Distressed people weren't simply worse off, they had no hope of making a better life. In London especially there was overcrowding and unemployment and funds for the poor could not meet the need. These displaced people flocked to urban areas looking for work or poor relief. Smaller farmers were forced off the land by ruthless landowners and smaller tradesmen were challenged by larger businesses. The Admiralty issued them with 'letters of marque' that allowed them to capture merchant vessels without being charged with piracy. Privateers, meanwhile, were privately owned (rather than navy) ships armed with guns, operating in times of war. Although raids began in this way, with official backing, the buccaneers gradually became out of control, attacking any ship they thought carried valuable cargo, whether it belonged to an enemy country or not. At first they lived as hunters, but later the governors of Caribbean islands paid the buccaneers to attack Spanish treasure ships. Unless these unfortunates were rich enough to pay a ransom, they were sold as slaves.īuccaneers lived on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola and its tiny turtle-shaped neighbour, Tortuga, in the 17th century. Both used to swoop down on their targets in oar-powered boats called galleys, to carry off sailors and passengers. Muslim corsairs, such as the Barbarossa (red beard) brothers, had bases along North Africa’s Barbary Coast, while Christian corsairs were based on the island of Malta.

Corsairs, buccaneers and privateersĬorsairs were pirates who operated in the Mediterranean Sea between the 15th and 18th centuries. As Spanish settlers set up new towns on Caribbean islands and the American mainland, these too came under pirate attack. So many pirate attacks were made that galleons were forced to sail together in fleets with armed vessels for protection. As he was working for the Spanish monarchy, these 'new lands' were claimed by the Spanish, who soon discovered them to be a rich source of silver, gold and gems.įrom the 16th century, large Spanish ships, called galleons, began to sail back to Europe, loaded with precious cargoes that pirates found impossible to resist. The explorer Christopher Columbus established contact between Europe and the lands that were later named America at the end of the 15th century. Though this Golden Age came to an end in the 18th century, piracy still exists today in some parts of the world, especially the South China Seas. Famous pirates from this period include Henry Morgan, William 'Captain' Kidd, 'Calico' Jack Rackham, Bartholomew Roberts and the fearsome Blackbeard (Edward Teach). Thousands of pirates were active between 16, and these years are sometimes known as the 'Golden Age’ of piracy. The most far-reaching pirates in early medieval Europe were the Vikings.

Pirates have existed since ancient times – they threatened the trading routes of ancient Greece, and seized cargoes of grain and olive oil from Roman ships. Captives were famously made to ‘walk the plank’ – though this doesn’t appear to have been as common in reality as in fiction in fact, it's likely that most victims of piracy were just thrown overboard. Many of the most famous pirates had a terrifying reputation, and they advertised this by flying gruesome flags, including the 'Jolly Roger' with its picture of skull and crossbones. These people, known as pirates, mainly targeted ships, though some also launched attacks on coastal towns. In hopes of becoming less conspicuous, the Adventure Prize was grounded and her contents transferred to the newly purchased sloop Antonio.Throughout history there have been people willing to rob others transporting goods on the water. Several of Kidd's crew discovered that a warrant was out for their arrest along with him. He sailed to New York hoping for a king's pardon through Bellomont, but a stop in the Leewards proved it would be out of the question. After more lackluster results from piracy, he traded the rotten Adventure Galley for the Quedah, now named Adventure Prize. for taking of the heavily laden Quedah Merchant. Things went from bad to worse in January 1698, when Captain Kidd lost all hope of pardon or redemption after being labeled a pirate by the East India Co. Moore died of skull a fracture the next day. The result of the argument was Kidd hitting Moore in the head when he threw a steel-banded bucket at him. Late in 1697, a fight broke out as gunner William Moore accused Kidd of being evasive in two run-ins with heavily armed ships. After two failed attempts at capture, he took a small prize before repairs in the Laccadive Islands.

Captain kidd facts