So how did England end up with St George as its patron saint, instead of any of these? Of course St George, as everybody knows, never came anywhere near England. Though the precise historical basis of his legend is disputed, the roots of his story lie in the eastern Mediterranean, with the earliest sources for his life dating from the fifth and sixth centuries. Even here there\u2019s some disagreement about the details of his life, but he\u2019s said to have served as a soldier and suffered martyrdom when he refused to renounce his faith.<\/p>\n
For the first 1000 years or so of his history, St George was much more popular in Eastern Christianity than in the West. His name was known in early medieval England, but only as one among many other saints (even \u00c6lfric tells his story \u2013 minus the dragon, which was a later addition to the legend). His popularity in this country is mostly a product of the later Middle Ages, boosted first by the Crusades, which brought an increasing interest in military saints, and later by a story that St George had miraculously aided the English army at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.<\/p>\n
As a soldier-saint George became associated with all the aristocratic parade of Christian chivalry, beloved of medieval knights and kings. Edward III founded the Order of the Garter under the saint\u2019s patronage in the 14th century, helping to encourage a link between George and the English monarchy. St George\u2019s popularity was also growing elsewhere in Europe in the later Middle Ages; he was included as one of the \u201cFourteen Holy Helpers\u201d, a group of widely-venerated saints whose aid was sought against all kinds of disasters. In medieval legend, George was sometimes known as \u201cOur Lady\u2019s knight\u201d, because one version of his story told how the Virgin Mary brought him back from the dead to fight the dragon.<\/p>\n
By the 15th century lavish celebrations were taking place in various parts of England in honour of St George\u2019s feast day. <\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n Today in #history<\/a>: George of Lydda (Saint George) is executed for refusing to renounce his Christian faith. (303 CE). #SaintGeorgesDay<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/goFkOi68MR<\/a><\/p>\n — World History Encyclopedia (@whencyclopedia) April 23, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n