April 9th, 2013

The word "pirate" (in Latin pirata) in turn comes from the Greek peirates, with the root peiran ("try, test"). Thus, the meaning of the word would be "torturing happiness." The etymology testifies to how unsteady the boundary between the professions of a navigator and a pirate was from the very beginning.

This word came into use around the 4th-3rd centuries BC, and before that the concept of “leistes” was used, which was known to Homer and was closely associated with such matters as robbery, murder, booty.

Pirate- a sea robber in general, of any nationality, at any time robbing any ships of his own free will.

Filibuster- a sea robber, mainly in the 17th century, robbing mainly Spanish ships and colonies in America.

Buccaneer (buccaneer)- a sea robber, mainly in the 16th century, robbing, like a filibuster, Spanish ships and colonies in America. Usually this term was used to refer to early Caribbean pirates, later it fell into disuse and was replaced by "filibuster".

Privateer, corsair, and privateer- a private person who has received a license from the state to capture and destroy enemy ships and neutral countries in exchange for a promise to share with the employer. In this case, it should be borne in mind that the term "marque" is the earliest, came into use in the Mediterranean since (approximately) 800 BC. The term "corsair" appeared much later, starting from the XIV century AD, from the Italian "corsa" and the French "la corsa". Both terms were used in the Middle Ages. The word "privateer" appeared even later (the first use dates back to 1664) and came from the English "privateer". Often, the term “privateer” wanted to emphasize the English nationality of the privateer, he did not take root in the Mediterranean, every privateer there was still called corsair (French), corsaro (It.), corsario (Spanish), corsari (Portuguese).

The borders were unsteady and if yesterday he was a buccaneer, today he became a privateer, and tomorrow he can become an ordinary pirate.

In addition to the terms listed above, which appeared at a rather late time, there were also more ancient names for pirates. One of them is jackers, which denoted Middle Eastern pirates in the 15th-11th centuries BC. I have come across several different Latin spellings of jackers: Tjeker, Thekel, Djakaray, Zakkar, Zalkkar, Zakkaray. In 1186 B.C. they virtually conquered all of Egypt* and waged extensive maritime piracy along the Palestinian coast for several centuries. The current historiography believes that the jackers came from Cilicia, the future homeland of the formidable Cilician pirates. Tjackers are described in some detail in the Wenamon Papyrus. Later, (somewhere before 1000 BC), the Tjekers settled in Palestine, in the cities of Dor and Tel Zaror (near the present city of Haifa). Since they are not mentioned in Jewish documents, they were most likely absorbed by the more numerous Philistines.

One thing to keep in mind ancient egypt: the state was stretched along the Nile and the Mediterranean coast, it was no more than 15-25 km away from the water, so whoever controlled the coast controlled, in fact, the entire country.

Venamon is an ancient Egyptian traveler of the 12th century BC, a priest of the temple of Amun in Karnak. Papyrus written around 1100 B.C. Pirates were mentioned quite often by ancient historians, but the Wenamun Papyrus is a unique document because it is travel notes eyewitness.

Around the 5th century BC, another name for pirates came into use - Dolopians(Dolopians). This time they are ancient Greek pirates, the main area of ​​​​their operations was the Aegean Sea. Perhaps originally living in northern and central Greece, they settled on the island of Skyros and lived off piracy. Shortly before 476 B.C. a group of merchants from northern Greece accused the Dolopians of selling them into slavery after plundering their ship of goods. The merchants managed to escape and they won trial at Delphi against the Skyrians. When the Skyrians refused to return their property, the merchants turned to Simon, commander of the Athenian fleet, for help. In 476 BC. Simon's naval forces captured Skyros, drove the Dolopians off the island or sold them into slavery, and established an Athenian colony there.

Who were the ranks of pirates made up of?

Their composition was not homogeneous. Various reasons prompted people to unite in a criminal community. There were adventurers here too; and the avengers, placed "outside the law"; travelers and researchers who made a significant contribution to the study of the Earth in the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries; bandits who declared war on all living things; and businessmen who considered robbery an ordinary job, which, if there was a certain risk, gave a solid income. Often, pirates found support from the state, which during wars resorted to their help, legalizing the position of sea robbers and turning pirates into privateers, that is, officially allowing them to conduct fighting against the enemy, leaving some of the booty for themselves. Most often, pirates acted near the coast or among small islands: it’s easier to quietly get closer to the victim and easier to get away from the chase, in case of any failure.

Today, we, spoiled by the successes of civilization and the achievements of science and technology, it is difficult even to imagine how immeasurably great were the distances in the age of the absence of radio, television and satellite communications, how distant parts of the world seemed in the minds of people of that time. The ship left the harbor, and communication with it was interrupted for many years. What happened to him? The countries were separated by the most terrible partitions of competition, wars and enmity. The sailor disappeared from the country for several decades and involuntarily became homeless. Returning to his homeland, he no longer found anyone - his relatives died, his friends forgot, no one was waiting for him and no one needed him. Truly brave were those people who risked themselves, setting off into the unknown on fragile, unreliable (by modern standards) boats!

II. Pirate novelists

Today, there are well-established stereotypes about pirates, created thanks to fiction. founder modern literature about pirates can be called Daniel Defoe, who published three novels about the adventures of the pirate John Avery.

The next major writer who also wrote about sea robbers was Walter Scott, who published the novel The Pirate in 1821, in which the main character Captain Cleveland was based on the image of the leader of the pirates from Daniel Defoe's novel The Adventures and Cases of the Famous Captain John Howe.

Tribute to the sea was given by such famous writers like R.-L. Stevenson, F. Mariette, E. Xu, C. Farrer, G. Melville, T. Mine Reed, J. Conrad, A. Conan Doyle, Jack London, and R. Sabatini.

It is interesting that Arthur Conan Doyle and Raphael Sabatini created two most colorful, diametrically opposed images of pirate captains - Sharkey and Blood, combining: the first - the worst qualities and vices, and the second - the best knightly virtues of the really existing leaders of the "gentlemen of fortune".

Thanks to the “help” of such an eminent galaxy of writers, the most famous pirate captains of their time, Flint, Kidd, Morgan, Grammon, Van Doorn, and their less “famous”, and sometimes simply fictional brothers, continue their second life on the pages of these books. They board Spanish galleons brimming with treasures, sink clumsy royal cruisers and keep coastal cities at bay long after some of them have been brought to justice, and others managed to end their lives peacefully.

Composer Robert Plunkett wrote the operetta Surcouf, in which historical truth about the true deeds of the sea robber Surkuf gave way to fantasy: beautiful destiny disinterested sailor Robert and his beloved Yvonne fully corresponded to the spirit of 19th century operettas.

The impression is that pirates are some kind of unrecognized geniuses, roaming the seas only due to an unfortunate set of circumstances. We owe this stereotype mainly thanks to R. Sabatini with his trilogy about Captain Blood, who created, among other things, the myth that pirates had powerful ships and attacked warships.

In fact, completely prosaic motives forced them to engage in piracy.

Sometimes - hopeless poverty, sometimes all-consuming greed. But, one way or another, the pirates pursued only one goal - personal enrichment. Documents have been preserved that show the side of piracy devoid of any romanticism, so to speak, its financial and organizational side. The craft of a pirate was extremely dangerous: being caught "at the scene of a crime", the pirates were hanged without hesitation. Being captured on the shore, the pirate did not have the best fate: either a rope or life hard labor. There were very rare cases when pirates had a powerful vessel, more often they were small, but with good seaworthiness, ships.

Even more rarely, there were cases of a fight between a pirate ship and a warship: for a pirate it was pointless and extremely dangerous. Firstly, because there are no treasures on a military ship, but there are many guns and soldiers there, and this ship is fully equipped specifically for a sea battle. Secondly, because the crew and officers of this ship are professional military men, unlike pirates, who took the military path by chance. A pirate does not need a warship: an unjustified risk, an almost certain defeat, and then an inevitable death on a knock-yard. But a lonely sailing merchant ship, a pearl diver's junk, and sometimes just a fishing boat is just a victim for a pirate. It must be borne in mind that we often approach the evaluation of past events in terms of modern man. Therefore, it is difficult for us to understand that almost until the end of the 18th century, the difference between merchant and pirate fleets was small. In those days, almost any ship was armed, and it happened that a peaceful merchant ship, having met a brother at sea, but (presumably) weaker in armament, took it on board. Then the pirate-merchant brought the cargo and sold it as if nothing had happened, sometimes at a reduced price.

Pirate flags: Emmanuel Vane (top) and Edward Teach (bottom)

III. Under the Jolly Roger

It is quite interesting to dwell a little on pirate flags. It is well known that the nickname of the pirate flag is "Jolly Roger" (Jolly Roger). Why such a nickname?

Let's start not directly with the Jolly Roger, but with the answer to the question of what flags were hung on ships in general different countries at different times?

Contrary to popular belief, not all ships sailed under the national flag of their country in the past. For example, in the draft of the French Law on the Royal Navy of 1699, it is said that “royal ships do not have any strictly established distinctive signs for combat. During the wars with Spain, our ships used a red flag to distinguish themselves from the Spanish, who sailed under a white flag, and in the last war, our ships sailed under a white flag, to distinguish themselves from the British, who also fought under a red flag ... ”However, the French privateers were forbidden by a special royal edict to fly under the black flag almost until the last years of their (fr. privateers) existence.

Around the same time, in 1694, England passed a law establishing a single flag for the designation of English private ships: a red flag, instantly nicknamed "Red Jack". So the concept of a pirate flag in general appeared. It must be said that by the standards of that time, a red flag, pennant or sign meant for any oncoming ship that resistance was pointless. However, following the privateers very quickly and free pirates adopted this flag, not even the flag itself, but the idea of ​​\u200b\u200ba colored flag. Red, yellow, green, black flags appeared. Each color symbolized a certain idea: yellow - madness and unbridled anger, black - an order to lay down arms. A black flag raised by a pirate meant an order to immediately stop and capitulate, and if the victim did not obey, then a red or yellow flag was raised, which meant death to everyone on the recalcitrant ship.

So where did the nickname "Jolly Roger" come from? It turned out that "Red Jack" in French sounded like "Jolie Rouge" (literally - Red Sign), when translated back into English, it turned into "Jolly Roger" - Jolly Roger. It is worth mentioning here that in the English jargon of that time, roger is a swindler, a thief. Also, in Ireland and the north of England, the devil was sometimes called "Old Roger" during the Middle Ages.

Today, many believe that the "Jolly Roger" is a black flag with a skull and crossbones. However, in fact, many famous pirates had their own unique flags, which differed both in color and in the image. Indeed, pirate flags existed and were very diverse: black, and with a red rooster, and with crossed swords, with an hourglass, and even with a lamb. As for the “classic” Jolly Roger, such a flag was first noted by the French pirate Emmanuel Vane at the very beginning of the 18th century.

Many famous pirates had their own flag. Here you can already see how the “hero” makes fame work for him: knowing who is chasing him, the victim’s hands fell. Such a "brand"

a personal brand, which meant a certain "quality" of the imposed "service". An unknown pirate (and there were an overwhelming majority of them!) did not need this, because some unusual flag or the absence of a flag at all would certainly alert the captain of the attacked ship. What for? Pirates were cruel, but by no means as stupid as some writers try to portray them. Therefore, nevertheless, for the most part, pirate ships sailed under the official flag of some state and the victim found out too late that the ship was actually pirated. In general, the black flag is already mid-seventeenth century was the hallmark of pirates and hoisting such a flag meant great to bring your neck closer to the gallows.

Captain Kidd's Private Patent

Filibuster or privateer?

During periods of war, pirates happened to buy from a belligerent state the right to conduct military operations at sea at their own peril and risk and robbed the ships of the belligerent country, and very often neutral countries. The pirate knew that, having paid a special tax to the treasury and having received the corresponding paper - Letter of Marque - Letter of Marque, he was already considered a privateer and was not liable before the law of this state until he attacked a compatriot or ally.

At the end of the war, privateers often turned into ordinary pirates. Not without reason, many commanders of warships did not recognize any patents of marque and hung captive privateers on the butts of yards in the same way as other pirates.

I would like to dwell a little more on all kinds of patents.

In addition to the Letter of Marque, which was issued from the 13th century to 1856 (to be closer to the dates, I’ll say that the first mention of such papers dates back to 1293) and which allowed the capture of enemy property only, the Letter of Reprisal was also issued (literally - a document for retaliation, reprisal), allowing the killing of enemy subjects and the seizure of their property. In other words, robbery. But not to everyone in general, but only to those who suffered from the activities of the citizens of the state indicated in the document. There were several papers, so in official documents they are always referred to in the plural - letters. The action of the papers was not limited only to sea robbery, but also allowed robbery on land, both in peacetime and in wartime. Why reprisal? Translated from English, this word means retribution. The fact is that medieval cities and settlements were, for the most part, small closed communities and it was considered natural to direct retribution against any of their citizens, who, upon returning home, could recover damages from the real culprit of the crime. The avenger only had to secure the appropriate papers - letters.

The Egyptian priest Wenamon has already been mentioned above. In his papyrus, he describes his own journey to the Syrian city of Byblos, where he brought a significant amount of gold and silver to buy timber (wood was practically not produced in Egypt and was imported). On the way there, when they entered the tjeker city of Dor, the captain of the ship fled, taking with him almost all of Wenamon's money, and the tjeker city governor refused to help him in the search for this captain. Venamon, however, continued on his way and on the way he met other jackers and somehow managed to take seven pounds of silver from them: “I take the silver from you and will keep it with me until you find my money or the thief who stole them." This case can be considered the first documented case of reprisals in maritime law.

By about the beginning of the 14th century, the seizure of property at sea had to be authorized by the admiral of the Royal Navy or his representative. To stimulate trade, the rulers of states signed agreements prohibiting private acts of revenge. For example, in France after 1485, such papers were issued extremely rarely. Later, other European powers began to sharply limit the issuance of letters of marque. However, other types of licenses were granted to private warships for the duration of hostilities. For example, in England during the war with Spain 1585-1603, the Admiralty Court granted authority to anyone who claimed to be offended by the Spaniards in any way (and confirmation of the words was not required). Such licenses gave the holder the right to attack any Spanish ship or city. And yet, some of the newly-minted privateers began to attack not only the Spaniards, but also their English compatriots. Maybe that's why English king James I (1603-1625) was extremely negative about the very idea of ​​such patents and banned them altogether.

However, the next English monarch, Charles I (1625-1649), resumed the sale of privateering licenses to private individuals, and moreover, allowed Providence* to issue such papers in unlimited quantities. By the way, this is where the English slang expression Right of Purchase, now completely out of use, came from. Literally, this expression meant "the right to plunder", but all the salt here was precisely in the play on words of the concept of purchase: the fact is that this English word originally meant hunting or chasing animals, but gradually, in the XIII-XVII centuries, it entered the English maritime jargon and began to mean the process of robbery, as well as seized property. Today it has lost this militant meaning and means “acquisition”, in rare cases “cost, value”.

Providence is a government corporation dedicated to promoting privateering on the islands of Tortuga and Providence. After the capture of the island of Providence by the Spaniards (1641), the company was deeply in debt and gradually fell into disrepair.

In addition to these documents, from the 1650s to the 1830s, the so-called Right of Search existed in the Mediterranean. Unlike most pirates, the activities of the Barbary corsairs were controlled by their government. To facilitate trade, some Christian states entered into peace agreements with the Berber rulers. Thus, corsairs could legally attack ships individual states refraining from attacking friendly ships.

The sea captains of the powers that signed such a treaty often took on their ships cargo or passengers hostile to the Barbary countries. Therefore, in order to avoid possible deception, the states that signed the mentioned agreements were forced to allow the Barbary corsairs to stop and search their ships. They could seize the property and passengers of hostile powers if they found them on board stopped ships. However, they had to pay the full cost of the cargo entrusted to the captain to its destination.

The reverse problem arose when passengers and property of friendly countries ended up on a captured enemy ship. The corsairs could confiscate the cargo and enslave the crew, but they were supposed to release the passengers who were protected by the rules of the agreements. So that the corsairs could freely recognize the subjects of the allied powers, a system of passes was created.

Berber passes are quite a curious phenomenon! In essence, these were letters of protection that guaranteed the ship and crew from sea robbery. Few officials had the right to issue such documents. For example, in accordance with the agreements of 1662 and 1682 between England and Algeria, only passes issued by the Lord High Admiral or the ruler of Algeria were considered valid. Moreover, the contract was divided into two parts with an intricate cut, one part of the sheet was left to itself, and the second part was given to the opposite side. Only two people could board the ship to check the cargo and the list of passengers. The vast majority of corsairs obeyed these passes, the recalcitrant were awaiting the death penalty, although at the beginning (the first 30-40 years) there were a lot of violations.

In general, the concept of “international law” uniting all peoples has a relatively late origin. In ancient times, the laws of one society applied exclusively to its members. Due to the impossibility of extending the effect of local laws beyond certain boundaries, the Greek city-states allowed their citizens to defend their own interests against the claims of outsiders. Roman law also drew a clear line between the citizens of the state, the allies, and the population of the rest of the outside world. However, this difference became less significant after the Romans conquered the entire Mediterranean region. Unlike later letters of marque, the natural right to retribution existed until the two parties entered into a special agreement regulating legal relations between these states. Contracts often became a kind of blackmail.

For example, the Aetolian League* (300-186 BC) supported the piracy practiced by its members and benefited from their activities. The Aetolians received their share of the pirate booty. If any of the neighboring states wanted to protect themselves from pirate attacks, he had to sign a treaty recognizing the authority of the Aetolian Union.

Aetolia (Aetolia) - a mountainous, forested area in the center of Greece between Macedonia and the Gulf of Corinth, where various local tribes united in a kind of federal state - the Aetolian Union. The government dealt only with matters of war and foreign policy. In 290 BC. Aetolia began to expand its possessions, including neighboring possessions and tribes as full members or allies. By 240, the alliance controlled almost all of central Greece and part of the Peloponnese. The main occupation of the representatives of the union was participation in wars between the warring empires as mercenaries. In 192 BC. the union opposed the growing strength of Rome, for which it paid the price, becoming one of its provinces.

The modern idea of ​​pirates

V. Legacy

Of course, among the huge number of unknown pirates, there were exceptions - outstanding personalities - and we will talk about them separately.

There are cases when it was pirates - skillful sailors - who became the discoverers of new lands. Many of them were imperiously attracted by the "muse of distant wanderings", and the thirst for exploits, adventures often prevailed over the thirst for profit, with which they seduced their royal patrons in England, Spain and Portugal. Not to mention the obscure Vikings who visited the land of North America almost five hundred years before Columbus discovered it, let us recall at least Sir Francis Drake - the “royal corsair” and the admiral who made the second round-the-world voyage after Magellan; the discoverer of the Falkland Islands, John Davis; historian and writer Sir Walter Reli and the famous ethnographer and oceanologist, member of the English Royal Society William Dampier - who circled the Earth three times.

However, if a patent for the post of captain of the galleon of the "Golden Fleet" or "Silver Fleet", transporting jewelry looted in America, could be easily bought by a noble and wealthy nobleman of Spain, then the position of captain pirate ship could not be purchased for any amount of money. Move forward among the sea robbers with their peculiar, but cruel laws could only be a person with outstanding organizational skills. There is nothing surprising in the fact that people of this kind have always excited the imagination of writers, artists and composers and become - often in an idealized form - the heroes of works.

In essence, the pirates led a life of hard labor to which they condemned themselves. For months they ate breadcrumbs and corned beef, drank stale water more often than rum, suffered from tropical fever, dysentery and scurvy, died from wounds, drowned during storms. Few of them died at home in their beds. Polycrates of Samos in 522 BC crucified the Persian satrap Oroites, who lured him into a trap to his continent under the pretext of concluding a non-aggression pact. The once famous Francois L'Olonne was killed, fried and eaten by cannibals; the leader of the vitaliers, Stertebecker, was beheaded in Hamburg; Sir Francis Drake died of dengue fever; Sir Walter Rehly executed in London; Tich was killed during a boarding battle and his severed head was hung by the victor under the bowsprit of his ship; Roberts was struck down by a canister shot in his throat, and the enemy, paying tribute to his bravery, lowered into the sea the corpse of the captain with a gold chain and a cross studded with diamonds around his neck, with a saber in his hand and two pistols on a silk sling, and then hanged all the remaining pirates. Edward Lowe was hanged by the French, Vane was executed in Jamaica, Kidd was hanged in England, Mary Reid died in prison while pregnant... Is it worth listing further?

Famous British Pirate Captains	The best British pirate ships
Sir Francis DrakeFrancisDrake	The Pelican, renamedthe Golden Hind
Sir Walter RaleighWalterReilly	The Falcon.
Sir Richard HawkinsRichardHawkins	The Dainty, the Swallow
Sir Martin Frobisher - SirMartinFrobisher	The Gabriel
Sir Humphrey Gilbert - Sir Humphrey Gilbert	Anne Ager, The Raleigh, the Swallow & the Squirrel
Sir John HawkinsJohnHawkins	The Victory
Sir Richard Grenville - SirRichardGrenville	The Revenge, Tiger, Roebuck, Lion, Elizabeth, and DorothyJohn Hawkins

famous pirate ships	Pirate ship captains
Queen Anne's Revenge	Edward Teach (Blackbeard)Teach
Adventure Galley	Captain Kidd - Captain Kidd
The Revenge	Captain John Gow - Captain John Gow
The William	JohnRackham (CalicoJack - John RackhamAnnaBonney - Ann BonnieMaryReade - Mary Reid
Fancy, Pearl, Victory	Edward England
Fancy	Henry Every (Long Ben)Avery
Royal James	Ignatius Pell
Royal Fortune, Great Fortune & Great Ranger	Bartholomew Roberts (Black Bart)Roberts
Liberty and the Amity	Thomas Tew - Thomas Tew
Delivery	George Lowther Delivery - George

Pirates are sea (or river) robbers. The word "pirate" (Latin pirata) comes, in turn, from the Greek. πειρατής, cognate with the word πειράω ("try, test"). Thus, the meaning of the word would be "torturing happiness." The etymology testifies to how unsteady the boundary between the professions of a navigator and a pirate was from the very beginning.
The following list with pictures is intended for those who have suddenly decided that they are into pirates, but can't remember a single name other than Jack Sparrow.

Henry Morgan

(1635-1688) became the most famous pirate in the world, enjoying a kind of fame. This man became famous not so much for his corsair exploits as for his activities as a commander and politician. Morgan's main merit was the help of England in seizing control over the entire Caribbean Sea. Since childhood, Henry was a fidget, which was reflected in his adulthood. In a short time, he managed to be a slave, collect his own gang of thugs and get his first ship. Along the way, many people were robbed. Being in the service of the queen, Morgan directed his energy to the ruin of the Spanish colonies, he did it perfectly. As a result, everyone learned the name of the active sailor. But then the pirate suddenly decided to settle down - he got married, bought a house ... However, a violent temper took its toll, moreover, at his leisure, Henry realized that it was much more profitable to capture coastal cities than just rob ships. Once Morgan used a tricky move. On the approach to one of the cities, he took a large ship and stuffed it to the top with gunpowder, sending it to the Spanish port at dusk. A huge explosion led to such turmoil that there was simply no one to defend the city. So the city was taken, and the local fleet was destroyed, thanks to Morgan's cunning. Storming Panama, the commander decided to attack the city from land, sending the army around the city. As a result, the maneuver was a success, the fortress fell. Morgan spent the last years of his life in the status of Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica. His whole life was spent at a frantic pirate pace, with all the charms appropriate to the occupation in the form of alcohol. Only rum defeated the brave sailor - he died of cirrhosis of the liver and was buried as a nobleman. True, the sea took his ashes - the cemetery plunged into the sea after the earthquake.

Francis Drake

(1540-1596) was born in England, in the family of a priest. The young man began his maritime career as a cabin boy on a small merchant ship. It was there that the smart and observant Francis learned the art of navigation. Already at the age of 18, he received command of his own ship, which he inherited from the old captain. In those days, the queen blessed the pirate raids, so long as they were directed against the enemies of England. During one of these voyages, Drake fell into a trap, but, despite the death of 5 other English ships, he managed to save his ship. The pirate quickly became famous for his cruelty, and fortune fell in love with him. Trying to take revenge on the Spaniards, Drake begins to lead against them his own war- plunders their ships, cities. In 1572, he managed to capture the "Silver Caravan", carrying more than 30 tons of silver, which immediately made the pirate rich. An interesting feature of Drake was the fact that he not only sought to loot more, but also to visit previously unknown places. As a result, many sailors were filled with gratitude to Drake for his work in clarifying and correcting the map of the world. With the permission of the queen, the pirate went on a secret expedition to South America, with the official version of the exploration of Australia. The expedition was a great success. Drake maneuvered so cleverly, avoiding the traps of enemies, that he managed to make a trip around the world on his way home. Along the way, he attacked the Spanish settlements in South America, circled Africa and brought home potato tubers. The total profit from the campaign was unprecedented - more than half a million pounds. Then it was twice the budget of the whole country. As a result, right on board the ship, Drake was knighted - an unprecedented case, which has no analogues in history. The apogee of the pirate's greatness came at the end of the 16th century, when he took part as an admiral in the defeat of the Invincible Armada. In the future, luck turned away from the pirate, during one of the subsequent voyages to American shores he contracted a dengue fever and died.

Edward Teach

(1680-1718) better known by his nickname Blackbeard. It was because of this external attribute that Tich was considered a terrible monster. The first mention of the activities of this corsair refers only to 1717, what the Englishman did before that remained unknown. By indirect evidence, one can guess that he was a soldier, but deserted and became a filibuster. Then he was already pirating, terrifying people with his beard, which covered almost the entire face. Tich was very brave and courageous, which earned him the respect of other pirates. He wove wicks into his beard, which, smoking, terrified opponents. In 1716, Edward was given command of his sloop to conduct privateer operations against the French. Teach soon captured a larger ship and made it his flagship, renaming it Queen Anne's Revenge. The pirate at this time operates in the Jamaica region, robbing everyone in a row and gaining new henchmen. By the beginning of 1718, there were already 300 people under the command of Tich. In a year, he managed to capture more than 40 ships. All the pirates knew that the bearded man was hiding a treasure on some of the uninhabited islands, but no one knew exactly where. The atrocities of the pirate against the British and the robbery of the colonies forced the authorities to declare a hunt for Blackbeard. An impressive reward was announced and Lieutenant Maynard was hired to track down Teach. In November 1718, the pirate was overtaken by the authorities and was killed during the battle. Teach's head was chopped off, and the body was hung on a yardarm.

William Kidd

(1645-1701). Born in Scotland near the docks, the future pirate decided from childhood to connect his fate with the sea. In 1688, Kidd, being a simple sailor, survived a shipwreck near Haiti and was forced to become a pirate. In 1689, having betrayed his associates, William took possession of the frigate, calling it "Blessed William". With the help of a letter of marque, Kidd took part in the war against the French. In the winter of 1690, part of the team left him, and Kidd decided to settle down. He married a wealthy widow, taking possession of land and property. But the heart of a pirate demanded adventure, and now, after 5 years, he is already a captain again. The powerful frigate "Brave" was intended to rob, but only the French. After all, the expedition was sponsored by the state, which did not need unnecessary political scandals. However, the sailors, seeing the scarcity of profits, periodically revolted. The capture of a rich ship with French goods did not save the situation. Fleeing from his former subordinates, Kidd surrendered into the hands of the British authorities. The pirate was taken to London, where he quickly became a bargaining chip in the fight. political parties. On charges of piracy and the murder of a ship's officer (who was the instigator of the mutiny), Kidd was sentenced to death. In 1701, the pirate was hanged, and his body hung in an iron cage over the Thames for 23 years, as a warning to the corsairs of imminent punishment.

Mary Reid

(1685-1721). Since childhood, the girl was dressed in the clothes of a boy. So the mother tried to hide the death of her son who died early. At the age of 15, Mary went to serve in the army. In the battles in Flanders, under the name Mark, she showed miracles of courage, but she did not wait for promotion. Then the woman decided to join the cavalry, where she fell in love with her colleague. After the end of hostilities, the couple got married. However, happiness did not last long, her husband died unexpectedly, Mary, dressed in men's clothing became a sailor. The ship fell into the hands of pirates, the woman was forced to join them, cohabiting with the captain. In battle, Mary wore a male uniform, participating in skirmishes on an equal basis with everyone else. Over time, the woman fell in love with an artisan who helped a pirate. They even got married and were going to end the past. But even here the happiness did not last long. Pregnant Reid was caught by the authorities. When she was caught along with other pirates, she said that she was committing robberies against her will. However, other pirates showed that there was no one more determined than Mary Read in the matter of robbing ships and boarding. The court did not dare to hang a pregnant woman, she patiently waited for her fate in a Jamaican prison, not being afraid of a shameful death. But a high fever killed her first.

Olivier (Francois) le Wasser

became the most famous French pirate. He bore the nickname "La blues", or "buzzard". A Norman nobleman of noble origin was able to turn the island of Tortuga (now Haiti) into an impregnable fortress of filibusters. Initially, Le Vasseur was sent to the island to protect the French settlers, but he quickly drove the British out of there (according to other sources - the Spaniards) and began to pursue his own policy. Being a talented engineer, the Frenchman designed a well-fortified fortress. Le Vasseur issued filibuster very dubious documents for the right to hunt the Spaniards, taking the lion's share of the booty for himself. In fact, he became the leader of the pirates, without taking a direct part in the hostilities. When in 1643 the Spaniards failed to take the island, having discovered fortifications with surprise, the authority of le Wasser grew noticeably. He finally refused to obey the French and pay deductions to the crown. However, the spoiled character, tyranny and tyranny of the Frenchman led to the fact that in 1652 he was killed by his own friends. According to legend, Le Wasser collected and hid the largest treasure of all time, worth 235 million pounds in today's money. Information about the location of the treasure was kept in the form of a cryptogram around the neck of the governor, but the gold has never been found.

William Dampier

(1651-1715) is often referred to not just as a pirate, but also as a scientist. After all, he made as many as three round-the-world voyages, discovering many islands in the Pacific Ocean. Orphaned early, William chose the sea path. At first he took part in trading voyages, and then he managed to make war. In 1674, an Englishman came to Jamaica as a trading agent, but his career in this capacity did not work out, and Dampier was forced to become a sailor of a merchant ship again. After exploring the Caribbean, William settled on the shore Gulf of Mexico, on the Yucatan coast. Here he found friends in the form of runaway slaves and filibusters. Dampier's later life took place in the idea of ​​traveling through Central America, plundering Spanish settlements on land and at sea. He sailed in the waters of Chile, Panama, New Spain. Dampier began to keep notes of his adventures almost immediately. As a result, in 1697, his book "A New Journey Around the World" was published, which made him famous. Dampier became a member of the most prestigious houses in London, entered the royal service and continued his research by writing a new book. However, in 1703, on an English ship, Dampier continued a series of robberies of Spanish ships and settlements in the Panama region. In 1708-1710, he took part as a navigator of a corsair round-the-world expedition. The works of the pirate scientist turned out to be so valuable for science that he is considered to be one of the fathers of modern oceanography.

Zheng Shi

(1785-1844) is considered one of the most successful pirates. The facts that she commanded a fleet of 2000 ships, on which more than 70 thousand sailors served, will tell about the scale of her actions. The 16-year-old prostitute "Madame Jing" married the famous pirate Zheng Yi. After his death in 1807, the widow inherited a pirate fleet of 400 ships. Corsairs not only attacked merchant ships off the coast of China, but also swam deep into the mouths of the rivers, devastating coastal settlements. The emperor was so surprised by the actions of the pirates that he sent his fleet against them, but this did not have significant consequences. The key to Zheng Shi's success was the strict discipline she established for us. She put an end to traditional pirate freedoms - plundering allies and raping prisoners was punishable by death. However, as a result of the betrayal of one of her captains, a female pirate in 1810 was forced to conclude a truce with the authorities. Her further career was held as the owner of a brothel and a gambling den. The story of a pirate woman is reflected in literature and cinema, there are many legends about her.

Edward Lau

(1690-1724) also known as Ned Lau. For most of his life, this man traded in petty theft. In 1719, his wife died in childbirth, and Edward realized that from now on nothing ties him to the house. After 2 years, he became a pirate operating around the Azores, New England and the Caribbean. This time is considered the end of the age of piracy, but Lau became famous for the fact that in a short time he managed to capture more than a hundred ships, while showing a rare bloodthirstiness.

Aruj Barbarossa

(1473-1518) became a pirate at the age of 16 after being captured by the Turks native island Lesvos. Already at the age of 20, Barbarossa became a merciless and brave corsair. Having escaped from captivity, he soon seized a ship for himself, becoming the leader. Aruj entered into an agreement with the Tunisian authorities, who allowed him to organize a base on one of the islands in exchange for a share of the booty. As a result, the pirate fleet of Arouge terrorized all Mediterranean ports. Having got involved in politics, Arouj eventually became the ruler of Algeria under the name of Barbarossa. However, the fight against the Spaniards did not bring good luck to the Sultan - he was killed. His work was continued by his younger brother, known as Barbaross II.

Oleg and Valentina Svetovid are mystics, experts in esotericism and occultism, authors of 14 books.

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Pirates

Surnames and names of famous pirates

Pirates- these are sea and river robbers of any nationality, who at all times robbed the ships of all countries and peoples.

The word "pirate" (Latin pirata) comes from the Greek. "try, test" The meaning of the word "pirate" is to try one's luck, a gentleman of fortune.

The word "pirate" came into use around the 4th-3rd centuries BC. e., and before that the concept of "leistes" was used, known since the time of Homer and closely related to such concepts as robbery, murder, booty. Piracy in its original form sea ​​raids appeared simultaneously with navigation and maritime trade. All the coastal tribes, who mastered the basics of navigation, were engaged in such raids. Piracy, as a phenomenon, is reflected in ancient poetry - in Ovid's Metamorphoses and Homer's poems.

With the development of trade and legal ties between countries and peoples, attempts began to be made to combat this phenomenon.

The pirates had own flag. The idea to fly under a pirate flag appeared in order to psychological impact to the crew of the attacked ship. For the purpose of intimidation, the blood-red flag was originally used, which often depicted symbols of death: skeleton, skull, crossbones, crossed sabers, death with a scythe, skeleton with a goblet.

The most common method of piracy attack there was a boarding (fr. abordage). The enemy ships approached side to side, grappled with boarding gear, and pirates jumped onto the enemy ship, supported by fire from the pirate ship.

Modern piracy

Currently, most of the piracy attacks take place in East Africa(Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique).

The region of the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia is not free from pirate raids.

Types of pirates

Sea pirates

River Pirates

Tevkry- Middle Eastern pirates in the XV-XI centuries BC. They were destroyed by the combined forces of the Greeks during the Trojan War.

Dolopians- Ancient Greek pirates (Skyrians), in the second half of the VI century BC settled on the island of Skyros. They hunted in the Aegean Sea.

Ushkuiniki- Novgorod river pirates, who hunted throughout the Volga up to Astrakhan, mainly in the XIV century.

barbary pirates- Pirates of North Africa. Based in the ports of Algeria and Morocco.

Likedelers- pirates of the northern European seas, descendants of the ancient Vikings.

Buccaneers – English name filibuster, a synonym for a pirate who hunted in the waters of America.

filibusters- sea robbers of the 17th century who robbed Spanish ships and colonies in America. The word comes from the Dutch "vrijbuiter", which means "free earner".

Corsairs- this word appeared at the beginning of the XIV century from the Italian "corsa" and the French "la corsa". In wartime, a corsair received from the authorities of his (or another) country a letter of marque (corsair patent) for the right to rob enemy property. A corsair ship was equipped by a private shipowner, who bought a corsair patent or a letter of reprisal from the authorities. The captains and crew members of such a ship were called corsairs. In Europe, the word "corsair" was used by the French, Italians, Spaniards and Portuguese in relation to their own and foreign gentlemen of fortune. In the countries of the Germanic language group, a synonym for corsair is privateer, in English speaking countries privateer(from the Latin word privatus - private).

privateers- private individuals in the countries of the German language group, who received from the state a license (diploma, patent, certificate, commission) to seize and destroy ships of enemy and neutral countries in exchange for a promise to share with the employer. Such a license in English was called Letters of Marque - letter of marque. The word "caper" comes from the Dutch verb kepen or the German kapern (to seize). Germanic synonym for corsair.

Privateers is the English name for a privateer or corsair.

Pechelings (flexelings)- so in Europe and the New World (America) they called Dutch privateers. The name comes from the main port of their base - Vlissingen. This term has appeared since the mid-1570s, when Dutch sailors began to gain fame (rob) around the world, and little Holland became one of the leading maritime countries.

Klefts (sea guides)- Greek pirates in the era of the Ottoman Empire, who attacked mainly Turkish ships.

Wokow- pirates of Japanese origin who attacked the coasts of China, Korea and Japan in the period from the 13th to the 16th centuries.

Surnames and names of famous pirates

Teuta (Teuta)- the queen of the Illyrian pirates, III century. BC.

Aruj Barbarossa I(1473-1518)

Khair-ad-Din (Khyzir)(1475-1546), Barbarossa II

Nathaniel Butler(born 1578)

Hawkins John(1532-1595)

Francis Drake(1540-1596)

Thomas Cavendish(1560-1592)

Dragut-Rais(16th century)

Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin(c. 1645-1707)

Edward Teach(1680-1718), nickname "Blackbeard"

Jan Jacobsen(15(?)-1622)

Arundell, James(d. 1662)

Henry Morgan(1635-1688)

William Kidd(1645-1701)

Michel de Grammont

Mary Reid(1685-1721)

Francois Olone(17th century)

William Dampier(1651-1715)

Abraham Blauvelt(16??-1663)

Olivier (Francois) Le Wasser, nicknames "La blues", "buzzard"

Edward Lau(1690-1724)

Bartholomew Roberts(1682-1722), nickname "Black Bart"

Jack Rackham(1682-1720), nicknamed "Calico Jack". It is believed that he is the author of the pirate symbol - the skull and crossbones.

Joseph Barss(1776-1824)

Henry Avery

Jean Ango

Daniel "The Destroyer" Montbar

Laurens de Graaf(17th century)

Zheng Shi(1785-1844)

Jean Lafitte(?-1826)

Jose Gaspar(first quarter of the 19th century), nickname "Black Caesar"

Moses Vauclain

Amyas Preston

WilliamHenryHayes(William Henry Hays)(1829-1877)

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Pirates

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John Rackham, also known as Calico Jack (December 21, 1682 - November 18, 1720), was an authoritative pirate who became famous thanks to several of his notable deeds.

First of all, Rackham dared to challenge Captain Charles Vane, known for his unparalleled cruelty. In addition, he had a special relationship with two legendary female pirates of his time - Anne Bonnie and Mary Read. Both of them - in violation of all customs - served on his ship, and Ann Bonnie was taken from her husband by Rackham. In addition, Rackham invented a pirate flag of his own design, which subsequently became incredibly popular. And finally, it is worth mentioning that although Rackham did not pirate for long, he captured about $ 1.5 million in booty, which allowed him to enter the "golden twenty" of pirates. John Rackham, nicknamed Calico Jack (he got it for his addiction to calico robes), is first mentioned in history as the quartermaster on the ship of the terrible Charles Vane. Apparently, Rackham came to Vane when the pirate squadron left the island of New Providence. Wayne preferred to piracy, a peaceful life was not for him. However, Rackham himself also always dreamed of the fate of the robber of the seas. Instantly gaining the trust of Vane himself and finding a common language with the team, John Rackham was soon appointed quartermaster. His duties were to look after the interests of the team and help the captain manage the squadron. As he later discovered, Charles Vane not only terribly mocked the captives, but also constantly robbed his own team. Moreover, the pirate captain preferred to attack only if he was absolutely sure of victory. The team did not like this very much.

The last straw was Vane's deliberate reluctance to attack a wealthy French ship. The team rebelled and chose John Rackham as the new captain.

Steed Bonnet (1688 - December 10, 1718) - a venerable British pirate, another of the "golden twenty" who took a violent death. He robbed ships in the Atlantic Ocean and, of course, in the Caribbean. In addition to his successful raids, which brought him a fair amount of booty, Bonnet went down in history as a corsair who was not afraid to enter into conflict with Edward "Blackbeard" Teach himself, a pirate of pirates! In addition, he is perhaps the only one who, being a successful planter, suddenly decided to connect his life with the robbers of the seas.

Steed Bonnet was born in Bridgetown, Barbados, into a respectable and wealthy English family, Edward and Sarah Bonnet, who baptized their baby on July 29, 1688. After the death in 1694 of his venerable parent, Steed Bonnet at the age of six became the heir to the entire family fortune. The prosperity of the Bonnet family, by the way, was based on the skillful management of plantations, which occupied an area of ​​over 400 acres (approximately 1.6 km²).

Steed Bonnet received a very good education - wealth quite allowed him to do this. When Steed reached the age of 21, he took two very serious steps. First, he ended his bachelor life and got married. His chosen one was a certain Mary Allambie. Their wedding took place on November 21, 1709. Subsequently, Steed and Mary had four children: three boys (Allambie, Edward and Steed) and one girl, Mary. Steed's eldest son Bonnet Allambie died early; his death occurred in 1715.

Secondly, Bonnet decided to learn how to hold a weapon in his hands, for which he entered the ranks of the municipal police. He quickly rose to the rank of major. Some historians admit that Bonnet's rapid career growth was due to his status as a large landowner; everyone was well aware that slave labor was used on his plantations. And among the main functions of the militia, in the first place was the suppression of uprisings of slaves.

Thus Steed Bonnet prospered as a planter, contributed to the maintenance of order, and planned family life years ahead.

The peak of maritime robberies came in the 17th century, when the World Ocean was the scene of a struggle between Spain, England and some other European colonial powers gaining momentum. Most often, pirates made a living by independent criminal robberies, but some of them ended up in public service and purposefully harmed foreign fleets. Below is a list of the ten most famous pirates in history.

William Kidd (January 22, 1645 – May 23, 1701) was a Scottish sailor who was convicted and executed for piracy after returning from a voyage to the Indian Ocean where he was supposed to hunt pirates. It is considered one of the most cruel and bloodthirsty sea robbers of the seventeenth century. The hero of many mysterious stories. Some modern historians, such as Sir Cornelius Neil Dalton, consider his pirate reputation to be unfair.

Bartholomew Roberts (May 17, 1682 - February 17, 1722) was a Welsh pirate who robbed about 200 ships (according to another version, 400 ships) in the vicinity of Barbados and Martinique in two and a half years. Known primarily as the opposite of the traditional image of a pirate. He was always well dressed, had refined manners, hated drunkenness and gambling, treated well the crew of the ships he captured. He was killed by cannon shot during a battle with a British warship.

Blackbeard or Edward Teach (1680 - November 22, 1718) - an English pirate who hunted in the Caribbean in 1716-1718. He liked to strike terror into his enemies. During the battle, Tich weaved incendiary wicks into his beard and in clouds of smoke, like Satan from hell, burst into the ranks of the enemy. Due to his unusual appearance and eccentric behavior, history has made him one of the most famous pirates, despite the fact that his "career" was rather short, and his success and scale of activity were much smaller compared to his other colleagues from this list.

Jack Rackham (December 21, 1682 - November 17, 1720) was an English pirate who became famous primarily for the fact that his team included two more equally famous corsairs, female pirates Anne Bonnie, nicknamed the "mistress of the seas" and Mary Read.

Charles Vane (1680 – 29 March 1721) was an English pirate who robbed ships between 1716 and 1721 in North American waters. Notorious for his extreme cruelty. As the story goes, Wayne was not attached to such feelings as compassion, pity and sympathy, he easily broke his own promises, did not respect other pirates and did not at all consider anyone's opinion. The meaning of his life was only prey.

Edward England (1685 - 1721) - a pirate active off the coast of Africa and in the waters of the Indian Ocean from 1717 to 1720. He differed from other pirates of that time in that he did not kill prisoners, unless absolutely necessary. This eventually led his crew to mutiny when he refused to kill sailors from yet another captured English merchant ship. Subsequently, England was landed in Madagascar, where he survived for some time by begging, and eventually died.

Samuel Bellamy, nicknamed Black Sam (February 23, 1689 - April 26, 1717) was a great English sailor and pirate who hunted in the early 18th century. Although his career lasted a little more than a year, he and his crew captured at least 53 ships, making Black Sam the richest pirate in history. Bellamy was also known for his mercy and generosity towards those he captured in his raids.

Saida al-Hurra (1485 - circa 14 July 1561) - last queen of Tetouan (Morocco) who ruled between 1512–1542, pirate In alliance with the Ottoman corsair Aruj Barbarossa of Algiers, al-Hura controlled the Mediterranean. She became famous for her fight against the Portuguese. It is rightfully considered one of the most prominent women of the Islamic west of the modern era. The date and exact circumstances of her death are unknown.

Thomas Tew (1649 - September 1695) was an English privateer and pirate who made only two major piracy voyages, later known as the Pirate's Circle. He was killed in 1695 while trying to rob the Mughal ship Fateh Muhammad.

Steed Bonnet (1688 - December 10, 1718) - an outstanding English pirate, nicknamed "pirate gentleman". Interestingly, before Bonnet turned to piracy, he was quite wealthy, educated and respected person who owns a plantation in Barbados.

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