Pirate History
What Is A Pirate?
The word pirate comes from the Latin pirata which in turn originates form the ancient Greek peira: an "attempt" often with connotations of peril.According to the modern dictionary, a pirate is anyone who commits robbery or hijacking at sea. By that definition there have probably been pirates since the second coracle was launched. In some parts of the world piracy remains a serious problem today. Yet when we use the word pirate we usually have a very particular image in mind: one that conjures up the age of sail, gold doubloons and the Jolly Roger.
The Golden Age
The era of classical piracy took place between the mid-16th and mid-18th centuries, with a "golden age" in the latter half of the 17th. Most of the piracy took place around the Caribbean and the Barbary Coast regions.
Privateers
Piracy often existed along national lines with the great trading nations such as England and Spain preying on each other's ships. Although we usually think of pirates as "freelancers" many were in fact officially licensed by their government, these being known as privateers. A privateer had a letter of marque that allowed their ship to legally attack a ship belonging to the specified target nation. That said, if the privateer was captured by the target nation then the technicalities of law were rarely observed.
Social Structure
In some ways the pirates were politically and socially advanced. Their crews, although led by a Captain, were in many ways democracies. The rules by which they would live, divide their bounty and die were drawn up by the entire crew. There was no single "pirate code", rather each ship would have their own - although obviously many contained similar clauses.Justice tended to be swift but usually fair. Some pirate captains attempted brutal means to control their crew, however those who went too far were at constant risk of facing a mutiny. Pirates accepted the authority of a Captain for as long as it was useful and no longer.
Pirates were also outside of any social or class distinctions. They would welcome anyone on board so long as they could pull their weight and follow the rules.
A pirate ship could thus be thought of almost as a tiny nation in its own right, invading and trading with other nations.
A Pirate's Life For Me?
Life on board a pirate ship was rarely the romantic adventure we see in the movies. It was unpleasant, dangerous and often short. However it was usually better than rotting in a jail or suffering the appalling conditions on board a warship.The main draw of piracy for many people was probably freedom from established authority. That said, the lure of treasure undoubtedly played its part. Few real pirates ever became rich. Most "earned" enough to keep them in a life of indulgence when they touched port and little more.
Press Gangs
The press gang was used mainly in England to forcibly conscript men into naval service. Although some people equate it with pirates, they rarely had need of such practices. The pressgang was a technique used by the British Royal Navy to man their own squalid warships. Most pirates would consider themselves lucky to have avoided such a fate.