Who hasn’t dreamed of sailing the South Seas, wreaking havoc on merchant ships with a sword between his teeth and a barrel of rum in his hand?Or maybe it’s the other way around, but in any case, is there a more legendary and romantic figure than the Pirate?Today, let’s delve into the singular history of the Golden Age of Piracy, a period which, though brief, between 1713 and 1726, left enough of a mark on the centuries that we’ve all heard of it at least once, whether through history books, popular culture, novels, films, video games or music.

1. Background to the Golden Age of Piracy

For there to be a golden age of piracy, there needs to be a long history of piracy in which one period stands out.Indeed, piracy is as old as the world itself. The word “pirate” derives from the Latin “pirata”, indicating that the seas were already infested with pirates back then. This even aroused the ire of Julius Caesar himself.Some claim that the term comes from the Greek “peiratès”, meaning “one who tempts”. Indeed, it took a great deal of courage to venture out to sea, and for a long time it was considered a lawless zone, where no government or even God himself dared venture, and where only the law of the strongest prevailed.

A) Discovery of America (1481) and the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

Piracy is therefore an ancient practice, but it was between the 16th and 18th centuries that the phenomenon truly entered legend. The context is particularly propitious since the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1492, although other explorers had approached these coasts long before him.The Spanish and Portuguese took the lion’s share of the credit, mercilessly attacking any other foreign navigators attempting to do the same. Treaties such as that of Tordesillas in 1494 and papal bulls such as that of Aeterni regis in 1481 precisely delineated this principle. Beyond the Azores, south of the Tropic of Cancer, the rules of courtesy no longer applied. Anything not Portuguese or Spanish was systematically attacked.This rivalry intensified. Larger fleets were set up to defend precious American cargoes, and fortifications were erected. Thus, the escalation of violence was set in motion and continued to increase throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.

B) Appearance of freebooters from the 16th century

Indeed, these clashes rarely took place between official navies, but rather between merchant-adventurers, etc. They represent a compromise between the pirate, who respects no flag other than his own and scoffs at laws and treaties, and the privateer, equipped with letters of marque enabling him to attack enemy ships and seize their cargo, on condition that he shares it with the government, shipowner, etc.Thus, the buccaneer represents a compromise between the official legality of the privateer, since he is also provided with letters of marque, and must return a share of his booty to the authorities and investors, and the unofficial illegality of the pirate, since these letters of marque can sometimes be fraudulent and he attacks in times of war as well as peace.Freebooting enjoyed a golden age in the 17th century, with famous names such as L’Olonnais, Morgan and Grammont prospering as long as they were needed. Morgan, for example, maintained close relations with the King of England.

C) End of the buccaneering age (from 1688)

But all good things must come to an end, and it’s already been two centuries. In the meantime, the Spanish-Portuguese monopoly has disappeared, treaties have opened up colonization to other European nations, and colonies have been established on the spot, growing highly profitable sugar and tobacco thanks to slavery. Companies became the multinationals of the day, managing the trade in these products with plantation owners.Some see this as the beginning of globalization and modern capitalism. The problem is that this trade is far more profitable in the long term than buccaneering. Worse still, buccaneering is not only less profitable, it also hinders trade.As a result, we’re becoming less and less tolerant of these troublemakers, who used to make everyone happy – with the exception of the Spanish and Portuguese, of course. Gradually, their services were forgotten and they were declared outlaws, which considerably reduced their numbers.However, this waning activity enjoyed a certain revival with the War of the League of Augsburg, which ran from 1688 to 1697 and pitted France against half of Europe.During this period, the practice of buccaneering evolved considerably. Crews were less diverse than before. It was also more regulated, and above all, a gulf opened up between the increasingly bourgeois captains, clothed in pompous titles, and the rest of the crew, criticized, miserable and considered a bunch of pariahs. Some could stand it no longer. By the 1680s, they were turning to piracy. And this was only the beginning.Fortunately, another welcome opportunity presented itself for these sailors, as the need to hire freebooters once again became necessary, and quickly, as the War of the Spanish Succession broke out in 1701. The reason was that Charles II of Spain died childless, but with two nephews, one in the German imperial family and the other in the French royal family.It was the latter who succeeded in ascending the throne, in the person of Philippe d’Anjou, the grandson of Louis XIV, who as soon as he was crowned rushed to open up the Spanish colonial empire to international trade.Immediately, half of Europe – the English, Germans, Portuguese and Dutch – was outraged and allied against the old mafia godfather Louis XIV. This circus lasted from 1701 to 1713. This greatly benefited buccaneers, both long-standing veterans and newcomers.Amnesties were granted to recruit scoundrels to be released on enemy ships all over the world, and those who accepted were pampered: better food, better pay, better treatment, everything was done to attract them. Plus, it’s always cheaper than building new fleets, hiring sailors and training them.The problem is that, once again, it doesn’t last: these new buccaneers, once we’re sure they’ve entered the service of the various states, are increasingly discredited and far less feared than their predecessors of the Golden Age.For example, the officers of the various state navies systematically appropriate their catches, patronize them and sometimes abuse them openly. All this arouses great anger among buccaneers, who increasingly think of piracy without saying so openly. And yet, these are not the only factors driving them down this path.

D. Turning to piracy to survive

Indeed, their generation was considerably more precarious than previous ones. The early 18th century was arguably the most prosperous time in the history of capitalism: the slave trade was in full swing, the sugar and tobacco trades were bringing in fortunes, and landowners, whether nobles or merchants, were expanding their estates and property at the expense of a working class increasingly oppressed and driven into destitution. And for many of them, the New World has long been synonymous with a new life. So they sign up for any ship they can find in the hope of reaching the West Indies, where rumor has it that some manage to make their fortune. The reality, however, is far less rosy.For example, the average treatment of sailors on board was inhumane, making it one of the worst jobs of the time: low wages, poor food conditions, iron discipline, regular punishment and constant deprivation, while the officers lived better and better. And once there, in the Caribbean or elsewhere, the disappointment is great.There is no paradise on earth, but rather plantations where you have to work like mad, chopping down trees in the stifling heat, or continue to toil on the ships, often as part of an engagement.It’s a system whereby wealthy landowners pay for certain emigrants to travel across the Atlantic, then acquire the right to employ them as they see fit for periods of up to 36 months. And the treatment was so harsh that many lost their lives.This practice has existed since the early days of colonization, but intensified in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. As a result, this new generation of freebooters, increasingly controlled by the state and framed by official navies, wanted to rebel.The context is therefore extremely explosive when a trigger occurs, the cherry on top of the cake. The War of the Spanish Succession came to an end with the Treaties of Utrecht in 1713, putting an end to the advantages they had enjoyed.This immediately provoked an unprecedented crisis. The royal navies laid off en masse, while many privateers and freebooters found themselves without a contract. Thousands of sailors, averaging 28 years of age and having known nothing but war all their lives, suddenly found themselves out of work.As for the “lucky” few who managed to stay on board, their working conditions deteriorated violently once again, with the return of brutal officers, malnutrition and falling wages. Thus began the golden age of piracy.

2. Beginning of the Golden Age of Piracy

A) Privateering activities

Initially, from 1713 to 1717, numerous privateer and freebooter crews continue to carry out warlike actions against their traditional enemies, but never against their own nations. In short, they continue their livelihood, the war they feel is not over until they decide it is. They couldn’t care less about the Treaties of Utrecht; nobody asked their opinion.And after all, there’s no reason to worry: freebooters already practiced this semi-piracy, and were forgiven it when the booty was plentiful and well shared.So, at first, they didn’t claim to be pirates: they remained privateers, like Benjamin Hornigold, who never attacked English ships. In any case, the pursuit of war makes certain merchants happy, who are quick to buy their catches on the sly and supply them with ammunition to keep them going.However, the various governments did not look kindly on this, either because of the outbreak of piracy or the sympathy for freebooters, whether popular or financial. Repression was therefore organized, as in the 1680s, and laws became increasingly severe. Unfortunately for them, this did not have the desired effect.At least, initially, piracy numbers increased, reaching an average of between 1,000 and 2,500 pirates simultaneously active. But above all, in the face of this declared war, pirates gradually become more radical.

B. The rise of piracy

Thus begins the second period, the Golden Age within the Golden Age, from 1717 to 1722, during which 70% of the entire period’s catches will be made, and famous names such as Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard, or Bartholomew Roberts, aka Black Bart, will wreak havoc. Pirates are now proud of their identity, no longer thinking of themselves as English, French or Dutch, but as Men of the Sea, and the term used by the law to designate them, “enemies of all nations”, suits them perfectly.Typically, in Hornigold’s case, the transition from one period to the next is quite violent, as he is deposed by his crew precisely because he refuses to take on English ships. While his crew, openly claiming to be pirates, couldn’t care less about the English flag.In this universe they’ve created together, the rules are the opposite of those in the world they’ve abandoned. Decisions are taken collectively, officers are elected, and no tyranny is tolerated.Risks and spoils are shared as equally as possible. Welfare funds are created, and where once they were hungry and thirsty on merchant or military ships, now they’re feasting and drinking like never before.Their goals were twofold: the booty, which they always squandered very quickly, and the maintenance of this life of freedom, which they knew would be short-lived. Thus they adopt their favorite flag, the Jolly Roger, often depicting a skull and crossbones holding an hourglass.Contrary to popular belief, pirates of this era were not really murderers. They were excellent sailors, more experienced than those of the merchant navy or military, so much so that some consider them the best of their time.But they are neither soldiers nor butchers. Their aim is to terrorize their targets, like Edward Teach who presents himself as a demon before boarding, but they hate combat and seek to avoid it as much as possible. In fact, it’s usually when they’re cornered that they come down hardest on enemy captains, as they hate shedding blood unnecessarily and make those who force them to pay for it.Likewise, they rarely attack the opposing crew and almost never enlist by force. But they almost systematically ask sailors if they are being treated well by their captain. If not, they beat him, make him dance by pulling on his feet, or poke him in the buttocks with a saber. Sometimes, but rarely, they kill him. If he’s been a good captain, they let him go, leaving him his ship and sometimes even a little money, taking only what they deem necessary.In any case, this is far from the image of the bloodthirsty pirate. Aboard their ships, where treatment is fairly egalitarian, you’ll find men of all origins: former sailors, former soldiers, former buccaneers, former lumberjacks, former fishermen. Most of the time, they are marginalized and excluded.In addition to this diversity, there is also diversity of origin. There are Europeans, local Americans, but also former black slaves, as on board Teach’s ship, where 3 out of 5 sailors were black. Occasionally, there were also Native Americans and even women. The most famous are Anne Bonny, an impetuous girl from a good Irish family, and Mary Read, a former transvestite soldier from a modest background.These two pirates sailed with Jack Rackham. And for those who claim that they must not have been very skilful in battle, you should know that they were the last to resist when their ship was boarded by the English, because all the men were drunk.They provoked a veritable commercial crisis, causing more damage to trade than the War of the Spanish Succession itself. Some 2,400 ships were attacked, 250 of which were sunk. An attempted amnesty policy quickly failed, as pirates took advantage of the amnesty to resume their activities immediately and laughingly.

3. The end of the Golden Age of Piracy

Laws get even tougher, punishing any collaboration, and better and better armed ships, even entire fleets, are launched in pursuit. Meanwhile, the gallows became increasingly frenzied: at least 418 pirates, or 1 in 10, were hanged, at a time when pardons were commonplace.In response, pirates first tried to avoid the problem by changing their bearings, gradually moving from the West Indies to the African coasts or the Indian Ocean, as when they abandoned Nassau, recaptured by English governor Woodes Rogers in 1718.But that’s not enough. The war being waged against them is merciless, and we don’t just want to see them go elsewhere. We simply want to get rid of them, by any means necessary. The government, the clerics, the merchants – especially the slave traders – who bear the brunt of pirate attacks and mutinies, paint the darkest possible picture of them, contributing to the legend of the bloodthirsty pirate that is still very much alive today.Their humanity was denied; they were said to be mad, demonic, debauched, slaves of Satan. Denunciation was encouraged, and punishments included heavy fines, imprisonment or the death penalty. Those who fought them were rewarded, mock trials were held for them, they were hanged, they were literally killed at work in the mines, their corpses were displayed in cages.Repression is ruthless, and any means are good enough to eliminate them. Faced with this violent propaganda and cornered, the pirates entered the last and bloodiest period of the Golden Age, from 1722 to 1726.Faced with terror, they responded with terror. And since they were described as demons, they became demons: they committed many more massacres, avenged their hanged or sunken companions, and began forcibly conscripting men to compensate for their increasingly reduced numbers due to the threats they faced.The most famous pirate of this period, Edward “Ned” Low, is so cruel and bloodthirsty that he even ends up abandoned by his crew. Aware that their lives would be short, they accepted it with determination: they became increasingly attached to the symbolism of the Jolly Roger, which they burned or threw overboard so that it would never be captured, and they refused to surrender, preferring to blow up their ship with gunpowder or shoot each other with their pistols rather than end up hanged.And even when they’re hanged, many insult their enemies one last time. So, the relentless stalking, propaganda and terror have achieved their goal. The noose has tightened, sea lanes are now safer, merchant ships better defended, making piracy untenable.Despite their last stand, the last pirates disappeared into thin air or were hanged in 1726. The torch was never carried again. They may have lost their battle, but they braved death, governments, merchants, officers and clerics with unwavering enthusiasm and panache. “A short and joyful life” was their motto.Better still, they can boast of having caused more harm and fear to the powerful of this world than any outlaw before them. The proof is that never before has a crackdown of such magnitude been mounted against a handful of a few thousand criminals. In short, as the pirate McCarthy said, “the pirate life is the only life worthy of a man of spirit”.

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