290:, is flown to identify a ship's crew as pirates about to attack. The flag most commonly identified as the Jolly Roger today is the skull and crossbones (although swords are also common), a flag consisting of a human skull above two long bones (probably tibias) set in an x-mark arrangement, most usually depicted crossing each other directly under the skull, on a black field. This design was used by several pirates, including Captains "Black Sam" Bellamy, Edward England, and John Taylor. Some Jolly Roger flags also include an hourglass, another common symbol representing death in 17th- and 18th-century Europe. Despite the prominence of flags with art in popular culture, plain black flags with no art were often employed by most pirates in the 17thâ18th century. Historically, the flag was flown to frighten the pirates' victims into surrendering without a fight, since it conveyed the message that the attackers were outlaws who would not consider themselves bound by the usual rules of engagementâand might, therefore, slaughter those they defeated (since captured pirates were usually hanged, they did not have much to gain by asking quarter if defeated). Since the decline of piracy, various military units have used the Jolly Roger, usually in skull-and-crossbones design, as a unit identification insignia or a victory flag to ascribe to themselves the proverbial ferocity and toughness of pirates. In a non-naval context the skull and crossbones motif has additional meanings, for example, to signify a hazard such as poison.
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In the German and
Finnish militaries, black has been the traditional color of armored troops, which carries over to the flags of armored units. In Finland, also combat engineers have a black flag. The Armoured Brigade has a black flag defaced with a helmet, and engineer battalions have the black
534:, a boat that is over the starting line in the minute before the starting signal is immediately disqualified without a hearing. In some forms of racing, a black flag is used to disqualify competitors or indicate some other penalty (such as a forced pit stop in
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163:, when the Allies had already abandoned Catalonia that fought alone against the Spanish and French armies during 1713â1714. This black flag was packaged in 2012 with the historical novel
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has been an anarchist symbol since the 1880s. Anarchists use either a plain black flag or a black flag with an "A" and an "O" around it, this symbol is a reference to a
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394:'s flag black. Soufan also notes that there is debate about whether the prophet Mohammed actually spoke some of the quoted Hadiths (such as one attributed to
112:(Partito Nazionale Fascista) from 1926 to 1943. There were variations of the flag with different styles of fasces, this image shows one of those styles.
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The New
Zealand Rugby Union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, have a predominantly black flag with a white fern superimposed: see
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regarding "Black
Banners" of a "new army" taking over Khorasan have some kind of prophetic significance with many modern adherents of
346:
was adopted in 1972 and represents support for U.S. Vietnam War soldiers, airmen, and sailors, especially those captured by the enemy.
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bore a flag with solid black background as their royal standard, charged in silver with depictions of heirlooms from the founding of
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301:. Just as the black colour absorbs visible light, similarly the black colour symbolizes the absorption of spiritual light.
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665:"SPECIAL ORDERS BY THE SUPREME COMMANDER, ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE TO THE GERMAN HIGH COMMAND RELATING TO NAVAL FORCES"
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470:, a plain black flag is the flag of mourning. It is displayed for 40 days after death on the deceased person's house.
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Black flags are often associated with funerals in the West, particularly state funerals and public
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Muslim
Community, first designed in the 1930s. For Ahmadi Muslims, it symbolizes the advent of the
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This article is about significantly black flags. For flags with any amount of black, see
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in the 16th century, the white, black and pink flag was used by the revolting farmers.
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The black flag is the symbol of the Jewish ultra-Orthodox, anti-Zionist group,
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used by Abu Muslim in his uprising leading to the
Abbasid Revolution in 747.
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flew a solid black flag from 1709 to 1738 and from 1880 to 1901 (see
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has said the Black Banner hadiths are not able to be authenticated.
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flag inscription reads: "For king and fatherland; freedom or death".
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477:. It is flown as a sign of mourning over the creation of the
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is described as being entirely black with no insignia. In
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has a black flag as a symbol, shaped like the letter P.
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320:('liberty or death') inscribed in white under a skull.
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flag, first designed in the 1930s during the second
570:set several thousand years subsequently, the good
230:were ordered to fly a black flag and sail to an
526:used to signal a driver's disqualification. In
386:. He notes that it is "not a coincidence" that
337:the Ukrainian War of Independence (1917-1921)
8:
530:, when the black flag is displayed with the
20:List of flags by color § Black (Sable)
205:, designed after the party's paramilitary
197:The color black was famous as the flag of
513:is mostly black with a white cross on it.
316:during the 20th century, with the words "
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518:As a signal in competitions and sports
222:Upon the surrender of Nazi Germany in
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499:flags defaced with various symbols.
432:National League of POW/MIA Families
560:, the banner of the evil overlord
442:Flag of mourning in Prague Castle.
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351:Jihadism in the 20th/21st century
342:The National League of Families
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654:. Fontana, London. 1993. p. 558
190:rder Without Power". Since the
155:The black flag with the motto
96:Solid black flag; flag of the
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44:format but may read better as
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722:Pirate customs and traditions
398:). He also notes that Sheikh
161:War of the Spanish Succession
707:Lists and galleries of flags
215:used black flag with double
167:(Free or Dead) authored by
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689:W. W. Norton & Company
611:Blue flag (disambiguation)
192:Spanish Revolution of 1936
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504:List of New Zealand flags
652:Demanding the Impossible
578:and Arnor including the
483:Israeli Independence Day
171:and David de Montserrat.
157:Viurem lliures o morirem
53:converting this article
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542:Fictional black flags
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140:German Peasants' War
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234:port and surrender.
150:Flag of Afghanistan
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650:Marshall, Peter.
373:The Black Banners
242:The traditional "
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318:Sloboda ili smrt
304:The flag of the
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668:. Retrieved
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554:Middle-earth
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509:The flag of
493:Pirate Party
430:Flag of the
420:Finnish Army
414:Flag of the
396:Abu Hurairah
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344:POW/MIA flag
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308:movement in
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258:Flag of the
224:World War II
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169:Jaume Clotet
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121:
120:Flag of the
108:Flag of the
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57:Editing help
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601:Yellow flag
528:sail racing
524:racing flag
312:and former
284:Jolly Roger
244:Jolly Roger
207:Blackshirts
146:Afghanistan
138:During the
701:Categories
685:Ali Soufan
670:2013-11-23
627:References
621:White flag
606:Green flag
584:White Tree
552:and other
468:Yugoslavia
406:In society
369:Ali Soufan
314:Yugoslavia
186:narchy is
88:In history
65:April 2015
580:Palantiri
381:extremist
299:Caliphate
295:Ahmadiyya
260:Ahmadiyya
687:, 2011,
590:See also
582:and the
572:DĂșnedain
511:Cornwall
464:mourning
452:Cornwall
450:Flag of
392:al-Qaeda
384:jihadism
371:'s book
180:Proudhon
562:Morgoth
490:Swedish
456:England
418:of the
377:Hadiths
335:during
327:of the
306:Chetnik
275:Chetnik
228:U-boats
226:German
182:quote "
576:Gondor
536:NASCAR
310:Serbia
248:piracy
232:Allied
219:runes.
40:is in
390:made
359:The "
325:flags
286:, or
264:Mahdi
246:" of
199:Italy
82:black
78:flags
46:prose
488:The
331:and
323:The
293:The
282:The
174:The
42:list
546:In
538:).
367:In
217:sig
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