Bloody flag

However, if they refused or were too slow, the pirates would raise the bloody flag, which would signal that the cargo would be taken by force and that "no quarter would be given" to prisoners.

The pirate usage of the flag makes an appearance in the comic book The Adventures of Tintin, The Secret of the Unicorn.

[4] The first confirmed use of red flags as a signalement for no quarter stems from the Normans during the late 13th century.

The origin of this use is unknown, however, the Norse ancestors of the Normans did use deep red shields as combat signalements.

[1][9] In one petition, a group of English sailors asserted that the Crown had no right to a share of the prize money earned from a Norman ship captured in 1293 because it had raised the Baucans.

[13] In 1647, the bloody flag was included in Royal Navy instructions: ”[a]s soon as the Admiral shall hoist a Red Flag on the flagg staff at the fore- top - mast - head, and fire again, every Ship in the fleet is to use their utmost Endeavour to engage the enemy in Order the Admiral has prescribed to them”.

During the late 17th century, English privateers had to fly red flags to distinguish their ships from the White Ensign flown by Royal Navy warships.

[citation needed] The flag has many names internationally and historically, some possibly not period accurate.