Scots to victory over the Angles, led by Æthelstan.〔 Supposedly, a miraculous white saltire appeared in the blue sky and Óengus' troops were roused to victory by the omen. Consisting of a blue background over which is placed a white representation of an X-shaped cross, the Saltire is one of Scotland's most recognisable symbols. ==Design== The heraldic term for an X-shaped cross is a 'saltire', from the old French word ''saultoir'' or ''salteur'' (itself derived from the Latin ''saltatorium''), a word for both a type of stile constructed from two cross pieces and a type of cross-shaped stirrup-cord.〔''Oxford English Dictionary'', Second edition, 1989〕 In heraldic language, it may be blazoned ''azure'', a saltire ''argent''. The tincture of the Saltire can appear as either silver (''argent'') or white, however the term ''azure'' does not refer to a particular shade of blue.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Frequently Asked Questions )〕 Throughout the history of fabric production natural dyes have been used to apply a form of colour,〔 (Google Books )〕 with dyes from plants, including indigo from Woad, having dozens of compounds whose proportions may vary according to soil type and climate; therefore giving rise to variations in shade. In the case of the Saltire, variations in shades of blue have resulted in the background of the flag ranging from sky blue to navy blue. When incorporated as part of the Union Flag during the 17th century, the dark blue applied to Union Flags destined for maritime use was possibly selected on the basis of the durability of darker dyes,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Colour of the flag )〕 with this dark blue shade eventually becoming standard on Union Flags both at sea and on land. Some flag manufacturers selected the same navy blue colour trend of the Union Flag for the Saltire itself, leading to a variety of shades of blue being depicted on the flag of Scotland. These variations in shade eventually led to calls to standardise the colour of Scotland's national flag, and in 2003 a committee of the Scottish Parliament met to examine a petition that the Scottish Executive adopt the Pantone 300 colour as a standard. (Note that this blue is of a lighter shade than the Pantone 280 of the Union Flag). Having taken advice from a number of sources, including the office of the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the committee recommended that the optimum shade of blue for the Saltire be Pantone 300. Recent versions of the Saltire have therefore largely converged on this official recommendation. (Pantone 300 is #0065BD as hexadecimal web colours.) The flag proportions are not fixed, however the Lord Lyon King of Arms states that 5:4 is suitable.〔 (Flag manufacturers themselves may adopt alternative ratios, including 1:2 or 2:3). The ratio of the width of the bars of the saltire in relation to the width of the field is specified in heraldry in relation to shield width rather than flag width. However, this ratio, though not rigid, is specified as one-third to one-fifth of the width of the field.〔 (Google Books )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Flag of Scotland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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