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Pirate Flags

Pirates have always travelled the seas. In the times when flags on ships were not yet modern, in antiquity and the early Middle Ages, pirates sailed unrecognised and took advantage of the moment of surprise. Later, when ships carried flags, it was necessary to recognise them somehow. At first they approached under a 'false flag', then, at the moment of attack, the famous pirate flags were hoisted. There were probably special identification marks that could always be assigned to a particular pirate, but they mainly served as a deterrent, often accompanied by a red flag. A remnant from the old days when, for example, besiegers used a red flag to signal to the besiegers that they would fight to the last and would not surrender, which was intended to indicate certain bloodshed. This type of deterrent was intended to make the besieged at sea realise the seriousness of the situation, but also to bring about a quick surrender. In this respect, pirate flags were black, but sometimes also red, but were often supplemented by the red blood flag. Some pirates, but by no means all, displayed skulls, bones or skeletons with swords or even hourglasses. The latter were intended to signal to the victim 'Your time is running out'. Today, the black pirate flag is generally referred to as 'Jolly Roger', but this is nothing more than an English corruption of the French 'Joli Rouge', which means 'pretty red', and thus refers to the red pirate flags. From the 18th century onwards, piracy declined more and more, not only because the world became smaller and smaller and unoccupied hideaways became increasingly rare, but above all because privateers' letters of marque provided a legal means of robbery at sea. Letters of marque were a means of warfare that allowed private individuals to attack and rob merchant ships of the enemy nation, whereby a portion of the booty had to be paid to the issuer of the letter of marque. The 'false flag' was also used in privateer warfare as a means of approaching the enemy. When fire was opened, however, the false flag had to be lowered and the enemy's own raised. This still applies in the law of war today. Modern piracy operates with automatic weapons, speedboats, night vision devices and satellite navigation, often at night, but flags no longer play a role. Another important red flag, which could also somehow be related to the pirate flag, was the quarantine flag. A single-coloured red flag, which indicates potentially infectious diseases on board and was clearly intended as a deterrent. To better distinguish the quarantine flag from the pirates, it was given a swallowtail. In the International Signal Flag Alphabet, this flag became the signal flag Bravo ('B'), which still signals 'danger' today.



Source: Jürgen Kaltschmitt, Volker Preuss, Wikipedia (D), Book: "Piraten", Heinz Neukirchen, 1982, VEB Transpress Verlag





There have been a few pirate celebrities who have made their presence felt with their own flag:



Flag of the pirates Misson and Caraccioli



There were, for example, the pirates Misson and Caraccioli, who were active around 1690. They were notable for the fact that they were not out to enrich themselves, but lived their lives in a kind of floating republic of freedom fighters. They and their crew captured only what they needed to live on and eventually founded the 'Liberta' republic in northern Madagascar, which lasted a few years before falling victim to an attack by local natives. They all died. They rejected the black flag, preferring a white cloth with the golden inscription 'For God and Freedom'.

Source: Book: "Piraten", Heinz Neukirchen, 1982, VEB Transpress Verlag, www.msn.com, Volker Preuss






Flag of the Pirate Thomas Tew



The pirate Thomas Tew was only active for a very short time, around 1693. He only undertook two major voyages and died on the last one. He succeeded in capturing the enormous sum of – by today's reckoning – 112.2 million Euros. He is said to have a black flag with an arm holding a kind of oriental scimitar. That could fit, his hunting ground was the Indian Ocean.

Source: www.msn.com, Volker Preuss






Flag of the Pirate John Rackham



John Rackham, also known as Jack Rackam, was a pirate in the North Caribbean, Bahamas and Cuba between 1718 and 1720. He was also known as 'Calico Jack', and before he ended up hanging for piracy, he brought home a booty of – by today's reckoning – 1.6 million Euros. He is said to have invented the black pirate flag with the skull and crossbones. This may be doubted.

Source: www.msn.com, Volker Preuss






Flag of the Pirate Emanuel Wynn



Emanuel Wynn, (also: Wynne) was a French pirate born around 1650 who was active around 1700. He is also said to have been the first pirate to use a 'Jolly Roger'. His flag was black and showed a skull on crossed bones with an hourglass underneath.

Source: Wikipedia (EN)






Flag of the Pirate Bartholomew Roberts



Bartholomew Roberts was active as a pirate off America and West Africa between 1719 and 1722. He was known as 'Black Beard' or 'Barti Ddu' in Welsh. Before he fell in battle, he had plundered – by today's reckoning – 35.1 million Euros in booty. His black flag showed a sabre-bearing pirate standing on two skulls. The letters of the acronym 'ABH AMH' were conspicuous, meaning 'A Barbadian's Head, a Martinician's Head'. This probably referred to the two skulls on the flag and their origin from Barbados and Martinique.

Source: www.msn.com, Volker Preuss






Flag of the Pirate Henry Every



Henry Every (1659–ca.1700, alias John Avery, alias Long Ben, alias Benjamin Bridgeman, alias 'The Arch Pirate') was another English pirate. His bases were in New England on the east coast and his hunting ground was the Indian Ocean, where he also operated together with Thomas Tew. He specialised in Muslim pilgrim ships and scored a major coup when he succeeded in capturing the 'Gang-I-Sawai', a ship belonging to the family of the Grand Mogul of India. The booty alone totalled 180,000 pounds in money and valuables. The ensuing diplomatic squabbles between the Grand Mogul, the British East India Company and the British Crown brought him down. As a kind of 'persona non grata', he could no longer sail to his bases unmolested, the troop disbanded and was gradually arrested and executed. Every himself was probably able to escape unmolested. The flag he was said to have flown showed a skull from the side, with a headband and earring and crossed bones below. The flag is described in the colour red, but there are also illustrations showing the motif on a black flag.

Source: Book: "Piraten", Heinz Neukirchen, 1982, VEB Transpress Verlag, www.welt.de, Volker Preuss






Flag of the Pirate Walter Kennedy



Walter Kennedy was only active as a pirate for a short time. He originally served in the Royal Navy, but was involved in a mutiny in 1718, in the course of which Howell Davis became captain of a pirate community to which Walter Kennedy also belonged. After Davis's death, command was transferred to Bartholomew Roberts. Davis commanded Roberts' ship, the Royal Rover. Under his leadership, the crew decided to give up piracy after several raids and set sail for Ireland. However, they landed in Scotland and pretended to be shipwrecked. Due to their licentious behaviour, the group was quickly unmasked and recognised as pirates, arrested and sentenced, nine of them to death. Kennedy managed to escape to Ireland and squandered his booty in Dublin. He moved to Deptford in England, where he is said to have run a brothel. When one of his prostitutes accused him of theft, he was imprisoned and then denounced as a pirate by the helmsman of a ship he had captured. He was hanged on 21st of July in 1721. His flag is said to have been black and to have shown a human figure with a sabre and an hourglass next to a skull and crossbones.

Source: Wikipedia (EN)






Flags of the Pirate Jean Thomas Dulaien



Jean Thomas Dulaien was a French pirate whose territory was the Caribbean. His famous and widely accepted pirate code and his flag system have been passed down. He was originally part of the crew of a privateer ship, half Spanish and half French, and fought against the English. In 1727 there was a mutiny, the French murdered the Spaniards and elected Dulaien as their captain. He created and practised an escalating caper and flag system. First the victim was shown the black flag. If there was still resistance, a red flag was raised, signalling that there would be no mercy if the victims did not surrender voluntarily. If there was still resistance, no one was spared after the ship was captured. The actual appearance of his flag has not been completely handed down, there are only descriptions. It is sometimes said that he had a flag in the design of Walter Kennedy's.

Source: Wikipedia (EN), Ed Fox






Flag of the Pirate Edward England



Edward England, actually Edward Seegar, was born in Ireland around 1685. He was originally a privateer and was involved in Henry Jennings' hunt for the Spanish gold fleet in 1715. From 1718, he was a member of the pirate Charles Vane's entourage. After Vane and other prominent pirates had accepted the king's pardon, Edward England sailed with his men to Africa, their new hunting ground. In 1720, England and his men got into a fierce battle with James Macrae, the British king's commissioner, near the Comoros Islands. England agreed to a peace treaty, whereupon he was dismissed as captain and sent to Mauritius with one sailor. They reached Madagascar in a self-built boat, where Edward England died of illness in the winter of 1720/1721.

Source: Wikipedia (EN)






Flags of the Pirate Richard Worley



Richard Worley decided to try his luck as a pirate in 1718. He initially preyed on the east coast of the British colonies in North America and then changed his hunting ground to the Bahamas Islands. Here he was captured by the authorities, but managed to escape back to the coast of North America. Off Jamestown (Virginia), he was again captured by the authorities on 17th of February in 1719, his entire troop fell in battle, only he and a sailor survived. Both were executed the next day. He is said to have had a black flag with a skull and crossbones in the centre, which was probably placed on two crossed bones. According to other accounts, his black flag is said to have shown a complete skeleton.

Source: Wikipedia (EN)






Flag of the Pirate Christopher Moody



Christopher Moody became a pirate in 1718 after a mutiny. He was part of Howell Davis' crew. After his death, Bartholomew Roberts took command. He was captured by the Royal Navy in 1722 and hanged in Cabo Corso on the Gold Coast. Christopher Moody never had his own ship or command and could not have had his own flag. The red flag, which has been handed down, was associated with him from 1933 onwards, which cannot be correct. He was often confused with the pirate William Moody, which led to discrepancies in the accounts of his deeds.

Source: Wikipedia (EN)






Flag of the Pirate William Moody



William Moody was active as a pirate captain from 1718. His territory was initially the Caribbean until he came to the attention of the authorities. He moved to the African coast (Sierra Leone) from 1719. He accepted a pardon from the king in the same year, returned to New Providence (Bahamas Islands) and died. He is credited with a black flag showing a skeleton with an hourglass in one hand and a bundle of three spears and arrows in the other, one of which is piercing a red heart.

Source: Wikipedia (EN)






Flag of the Pirate Stede Bonnet



Stede Bonnet was born in Barbados in 1688 to a wealthy English family. He decided to turn to piracy in 1717, bought a sailing ship, the Revenge, and took on a crew. His territory was initially the east coast of the British colonies in North America, then he was based in the Bahamas Islands. As early as 1718, he was arrested on the coast of Carolina after a fight and hanged in Charles Town on 10th of December. Stede Bonnet is credited with a black flag showing a skull, a short dagger, a heart and a bone.

Source: Wikipedia (EN)






Flag of the Pirate Francis Spriggs



Francis Spriggs began his pirate career under the command of Edward Low, from whom he inherited his brutality. In 1724 he was given his own command and his own ship, the Delight. His territory was the Caribbean, and to some extent the east coast of the British colonies in North America. Spriggs appears to have been tracked down in 1726, but managed to escape. His trail is lost in Jamaica. Francis Spriggs is said to have used the same flag as Edward Low, a black flag showing a skeleton with an hourglass in one hand and a spear piercing a red heart in the other.

Source: Wikipedia (EN)






Flags of the Pirate Edward Low



Edward Low was born into poverty around 1690. He initially travelled as a thief in London and later went to Boston in Massachusetts. His wife died in childbirth at the end of 1719 and he became a pirate in 1721. He soon had his own command and constantly maintained a small fleet of three or four ships. His hunting grounds were the east coast of the British colonies in North America, the Azores and the Caribbean. Low and his men captured at least a hundred ships during his short career and burned most of them. Low was only active for three years, but he was notorious as one of the most vicious pirates of his time, not only murdering his victims but also torturing them before death. There are various reports about his fate: He is said to have reached Brazil in 1724 and survived there; he is said to have sunk with his ship in a storm in 1724 and drowned; he is said to have been abandoned to starve after a revolt but rescued by a French ship, although he was recognised as a pirate shortly afterwards and executed in 1724; he is said to have been unmasked in 1726, but a Miskito murdered him; he is said to have been recognised in 1739 while escaping from the Spanish fort Porto Bello – he was part of the fort's gun crew – when it was attacked by British troops. Edward Low's flag is said to have been a black flag showing a skeleton with an hourglass in one hand and a spear piercing a red heart in the other. From July 1723 he is said to have used a new flag, black with a red skeleton in the centre.

Source: Wikipedia (EN)






Flags of the Pirate Edward "Blackbeard" Teach



Edward Teach (also: Thatch, or Blackbeard) was probably born around 1680 in Bristol (England) to a respected, wealthy family. He may have started his career as a sailor on privateer ships during the War of the Spanish Succession and operated in the region around the island of Jamaica. After the end of the war, he ended up in the pirate base of New Providence in the Bahamas and joined the crew of pirate captain Benjamin Hornigold around 1716. He won his first ship and thus his first command. Stede Bonnet later joined the crew. Hornigold retired from piracy towards the end of 1717. In the following years, Edward Teach rose to become one of the most successful and feared pirates. His territory was the east coast of the British colonies in North America and the Caribbean. He was considered to be very clever, rejected the use of violence and relied on a fearsome appearance, which was usually enough to break the will of his victims. Edward Teach and several of his crew members were killed in a battle with the Royal Navy on 22nd of November in 1718. It is said that Teach also used black flags with skulls and 'bloody flags' to intimidate his enemies. There is a flag that is attributed to him: It is black and shows a horned skeleton holding a skewer in one hand and piercing a red heart with it while raising a glass in honour of the devil. This flag has never existed in this form. The horned skeleton is also simply not possible from a cultural-historical point of view, as it can be neither death nor the devil. It is simply a misinterpretation or even a reinterpretation of the flag according to the model of William Moody, Francis Spriggs and Edward Low, a kind of grotesque exaggeration of modern times. The fact that the hourglass was not recognised as such and was interpreted as a wine glass speaks precisely to this.

Source: Wikipedia (EN)