Pirates
An entertaining and authoritative introduction to the world of piracy – history comes to life through a compelling factual narrative and enlightening illustrations.Why did seamen become pirates? What was life like on board a pirate ship? How did they go about plundering the enemy’s ship? What sort of treasure did they capture?‘Collins Gem Pirates’ vividly explains and illustrates the development of piracy from ancient times to the modern day. It addresses why piracy started and disappeared, but focuses on the so-called 'Golden Age' of piracy in the seventeenth century, debunking the myths that surround this period, and bringing it to life through an exploration of the personalities, vessels and places involved.They were a disciplined bunch, on the whole, with strict codes of conduct to adhere to and severe punishments for those who broke the rules. There is no evidence to suggest that pirates ever made their victims walk the plank; instead, they were more likely to be marooned on an island.Did you know that following his execution, Captain Kidd's body was dipped in tar and hung by chains along the River Thames, as a warning for would-be pirates? Or that the fearsome Edward Teach (a.k.a. Blackbeard) plundered over 40 ships, but probably never killed a man until his final battle? Or that captains Anne Bonny and Mary Read spent most of their careers disguised as men, because women on ship were thought to bring bad luck?The mysteries and myths surrounding piracy continue to fascinate children and adults alike. This gripping book provides a real and lively insight into this stimulating bygone era.
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Pirates
David Pickering
Images of pirates are deeply entrenched in popular culture. The most universal image is that of a dashing, cutlass-wielding adventurer who defies unworthy enemies against a backdrop of sunlit seas and desert islands. In the popular imagination, the instantly recognizable features of pirate life include such things as skull-and-crossbones flags, eyepatches, buried treasure, pieces-of-eight and walking the plank, but the reality was far from romantic. Most pirates were greedy, treacherous robbers who preyed indiscriminately on defenceless merchant vessels. Violence was a way of life, and some took pleasure torturing or killing prisoners.
There have been pirates for as long as men have sailed the oceans. Their victims have ranged from the sea traders of ancient Greece and Rome to Spanish treasure galleons and East Indiamen laden with the riches of the Indian sub-continent. Few pirates made their fortune: most faced lives of extreme hardship and danger that ended prematurely in disease, drowning, murder or even execution.
Nonetheless, pirates have always appealed to the imagination. A few individuals, such as Sir Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, Captain Kidd and the women pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read, have entered legend and the real facts of their lives have been forgotten. This book aims to reveal the truth behind the popular image.
TYPES OF PIRATES
The word âpirateâ describes any person who seeks plunder on the high seas, illegally attacking shipping of any nationality. The term includes the following sub-categories.
Privateers
A âprivateerâ (or âprivateersmanâ) was a pirate who (like Captain Kidd) held a âletter of marqueâ which licensed him to attack the ships of a national enemy during wartime.
Buccaneers
A âbuccaneerâ was a pirate of the seventeenth century who attacked Spanish shipping and possessions in the Caribbean. Famous English buccaneers included Sir Henry Morgan.
Corsairs
A âcorsairâ was a privateer or pirate who attacked shipping in the Mediterranean. Most feared of all were the Barbary corsairs of north Africa.
Pirates have roamed the seas of the world since ancient times. Generations of peaceful seafarers have learned to dread the appearance of pirates, and piracy itself has long been one of the most colourful threads running through maritime history.
Viking longboats
These Scandinavian sea raiders were also intrepid sailors, navigating the Atlantic Ocean and venturing as far afield as the Mediterranean, Greenland and probably even North America in their sleek, square-sailed boats.
The earliest records of piracy go back thousands of years. Seafarers in the Mediterranean were falling victim to pirates even before the emergence of the ancient Egyptian civilization. Pirates continued to plague the Mycenean, Minoan, Phoenician, Greek and Carthaginian civilizations until they were suppressed by the Romans in the first century BC.
Piracy in the Mediterranean re-emerged during the period of the Byzantine Empire. The waters of northern Europe, meanwhile, were terrorized by Saxon and then Viking warrior-pirates. Maritime trade became busier in the medieval period, and with it came an increase in piracy. Islamic corsairs sailing out of the Barbary coast roamed the Mediterranean, while privateers were employed by various European monarchs.
