A History Lesson

PIRACY 1600s -1700s

In my novel “The Voyage of Billy Buckins,” young Billy Buckins is taken prisoner by pirates. Piracy really flourished between the 1600s and 1700s. There were different types of pirates, privateers, buccaneers, and corsairs. Pirates are sea robbers who prey on other ships and rob them of their goods and sometimes capture the ship itself for their own purposes. Privateers were lawful pirates who were hired by governments to attack and pillage ships of enemy nations. They shared their profits with the government. Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries governments issued ‘letters of marquee’ which licensed these sailors to plunder alien ships. This was to prevent privateers from being charged with piracy, which was an offence punishable by death. Buccaneers were pirates and privateers who operated from bases in the West Indies, and attacked Spanish shipping in the Caribbean. Corsairs were Muslim or Christian pirates who were active in the Mediterranean from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. The Many pirates had served in merchant or naval ships prior to turning to piracy. Life on a pirate ship appeared more attractive as they were independent of national laws, the crew was treated much better than normal sailors and prize money was shared out equally. Most seamen became pirates as they hoped to become rich on plunders of treasure and cargo ships. When pirate ships captured merchant ships, the pirate captain would ask for volunteers to serve under him and sometimes he would take prisoners and work them as slaves, this is what happened to Billy Buckins in my novel. Many of the crew would volunteer as life on a merchant ship was harsh and conditions awful. A pirate had to agree to live by the rules of the ship. These rules were often strict and breaking them could mean flogging or even death. If a pirate was found stealing from their comrades or deserting during battle, they were marooned (as Billy Buckins and Tom were) on a desert island with few supplies. Most would die a slow death from starvation if they could not hunt or fish. Pirates used flags ( as the one pictured above) to frighten passing ships into surrendering without a fight. The original pirate flags were blood red, and this signaled that no mercy would be shown once the pirates boarded and battle ensued. As piracy developed, more flags were used, and pirates often had their own flags. The Jolly Roger, (skull and crossbones) is the most famous pirate flag. The symbol had been appropriated from the symbol used in ships’ logs, where it represented death on board. It was first used as a pirate flag around 1700 and quickly became popular with pirates, who designed their own version of the flag. Pirates required ships that were fast, powerful, and had as shallow a depth below the water as possible. This was because surprise was vital to a pirate attack, and they needed to be able to navigate in shallow coastal waters and hide in secluded coves and inlets. Schooners were used by pirates in North American waters. They were fast, easily maneuvered, they also utilized weapons, clothes, medicines, and food found on board ships that they took over. Piracy can still be found today but with modern ships, radio communications. Modern pirates are on constant guard, because the coast guard is always on watch for them. Piracy is still a crime and most governments in the world arrest pirates, as soon as they are found.