The 'Moor's Head' as a symbol is found on several coats of arms and flags across Europe, most prominently those of Corsica and Sardinia. The earliest significant usage of the symbol was by King Peter III of Aragon (now the eastern part of Spain) circa 1281. The original Aragonese version, 'the Cross of Alcoraz' was very similar to the modern flag of Sardinia, with four severed heads of Moors on a white flag with a red cross. Spanish culture during this period was heavily shaped by endemic war with Muslim kingdoms in the south of Spain and North Africa, with the rather violent imagery of the severed heads of Moors (a catch-all term for Muslims from North Africa and nearby areas) appealing to that sort of crusader culture. The early depictions of the heads tend to show them bearded and lacking headbands/blindfolds, and depictions of 'Moors' in general tended to vary from North Africans to Sub-Saharan Africans rather inconsistently.

Sardinia and Corsica both spent long periods under the control of Aragon, and the Moor's Head on there flags originates in that period. The flags slowly standardized to a something similar to the modern design. The Sardinian flag became standardized under Savoyard rule (after 1800) to have the Moor's heads blindfolded and facing left, however, this was changed in 1999 to have the blindfolds changed to headbands and the heads face right, the style that was more common before 1800.

The flag of Corsica became standardized by the 1700s as a blindfolded Moor facing to the left, however, this was consciously changed to the modern version in 1755 upon the foundation of the Corsican Republic, with the blindfold raised to symbolize the liberation of Corsica from the Genoese.