During the
First English Civil War, the
Long Parliament issued an
ordinance of no quarter to the Irish on 24 October 1644 in response to
Confederate Ireland electing to send troops in support of
Charles I of England against them: {{Blockquote By the 17th century,
siege warfare was an exact art, the rules of which were so well understood that wagering on the outcome and duration of a siege became a popular craze; the then-enormous sum of £200,000 was alleged to have been bet on the outcome of the
Second Siege of Limerick in 1691. Professional honour demanded a defence, but if a
garrison surrendered when "a practicable breach" had been made, they were given "quarter". The garrison signaled their intent to surrender by "beating the
chamade"; if accepted, they were generally allowed to retain their weapons, and received a
safe conduct to the nearest friendly territory. If a garrison continued their defence beyond this point, the surrender was not accepted, hence "no quarter"; the besiegers were then "permitted" to sack the town, and the garrison was often killed. during the
Battle of the Sound in 1658 " flag of
piracy, signalling that quarter would be given to those who surrendered In some circumstances, the opposing forces would signal their intention to give no quarter by using a red flag (the so-called
bloody flag). However, the use of a red flag to signal no quarter does not appear to have been universal among combatants.
Black flags have been used to signify that quarter would be given if surrender was prompt; the best-known example is the
Jolly Roger used by
pirates to intimidate a target crew into surrender. By promising quarter, pirates avoided costly and dangerous sea battles which might leave both ships crippled and dozens of critical crew dead or incapacitated. Other "no quarter" incidents took place during the
Battle of the Alamo in 1836, the 1850 to 1864
Taiping Rebellion, and at the
Battle of Tippermuir in 1644 when Scottish
Covenanters used the
battle cry "Jesus, and no quarter". In March 2026,
United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth pledged "no quarter, no mercy for our enemies" in reference to
Iran during the
Iran war. ==International humanitarian law==