Earliest mentions of using white flags to surrender or parley come from the Han dynasty (AD 25 - 220).

The modern use of the white flag in Europe was standardized in The Hague Conventions of 1899 and later in 1907. Mis use of the white flag is considered a war crime. As the pure white flag was no longer used at that time due to the fall of the Bourbons in France and the count of Chambord refusal to use the tricolore during a possible restauration in 1873 this was never a problem.