Material evidence of the saltire's use dates from many centuries later. In 1385 the Parliament of Scotland decreed that Scottish soldiers should wear a saltire as a distinguishing mark. The earliest surviving Scottish flag consisting solely of the saltire dates from 1503: a white cross on a red background. By 1540 the legend of King Angus had been altered to include the vision of the cross against a blue sky. Thereafter, this saltire design in its present form became the national flag of Scotland.