What are Pirate Flags and Jolly Roger Flags?

For centuries, ships had used flags to communicate with one another at sea before the infamous “Jolly Roger” appeared in the early 1700s, during the “Golden Age of Pirates.” Pirate ships did not generally fly their “colors” (flags) at all times; instead, they waited until they were in the range of a vessel to attack before hoisting their flags as an ominous warning. The symbols on the flags represented the pirate captain’s brand of piracy, some of which had more profound meanings.

In any discussion about pirate symbols, the Jolly Roger is the first thing that comes to mind. If you want to own one, you can check out pirate flags for sale at discounted prices.

History

There were no designs on the earliest pirate flags of the “Golden Age of Pirates” era, but instead, they were solid red or black flags. Red flags have their origins among the English pirates who flew them to distinguish their boats from the Royal Navy during the late 1600s. In the end, many of these privateers became pirates and used the red flag as a signal.

Origin of the Jolly Roger

The term “Jolly Roger” originally referred to any flag that the pirates and privateers (state-sponsored pirates) raised, and their designs varied greatly. Since then, the term “Jolly Roger” represents a specific pirate flag with a black background and a white skull on top of two crossed bones in white. The origin of the name is unclear, but it may be a derivative from the devilish term ‘Roger,’ a figure known as ‘Old Roger’ in that period. In 1723, some officials hung a group of pirates carrying a flag in Newport, Rhode Island. It showed a skeleton holding an hourglass and a bleeding heart, called ‘Old Roger.’

Why did pirates use Jolly Roger?

Every pirate flag announced the presence of the pirates to the men on other ships. The black flag of pirates meant the mates would consider providing a quarter, but a red flag signified that they wouldn’t get any share until they fought to the end. The flag represented the pirates, their lifestyle, and their terrible nature.

Facts about pirate flags

• No flag from the golden age is in use.

The golden age of piracy was between 1650 and 1730. Piracy in the west was at its peak during this time. The English and the French established colonies worldwide, with ships sailing across the ocean carrying cargo. Pirates attacked these merchant ships for their bounty in pretty good numbers; however, some got arrested as well. None of the famous pirates had their flags at the time of arrest; hence no flag from the Golden age survived.

• Pirates didn’t always raise a flag.

A merchant ship captain would probably not approach anything with a black flag. Therefore, pirates did not fly their flags in open waters. They raised the flags only when the victim ship was close enough not to escape. They liked to surprise and intimidate them into surrendering as soon as possible.

Conclusion

Hopefully, now you know the history and some interesting facts about  pirate flags. If you are interested in collecting piracy-related memorabilia, you can find a wide variety of pirate flags for sale at various outlets and online. Jolly Roger was and will always remain the most famous pirate flag globally due to the legend behind its name and the ominous symbol.