Pirate Flag Captain Henry Every Flag Bloody Flag of Long Ben 3 X 5 ft. Standard

Henry Every Pirate Flag – The Bloody Flag of Long Ben

Size: 3×5 ft

The Most Wanted Pirate in the World

In 1696, the governments of England, the Mughal Empire, and the East India Company all wanted the same man dead or in chains. His name was Henry Every — known to sailors as Long Ben — and in a single audacious raid, he had done something no pirate before him had managed: he triggered an international diplomatic crisis, made himself the most wanted fugitive on earth, and then vanished completely.

The red flag he flew told you everything about his intentions before you ever saw his face.

The Red Flag — A Darker Warning Than the Skull and Bones

In the visual language of Golden Age piracy, color carried meaning. The black Jolly Roger was, paradoxically, often a flag of negotiation — a warning that invited surrender before violence began. Pirates preferred to take ships intact, with crews alive and cargo undamaged.

The red flag was something else entirely. Known in some accounts as the Jolie Rouge — the “pretty red” — a solid or skull-bearing red flag communicated a single message: no quarter given, no prisoners taken. There would be no negotiation, no terms, no survival for those who resisted.

Henry Every’s choice to fly a red variant of his personal Jolly Roger — a skull in profile on a blood-red field — announced his philosophy to every ship he bore down on. It was the most feared signal in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean trade routes.

The Ganj-i-Sawai — The Raid That Shook Empires

In September 1695, Every and a small fleet of pirate vessels intercepted a Mughal convoy returning from the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. The convoy’s flagship was the Ganj-i-Sawai — Exceeding Treasure in Persian — one of the largest and best-armed merchant vessels in the Indian Ocean, carrying an estimated £600,000 in gold, silver, and jewels alongside hundreds of passengers.

The battle was brutal. The Ganj-i-Sawai was larger and better armed than Every’s ship, the Fancy, but a fortunate early hit disabled the Mughal vessel’s primary cannon and the fight turned quickly. What followed was one of the most profitable captures in pirate history — and one of the most violent.

The political fallout was immediate and severe. Emperor Aurangzeb of the Mughal Empire was furious. He threatened to expel the East India Company from all Indian ports — a move that would have devastated Britain’s most profitable trade operation. The Company, desperate to protect its interests, pressured the English Crown to act. The result was the first international warrant issued for a pirate, with rewards offered across multiple nations.

The Man Who Got Away

What makes Every uniquely legendary is what happened next: nobody knows.

He distributed the plunder among his crew at the island of Nassau (years before it became the pirate republic) and the men scattered. Some were caught and hanged — their trial in London in 1696 was one of the first widely reported pirate trials in English history. But Every himself disappeared entirely. No confirmed capture, no confirmed execution, no confirmed death.

Some accounts placed him in Ireland. Others in the American colonies. One story has him dying in poverty in Devon, cheated out of his share by Bristol merchants who refused to redeem his diamonds. None of it is verified.

Henry Every is one of history’s great unsolved endings — the pirate who committed the most spectacular raid of the age and then simply ceased to exist.

Flag Details & Construction

Quality Tier: Standard Quality

• Size: 3 feet x 5 feet
• Material: Super-weave polyester — 100% synthetic, waterproof
• Print: Through-printed design visible on both sides
• Edges: Double-stitched throughout
• Header: Reinforced brass grommet rings for easy pole attachment
• Flies well in light to moderate breeze

Recommended Uses

• Outdoor fair-weather pole display
• Pirate-themed parties and events
• Halloween and seasonal decoration
• Man cave, game room, or nautical-themed interior décor
• Theatrical productions and historical reenactments
• Gift for maritime history enthusiasts and Golden Age of Piracy fans

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the red color signify on a pirate flag? In Golden Age piracy tradition, a red flag meant no quarter — no prisoners would be taken and no mercy shown. It was considered more fearsome than the black Jolly Roger, which typically left open the possibility of surrender. Henry Every’s red flag variant carried that full weight of threat.

Is Henry Every’s flag historically documented? Yes — Every’s flag design, featuring a skull in profile on a dark field, is among the better-documented Golden Age pirate flags. The red variant reflects the “no quarter” signaling tradition associated with his most notorious engagements.

Why was Henry Every so significant historically? Every’s raid on the Ganj-i-Sawai created the first true international piracy crisis — forcing England to issue what many historians consider the first coordinated multinational effort to capture a specific pirate. His case directly influenced how governments and trading companies approached the threat of Indian Ocean piracy going forward.

Was Every ever caught? No confirmed capture or death was ever established. He remains one of history’s most mysterious disappeared figures — the man who pulled off the biggest pirate raid of the era and was never definitively found.

What happened to his crew? Several of Every’s crew were captured in Ireland, the American colonies, and England. Six were hanged in London in November 1696 following a high-profile trial. Their executions were intended as a public warning, though by then Every himself was long gone.

Is this suitable for outdoor display? Yes — super-weave polyester performs well in fair-weather outdoor conditions and flies easily in light breeze.

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