The Golden Age of Piracy
Is a rather peculiar name to attach to a time when crime was rampant, but it is a secondary concern in terms of defining what exactly this age entails. Most historians do not include the period of pirates targeting the Spanish Mother and treasure ships in the early 17th century (c. 1650-1680). The close of this century is the most common starting point of the Golden Age for scholars, though some would limit it to the first twenty or thirty years, or even just the second decade of the 18th century. So, in order not to miss some relevant points on the issue of piracy, we will adopt a broader perspective and consider the 'Golden Age' as the years approximately 1690-1730. Piracy has been practiced since ancient times and still continues in many parts of the world, so insisting on certain time periods is inherently problematic: piracy seems to have neither a beginning nor an end point.
Finally, there is also the issue of geography. While piracy was prevalent in many parts of the world in our time, the notion of 'Golden Age' in this context is generally limited to pirates operating on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the coasts of West Africa. Pirates, such as those of the Barbary Coast and East Asia, are often treated separately. Thus, the majority of Golden Age pirates were British or American, but a significant number of other nationalities included, notably the Dutch and French, and pirate crews could indeed include anyone from virtually anywhere, including ancient Africans, slaves, and indigenous peoples.
The problem is why piracy flourished in this particular era. Men and some women were drawn into the life of piracy because of the harshness of life at sea on a merchant or navy ship - the vast majority of pirates were experienced sailors - or because they could not find meaningful employment after the wars between England and France ended. After the Age of Discovery, European colonies beyond the Mediterranean were now blossoming. These were communities that grew in size and wealth, and grew to serve themselves, with a corresponding increase in merchant shipping. Still, there was hitherto a lack of tight administrative and military containment from the central government, so many ports and ships were easy targets for pirates who didn't care about the consequences of their crimes.
While some pirate crew members have become notorious (or notorious) in their own right, it is the captains' names most attached to this circuit. While the majority of pirates wore the clothes worn by any other sailor crew, captains were more inclined to make a fashion statement and to wear the flamboyant outfits sported by the nobility of the time. Bartholomew Roberts (also known as 'Black Bart' Roberts) was famous for wearing a red silk jacket, a matching damask waistcoat and a diamond necklace. Blackbeard (also known as Edward Teach) wore black ribbons in his beard, carried six pistols, and lit wicks under his hat when engaged in combat. Undoubtedly, these pirate captains were eager to establish a legend about themselves that helped ensure that a target ship would surrender immediately and their crew would remain loyal.
Other captains took a more ruthless approach to fame. Charles Vane (hung in 1721) once fired cannons aboard the Bahamas governor's ship, while Edward Low amassed a long list of heinous crimes, such as mutilating, burning and hanging his victims between 1721 and 1724. 1718), the 'Gentleman Pirate' was unusual because he chose the life of piracy as a change rather than operating his own plantation in Barbados. Piracy, it seems, had all kinds of charms.
Pirate Loot
Pirates were first and foremost after portable loot, preferably gold, silver, and precious stones. Coins were the easiest to dispose of, and hence a treasure chest of Spanish silver pesos (aka eights) or gold doubloons was most desirable. The next best thing was a valuable cargo. Easily sold crops included silk rolls, spices, indigo, tobacco, rum, furs, hides, sugar, and other foodstuffs. All valuables and fancy clothing of the crew and passengers were removed. Weapons, navigational instruments, and medicine were always useful. Even ordinary sea goods such as ropes, sails, and anchors were bought to renew the pirates' own equipment. In the end, the attacked ship itself could be the reward. Pirates did not want to spend the time and effort repairing their own ships, and so it was common to trade for a seaworthy ship, such as upgrading to a bigger and better ship that could carry more guns.
While most catches brought only dry goods or liquor and maybe a few coins, there were some really surprising catches during the Golden Age. English pirate Henry Every (b. 1653) captured the Mughal emperor's merchant ship, the Ganij-i-Savai, in 1695, carrying cargo worth over $95 million today. Each crew member's share was more than a lifetime's salary. Captain Henry sailed wisely over the horizon with his trophy and was never seen or heard from again. The loot was controlled by the quartermaster until it could be shared or sold and the proceeds divided. Crew members typically received one share each, quartermaster and captain two shares each, and various 'officers' or more experienced sailors and skilled workers such as carpenters and artillery received between one and two shares. In addition, Crew members were compensated for injuries sustained during an attack. Few pirates have held onto their ill-gotten gains long enough to consider hiding them. Stories of buried treasure can often appear in pirate fiction, but there is little historical evidence of such behavior. Captain Kidd may have buried treasure on Long Island, but treasure seekers were frustrated that they couldn't find any.
