Entire nations have some kind of plant as a national symbol. The floral symbol of England is the red rose, the queen of flowers. Each symbol plant in a certain way reflects the history and culture of the state, represents the country to the whole world. Scientists call the symbols "a certain text", addressed to future generations. What information does the plant symbol chosen by the British carry? Why did a perfect and exquisite rose, the symbol of England, become a distinctive sign of an entire nation, acquire a special meaning and status as a “national” flower?
The choice of a symbol plant is determined by different circumstances:
- the plant grows in the territory where the people live, using it as a sign of sociocultural coding;
- the origin of the symbol is associated with traditions and legends that convey information about the past;
- The choice of symbol is justified by specific historical events.
In the case of England, the last circumstance was decisive - the plant symbol of England appeared due to a historical event - the War of the Roses.
Symbol of England and the war of the Scarlet and White roses
A rather strange name for war. Of course, not delicate flowers fought among themselves , but people whose patrimonial arms decorated roses. These individuals, who failed to peacefully share power, belonged to two lines of the royal Plantagenet dynasty - Lancaster and York. The modern symbol of England is the red rose. She was present in the coat of arms of the Lancaster House, which challenged the ambitious representatives of the York House, whose coat of arms was decorated with a white rose, to challenge the right to the English throne.
It should be noted that a noble and luxurious flower appeared on the British Isles in the XIV century, and the most notable English lords and ladies were fond of rose breeding. Thanks to the artist John Petty, who perfectly displayed on the canvas the scene from Shakespeare's fiction from the first part of the play “Henry VI”, the modern viewer has the opportunity to imagine how the supporters of the warring factions in the Temple garden chose red and white roses.
In 1455, the enmity of the two genera escalated into a war that lasted 30 years, until 1485. The bloody struggle for the throne ended with the wedding of Henry VII (Lancaster) and the daughter of Edward IV (York), Princess Elizabeth. The Thirty Years War, drawing a line under the English Middle Ages, was the starting point in the history of new England, when the Tudor dynasty settled on the throne, combining the colors of two roses in its emblem.
Rosa Tudor
From now on, the flower - the symbol of England was depicted as a white rose of York (in the center), bordered by the petals of a red rose of Lancaster.
The emblem has become part of the heraldic tradition of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Previously, the symbol of England was cut out wherever possible: the ceilings in many
English houses were decorated with the emblem
, it was present in the decoration of building facades. The emblem can still be seen on the uniforms of the Royal Life Guards and the guards in the Tower of London. Rosa Tudor - detail of the cockade of servicemen of the British intelligence forces. Her image is present on some coins. Rose adorns the royal
coat of arms of Great Britain and the national
emblem of Canada.