Dunkirk Raiders
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During the Dutch revolt (1568 - 1648) the Dunkirk Raiders or Dunkirk Privateers (Dutch: Duinkerker kapers) were privateers in the service of the Spanish Empire operating from the port of Dunkirk at the Flemish coast.
Dunkirk was originally in the hands of the Dutch rebels from 1577 until 1583, when Alexander Farnese, the Duke of Parma, re-established Spanish sovereignty. Dunkirk was, at the time, an important, strategically positioned town, and it didn't take long before the Spanish began issuing letters of Marque. The Spanish aim was to destroy Dutch naval trade and fishing. Despite a near constant blocking of the port of Dunkirk by Dutch warships the privateers often managed to evade the blockade and inflict damage on Dutch naval activities. The Dutch retorted by declaring the Dunkirk privateers pirates in 1587; captains of Dutch navy vessels had to swear an oath that they would throw or beat all prisoners from Dunkirk warships into the sea. This harsh standing order was very unpopular with Dutch crews however, who often evaded it by putting Dunkirk seamen on one of the many shallow shoals off the Flemish coast from which they could wade to the continent.
The Dunkirk raiders had an extremely wide range for their era. Although mainly operating in and around the Channel, they also sailed near the Danish and German coastal areas to intercept Dutch ships returning from the Baltic and are even known to have sent ships to Spain and the Mediterranean; they cooperated closely with the Spanish navy, e.g. in the Battle of the Downs. To evade the Dutch navy the Dunkirkers built a special type of small and very manoeuvrable warship, the frigate, which would be adopted by other navies soon after.
In 1600 the Dutch sent an army to conquer the city of Dunkirk and stop the privateering once and for all. By sheer coincidence however the Dutch army stumbled upon a Spanish army and although the Dutch won the resulting Battle of Nieuwpoort the Dutch commander, stadtholder Maurits of Nassau, decided to turn back to the Republic.
After 1621, when a truce of twelve years ended, the Dunkirkers (as they were known in England) became a real plague for Dutch shipping, capturing on average 229 merchantmen and fishing vessels per year. During this period they took about sixty British vessels each year, as beside legal privateering they often resorted to piracy. It wasn't until October 1646, when the French captured Dunkirk with Dutch naval support, that the raiders were no longer a threat.
However, when after 1672 France and the Dutch Republic became enemies, privateering activities were resumed and would last intermittently until 1712. A famous Dunkirk privateer from this period was Jean Bart.
