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Pirates
Throughout history there has always been people willing to rob others transporting goods on the water. However, the Pirate “Golden Age” is said to have been between 1650 and 1720.
A pirate is a robber who travels by water. Though most pirates targeted ships, some also launched attacks on coastal towns. They have existed since ancient times, when they used to threaten the trading routes of Ancient Greece, seizing cargoes of grain and olive oil from Roman ships.
Pirates were sometimes known as corsairs or buccaneers.
Corsairs were pirates who operated in the Mediterranean Sea between the 15th and 18th centuries. They would swoop down on their targets in swift oar-powered boats called galleys to carry off sailors and passengers. Unless the captured were rich enough to pay a ransom, they were sold as slaves or put to work on the galleys.
The Buccaneers were originally hunters, living on the Caribbean islands of Hispaniola and Tortuga. They became Pirates when the governors of Caribbean islands like Jamaica paid them to attack Spanish treasure ships and ports. Some of the largest scale raids were led by the Welsh captain, Sir Henry Morgan. In time the raids began to grow out of control, with the buccaneers attacking any ship they thought to be carrying valuable cargo, regardless of whether it belonged to an enemy country or not.
At the end of the 15th century Christopher Columbus established contact between Europe and the then-undiscovered America. As he was working for the Spanish King and Queen, Spain claimed the land and soon discovered them to be a rich source of silver, gold and gems.
With Spanish galleons sailing back and forth to Europe loaded with such cargo, the Pirates found it immensely difficult to resist. The galleons were soon forced to sail in fleets with armed protection due to the success of the Pirate attacks.
Pirate attacks were often successful because of the number of crew the ships would carry - they could easily outnumber their victims. They also altered their ships so they could carry more cannon than merchant ships of a similar size. Pirates quickly built up fearsome reputations for their brutality, and would often advertise the fact by flying the ‘Jolly Roger’ (Skull and crossbones) flag.
One of the most feared Pirates was Blackbeard. Not only was he heavily armed, he went out of his way to make himself look fearsome. He had wild eyes, and during battle would twist bits of fuse into his thick, tangled hair and light them so that his face was surrounded with smoke.
Pirate attacks became so frequent and successful, governments had to pay attention and do something about it. In the 18th century they sent heavily armed Naval ships into the Pirate’s favourite hunting grounds. Massive battles were fought, some Pirates were killed, some were captured and put on trial, where they were later executed. They would have their bodies coated in tar and were then hung in special iron cages, to act as a deterrent to others.
It is mainly a thing of the past, however, in some parts of the world, especially the South China Seas, piracy still exists today.
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