Editing East India Company (section)

=== Flags ===
{{main|Flag of the East India Company}}
<div style="float:right;"><gallery mode="packed" heights="75px" class="center" caption="Historical depictions">
File:British East India Company Flag from Downman.jpg|Downman (1685)
File:British East India Company Flag from Lens.jpg|Lens (1700)
File:NatGeog1917EastIndiaCompanyFlag.jpg|''[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]'' (1917)
File:British East India Company Flag from Rees.jpg|Rees (1820)
File:British East India Company Flag from Laurie.jpg|Laurie (1842)
</gallery>
<gallery mode="nolines" heights="70px" class="center" caption="Modern depictions">
File:British East India Company flag.svg| 1600–1707
File:Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg| 1707–1801
File:Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg| 1801–1874
</gallery></div>
The English East India Company flag changed over time, with a [[canton (flag)|canton]] based on the flag of the contemporary Kingdom, and a field of 9-to-13&nbsp;alternating red and white stripes.

From 1600, the canton consisted of a [[St George's Cross]] representing the [[Kingdom of England]]. With the [[Acts of Union 1707]], the canton was changed to the new [[Evolution of UK Flag|Union Flag]]—consisting of an English St George's Cross combined with a Scottish [[Flag of Scotland|St Andrew's cross]]—representing the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]]. After the [[Acts of Union 1800]] that joined Ireland with Great Britain to form the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]], the canton of the East India Company flag was altered accordingly to include a [[Saint Patrick's Saltire]].

There has been much debate about the number and order of stripes in the field of the flag. Historical documents and paintings show variations from 9-to-13&nbsp;stripes, with some images showing the top stripe red and others showing it white.

At the time of the American Revolution the East India Company flag was nearly identical to the [[Continental Union Flag]]. Historian [[Charles Fawcett (historian)|Charles Fawcett]] argued that the East India Company Flag inspired the [[Flag of the United States|Stars and Stripes of America]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-eic2.html |title=The Striped Flag of the East India Company, and its Connexion with the American "Stars and Stripes" |first=Charles |last=Fawcett |author-link=Charles Fawcett (historian) |editor=Rob Raeside |date=30 July 2013 |access-date=26 September 2003 |archive-date=18 June 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030618121222/http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-eic2.html |url-status=live }}</ref>