These seafaring groups were far from disorganized—they operated under strict codes of conduct that reflected a highly organized social order governing authority, distribution of plunder, and discipline. For example, spoils were systematically distributed:. The Captain served at the mercy of the crew, and could be removed from his position for acts of cowardice, cruelty, or failure to act in the best interest of the crew. A council governed the crew, representing the highest authority aboard the ship.
In many ways this order was necessary to the survival of piracy. This group knew that they were operating on borrowed time and on the edge of the hangman's noose. Though they could be commissioned, if caught by an opposing party, they faced death.
The literally needed to hang together, or could find themselves hanging separately, which bred a sense of fraternity that spread among pirates and manifested in cooperative tendencies at sea and in port. In this context, flags emerged as identifiers:. Though conflict between pirate bands was not unheard of, the groups were largely cooperative, even across national boundaries.
And they would defend each other. For example, when survivors of the wrecked Whidah were jailed in , pirates "acquired" a ship captain, whom they told "if the Prisoners Suffered they would Kill every Body [the pirates] took belonging to New England" 7. A version of the Jolly Roger was widely adopted by pirates for fraternal reasons that ultimately did lead to economic boons as discussed by the Times—some 2, men sailed under a version of a black flag bearing the insignia of a white skeleton striking a bleeding heart with one hand and holding a hour glass.
The flag was certainly meant to announce their presence, and the pirates, enterprising men that they were, quickly found that they could convey their intent to ships in their path with their banners: black flags indicated that they were pirates and that they would consider providing quarter, while a red flag bearing the described insignia meant that no quarter would be given and the mates meant to fight to the end.
However, the imagery chosen for the flag is as much a reflection of the pirates and their lifestyle as it was a reflection of their terrible natures:. By rallying under this sign, the pirates created a physical symbol that could be identified as "pirate.
Piracy was a business—an officially sanctioned business in many cases—but as the Cilicians were eradicated by the Empire once they became a sizable threat, so too would these men be persecuted, and by the very powers that once encouraged their numbers. Historian Douglas R. Burgess Jr. He was distinguished as a "noble pirate," a title also bestowed upon the likes of Drake and Morgan in recognition of their courage on behalf of English maritime interests 9. This reputation, having been firmly planted in the minds of the English population, proved difficult to undo.
In fact, when Every was brought to trial for the capture and mistreatment of the Ganj-i-Sawai Gunsway , he was acquitted by the jury, much to the embarrassment of the English government, which had taken the stance—somewhat necessarily to repair trade ties with India and restore the power of the East India Trading Company—that he must be punished.
On the national stage, this was a PR nightmare for England. The acquittal suggested that England was a "nation of pirates" to potential allies and trade partners, such as India, and encouraged English colonies to sympathize and support piracy in local waters because it suggested that the native England herself supported these individuals.
The government retried Every and his men under charges of mutiny. He had been first-mate of the Charles II. However, he seized the ship while at port as he had not been paid and renamed it the Fancy, and proceeded to attack the Ganj-i-Sawai. England effectively re-crafted the definition of piracy to bring him and his men to justice, and in doing so, sent the message that piracy itself would no longer be tolerated.
While this would not be the end of piracy itself, it may be a point at which multiple meanings associated with the Jolly Roger begin to take shape. The noble pirate image persisted: Every was treated as a folk hero in popular culture. For example, The Life and Adventures of Captain John Avery published in , painted Every as a "gallant swashbuckler who falls in love with an Indian princess on board the captured Ganj-i-Sawai" who then decrees that his crew should also have "dusky" brides to share in his joy Subsequently, playwright Charles Johnson would adapt the tale for stage in The Successful Pyrate, which portrayed Every as an "empire builder" and a "tough but effective monarch" Today, it is a globally popular symbol.
Besides being used as a fashion template, it also symbolises any form of resistance against authorities. It even became a symbol of a political party The Pirate Party. Both of them used the same expression for their flags, although they were both different and neither of them had the skull and crossbones on it. A testimony from a man who was captured by pirates in supports this idea. Another theory suggests a different etymology of the term. This trademark, the skull and crossbones symbol, had first been recorded on flags from the 17th century.
It is believed that the idea was borrowed from the designs on the flags of Barbary pirates Ottoman corsairs that used to operate under a green flag with a skull symbol. The black colour of pirate flags suggests the Muslim black banner, but this is only a presumption. One of the earliest reports of the skull and crossbones design dates back to December 6th, in a logbook entry. Mythologised in popular fiction and on the screen, a Jolly Roger, when seen on the horizon, would strike fear into the hearts of any sailor.
In reality, pirates commit brutal acts of violence and disrupt trade, which is why the Royal Navy still actively seeks to suppress their activities. Yet, despite fighting piracy, the practice of flying a Jolly Roger has also become tradition within the submarine service in response to a critic who likened them to pirates.
Handcrafted, they are as much a symbol of pride and also poignant reminder of the impact of war. Each action a submarine carried out had its own symbol. These symbols would either be painted or sewn onto a bit of black material.
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