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Pirates
A pirate is one who robs or plunders at sea without a commission from a
recognized sovereign nation. Pirates usually target other ships, but have also
attacked targets on shore. These acts are known as piracy.
Definition by Wikipedia.com
Throughout history pirates have terrorized the world's seas. The 1600's and
early 1700's were known as the Golden Age of Piracy.
Ships loaded with goods such as gold, tobacco, silks and spices, would be
sailing back to Europe. Pirates could not resist the temptation to rob these
ships.
True Pirates
True pirates stole from anyone. They were criminals and if caught, faced
certain death. Most British pirates were hanged. Their bodies were then
chained by the River Thames as a warning.
Buccaneers
During the 1600's, a group of runaway men (slaves), criminals and refugees
were living in the Caribbean. Mainly Dutch, English and French, they hated the
Spanish, who ruled much of the Caribbean at that time. They enjoyed attacking
the Spanish ships and did so whenever they could.
The most clever cutthroat of all, this buccaneer Capt. Henry Morgan who would
pilfer his own men. Morgan was born about 1635 in Glamorganshire Wales.
History has it that Morgan was the nephew of Colonel Edward Morgan who looted
and captured St. Euststius and Saba Island. These two islands are just south
of the US Virgin Islands and west of St. Martin. Both islands are small.
Privateers
Sponsored by their government, privateers had permission to rob ships.
Privateers had letters of marque. These letters could save them from
punishment.
One of the most dreaded pirates of all was Edward Teach, or Blackbeard. To
make himself look terrifying during a raid, he used to braid lit hemp fuses
into his hair and bread. The same kind of fuse to light cannons. These fuses
burned slowly and smoked. He looked like he was on fire. Some time between
1716 and 1718, Blackbeard attacked many ships during this time and it was the
governor of Virginia who sent two Navy ships to capture him. After a long
battle, Blackbeard waskilled.
Bartholomew Roberts seem to be the most successful pirate. Between 1719 and
1722, he captured more than 400 ships off the coast of West Africa and Canada
and the Caribbean. Roberts was a religious man and banned his crew from
gambling. Strict as he was he was cruel to his prisoners. He would wear fine
clothes while in battle.
Bartholomew's Articles
1. All important decisions to be put to a vote.
2. Any man caught stealing shall be marooned.
3. All pistols and cutlasses will be kept clean.
4. No women allowed on board.
5. Any man who deserts ship in battle shall be put to death.
6. All crews quarrels will be settled on shore.
7. The captain and quartermaster to receive two shares of the booty; the
master gunner, and boatswain, one and a half shares; other officers one and a
quarter shares; all others, one shares each.
8. Injuries to be compensated. Any man who loses a limb in battle shall
receive extra booty.
Pirates in the west indies were the first to fly red flags to let everyone
know who they were. The skull and crossbones was popular with Pirates, it was
the symbol for death. Pirates created thier own flags, or Jolly Roger as it
was called. Blackbeard added an hourglass to show that time was running out
and death was coming soon.
Anne Bonny was an Irish girl who dressed and worked like a man. She did most
of her pirating in the 1719's.
Source:
Ecani.com
read more:
PiratesInfor.com
and
Legends.dm.net
Pirate's code
Parlay is part of the pirate's code that allows a captured party the right to
be taken to a ship's captain unharmed. If an adversary demands parlay, he can
not be harmed until the parlay is complete.
There is no such thing as a universal pirates code book.
Every ship had their own rules, most of which have been set by the person who
mutinied the crew in the first place (and was frequently elected Captain).
Usually they have the following in common.
How shares were to be divided
How weapons were to be kept
What was to happen to crewmembers who violated the rights of other
crewmembers...whatever those rights happened to be (theft, in-fighting, etc.)
What was to happen to "cowards in battle"
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