Golden Age of Piracy

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A painting depicting the era.

The Golden Age of Piracy is the name used to refer to a spectacular period of piracy during the late seventeenth and/or early eighteenth century. The exact dates are debated, but the period is often considered to have begun around 1690 and ended roughly around 1730. Alexander Winston claims it began in 1665, while Marcus Rediker proposes it begun in 1716, soon after the end of Queen Anne's War.

The golden age of piracy affected in particular the Caribbean, the American coast, the Indian Ocean, and the western coast of Africa

Due to the peace spreading across Europe, many sailors and privateers found themselves unemployed. Factors contributing to piracy included the rise in quantities of valuable cargoes being shipped to Europe over vast ocean areas, the weakness of European navies in peacetime, the training and experience that many sailors had gained as conscripts in European navies (particularly the Royal Navy), and the weakness of European government in overseas colonies.

1 Origins
- 1.1 Triangular Trade
2 Pirates of the Era
3 Female Pirates
4 References
5 Footnotes
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Origins

In 1713, a series of peace treaties were signed, known as the Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession (also called 'Queen Anne's War'). With the end of this conflict, thousands of seamen, including Britain's paramilitary privateers, were relieved of miltary duty. The result was a large number of trained, idle sailors at a time when the cross-Atlantic colonial shipping trade was beginning to boom. In addition, Europeans who had been pushed by unemployment to become sailors and soldiers involved in slaving were often enthusiastic to abandon that profession and turn pirate, giving pirate captains for many years a constant pool of trained European recruits to be found in west African waters and coasts.

[edit] Triangular Trade

Traffic on shipping lanes between Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe began to soar in the 18th century, a model that was known as triangular trade, and was a rich target for piracy. Trade ships sailed from Europe to the African coast, purchasing slaves. The traders would then sail to the Caribbean to sell the slaves, and return to Europe with goods such as sugar and cocoa. Sugar, rum, and slaves made up the majority of the trade goods.

Britain had also recently gained the asiento^[1]. This arrangement also contributed heavily to the spread of piracy across the western Atlantic at this time. Shipping to the colonies boomed -- simultaneous to the flood of skilled mariners after the war. This gave the employers the ability to drive wages down, cutting corners to maximize their profits, and led to unsavory conditions for those crewing legitimate commercial vessels. They suffered from mortality rates as high or higher than the slaves being transported (Rediker, 2004). Living conditions were so poor that many sailors began to prefer a freer existence as a pirate.

[edit] Pirates of the Era

Blackbeard's severed head hanging from Maynard's bowsprit

Many of the most famous pirates in historical lore originate from this Golden Age of Piracy.

Stede Bonnet, a wealthy Barbados land owner, turned pirate solely in search of adventure. Bonnet captained a 10-gun sloop, which is famously named the Revenge. Primarily raiding ships off the Virginia coast in 1717, he was caught and hanged for piracy in 1718.

Edward Teach, more commonly known as Blackbeard, ruled the seas with an iron fist from 1716 to 1718. Blackbeard's most famous ship was titled the Queen Anne's Revenge, in response to the end of Queen Anne's War. Blackbeard was killed by one of Lieutenant Robert Maynard's crewmen in 1718.

Bartholomew Roberts, sometimes called 'Black Bart', was one of the most successful and colourful pirates of the day. He was killed off the coast of Africa in 1722.

William Fly, whose execution in 1726 is used by historian Marcus Rediker to mark the end of the Golden Age of Pirates.
William Kidd was the only pirate who was thought to have buried treasure somewhere in New Hampshire.

[edit] Female Pirates

Women entered the profession of piracy as well (most usually disguised as men). Two of the best-known female pirates were Calico Jack Rackham's cohorts, Anne Bonney (also sometimes spelled Bonny) and Mary Read.

Bonney grew up fierce, and, unable to leave an earlier marriage, eloped with Rackham, with whom she was in love. Mary Read had been dressed as a boy all her life by her mother, and had spent time in the British military. She came to the West Indies (Caribbean) after the death of her husband, and fell in with Calico Jack and Anne Bonney.

After their capture, both women escaped death sentences (the punishment for piracy) by claiming to be pregnant. However, Read died of a fever in jail. Bonney disappeared. These two women exemplified the wide range of people who were involved in piracy during its Golden Age.

[edit] References

Rediker, Marcus. "Villains of all Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age". Beacon Press: Boston (2004).

[edit] Footnotes

1. The time period of the Golden Age of Piracy is a highly debated subject. Alexander Winston claims it began in 1665, while Marcus Rediker proposes the year 1716.

2. A thirty-year asiento, or contract, to supply slaves to the Spanish colonies, providing British traders and smugglers potential inroads into the traditionally closed Spanish markets in America.