From the south China seas to the Mediterranean, pirates availed themselves of poorly protected cargoes, earning riches and notoriety in the process. Famous names like Captain Kidd, “Calico” Jack Rackham, Bartholomew Roberts, Henry Morgan and of course Edward “Blackbeard” Teach struck fear into the hearts of sailors tasked getting their cargoes safely home.
Piracy has always been around for as long as humans have transported goods by water, but in the 17th and early 18th centuries, pirates ruled the waves. Trade between the colonies and Europe was at an all time high, and new luxury items were being transported by ships into all the major European powers. Spain, France, The Netherlands and Britain were trading luxuries like silks, spices, precious metals, gems and even slaves around the globe, and the cargo ships were ripe for the plundering.
Women Pirates
While pirate ships actively denied women taking part, some few did manage to sneak aboard. Disguising themselves as men, the most notorious of these were Anne Bonney and Mary Read who sailed with Calico Jack Rackham. Anne eloped with Jack, escaping a previous marriage, so he at least was aware of her gender. Mary came on board as a man but her secret was revealed when Jack accused her of having an affair with Anne. Both went on to help Jack terrorise the Carribbean until their ship’s capture by the authorities in 1720. Although Bonney and Read are probably the most famous, at least 50 cases of women pirates have been reported, and they suffered the same fates as their male crew-mates if ever they were caught.
Pirates or Privateers?
Pirates went under a number of different names in different places and times; pirates, buccaneers, corsairs, freebooters, picaroons – but essentially they were all engaged in the act of stealing things from ships. There was a very thin line between those doing it illegally, however, and those who were legally engaged in piracy against enemy nations in times of war! Known as Privateers, these pirates were independent mercenaries licenced by Governments to disrupt enemy shipping routes. In truth the job was the same, it just had a thin veneer of legitimacy about it and gave protection from assault by the authorities of the licencing nation.
X Marks the Spot!
Legends of buried pirate treasure just waiting to be found have inspired writers and storytellers for centuries. Probably the most famous pirate story is Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, with its runaway cabin boy and fearsome pirate captain, Long John Silver, but pirate lore has been adapted into books, films, TV series, computer games and even operas! From the first short films at the start of the 20th Century, pirates have featured heavily in popular culture. The famous Gilbert and Sullivan Operetta The Pirates of Penzance was first performed in 1879 and made into a film in 1983. Wildly successful films followed, such as The Goonies, the Pirates of the Caribbean series, and many adaptations of Treasure Island (including a Muppet version!). Peter Pan and The Princess Bride feature pirates, as do games like Monkey Island, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag and Uncharted 4.
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