King's Pardon

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The King's Pardon was an amnesty for pirates from the King of England. After Woodes Rogers became the first English royal governor of the Bahamas in 1717, he offered amnesty to many of the pirates who had virtually taken control of these islands. The worst of the pirates did not receive this offer, including the infamous Blackbeard (Edward Teach), and were hunted down and killed.

Not all the pirates who accepted the King's pardon stayed true to their word, and pirates continue to attack ships in the area even to this day, but Rogers' offer of clemency was clearly a turning point in the history of the Bahamas and of piracy throughout all of the Caribbean.

Rogers' motto, "Expulsis Piratis, Restituta Commercia" (Piracy Expelled, Commerce Restored), was national motto of the Bahamas until this country gained its Independence.

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