Country Studies

Tudor rose

Once upon a time there were two dukes in Britain. The symbol of the first one was a red rose of the second one was a white rose. They were at war for the throne of England. The winner was the duke whose symbol was a red rose. So, when he became the king he made this flower the symbol of the country. This war is known as the Wars of the Roses in 1455-1485.

Symbols of the UK Scotland

Thistle

Legend has it that at some point during the invasion the Norsemen tried to surprise the sleeping Scottish warriors. In order to move more quiet at night the Norsemen removed their shoes. But as they were barefoot they came across an area of ground covered in thistles and one of them unfortunately stood on a thistle and screamed in pain. The Scottish woke up and the important role that the thistle had played was recognized and so it was chosen as Scotland's national emblem.