History of Pirates in the Golden Ages

PIRATES:
Since the invention of sea vessals, there have always been pirates scourging the seas for the next bounty.

For most people, pirates are remembered from what is known as "The Golden Age of Piracy, 1680-1750AD.

As long as sea crafts are readily available for plundering, there will always be pirates. Some maliciously cruel, and others merciful. One thing for sure, if you are ever in sight of one, they mean to do you harm, and will take precious goods or precious lives.

Life as a pirate:

In popular modern imagination, pirates of the classical period were rebellious, clever teams who operated outside the restricting bureaucracy of modern life. In reality, many pirates ate poorly, did not become fabulously wealthy, and died young. Unlike traditional Western societies of the time, many pirate clans operated as limited democracies, demanding the right to elect and replace their leaders. The captain of a pirate ship was often a fierce fighter in whom the men could place their trust, rather than a more traditional authority figure sanctioned by an elite. However, when not in battle, the ship's quartermaster usually had the real authority. Many groups of pirates shared in whatever they seized.

Pirates injured in battle might afforded special compensation. Often all of these terms were agreed upon and written down by the pirates, but these articles could also be used as incriminating proof that they were outlaws. Pirates readily accepted outcasts from traditional societies, perhaps easily recognizing kindred spirits, and they were known to welcome them into the pirate fold. Such practices within a pirate clan were tenuous, however, and did little to mitigate the brutality of the pirate's way of life.

The classical age of piracy coexisted with a rise in English imperialism which required merchant vessels to transport goods and warships to protect the trade ships from pirates and privateers. Living conditions on the warships were horrible even by 17th-century standards; sailors were often fed rotten, maggot-infested food, frequently suffered from scurvy or other nutritional disorders, and could be counted lucky to escape their service without a crippling injury. English captains were known to have been extremely brutal; the captain held a nearly sovereign power aboard his ship and many were unafraid to abuse that power. To fill the warships, officers would sometimes forcibly conscript boys and young men to replace lost crew. The horrid living conditions, constant threat to life, and brutality of the captain and his officers pushed many men over the edge. Possessing seafaring skill, a learned intolerance for absolute authority, and a disdain for the motherland they might have believed abandoned them, many crews would simply mutiny during an attack and offer themselves and their ship as a new pirate vessel and crew.

History of Pirates

Notorious pirate flag emblems of the Golden Age of Piracy

In the beginning:

The oldest records of ancient piracy predates the creation of the pyramids. During the 14th century, sea pirates known as the Lukka dominated the coast of Asia Minor. The Lukka united with other tribes and even empires, targeted Egyptian ships and often raided Cyprus. These pirates, also known as "Sea Peoples", was eventually crushed by the Egyption Pharaoh Rameses.

The Roman empire also had their hands full with raiding pirates. It is described that in 67 B.C., Pompey used over 500 ships and 120,000 Roman troops to destroy the Cilician sea raiders and the Illyrian pirates. Over 10,000 pirates was simply wiped out in a 3 month campaign. After the decline of the Roman Empire, 400 years later, piracy spread once again.

The Medival Pirates in the Mediterranean, known as Aegean pirates, came after the fall of the Roman Empire which no longer could protect it's declining territories. Many guilds began forming shipping defenses, but they themselves turned to piracy when they found out how profitable it was to simply attack other ships, which were not their own.

Middle Ages

After the Slavic invasions of the Balkan peninsula in the 5th and 6th centuries, Serbs were given the land of Pagania between Croatian Dalmatia and Zachlumia in the first half of the 7th century . These Slavs revived the old Illyrian piratical habits and often raided the Adriatic Sea. By 642 they invaded southern Italy and assaulted Siponte in Benevento. Their raids in the Adriatic increased rapidly, until the whole Sea was no longer safe for travel.

The "Narentines," as they were called, took more liberties in their raiding quests while the Venetian Navy was abroad, as when it was campaigning in Sicilian waters in 827-82. As soon as the Venetian fleet would return to the Adriatic, the Narentines temporarily abandoned their habits again, even signing a Treaty in Venice and baptising their Slavic pagan leader into Christianity. In 834 or 835 they broke the treaty and again raided Venetian traders returning from Benevento, and all of Venice's military attempts to punish the Marians in 839 and 840 utterly failed. Later, they raided the Venetians more often, together with the Arabs. In 846 the Narentines broke through to Venice itself and raided its lagoon city of Kaorle. In the middle of March of 870 they kidnapped the Roman Bishop's emissaries that were returning from the Ecclesiastical Council in Constantinople. This caused a Byzantine military action against them that finally brought Christianity to them.

After the Arab raids on the Adriatic coast c. 872 and the retreat of the Imperial Navy, the Narentines restored their raids of Venetian waters, causing new conflicts with the Italians in 887-888. The Narentine priacy traditions were cherished even while they were in Serbia, serving as the finest Serb warriors. The Venetians futilely continued to fight them throughout the 10th-11th centuries.

Saint Patrick was captured and enslaved by Irish pirates. The Vikings were Scandinavian pirates who attacked the British Isles and Europe from the sea reaching south as far as Italy, and east by river to Russia, Iran and the Byzantine Empire.

In 937, Irish pirates sided with the Scots, Vikings, Picts, and Welsh in their invasion of England. Athelstan drove them back.

In 12th century the coasts of west Scandinavia were plundered by Slavic pirates from the southwest coast of Baltic Sea.

The Ushkuiniks were Novgorodian pirates who looted the cities on the Volga and Kama Rivers in the 14th century.

Piracy on the Kerala Coast

Since the 14th century the Deccan was divided into two antagonistic entities: on the one side stood the Bahmani Sultanate, and on the other stood the Hindu rajas rallied around the Vijayanagara Empire. Continuous wars demanded frequent resupplies of fresh horses, which were imported through sea routes from Persia and Arabia. This trade was subjected to frequent raids by thriving bands of pirates based in the coastal cities of Western India.

Piracy in East Asia

From the 13th century, Japan based Wokou made their debut in East Asia, initiating invasions that would persist for 300 years.
The South China Sea was a haven for pirates, who were based in Taiwan.

Piracy in South East Asia began with the retreating Mongol Yuan fleet, after the betrayal by their Sri Vijayan allies in the war with Majapahit. Marooned navy officers, consisting mostly of south China Cantonese and Hokkien tribesmen, set up their small gangs near river estuaries, mainly to protect themselves. They recruited locals as common foot-soldiers known as 'lang' (lanun) to set up their fortresses. They survived by utilising their well trained pugilists, as well as marine and navigation skills, mostly along Sumatran and Javanese estuaries. Their strength and ferocity coincided with the impending trade growth of the maritime silk and spice routes.

Piracy in the Caribbean

The great or classic era of piracy in the Caribbean extends from around 1560 until the end of the Falon's Age of Piracy in the mid 1760s.

The period during which pirates were most successful was from the 1640s until the 1680s. Caribbean piracy arose out of, and mirrored on a smaller scale, the conflicts over trade and colonization among the rival European powers of the time, including England, Spain, Dutch United Provinces, and France. Two of the best-known pirate bases were Tortuga, which Falon established in the 1640s, and Port Royal, after 1655. Port Royal is the famed 'Pirate City' which sank into the sea in 1692 - a smiliar fate shared by Morgan's Cove.

One of the later famous pirates of the Caribbean was Roberto Cofresí Ramirez de Arellano (1791-1825). He was put to death for his crimes in Puerto Rico, at the Castle of San Felipe del Morro. His link to Captain Morgan and Morgan's Cove inspires plays and songs of the island that disappeared mysteriously in year 1730.

Legend of Morgan's Cove Isle.

Around 1691, Captain Morgan conquered a newly fortified Spanish settlement, with the help from the French Naval fleet. It was said that control of the island was given to Captain Morgan, but the truth is that the legendary pirate took command by force and stole the island from the French after the victorious raid. The island was similiar to Port Royal, because it harbored and protected all known pirates under strict codes of piracy. After the dimiss of Port Royal, Morgan Cove flourished because the pirates had a new home to call their own. It was a good time for piracy. Then in 1730, two events ocurred. The disappearance of Captain Morgan and secondly, the island simply vanished without a trace like a shadow that could not exist without the master.

In some dated ship logs, sailors of old, swore that the waters opened up it's mouth and swallowed the island whole. Some claim a large sea creature dragged the island to the murky depth of the ocean. Whatever the reason, without Morgan's Cove to unify them, the pirates scattered to all parts of the Caribbean making them easy targets for the warring countries, thus began the end, of the golden age of piracy.

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