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The cult of St George probably first reached the [[Kingdom of England]] when the crusaders returned from the Holy Land in the [[12th century]]. King [[Edward III of England]] (reigned [[1327]] – [[1377]]) was known for promoting the codes of [[knighthood]] and in [[1348]] founded the [[Order of the Garter]]. During his reign, George came to be recognised as the [[patron saint]] of [[England]]. Edward dedicated the chapel at [[Windsor Castle]] to the soldier saint who represented the knightly values of [[chivalry]] which he so much admired and the Garter ceremony still takes place there every year. [[Shakespeare]] firmly placed St George within the national conscience in his play [[Henry V (play)|Henry V]] in which the English troops are rallied with the cry “God for Harry, England and St George.” With the revival of Scottish and Welsh nationalism, there has been renewed interest within England in St George, whose memory had been in abeyance for many years. This is most evident in the St George's flags which now have replaced [[Union Jack]]s in stadiums where English sports teams compete. Nevertheless, St George’s Day still remains a relatively low-key affair. The City of [[Salisbury]] does, however, hold an annual St George’s Day pageant, the origins of which are believed to go back to the thirteenth century. In recent years demands for an official St George’s celebration to be held in England’s capital city have been turned down by the [[London]] Mayor, [[Ken Livingstone]], in favour of a festival in honour of [[St Patrick]], Ireland’s patron saint.

On the [[Iberian peninsula]], George also came to be considered as patron to the [[Crown of Aragon]] ([[Aragon]], [[Catalonia]], [[Valencia]] and [[Majorca]]; [[Catalan language|Catalan]]: ''Sant Jordi'') and [[Portugal]] ([[Portuguese language]]: ''São Jorge'') during their struggles against [[Castile]]. Their previous patron [[Saint James the Great]] was considered more strongly connected to Castile. Already connected in accepting George as their patron saint, in [[1386]] England and Portugal agreed to an [[Anglo-Portuguese Alliance]]. Today this treaty between the [[United Kingdom]] and Portugal is still in force. In [[1969]], Saint George's feast day was reduced to an optional memorial in the [[Roman Catholic]] calendar, and the solemnity of his commemoration depends on purely local observance. He is however still honoured as a saint of major importance by [[Eastern Orthodoxy]]. His feast date, [[April 23]], is the Day of Aragon ([[Spain]]) and is also holiday in Catalonia ([[Spain]]) where it is traditional to give a rose and a book to the loved one.  [[St George's Day]] is also celebrated with parades in those countries of which he is the patron saint.