Brave adventurers or perhaps common thugs? The truth of the old pirates lies somewhere in the middle , but the colorful world of today fascinates , will be an integral part of popular culture .
Legal principle of the ancient Romans said : ” pirate is the enemy of all humanity ,” Looking at the images of pirates presented in books or movies, it is difficult to see in them ” enemies of humanity ” . It is rather likeable , upbeat people blithely floating on the great sailing ships and spending life in adventures and fun. Often there is also a theme pirate treasure , but discreetly silent as where it comes from .
Piracy is as old as sailing . Engaged in maritime robbery , among others, the ancient Egyptians and Greeks . Long-term struggle with the Mediterranean pirates fought the Romans . In the Middle Ages the terror of the seas were Arab pirates in the Mediterranean Sea and the Baltic Slavic . The Vikings were involved in a robbery on the high seas all over Europe. Golden era of pirates , however, the modern period . It is worth to explain different concepts. Pirate is not the same as the filibuster . Corsair or privateer is , very simply , a pirate operating in the war on behalf of the state, on the basis of the so-called . Letter of marque , assaulting enemy ships and towns . Another thing that many pirates did during the war piracy . Often , instances of the use of the letter of marque as a pretext for common robbery.
Pirates have an opinion irreplaceable specialists from fighting their former comrades . Such return in his career has experienced one of the most famous Caribbean pirates seventeenth century , Henry Morgan . For years, he attacked the ships and the town in the Spanish colonies. Usually acted on his own , but during the many wars the English – Spanish privateer also received a letter . In recognition of his war merits king of England, James II of England gave him knighted and appointed vice-governor of Jamaica for the fight against pirates. The former bandit sea , now Sir Henry Morgan , demonstrated on the new job the big achievements. It follows that in those days pirate past does not interfere with becoming a respectable member of society .
The situation changed in the eighteenth century. The growing power of the colonial powers could no longer tolerate the anarchic robbers . The pirate , who wanted to settle down, have to do it under an assumed name . So probably rolled the fate of some of the pirates , who disappeared without a trace . One of them was John affair , famous pirate from the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries , which operated mainly in the Indian Ocean . His loudest making the attack on the ship was the ruler of India , making earned enormous wealth and the daughter of the ruler , which apparently later married . I’ve never been caught . There were various legends about him . Some claimed that he settled with his wife in Madagascar , the headquarters of pirates. According to others, he returned secretly to London and lived there died in affluence or in poverty. How was it really – remains a mystery.
Sometimes vice versa. The legendary William Kidd (about 1645-1701 ) was a pirate by accident . He was the son of a pastor . He had also become a clergyman , but in his youth he fled to the sea. As a valued captain returned to land , married a rich widow and settled in New York. In 1695 years of several members of the ruling party of Vikings in England under assumed names organized company which purchased the ship to fight the pirates. They wanted this to prove to voters that they are doing something on the fight against piracy , and the way to get rich from the spoils of received sea robbers . Captain entity called the Adventure Galley was just Kidd . And he and his crew were counting on big profits from the expedition . When I could not get any bigger prey , the crew threatened to mutiny . During the quarrel Kidd killed a bucket of one of the sailors. To calm mood agreed to attack any ship they encountered , just to get something in what you can to earn . In this way, the would-be conqueror of the pirates became one of them. Although it is still considered to be an honest sailor. Kidd attacked many ships of different flags. Members of their crews , who managed to escape , told about the atrocities of the master, although it is not known how these relationships was the truth. Meanwhile, however, grew the legend of ” the terrible Captain Kidde ” . April 1, 1698 roku Adventure Galley encountered the first real pirate , Robert Cuillforda . Kidd ordered to get his sailing boat, but the sailors instead … went over to the enemy . Believers were only 13 people. When after a long and dramatic cruise Kidd finally swam to the coast of America , with amazement learned that Captain Kidd has a reputation as one of the most feared pirates. He tried to explain the matter , but no one listened. His former patrons drove him to save his own career. In the end, he was sentenced to death on the gallows . It left him quite well-deserved legend .
Pirates longer life surrounded by other legends . To this day, in many cases it is difficult to distinguish historians historical truth from fiction . Not only that, sometimes it is not certain whether the character really existed ! . Daniel Defoe ‘s most famous pirates in history described the unusual French pirate Misson , who acquired enlightenment ideals of freedom and equality , attacked the ships carrying slaves to their rescue . Finally, founded in Madagascar free republic , named Liberatria where pirates lived “the life of good, fair , innocent and noble .” To Misson soon joined by other pirates . Liberatria flourished for a long time until it attacked the enemy tribe. Most of its inhabitants were killed , and their houses were burned . At that time was at sea Misson . When he returned and saw the destruction, boarded the ship to port and sailed into the unknown. The problem is that, apart from Defoe’s story there is no evidence for the existence of Liberatria and the Misson . Famous pirates who had to live in Liberatria, in fact, were in this time completely elsewhere first . Is it possible that Defoe invented a form of good pirate ?
To this day many emotions evoke the mysteries of pirate treasure . Contrary to stereotype , most pirates did not hide their prey. The average sea robber lived from day to day, and the spoils once drank , gambled or lost in brothels . Probably as many pirates were killed in drunken brawls and died due to alcohol cirrhosis of the liver , which was lost at sea. Although pirates occurred abstainers , such as Bartholomew Roberts , known as Black Bart , but they belonged to the exceptions. Crew tolerate eccentricity Roberts just because they showed remarkable courage in battle. This does not mean that there were no pirate treasures . Part of pirates , especially in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries , treated this activity as simply another form of income. After gaining adequate capital on the sea withdrew from the ” public interest ” and they lived peacefully on the land. These often hid their booty to late to use them.
