Flag of Spain

The Cross of Burgundy.

The Spanish flag design mostly notably used during the Age of Piracy.

"It flies the Spanish flag."

―Gombo, regarding the Spanish fort

The flag of Spain, otherwise known as Spanish colors or the Spanish flag, were at least two different symbols serving as the national flag of Spain. One design of the flag was the Cross of Burgundy, a red diagonal cross on a white background, adopted shortly after the Spanish discovery of the New World. The second and more notable design of the flag consisted of three horizontal stripes: red, yellow and red. During the Age of Piracy, Spanish forts in the New World and ships of the Spanish Navy flown the Spanish flag, which may or may not include the coat of arms of Spain.

History

"So, ready to fly Spanish colors on that ship of yours?"

―Hector Hexbain to a pirate

By the Age of Piracy, the flag of Spain was adopted and used on Spanish Royal Navy ships, coastal fortresses, and military outposts in service to the Spanish Monarchy. Around the early 1710s, when the Caribbean branch of the Spanish Navy was led by Admiral Maldonado, the new flag was adopted, a flag consisting of three horizontal stripes: red, yellow and red, the yellow stripe being twice the size of each red stripe. In the 1720s, during the War of Garcia and Pierre, the flag was also used by Spanish privateers under the command of Garcia de la Avaricia. In 1750, during the quest for the Fountain of Youth, The Spaniard's fleet also flew that flag, though his men carried different flags in battle, with Spaniard notably backed by soldiers carrying tall banners of the Spanish Monarchy.

Behind the scenes

The flag of Spain first appeared in the 2006 Pirates of the Caribbean video game Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow. It was first identified as "Spanish colors" in the 2007 game Pirates of the Caribbean Online, with the name "Spanish flag" first appearing in the 2008 book Legends of the Brethren Court: The Caribbean, with the "flag of Spain" later identified in Day of the Shadow.

In almost all Pirates of the Caribbean materials, the national flag of Spain of 1785 served as the flag displayed on Spanish islands and ships, instead of the historically accurate flag, the Cross of Burgundy, used in the first half of the 18th century. This is most likely a mistake made behind-the-scenes, since the flag used was not flown by Spain until 1785, thirty-four years after the events of Dead Men Tell No Tales set in 1751. The only known appearance of the Cross of Burgundy flag was in the cancelled video game Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned.

Both flags of Spain were meant to appear in the Pirates of the Caribbean video game Armada of the Damned and at least be mentioned in the graphic novel Six Sea Shanties, which were both scheduled to be released in 2011. But since both were cancelled, it is unknown if their appearances are canon or not.

Appearances

• Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned
• Legends of the Brethren Court: The Caribbean (First identified as Spanish flag)
• Legends of the Brethren Court: Day of the Shadow (First identified as flag of Spain)
• Six Sea Shanties: Strangers Bearing Gifts (Mentioned only)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow (First appearance)
• Pirates of the Caribbean Online (First identified as Spanish colors)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

External links

• Flag of Spain on Wikipedia
• Cross of Burgundy on Wikipedia