The symbol of Great Britain is a rose, and not simple, but red with white inner petals. In fact, this image combines two flowers at once, one of which was the symbolism of the York family, and the second of the Lancaster family. Alas, in the history of this sign there is much more politics than floristry.
The origins of the appearance of the symbol of England
In Great Britain, for many years, two families belonging to the royal dynasty - Yorks and Lancaster - fought for the right to rule the country. The symbol of the house of the first kind was a snow-white rose, and of the second, a scarlet one. Interestingly, the white flower was a much more ancient symbol than the red one. The scarlet rose of Lancaster appeared only during the period of confrontation of this clan with the Yorkies - precisely as a kind of antipode of the white flower, an emphasized opposition to it.
In 1455, the long-term feud between the families finally turned into a war that lasted 30 years. The result of all the bloody battles was the victory of the Lancaster. The crown was received by Henry VII, who became the founder of the Tudor dynasty. He turned a white rose bordered with red petals into a symbol of England - the scarlet color, thus, became dominant in the emblem. Two years after the end of the war, in 1487, the Yorkies tried to regain the crown, but they failed to win, and the Earl of Lincoln, who became the instigator, was killed.
Special attention should be paid to the combination of a red and a white rose in the emblem. Two years before the end of the war, Henry VII, in return for support from parliament, swore an oath that if the Lancasters succeed in defeating the Yorks, he will marry one of the heiresses of the house at war with him - Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV. He kept his promise, and his marriage to a woman from the House of York became a symbol of the unification of two clans that had previously been at war for many years.
Development of the symbol of England
The red and white flower, called the Tudor rose, has become a generally accepted symbol of England after Henry VII ascended the throne. The king even ordered that this emblem be depicted in the center of a table kept at Winchester Castle, which was considered the Round Table of King Arthur and his knights.
Later, the image of the Tudor rose was changed many times. This flower was painted with and without a stem, and also supplemented with leaves and a crown, thus emphasizing the belonging of the emblem of the royal dynasty. In Scotland, a red and white rose was supplemented with a thistle. You can also find the image of a rose with a pomegranate - the emblem of Catherine of Aragon.
One way or another, the red and white flower is still used today as the symbol of Great Britain. It was depicted on a 20p coin, issued before 2008. This emblem is also used in the British Supreme Court and is a part of the cockade of the intelligence servicemen.
