THE REAL PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

A GOLDEN AGE ?

JOLLY ROGER

DEFINITIONS and TIME SPAN Buccaneers Pirates Privateers French Corsairs Dutch Sea Beggars English Sea Dogs

Action in the Caribbean spanned from 1500s to 1830s but

Golden Age was from 1650 to 1730

REASONS

Profiteering

Political

Religious

MAIN PLAYERS Spanish: Cartagena, Havana, Santiago de Cuba,

San Juan, Maracaibo, Santo Domingo, Trinidad; Porto Bello in Panama and Veracruz in New Spain

English: Barbados, St Kitts, Nevis; later Jamaica, Bermuda, Antigua, Montserrat and Eleuthera

French: Bahamas, Tortuga, Petit-Goave in Hispaniola (Haiti today); Guadeloupe and Martinique

Dutch: Trinidad, Curacao

CAUSES

Changes in Demographics

Spanish Ports

Protestant Ports

European Struggles

GOLDEN AGE OF PIRACY, 1650-1730 European dynastic intrigue and

warfare Colonial governors turned to

buccaneers Port Royal, Jamaica: English pirate

haven Guadeloupe and Martinique (Lesser

Antilles); Tortuga and Western Hispaniola: French pirate haven

Trinidad: Dutch Pirate haven Nassau, New Providence: all pirates haven

FAMOUS CARIBBEAN PIRATES Jean Fleury Francois Le Clerk: ‘Jambe de Bois’ Edward Thatch, Teach, or Drummond:

‘Blackbeard’ Henry Morgan Stede Bonnet: ‘The Gentleman Pirate’ Charles Vane ‘Calico Jack’ Rackham Anne Bonny and Mary Read Edward (Ned) Low William ‘Captain’ Kidd Bartholomew Roberts

THE STAGE

JEAN FLEURY

French privateer Spain’s nemesis Captured most of

Moctezuma’s treasure, 1522

Captured many Spanish vessels

He was captured and executed in 1527

FRANCOIS LE CLERC French Formidable privateer Nicknamed ‘Jambe de

Bois’ Ransacked Porto Santo,

1552 Pillaged and burned

down Santo Domingo, 1553

Plundered Santiago de Cuba and Panama, 1554

Settled in Saint Tomas Killed in 1563

EDWARD THATCH, TEACH or DRUMMOND - BLACKBEARD English, born c. 1680 Operated off the coast

of N.A: 1714-18 Frigate ‘Queen Anne’s

Revenge’ Placed slow-burning

fuses under hat and on beard: ‘fiendish apparition from Hell’

Killed by British officer and crew:5 bullets and 20 slashes

HENRY MORGAN

Welsh Pirate and

Privateer Attacked and

captured the City of Panama

English hero Titled nobleman Enormous sugar

plantation in Jamaica

Died in his bed, rich and respected

STEEDE BONNET

Barbadian, English family

‘The Gentleman Pirate’

Sugar planter turned pirate in 1717

Sailed with Blackbeard as guest or prisoner

Captured and hanged

CHARLES VANE English Operated out of

Nassau Rebelled against

governor Rogers His quartermaster was

Calico Jack Rackham Calico Jack deposed

him Captured and hanged

in Jamaica, 1720

CALICO JACK RACKHAM English Invented the skull and

crossed swordsflag Anne Bonny’s

lover/husband/crew member

Mary Read: 2nd crew member

Operated in Bahamas Captured and hanged

in 1720

ANNE BONNY Irish Pirate but never

captain Sailed under command

of Calico Jack Ruthless and fierce Sensational trial in

Jamaica, 1720 Escaped execution for

being pregnant Gave birth and

disappeared

EDWARD (NED) LOW English Brutal pirate In 3 years, captured

over 100 ships Tortured many people His crew mutinied in

1724 He was rescued by a

French vessel Was hanged on

Martinique

WILLIAM ‘CAPTAIN’ KIDD Scottish (c.1645-1701) Privateer and pirate? Prominent citizen in NY Became Captain after

mutiny Ship named ‘Blessed

William’ Killed one crewman Buried treasure? Hanged 1701 after

sensational trial

BARTHOLOMEW ROBERTS

Welsh Most successful Sank or captured

about 459 ships Plagued the

Caribbean until 1722

Ships: ‘Fortune’ Returned to Africa

and died in naval battle, 1722

ARTICLES

1. Equal vote and equal shares 2. Cheating: nose and ears split and

marooned 3. No gaming for money 4. Candles to be put out at eight 5. All weapons to be kept clean and ready 6. No boys or women on board: penalty of

death 7. Deserting ship in battle: death or

marooning

ARTICLES (cont.)

8. No quarreling on board: rules for dueling

9. No talking about quitting: payment for injuries

10. Prizes: captain and quartermaster 2 shares; master gunner and boatswain 1 ½ shares; other officers 1 ¼ shares; rest ‘gentlemen of fortune’: 1 share

11. Musicians to rest on the Sabbath Day

LIFE OF THE PIRATES Adventurous Cross-section of society Uneducated Escaping dictatorial ships Democratic; vote Wealth equally divided: proportionally more for

captain and officers Punishment: flogging, hanging; dragged by ropes Drink and fight No women aboard Took mostly clothes, weapons and supplies No burying of treasures

LIFE OF THE PIRATES(cont.) Hunger/thirst/cold Diet of kidney beans with maggots Lack of vitamins Loss of teeth, spots Scurvy Surrounded by dead bodies Solace in rum Society operated outside normal

laws

END OF AN ERA

English Royal Navy and Spanish Guardacosta

Nassau: last pirates’ haven in Caribben

Lafitte brothers operated from Texas and Louisiana in 1810s

Privateers profited during Latin American Wars of Independence

Steam propulsion ships and strength of US Navy eliminated all piracy by the 1830s

WHAT DO YOU THINK:

Were they romantic? Were they honorable? Were they successful? Were they admirable? Were they glamorous?

CONTACT US

billmar@cfl.rr.com