List of black flags
This is a list of flags which are entirely or largely black.
In history
- A black flag (Black Standard) was used by Muhammad to represent his religion.[1] It was used as the standard of the Abbasid Caliphate. It has also been stated that it will be the flag of the army that will fight the Dajjal.
- During the "Bauernkriege" in Europe in the 16th century the black flag was used by the revolting farmers.
- The Black Flag was flown by certain irregular Confederate Army units in the American Civil War of 1861-1865 to symbolize that they would neither give, nor accept quarter; symbolizing the opposite of the white flag of surrender.
- The Anarchist black flag 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 Proudhon quote, meaning anarchy is the mother of order .
- Afghanistan flew a solid black flag from 1880–1901 (see Flag of Afghanistan)
- Upon the surrender of Nazi Germany in World War II German U-boats were ordered to fly a black flag and sail to an Allied port and surrender.[1]
In society
- Black flags are often associated with funerals in the West, particularly state funerals and public mourning.
- In the former Yugoslavia, a plain black flag is the flag of mourning. It is displayed for 40 days after death on the deceased person's house.
- Black Flag is another name for the Jolly Roger, a skull and crossbones on a black field, and is associated with pirates.
- The black flag is the symbol of the Jewish ultra-Orthodox, anti-Zionist group, Neturei Karta. It is flown as a sign of mourning over the creation of the State of Israel, most commonly on Israeli Independence Day.
- The Swedish Pirate Party have a black flag as a symbol, shaped like the letter P.
In competition, as a signal
- The black flag is a racing flag used to summon a driver to the pits.
- In sail racing, when the black flag is displayed with the preparatory signal, a boat that is over the starting line in the minute prior to 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 NASCAR).
See also
References