Golden Age (Piracy)

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Blackbeard fighting Robert Maynard at the height of the Golden Age (painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris)

The phrase about the golden age of piracy was introduced by Captain Charles Johnson in his book A General History of the Pyrates in 1724 . It relates roughly to the period between 1690 and 1730, with a brief but spectacular climax in the few years from 1714 to 1722. Today's ideas about the world of pirates are also based essentially on the descriptions of Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin about the 17th century pirates and privateers in the Caribbean. This era contributed significantly to the romantically transfigured or demonically exaggerated image of the pirate, as it is popularized in novels and Hollywood films to the present day.

Social background

Amaro Pargo was one of the most famous Spanish pirates of the Golden Age.

While the Caribbean buccaneers had undertaken their raids on the Spanish colonies more or less on behalf of or at least with the tolerance of the English, French or Dutch rulers, the European governments withdrew their support from around 1690. The governors in the colonies, especially in Jamaica, who had long profited from smuggling stolen goods, began to suffer themselves from the insecure trade routes and the increasing insurance sums and therefore took action against the now unwanted buccaneers. Many buccaneers gave up the hunt for Spanish treasure ships and instead switched to the trade routes in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean, where they particularly attacked slave ships heading for North or South America or merchant ships with colonial goods for Europe. After the end of the War of the Spanish Succession between Spain , Great Britain and the Netherlands on the one hand and France on the other hand, many privateers became “unemployed” in 1714 and went over to open piracy.

The North American historian and activist Marcus Rediker dates the "Golden Age of Piracy" in his book Villains of all Nations to the years from 1716 to 1726. During this period, seafarers should for the first time on a larger scale from the inhuman working conditions on the trade and Warships broke out to fight for a "better life" in an egalitarian, classless and multinational society. Rediker sees this against the background of the spread of “Atlantic capitalism ” since the end of the 16th century (Linebaugh & Rediker: The Many-Headed Hydra ) and the ensuing uprisings, strikes and mutinies of the impoverished masses, such as slaves, debt servants, and workers Farmers. Because the pirates challenged and undermined the prevailing conventions on race, class, gender and nation, they have now been severely persecuted by the state authorities.

One critic questions the uniqueness of this process. Rediker neglects the slow development of a common culture in the Caribbean since the end of the 16th century. Instead of the postulated sequence of ownership, from privateer (owner is the sovereign), through buccaneer (owner are governors and shareholders) to pirate (owner is the pirate himself), there have always been transitions in one direction or the other. Pirates would not have hesitated either to do business with capitalists or to get into the slave trade themselves. Thus piracy itself played an important role in the spread of capitalism and the consolidation of the nation state and could not be seen as a class struggle avant la lettre .

Law, Law and Politics in Piracy

Marcus Rediker has also investigated the relationships between the crews of pirate ships. He estimates that up to 70 percent of pirates can be divided into two groups. One circle held frequent meetings in the Bahamas , the other circle mostly met loosely on the open sea. These meetings explain why the pirates' codes of conduct and statutes were so similar. According to Rediker, they enabled the loose and sporadic formation of pirate squadrons, ensured a certain social uniformity and created a feeling of togetherness among the pirates.

The powers of the captain, mate and pirate council

A common trait of pirate communities was the extensive right to have a say, which the individual enjoyed, and which can certainly be viewed as "proto-democratic" structures. In contrast to the contemporary corporate social order, the pirates chose their captain and their officers themselves, divided the booty equally among themselves and used a different penalty system than on naval or merchant ships. They limited the authority of the captain, who only had absolute authority in pursuit of a pinch and in combat, while otherwise being ruled by the majority. Apart from a larger share of the booty, he enjoyed few privileges: no better food, no officers mess, no special accommodation. What is more, what the majority gave, they could take, and therefore it was not uncommon for captains to be dismissed, for example for cowardice, cruelty or the refusal to capture and loot certain ships, as in the case of Charles Vane in 1718 , or even if they were too gentlemanly , as happened to Edward England in 1720. Seldom did a captain stay in his position for more than three or four years.

The mate , who was elected to represent and protect the interests of the crew, guaranteed another limitation of the captain's power . The council, a meeting in which all men on a ship had a say, was the highest authority. If there were disagreements about how to proceed, especially if there was no prey, this often led to conflict and the breakup of the pirate community.

In relation to the statutes that the pirates gave themselves, the obedience of the individual was no less demanded than the European nations demanded of their laws. Of Bartholomew Roberts (Caribbean, West Africa later; 1718-1722), also Black Barty called, is known for example that he has set up to maintain order on board the following rules:

  • Every man has a say in important matters, so he has the right to make use of it at all times in matters of fresh provisions and brandy, unless a famine makes restrictions necessary for the benefit of all.
  • Anyone who plays with dice or cards or for money at all is to be punished with death.
  • Anyone who drinks alcohol below deck after dark is to be punished with death. The lights and candles must be out by eight o'clock in the evening.
  • No man has the right to jump before he has earned 1,000 livres .
  • Disputes and fights on board are punishable by death. The disputes are carried out on land, with the sword or the pistol.
  • Anyone who gossips ashore about past or planned undertakings is to be punished with death.
  • Anyone who goes ashore without the skipper's permission must be punished with death.
  • Anyone found in dirty or torn clothing on the ship or on land must be punished with abandonment on a desert island.

Chasse game and hardship regulations

Distribution of the spoils among the pirates. Illustration from Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates .

The chasse partie ( fr .: la chasse - the hunt, la partie - the part, here: the share. So roughly: the share of the hunt ) was a recognized contract, according to which the share of common property and booty were regulated. Before distributing the booty, everyone had to solemnly swear that they hadn't put any of the booty aside for themselves. Those who swore perjury were exposed or executed on a desert island. From this contract, special premiums and compensation were paid out for the wounded, for example 200 piastres for the ship's doctor for treatment after wounds. Each wounded person was also entitled to treatment for six weeks after the end of the journey.

Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin mentions in his book De Americaensche Zee-Rovers, first published in Amsterdam in 1678, from the buccaneer circle an agreement according to the following model:

  • 100 to 150 piasters for the ship's carpenter
  • 100 piastres for the man who was the first to sight the loot ship
  • 50 piastres for whoever pulled down the enemy flag .

According to this agreement, wounds were compensated as follows:

  • 100 piastres for one finger
  • 100 piastres for one ear
  • 100 piastres for one eye
  • 100 piastres for one hand
  • 400 piastres for the left arm
  • 500 piastres for the right arm
  • 600 piastres for the loss of a leg
  • 1000 piastres for both eyes
  • 1500 piastres for the loss of both legs
  • 1800 piastres for the loss of both hands

The rest was paid in equal parts to the men - or, in the case of those who died, to their relatives. The captain received double the share, the cabin boy half.

A Spanish piaster in the 18th century had a purchasing power of around 100 DM in 1997.

See also: seaman's culture

Political utopias

In the second volume of his General History of the Pyrates , Charles Johnson tells the story of a certain Captain Misson and his friends in 1728 . According to Johnson's account, they had established a utopian republic in Madagascar , called Libertalia , based on the ideals of freedom, equality and brotherhood . The pirates of Libertalia should be vigilant guardians of the rights and freedoms of the peoples as well as a protective wall against the rich and powerful of their time. By going to war against the oppressors for the sake of the oppressed, they wanted to ensure that justice was distributed equally. In terms of self-government, Misson's pirates allegedly oriented themselves towards a democratic form in which the people themselves were the authors and judges of their own laws. They rejected the monarchy , then the predominant form of government. Wounded pirates were cared for, captured slaves were freed, and there was universal freedom of religion.

Probably the story of Libertalia has no historical core, but only represents a political essay disguised as a pirate story , as the historian Christopher Hill thinks. Nevertheless, it still inspires supporters of grassroots democracy and anarchic models of society.

Enter and caper tactics

Pirates and corsairs alike had no interest in losing combat. The purpose of their voyages was solely to hijack ships and take booty. Warships of all kinds were avoided, as they were usually bigger and better armed and there was nothing to get on them.

The capturing of small, poorly armed merchant ships, on the other hand, was a matter of course - so self-evident that until the 18th century even merchants could not always resist the temptation to capture weaker competitors. Contrary to popular depictions, pirates avoided shooting because it was relatively difficult to get hold of gunpowder . In contrast to the naval battles of state navies, which developed more and more into artillery duels, the pirates therefore pursued a tactic that allowed them to get along with almost no gunfire. In addition, if you were in a good shooting position, it was difficult to avoid being hit yourself. Excessive shelling could lead to the attacked ship and the hoped-for prey catching fire or sinking prematurely.

Pirates are approaching a ship

Usually ships were captured in boarding combat; Merchant drivers were usually inferior to the experienced pirates in close combat. These only had to reach the barely armed stern of the merchant with their smaller and faster ships. They also used unslaked lime to blind the attacked, because the aft wind blew the powder into their eyes. Once on board, the traps were cut first, so that the sails and yard fell down and the crews were buried under them.

Another tactic was to attack the merchants "in packs" so that a ship could stalk its way. Or you hid in bays or near an island in order to attack the target and board it.

Sometimes the pirates shot at the opposing rigging with chain balls , two iron balls connected by a chain. Fired from a single cannon, they were intended to cut the ropes or tear down the masts, thereby immobilizing the attacked ship. Snipers in the masts should take out opponents on deck and in the masts, especially the captain. As soon as the enemy slowed down, you approached, threw grappling hooks that caught on the deck and railing, and pulled the ship close. Then they stormed with muskets and cutlass .

The pirates also used a form of psychological warfare . Infernal roars, curved cutlass were part of the standard repertoire of intimidation. Or the “soft wave” when the driver was kindly asked to only hand over his cargo including his private property, after having previously been demonstrated with a hell of a spectacle that there was another way.

The merchants and warships, on the other hand, prepared themselves against the pirates by building them narrower in the main deck so that the ships looked more bulbous in cross-section. This had the advantage that the way from ship to ship (alongside one another) was longer, and so-called fin nets (boarding nets) were stretched between the shrouds , so that the attackers first had to cross this obstacle when boarding, leaving time for defense won. Furthermore, cannons were set up in the vulnerable stern area.

Treasure hiding places

Modeled on the map for the filming of Treasure Island

In fact, from the high era of piracy, only William Kidd (1645–1701) has safely passed down that he hid a treasure on an island and made a treasure map for it. In general, at the time of classic piracy, the booty could either be turned over to pirate bases such as Tortuga or Jamaica or in the ports of the nations that had issued the letters of invasion - for example, in Port Royal , Jamaica, the circulation of money was temporarily greater because of the pirates frequenting there than at the same time in London . The treasure hiding place of Captain William Kidd was the model for Edgar Allan Poe's story The Gold Beetle (with the protagonist deciphering a cryptogram and not a card). Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island , however, canonized the idea of ​​treasure maps with an "X" as a marker.

However, there were pirates who hid treasures. For treasure hunters , the Galápagos Islands , Revillagigedo Islands and Clipperton Island are considered interesting. A pirate treasure is also suspected on Oak Island . But the most promising is probably the Coconut Island ( Isla de Cocos ). It is said that the pirate Edward Davis (lost in 1702) was the first to hide a treasure here. At least he remained a rich man all his life living in peace and luxury in Jamaica . Only when his fortune ran out did he set out on a mysterious sea voyage, from which he came back with the necessary money for the next few years. It is also assumed that the pirate Benito Benito (Bennet Graham) buried part of his booty on the island and never picked it up again. The majority of pirates, whether in the Caribbean or elsewhere, might not have had enough wealth to make it worthwhile to dig a hole in the ground.

The librarian Charles de le Roncière, however, managed to decipher a cryptogram of the pirate La Buse (around 1680-1730) who was hanged in Réunion . When he arrived at the specified place, in the Anse de Forbans (pirate bay) on the Seychelles island of Mahé , he was standing in front of a freshly dug hole - someone else had found out about the search and had been faster.

According to legend, Klaus Störtebeker is said to have hidden a large pirate treasure in the stump chamber on Rügen . The Störtebeker-Kuhle near Heringsdorf is also known as a treasure hiding place, and the golden chain with which he wanted to buy himself free in Hamburg is said to be in the moat of Venz. There is no evidence for this information.

Symbols and flags

Flag of Edward England
Blackbeard's flag
Flag of Stede Bonnet (around 1670-1718)

The coastal piracy and occasional piracy, which are still widespread today, largely managed without flags. The buccaneers, like most privateers, carried their national flag during their raids. In addition, however, they often showed another flag. Their color was mostly red, symbolizing a struggle to the life and death. If the defenders did not surrender immediately, they could not hope for mercy. On the other hand, flags of foreign nations were also hoisted for camouflage purposes. Even on official warships, this was considered a legitimate ruse if it was brought down at the last minute and replaced with the correct flagging.

The black flag (with a skull) is usually referred to as Jolly Roger . It is said to have been spotted for the first time in 1700 on the mast of the pirate Emanuel Wynne , but historically he did not play a major role. By 1714, the black flag had become a well-known symbol.

Edward England († 1720) was initially the only pirate who showed the famous skull and crossbones in his flag. Since the flag was used to identify the pirates, each team had an individual symbol. Combinations of flags also occurred, whereby the black flag could be hoisted in addition to the ship's flag if necessary.

See also

literature

Contemporary witnesses

  • Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin , Reinhard Federman (arr.): The Pirate Book of 1678. Based on old translations of the book The American Pirates . Edition Erdmann in Thienemanns-Verlag, Tübingen 1983, ISBN 3-522-61120-9 (contemporary reports on the life of the privateers in the Caribbean; including a description of the conquest of Panama by Henry Morgan ).
  • William Dampier : privateer . Erdmann-Verlag, Tübingen 1997, ISBN 3-522-61050-4 (travel reports of the oceanographer and privateer from the last decades of the 17th century).
  • Captain Charles Johnson : A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates , The Lyons Press 2002, ISBN 1-58574-558-8 (English, reproduction of the original edition from 1724, second volume 1728, contemporary reports from files of the Admiralty . German: Comprehensive history of the robberies and murders of the notorious pirates . Robinson-Verlag, Frankfurt / M. 1982, ISBN 3-88592-009-3 )

Scientific literature and non-fiction books

  • Frank Bardelle: Privateer in the Caribbean Sea. On the emergence and social transformation of a historical fringe movement. Verlag Westfälisches Dampfboot, Münster 1986, ISBN 3-924550-20-4 (scientific work with extensive bibliography).
  • Douglas Botting et al. a .: History of seafaring - adventurers of the Caribbean. Bechtermünz, Eltville am Rhein 1992, ISBN 3-86047-025-6 .
  • Arne Bialuschewski: The pirate problem in the 17th and 18th centuries. In: Stephan Conermann (ed.): The Indian Ocean in historical perspective. EB-Verlag, Schenefeld / Hamburg 1998, pp. 245-261, ISBN 3-930826-44-5 (= Asia and Africa; 1).
  • Hartmut Roder (Ed.): Pirates. The Lords of the Seven Seas. Edition Temmen , Bremen 2000, ISBN 3-86108-536-4 (catalog book for an exhibition; including: Detlef Quintern: Bremer Sklaven in Afrika? On the legend of the pirates of the Barbarian Coast. And Kay Hoffmann: Under the pavement lies the beach. Some Notes on the pirate in the film. )
  • David Cordingly: Under the black flag. Legend and reality of pirate life. Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-423-30817-6 (good, introductory presentation of the private sector).
  • Hartmut Roder (Ed.): Pirates. Adventure or Threat? Edition Temmen, Bremen 2002, ISBN 3-86108-785-5 (companion volume to the symposium Piracy in Past and Present. Adventure or Threat? Of the Überseemuseum Bremen on November 10/11, 2000).
  • Marcus Rediker: Villains of All Nations, Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age. Beacon Press, Boston 2004, ISBN 0-8070-5024-5 .
  • Robert Bohn : The pirates. 2nd edition, Beck, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-406-48027-6 (a generally understandable introduction to the history of piracy in the Caribbean and the "Golden Age").
  • Peter Linebaugh, Marcus Rediker: The Many Headed Hydra, Sailors, Slaves, Commoners and the Hidden History of the Revolutionary Atlantic. Beacon Press, Boston 2005, ISBN 0-8070-5007-5 (German: Die vielköpfige Hydra. The hidden history of the revolutionary Atlantic. Verlag Association A, Berlin / Hamburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-935936-65-1 ).
  • Gabriel Kuhn : Under the Jolly Roger. Pirates in the Golden Age. Verlag Association A, Berlin / Hamburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-86241-400-0 .
  • Larry Law : The True Story of Captain Misson and the Republic of Libertatia. Translated from the English by Axel Monte. With an afterword by Marvin Chlada , series: sub: text, vol. 4, Trikont, Duisburg 2015, 2nd corrected edition 2016, ISBN 978-3-88974-504-0 .
  • David Head (Ed.): The Golden Age of Piracy: The Rise, Fall, and Enduring Popularity of Pirates. University of Georgia Press, Atlanta 2018, ISBN 978-0-8203-5325-8 .

Remarks

  1. The author Daniel Defoe is sometimes suspected behind the pseudonym .
  2. Book review of Rediker by Tim (othy Lee) Sullivan (Society for the History of Discoveries)
  3. Robert Bohn: "Die Piraten", pp. 111–112; Verlag CH Beck, Munich, 2nd revised edition, 2005. ISBN 3-406-48027-6
  4. Cf. on pirate societies: Renate Niemann, Pirate societies - precursors of democracy or Sodom and Gomorrah? in: Hartmut Roder (Ed.), Piraten - Adventure or Threat? , Edition Temmen, Bremen 2002, ISBN 3-86108-785-5
  5. Exchange rates and monetary value in the 18th century
  6. Pirate Utopias (Do or Die) - Piracy and Anarchism
  7. ^ Robert Bohn: Die Piraten , 2nd edition, Munich 2005 (Verlag CH Beck), ISBN 3-406-48027-6
  8. Extensive documentation ( memento of March 17, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) in an episode of the ZDF series Terra X
  9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfZODPXtyKY
  10. Indications sur La Buse et son trésor , Very detailed page on La Buse (French)
  11. ^ National Park Center Königsstuhl in the Jasmund National Park
  12. Encyclopedia Piratica ( Memento of September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive )

Web links