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Click around this interactive map to read quick facts about piracy.

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Learn what pirates are with fun facts for kids. Find out more about the life of a pirate and improve your knowledge with DK Find Out.

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National Geographic - Five Pirate Myths That Are Actually True

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National Geographic - Five Pirate Myths That Are Actually True

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Find out what’s fact and what’s fiction in this myth busting video about pirate life.

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Five Pirate Myths That are Actually True | National Geographic

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Read about the different roles that make up a pirate crew.

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It was all very well pocketing other people's valuables and roistering at rum parties, but life on a pirate ship involved a surprising amount of hard work. Pirates were first and foremost sailors and in the Golden Age of Piracy (1690-1730), a pirate ship required a great deal of skill to operate and constant maintenance to keep afloat. Indeed, pirates had to be remarkably good seamen if they were to ever catch fleeing merchant vessels and escape the unwanted attentions of heavily-armed naval vessels. From captain to rigger, each crew member played their part in the complex performance of tasks that kept a 17/18th-century sailing ship in trim.

The Captain

The captain of a pirate ship was very often the arch-criminal brains of the pirate operations. He might also have been the one who had put up the capital to buy the ship or been its legitimate captain or a high-ranking officer on a privateering vessel before the crew had decided to take to a life of piracy.

Having a nice long coat & plenty of pricey pistols showed that one was a successful leader of pirates.

Perhaps surprisingly for a gang of cut-throats, a pirate captain was frequently elected to his position, but then again, it was difficult to lead through coercion a group of individuals who valued their liberty above all else. Many mariners had turned to piracy precisely because of the strict discipline and harsh punishments of life on a merchant or naval ship and so they were hardly likely to put up with a leader who ruled by the rod alone. Nevertheless, the most successful captains, those who captured large prizes, could instil some rules and discipline on their men, such as Bartholomew Roberts (1682-1722) who insisted his crew refrain from gambling in the ship's articles which all his crew swore to abide by. The position of captain might not be permanent either, since sailors who had mutinied once before were not shy to do so again. Charles Vane (d. 1721) was relieved of his command for failing to attack a ship as his crew had wished and was replaced by ' Calico Jack' (aka John Rackham, d. 1720).

Pirate captains often dressed the part in the Golden Age. Blackbeard (aka Edward Teach, d. 1718) went for terror with a ribboned beard and lit fuses under his hat while Roberts sported scarlet silks, a feathered hat, and a diamond necklace. Having a nice long coat and plenty of pricey pistols were other ways of showing one was a successful leader of pirates.

With his skills at leadership, navigation, and sheer charisma, a pirate captain earned his double share of the loot captured compared to other crew members. On the other hand, if the pirates were caught, the captain could expect the worst judgement of the authorities. While many pirates faced a real risk of being hanged, the pirate captains were almost guaranteed such a fate, and the most notorious ones might also have their corpses hung in chains to rot for years like Captain Kidd in 1701.

Quartermaster

A pirate quartermaster (as opposed to one on more legitimate vessels) was often the second-in-command, and below him were the first and second mates. He was, then, the equivalent of a merchant First Mate or a naval First Lieutenant. Like the captain, the quartermaster could be voted in or out of office by the crew. The helmsman, the man who steered the ship's wheel, was usually supervised by the quartermaster who, skilled in navigation, was also concerned with the ship's general course and with recording its speed, although this role could be taken by a pirate captain or a sailing master (who was expert in the ship's sailing capabilities in all conditions). The quartermaster usually supervised which men boarded a target vessel, leading the attack himself. After the takeover, he decided what loot was taken, and then he ensured its fair division amongst the crew. The quartermaster's share of booty was the same as the captain's: double the share of an ordinary seaman. In the rare case that the crew had voted for one of their brethren to be flogged, it was the quartermaster who dished out the punishment. When a pirate captain captured a second ship and wished to maintain a fleet of his own, the quartermaster was the prime candidate to become its captain.

Navigator

The ship might have a dedicated navigator, and although the captain and quartermaster often had knowledge of navigation, a specialist was preferred since he was familiar with charts, coastlines, currents, winds, and local weather conditions. Longitude could still not be measured with accuracy in this period and so practical experience was a great advantage. With a good navigator, a pirate captain could arrive exactly where he knew merchant ships frequently sailed and he could negotiate dangerous shallows and islands, which would offer excellent places to ambush a passing ship. Sometimes a pirate fleet of ships had a single specialised navigator. As few mariners knew the mysterious art of navigation, the ship's navigator was often called the Artist.

Boatswain

The boatswain (often simply 'bosun') supervised all those tasks requiring seamanship and was responsible for the ship's stores and ensuring the ship's rigging, sails, and anchors were in good working condition. The bosun received one and half times an ordinary seamen's share of booty. If the crew were large, then the bosun was assisted by deputies, the bosun's mate or mates.

Officers

While pirate crews had no formal rankings, as such, some seamen were definitely above others in terms of their knowledge and experience. Such individuals, as on legitimate ships, organised the ordinary seamen in their daily duties when at sea. A foremast man, for example, supervised a team of five or six seamen. The coxswain (who could be a bosun's mate and is pronounced 'cox'n') steered the ship (when he could be known as the helmsman) and was in charge of any small boats on board - useful for going ashore, exploring shallows, and boarding other vessels. Officers received one and a quarter of an ordinary seamen's share of any booty taken.

A hard life at sea was a young man's game & so few pirates were aged over 40.

Having a doctor on board was an advantage but depended on whether one could be coerced into joining the crew. If not, then having a medicine chest was the best a captain could do to reduce the effects of illness and injury on his crew. In the absence of a surgeon, the ship's carpenter was called upon to perform such drastic operations as amputations.

Carpenter

Any sailing ship needed a good carpenter to keep the vessel in good trim, keep on top of any leaks, and make the inevitable and constant running repairs caused by wind, sea, tropical marine creatures, and enemy fire. The carpenter on a pirate ship also needed additional skills like refitting a captured vessel to make it more suitable for its new role. Speed was of the essence and so superstructures might be removed to reduce weight and increase speed and manoeuvrability. Additional gun ports might need to be cut in the ship's hull and internal bulkheads removed to make way for more cannons. Then there were the repairs to masts and stays smashed by cannon fire. No wonder, then, that when a pirate ship captured a merchant vessel, the skilled carpenter on board was very often press-ganged into service, and he was obliged to wave goodbye to an honest and considerably longer life. The carpenter received one and half times an ordinary seamen's share of booty.

Cooper

A cooper was only found on board a larger vessel, but he was very useful as he could assemble barrels, a key skill because, at the time, these were the only large containers available and were used for keeping dry stores, wet stores, water, rum, and gunpowder in. He ensured they remained as airtight and watertight as possible, and he could dismantle empty barrels to increase space for newly captured cargo. The cooper also made and repaired buckets.

Sailmaker

Like the carpenter, blacksmith, and cooper, this was a specialist artisan job, and the man skilled at it need not necessarily know any other skills of seamanship. Sails were always worn down by weather, often ripped up by storms, and sometimes riddled to pieces by grapeshot. In the age of sail, the sailmaker was as important as the chief engineer on a modern ship, since without him the vessel could not go very far. In the absence of a ship's surgeon, one of the sailmaker's duties was to stitch wounds from battle and the all-too-frequent accidents on board a sailing ship.

Gunner

The ship's team of cannon operators was led by the gunner, who shouted the order 'Fire!' and who was assisted by a gunner's mate. Each cannon on a pirate ship required 4 to 6 men to operate. Experience was required to measure the correct amount of gunpowder to fire varying projectiles at the distance required to hit the target. In addition, the ship on which the cannon was being fired and the target were often both in motion horizontally and vertically if under sail and not in a dead calm. Fortunately, few pirate captains wanted to seriously damage a target ship for fear of similarly damaging its precious cargo, but if a merchant ship decided to put up a fight after the Jolly Roger was hoisted or the pirates were under attack from a naval vessel sent by a colonial governor to hunt them down, then being a good shot was an obvious advantage. Another advantage was the speed with which a practised gun crew could fire off multiple shots. On a pirate ship, cannon operators were not full-time and so they had other duties when not in battle. A gunner received one and half times an ordinary seamen's share of booty.

Cook

Although pirates enjoyed food taken from captured ships and at taverns when in a pirate haven, they still needed someone to cook on a regular basis while at sea in pursuit of victims. The cook on a pirate ship (or any other, for that matter) was often a mariner who had lost a limb in action, a fact which did not go unnoticed by Robert Louis Stevenson in his 1883 novel Treasure Island, where Long John Silver, we are told, once served as a cook before he became a pirate.

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Musicians

Musicians such as a fiddler and trumpeter were a part of any crew, including pirate ships. They were useful as a source of rhythm to aid manual tasks like pulling rigging, to create a cacophony of noise which contributed to the general terror of a pirate attack, and, as in other ships, they were at the beck and call of any of the crew who had the impulse to be entertained.

Ordinary Seamen

Most pirate crews were composed of either mutineers or those captured by other pirates and forced to join them or be killed (the latter case was certainly the most common defence plea in pirate trials). Those taken included ship's boys who were serving as apprentices or as general dogsbodies performing cleaning and serving duties. Recruits might also come from mariners tired of the hard work and discipline expected on merchant and naval ships - not to mention the poor pay - or those who could take no more of the harsh conditions endured by such occupations as Newfoundland fishermen. There were also those who were attracted by the idea of a life at sea and an escape from the monotony of their job on land. Workers in lumber factories in tropical climates rife with disease were particularly keen for the fresh air of the sea and the chance to gain a fortune. Finally, the frequency of captures, sinkings, casualties, accidents, and disease all meant that pirate crews were usually short-staffed.

Captains looked to pirate havens for recruits, places like Tortuga, Providence Island, and Port Royal, which were usually bustling with pirates looking for a new ship to join. Pirate crews in the Caribbean during the Golden Age were made up of all nationalities, but the majority were either British or colonists from the Americas. Black Africans, slaves either captured and press-ganged or volunteers or slaves who had escaped from colonial plantations, were a not insignificant part of private crews. Black African slaves would have had no knowledge of seamanship and so were likely employed as servants or for the more menial tasks on board, but there is evidence in trial records that some learnt the ropes and became equal members of the crew.

To qualify for life on a pirate ship as the lowest-ranked seaman, the skills required were to be able to manage sails (extending, reefing, and furling), to steer, and to take soundings; being handy with a weapon was a distinct bonus, as was not being too particular about one's company. Another requirement was youth since a hard life at sea was a young man's game and so few pirates (or mariners of any kind) were aged over 40, and most were in their twenties.

The benefits of a pirate's life were better food, better pay (perhaps many years of wages in one go if a good prize was taken), plenty of alcohol, and the chance for freedom and adventure. There was, too, a greater sense of involvement in the ship's affairs, since very often key decisions and the distribution of booty were organised along democratic lines. The disadvantages included a very real risk of imprisonment, hanging, or serious injury. The average career of a pirate was around two years, and in all likelihood, once turned pirate, one would never see one's family ever again.

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It was all very well pocketing other people's valuables and roistering at rum parties, but life on a pirate ship involved a surprising amount of hard work. Pirates were first and foremost sailors and...

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Read about piracy through the ages.

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Piracy is the act of robbing or committing other violent actions for private gain while on the seas. The criminals who attack and rob ships at sea are called pirates. Piracy has occurred throughout history. The so-called "golden age" of piracy occurred in the Caribbean and in the waters off the American colonies between about 1650 and 1730. This was the era of legendary figures such as Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, and William Kidd ( Captain Kidd). However, piracy dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. In some areas of the world, it still exists in the 21st century.

Historical pirates were successful because they used ships that were small and swift. That allowed them to attack much larger, better-armed ships. After attacking with cannon fire, pirates armed with swords and pistols went aboard the other ship, fighting hand-to-hand until the enemy was subdued. Pirates not only stole a ship's cargo, they also took the ship itself. Pirates sold the ships that they captured or converted them into pirate ships. Sometimes pirates released the ship's passengers and crew, but other times they held them for ransom. On the ship pirates flew the Jolly Roger, a flag that incorporated some sort of a skeleton, such as a skull and crossbones. The overwhelming majority of pirates were men. It was considered bad luck for women to be on ships, so very few became pirates. Those who did disguised themselves as men in order to join the crew.

Many of the ideas that people have about pirates have come from books and movies. These tell of lives of adventure, romance, and buried treasure. The stories are a mix of fact and fiction. The pirates existed, but the stories are mostly imagined. Nevertheless, the actual adventures of these people often changed the course of history.

During the early days of ancient Greece and Rome, pirates plagued the Aegean and the Mediterranean seas. They became so powerful that they set up a pirate nation in Cilicia (now part of Turkey). Pirates were considered useful because aristocrats sometimes negotiated with them to buy captives as slaves. Therefore, attempts to defeat the pirates were weak and sporadic. Eventually, however, the pirates began to threaten the availability of Roman food supplies. Roman statesman Pompey the Great sent a fleet of ships against the pirates, driving them from the Mediterranean in the first century BC. However, piracy would return to the region within a few hundred years.

Soon Muslim pirates sailed out of African ports to molest shipping. They were called Barbary pirates, or corsairs. By the 16th century they had established a pirate empire, the Barbary States, in the countries of northern Africa. The pirate governments were supported by selling Christians into slavery and by taking heavy tribute as protection money from other countries.

The most famous Barbary pirate was Barbarossa ("Redbeard"). In the early 1500s he-with help from the Ottoman Empire-captured Algiers (now in Algeria) from the Spanish. Barbarossa's efforts turned Algiers into the major base of the Barbary pirates for the next 300 years. The Barbary pirates continued to harass sea commerce until Algeria was captured by the French in 1830. Another active area was in the East, from Japan to India. In the 17th century Chinese pirates forced the Dutch from the island of Formosa (now Taiwan) and used it as a base of operations.

Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © Bob Suir/Dreamstime.com

In the 1500s Elizabeth I queen of England, made privateers of her best sailors, including John Hawkins, Walter Raleigh, and Francis Drake. This meant they had permission to attack ships of other countries, especially Spain, though no war was in progress. Captain Kidd was another famous privateer in the 17th century. He began his sea career as a legitimate privateer for Great Britain against the French in the West Indies and off the coast of North America. However, he eventually turned to piracy. Captain Kidd became celebrated in English literature as one of the most colorful outlaws of all time.

In the middle of the 17th century a special kind of pirate called a buccaneer appeared. Buccaneers were English, French, or Dutch sea adventurers who haunted chiefly the Caribbean and the Pacific seaboard of South America. Many islands and harbors there made perfect hiding places. The buccaneers formed a loose-knit organization known as the Brethren of the Coast. They attacked Spanish ships and settlements on land, oftentimes under the direction of Caribbean governors. The buccaneers focused on Spanish possessions because their countries were at war with Spain. In addition, Spanish ships were tempting to rob because they were filled with European goods traveling to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. On the return voyage, they transported colonial products, especially gold and silver, back to Spain. Late in the century many buccaneers became legitimate privateers in the service of their respective countries, and buccaneering came to an end.

One of the most successful buccaneers was Henry Morgan. Born in Wales, he went to the West Indies when he was a young man. Operating with the unofficial support of the English government, he undermined Spanish authority in the region. Under Morgan the buccaneers plundered Puerto Prìncipe (now Camagüey, Cuba), Portobelo (Panama), and settlements around Lake Maracaibo (Venezuela). His greatest feat was the sacking of Panamá (now Panama City, Panama) in 1671.

Piracy began to expand at the turn of the 18th century as wars ended and governments no longer needed privateers. Governments of the Caribbean islands and of the American colonies often did not have the money or manpower to contain piracy, and some accepted bribes from the pirates. Therefore, the institution flourished along the coast of New England south to the Caribbean Sea. Any male out of work or lacking means or land might be tempted into a life of piracy.

There were a great many pirates throughout history, and some of them became famous for their exploits. Some accumulated great wealth, but there was no guarantee that they would live long enough to enjoy it. British pirate Sam Bellamy, also known as Black Sam or Black Bellamy, sailed to Massachusetts in 1715. He turned to piracy after failing to find riches treasure hunting in Florida. He traveled the West Indies, accumulating the plunder from more than 50 ships. Bellamy drowned in 1717 during a storm off the coast of Massachusetts. Modern explorers discovered the shipwreck in 1984, and the excavations continued into the 21st century.

Few pirates were from educated, prosperous backgrounds. An exception was Stede Bonnet, a wealthy Barbados landowner with a wife and children. He may have turned to piracy because of problems in his marriage or because he sought adventure. Instead of capturing a ship to use, he bought and equipped a 10-gun sloop, the Revenge. Although he did not have experience as a sailor or commander, in 1717 he began to raid ships off the Virginia coast. The next year the governor of South Carolina sent an expedition under Colonel William Rhett to hunt the pirates harassing the harbor around Charleston. After an hours-long battle, Bonnet and his crew were captured. They were put on trial, found guilty, and hanged for piracy in November or December 1718.

Most pirates of the time knew Edward Teach, who would become one of history's most famous pirates. He was known as Blackbeard for his long, black beard, which he wore in braids. Blackbeard had a long and prosperous career, working with the protection of Charles Eden, governor of the North Carolina colony. Carolina planters, however, were aggravated with Blackbeard's exploits since he was stealing their products. They complained to Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood of Virginia. In 1718 Spotswood dispatched a British naval force under Lieutenant Robert Maynard to find and stop Blackbeard. The force encountered the pirate, and after a bloody fight they killed him on November 22, 1718.

John Rackham was called Calico Jack for the calico (an all-cotton fabric printed with simple designs in one or more colors) he wore. He was a pirate captain for two years, from 1718 to 1720. In this short time he plundered many ships. In late 1720 the crew of a government ship captured Rackham and his crew in Jamaica. Among Rackham's crew were two women-Anne Bonny and Mary Read. They are among the few female pirates on record. The captors brought the crew to Spanish Town, Jamaica, where they were put on trial. Rackham and most of the men were hanged in November 1720. Bonny and Read were also found guilty and sentenced to death, but they were pregnant, so they were imprisoned until after they gave birth. Read died in prison, but Bonny was eventually released.

Bartholomew Roberts was nicknamed Black Barty. He captained a number of pirate ships. He burned and plundered ships from the coasts of West Africa to the coasts of Brazil and the Caribbean and as far north as Newfoundland. His conquests are said to have included more than 400 vessels. Roberts was finally killed in 1722 in battle with a pursuing British warship off the Guinea coast of Africa.

Both piracy and commerce increased in the early 18th century. Trade in both goods and slaves took place between various countries, and ships were the principal means of transport. Pirates attacked all ships, regardless of where they originated or under which country's flag they sailed. Pirates were especially active in the Atlantic, as triangular trade routes carried manufactured goods from Europe to Africa, slaves from Africa to North America, and plantation crops from North America back to Europe. This disruption of goods threatened the economic stability of many countries, including Great Britain. British merchants eventually petitioned the government to solve the problem.

On September 5, 1717, England's King George I issued the Proclamation for Suppressing of Pirates. He promised that any pirate who surrendered and agreed to give up piracy would be forgiven and allowed to keep his plunder. The pirates were given a year to surrender, after which the remaining would be hunted and captured. Some of the pirates accepted the amnesty and were allowed to rejoin society. Most, however, continued their pirate activities.

The British government in 1717 appointed former privateer Woodes Rogers the royal governor of the Bahamas. He arrived at Nassau-the headquarters of more than 2,000 pirates-the next year. He granted clemency to those pirates seeking it and then set out to capture the pirates who resisted surrender. Rogers arranged for former pirates to help the British naval sailors hunt down the remaining pirates. Within a few years his forces were able to destroy former pirate strongholds. The last pirates were either killed in battle or captured and hanged. Thus the golden age of piracy had ended.

Although drastically reduced, acts of piracy continued into the 19th century. As a result, a number of countries either joined the fight or increased their efforts to defeat piracy. The newly formed United States was one of those countries. The Barbary States demanded tribute from U.S. vessels traveling in the Mediterranean Sea in exchange for immunity from piratical attacks. To protect American trade, the United States fought two Barbary wars with the North Africa states between 1801 and 1815. The first, called the Tripolitan War, ended in 1805 after the United States engaged in a strong naval blockade of the coast and launched a land offensive into Tripoli from Egypt. The second conflict finally freed the Mediterranean for U.S. shipping. The British made two attempts to suppress Algerian piracy after 1815, and it was finally ended by the French in 1830.

Jean Lafitte, who died about 1826, was the last colorful figure in the history of piracy. A patriot as well as a pirate, privateer, and smuggler, Lafitte was born in France but settled in New Orleans (now in Louisiana) by 1809. He reportedly used his blacksmith shop as a depot for smuggled goods and slaves brought ashore by a band of privateers. President James Madison pardoned Lafitte and his band after they helped win the Battle of New Orleans (December 1814-January 1815) during the War of 1812. However, Lafitte returned to piracy, setting up a base on what is now Galveston, Texas. Although enormously successful, he eventually lost his land base and his power dwindled.

In the late 20th century, piracy on the seas became intertwined with terrorism. In 1985 Palestinian militants associated with the Palestine Liberation Front hijacked the Achille Lauro cruise liner. They demanded that Israel release some Palestinian prisoners. Israel refused, and the hijackers maintained control of the vessel for two days. To end the ordeal, Egyptian authorities granted the hijackers immunity in exchange for release of the prisoners. The hijackers were eventually caught and punished.

Piracy also flourished in the seas of East and Southeast Asia and eastern Africa. There criminal organizations involved in smuggling (of guns and drugs) and other illegal activities committed acts of piracy. These pirates sometimes operated under the protection of state officials in small ports. The officials would then receive a share of the illegal profits. In 2008-09 attacks increased in waters off the coast of Africa, particularly Somalia. The navies of several countries intervened to curtail the violence in the area.

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Piracy is the act of robbing or committing other violent actions for private gain while on the seas. The criminals who attack and rob ships at sea are called pirates. Piracy...

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Learn how piracy flourished from humble beginnings to a golden age.

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The Golden Age of Piracy

Though pirates have existed since ancient times, the Golden Age of piracy was in the 17th and early 18th centuries. During this time more than 5000 pirates were said to be at sea.

Throughout history there have been people willing to rob others transporting goods on the water. These people, known as pirates, mainly targeted ships, though some also launched attacks on coastal towns.

Many of the most famous pirates had a terrifying reputation, and they advertised this by flying gruesome flags, including the 'Jolly Roger' with its picture of skull and crossbones. Captives were famously made to 'walk the plank' - though this doesn't appear to have been as common in reality as in fiction; in fact, it's likely that most victims of piracy were just thrown overboard.

Pirates have existed since ancient times - they threatened the trading routes of ancient Greece, and seized cargoes of grain and olive oil from Roman ships. The most far-reaching pirates in early medieval Europe were the Vikings.

Thousands of pirates were active between 1650 and 1720, and these years are sometimes known as the 'Golden Age' of piracy. Famous pirates from this period include Henry Morgan, William 'Captain' Kidd, 'Calico' Jack Rackham, Bartholomew Roberts and the fearsome Blackbeard (Edward Teach). Though this Golden Age came to an end in the 18th century, piracy still exists today in some parts of the world, especially the South China Seas.

Pirates of the Caribbean

The explorer Christopher Columbus established contact between Europe and the lands that were later named America at the end of the 15th century. As he was working for the Spanish monarchy, these 'new lands' were claimed by the Spanish, who soon discovered them to be a rich source of silver, gold and gems.

From the 16th century, large Spanish ships, called galleons, began to sail back to Europe, loaded with precious cargoes that pirates found impossible to resist. So many pirate attacks were made that galleons were forced to sail together in fleets with armed vessels for protection. As Spanish settlers set up new towns on Caribbean islands and the American mainland, these too came under pirate attack.

Corsairs, buccaneers and privateers

Corsairs were pirates who operated in the Mediterranean Sea between the 15th and 18th centuries. Muslim corsairs, such as the Barbarossa (red beard) brothers, had bases along North Africa's Barbary Coast, while Christian corsairs were based on the island of Malta. Both used to swoop down on their targets in oar-powered boats called galleys, to carry off sailors and passengers. Unless these unfortunates were rich enough to pay a ransom, they were sold as slaves.

Buccaneers lived on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola and its tiny turtle-shaped neighbour, Tortuga, in the 17th century. At first they lived as hunters, but later the governors of Caribbean islands paid the buccaneers to attack Spanish treasure ships. Although raids began in this way, with official backing, the buccaneers gradually became out of control, attacking any ship they thought carried valuable cargo, whether it belonged to an enemy country or not. The buccaneers had become true pirates.

Privateers, meanwhile, were privately owned (rather than navy) ships armed with guns, operating in times of war. The Admiralty issued them with 'letters of marque' that allowed them to capture merchant vessels without being charged with piracy.

Why did pirates become pirates?

In England there was social disruption. Smaller farmers were forced off the land by ruthless landowners and smaller tradesmen were challenged by larger businesses. These displaced people flocked to urban areas looking for work or poor relief.

In London especially there was overcrowding and unemployment and funds for the poor could not meet the need. People had to shift for themselves. Distressed people weren't simply worse off, they had no hope of making a better life. Piracy tempted poor seamen because it offered them the chance to take more control of their lives.

In an age when few people travelled and young men might have to work seven-year apprenticeships before they could make an independent living, many were tempted to go to sea anyway, though the life was a tough one.

Adolescents who longed to escape could get a job on a sailing ship before they were fully grown: agility was needed as much as brute strength.

Yet ordinary seamen toiled for modest wages and were subject to strict discipline. In contrast, piracy not only offered them a chance to get rich quick but also a rare opportunity to exert a degree of power over others

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Though pirates have existed since ancient times, the Golden Age of piracy was in the 17th and early 18th centuries. During this time more than 5000 pirates were said to be at sea.

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The Ultimate Pirate Handbook - Libby Hamilton

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The Ultimate Pirate Handbook - Libby Hamilton

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Call Number J 910.4 HAM

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Call Number J 910.4 SAN

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Call number J 364.16 PLA

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True Stories of Pirates - Lucy Lethbridge

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True Stories of Pirates - Lucy Lethbridge

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Call Number J 364.1 LET

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Call Number J 364 JON

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Call Number J 910.4 BUT

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Call Number J 921 BLA

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Call Number J 910.4 LOC

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Read about common pirate myths and where they came from.

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Forget ‘walking the plank.’ Pirate portrayals—from Blackbeard to Captain Kidd—are more fantasy than fact.

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How we think famous swashbucklers walked, talked, and dressed didn’t come from the history books, so where did these pirate myths come from?

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A brief introduction to the lesser known stories of pirate women.

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This article discusses the life, career, and death of Blackbeard as well as the pirate's lasting imprint on pop culture.

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The Last Days of BLACKBEARD. - EBSCO.pdf

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Learn about the captured privateer-turned-pirate who buried his treasure.

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The Many Deaths of Captain Kidd. - EBSCO.pdf

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Read about one of the richest pirates in history.

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Discover where the golden age pirates began with the buccaneers.

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Take a peek into this wicked pirate town that was reclaimed by the sea.

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Learn how to talk like a real pirate with Mango Languages

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Learn about the sunken slave ship Whydah and the pirate who captained it, Sam Bellamy.