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The Union Jack,〔(The Union Jack or the Union Flag ) at flaginstitute.org〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Union Jack )〕 or Union Flag, is the national flag of the United Kingdom. The flag also has an official or semi-official status in some other Commonwealth realms; for example, it is, by law, an official flag in Canada and known there as the ''Royal Union Flag''. Further, it is used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas territories. The Union Jack also appears in the canton (upper left-hand quarter) of the flags of several nations and territories that are former British possessions or dominions. The claim that the term ''Union Jack'' properly refers only to naval usage has been disputed, following historical investigations by the Flag Institute in 2013.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01jph1l ).〕 The origins of the earlier flag of Great Britain date back to 1606. James VI of Scotland had inherited the English and Irish thrones in 1603 as James I, thereby uniting the crowns of England, Scotland, and Ireland in a personal union, although the three kingdoms remained separate states. On 12 April 1606, a new flag to represent this regal union between England and Scotland was specified in a royal decree, according to which the flag of England (a red cross on a white background, known as ''St George's Cross''), and the flag of Scotland (a white saltire on a blue background, known as the ''Saltire'' or ''St Andrew's Cross''), would be joined together, forming the flag of England and Scotland for maritime purposes. King James also began to refer to a "Kingdom of Great Britaine", although the union remained a personal one. The present design of the Union Flag dates from a Royal proclamation following the union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. The flag combines aspects of three older national flags: the red cross of St George of the Kingdom of England, the white saltire of St Andrew for Scotland (which two were united in the first Union Flag), and the red saltire of St Patrick to represent Ireland. Notably, the home country of Wales is not represented separately in the Union Jack, being only indirectly represented through the flag of England representing the former Kingdom of England (which included Wales). ==Terminology== The terms ''Union Jack'' and ''Union Flag'' are both historically correct for describing the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Whether the term ''Union Jack'' applies only when used as a jack flag on a ship is a modern matter of debate. According to the Parliament of the United Kingdom:〔(【引用サイトリンク】website=UK Parliament )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】website=UK Parliament )〕 "Until the early 17th century England and Scotland were two entirely independent kingdoms. This changed dramatically in 1603 on the death of Elizabeth I of England. Because the Queen died unmarried and childless, the English crown passed to the next available heir, her cousin James VI, King of Scotland. England and Scotland now shared the same monarch under what was known as a union of the crowns. In 1606, James VI gave orders for a British flag to be created which bore the combined crosses of St. George and of St. Andrew. The result was the Union Jack, Jack being a shortening of Jacobus, the Latin version of James". According to the Flag Institute, a membership-run vexillological charity,〔(【引用サイトリンク】website=The Flag Institute )〕 "the national flag of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories is the Union Flag, which may also be called the Union Jack."〔(【引用サイトリンク】website=The Flag Institute )〕 The institute also notes: Notwithstanding Their Lordships' circular of 1902, by 1913 the Admiralty described the "Union Flag" and added in a foot note that 'A Jack is a Flag to be flown only on the "Jack" Staff'. However, the authoritative ''A Complete Guide to Heraldry'' published in 1909 by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies uses the term "Union Jack". The term "Union Flag" is used in King Charles's 1634 proclamation: and in King George III's proclamation of 1 January 1801 concerning the arms and flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland: When the first flag representing Britain was introduced on the proclamation of King James I in 1606,〔 〕 it became known simply as the "British flag" or the "flag of Britain". The royal proclamation gave no distinctive name to the new flag. The word "jack" was in use before 1600 to describe the maritime bow flag.〔 By 1627 a small Union Jack was commonly flown in this position. One theory goes that for some years it would have been called just the "Jack", or "Jack flag", or the "King's Jack", but by 1674, while formally referred to as "His Majesty's Jack", it was commonly called the "Union Jack", and this was officially acknowledged.〔 Amongst the proclamations issued by King George III at the time of the Union of 1801 was a proclamation concerning flags at sea, which repeatedly referred to "Ensigns, Flags, Jacks, and Pendants" and forbade merchant vessels from wearing "Our Jack, commonly called the Union Jack" nor any pendants or colours used by the King's ships. Reinforcing the distinction the King's proclamation of the same day concerning the arms and flag of the United Kingdom (not colours at sea) called the new flag "the Union Flag". The size and power of the Royal Navy internationally at the time could also explain why the flag was named the "Union Jack"; considering the navy was so widely utilised and renowned by the United Kingdom and colonies, it is possible that the term ''jack'' occurred because of its regular use on all British ships using the jack staff (a flag pole attached to the bow of a ship). The term ''Union Jack'' possibly dates from Queen Anne's time (r. 1702–14), but its origin is uncertain. It may come from the 'jack-et' of the English or Scottish soldiers, or from the name of James I who originated the first union in 1603. Even if the term "Union Jack" does derive from the jack flag, after three centuries, it is now sanctioned by use and has appeared in official use, confirmed as the national flag by Parliament and remains the popular term. More recently, Reed's ''Nautical Almanac'' unambiguously states: "The Union Flag, frequently but incorrectly referred to as the Union Jack, ..." and later: "8. The Jack – A small flag worn on a jackstaff on the stem of Naval Vessels. The Royal Navy wears the Union Flag ... This is the only occasion when it correct to describe the flag as the Union Jack". However, this assertion does not appear in any Reed's ''Nautical Almanac'' since 1993. In the current 2016 Reeds Nautical Almanac the only entry where this might appear, section 5.21, covering Flag Etiquette, does not include this statement. Within the Almanac, neither the Union Flag or the Union Jack are included pictorially or mentioned by name. For comparison with another anglophone country with a large navy: the Jack of the United States specifically refers to the flag flown from the jackstaff of a warship, auxiliary or other U.S. governmental entity.〔(United States Naval Jack )〕 ==Design== 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「Union Jack」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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