Masters of Piracy

Throughout the Golden Age of Pirates, many major figures emerged as "famous" pirates. They gained a reputation as extremely fierce and powerful figureheads in the Carribean area (Cordingly).

Blackbeard's Ship Pictured

One powerful pirate was known as Blackbeard. He was called Blackbeard because of his unnecessarily long black beard that was often tied up with black ribbons. He was such a nuisance to the Royal Navy that the Navy was ordered to find and capture/kill him. He was eventually killed in battle (Cordingly)

Sir Francis Drake

Another formidable pirate was Sir Francis Drake who plundered the Spanish out of revenge. He started out as a small pirate attempting to plunder Nombre de Dios, a Spanish town in Panama, but after capturing the town, he found no treasure. He eventually made his reputation as a good pirate after accomplishing many feats such as tricking a Spanish captain into thinking he was a merchant before launching a surprise attack on his ship and stealing the immense wealth on board. He caused so much turmoil to the Spanish that Queen Elizabeth actually pardoned and knighted him for his illegal activities (Stockton). 

Area of Sir Henry Morgan's Attack

Similarly, Sir Henry Morgan was appointed by Her Majesty to be a pain in the neck for the Spanish. It is interesting to note that his piracy was legal because the Queen endorsed it. He led several expeditionary forces of Buccaneers against the Spanish and stole much of their fortune. Morgan especially focused on Panama and drove the Spanish defenses out of Panama before ransacking the warehouses that stored the Spanish gold and silver (Cordingly). Masters of piracy, such as these men, often scoffed when referred to as pirates, but their professions were undeniably just that; professional pirates.




Sources Consulted:

Stockton, Frank R. Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts (p. 1-6). Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2007. Print.

Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates (p. 1-25). New York: Random House, 1996. Print.

Buccaneers: How They Really Were

Buccaneer Ship

Buccaneers. When you hear the word "Buccaneers" you think of parrots, peg legs, and buried treasure. The truth, however, is that Buccaneers refers to a group of pirates who raided Carribean Islands in order to steal smoked meat (Stockton). Buccaneers lived a murderous and violent life and got their name from their life style. "Buccaneer," in fact, is derived from the French word, "boucanier," which means "a drier of beef (Stockton)." This is not the stereotypical view of what a pirate is, but, in reality, there is no stereotypical pirate. Pirates come from all different types of backgrounds with all different types of educations and upbringings (Cordingly). It is interesting to see that each pirate ship truly has a unique crew and a unique captain. Over time, pirates have acquired stereotypes from famous fictional stories as well as famous nonfictional stories, but most of these stereotypes are only popular because of the popularity of a story. If you were to venture into the past and look at every instance of piracy, you would see no true pattern in their behavior, education, or leadership style (Cordingly).

Further Reading:

Stockton, Frank R. Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts (p. 1-6). Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2007. Print.

Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates (p. 1-25). New York: Random House, 1996. Print.

John Rittenberry

My name is John Rittenberry. Born and raised in Lilburn, GA, I am a part time lifeguard, a high school junior, and a college freshman. I love cars and engineering and plan to pursue a degree in aeronautical engineering.