Saint George is thought to have lived in the 3rd or 4th century. He is said to have been a Cappadocian knight. Many legends are associated with his life; the best known tells of how he rescued a maiden from a dragon at Silene in Libya. He is often represented wearing armour and slaying the dragon with a lance which bears a flag with a red cross on a white ground. In some accounts he tamed the dragon.
Saint George became the patron saint of England in the 14th century. He was a popular early Christian martyr elsewhere in Christendom and was the patron saint of soldiers.