John Crab (pirate)

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John Crab (also Crabb or Crabbe ) (* around 1280, † around 1352) was a Dutch merchant and pirate who later lived in Scotland and then in England . He is considered a good example for the merchants of his time, who not only traded but were also pirates themselves. He is also considered an important military engineer of his time.

Origin, Piracy and Service to Scotland

Crab probably came from Muiden in Holland . He was a merchant, but he was also active as a pirate from 1306 at the latest when Flemish privateers attacked English merchant ships during the First Scottish War of Independence . Crab's team also included his nephew Crabbekyn . The English King Edward II complained several times about Crabs attacks on Count Robert III. of Flanders . However, he tolerated piracy, even forgave him a murder and used the loot to alleviate the consequences of a famine in 1315 . After 1310, Crab apparently moved his base to Aberdeen , Scotland , while Scottish and Flemish allies from him sold his booty in the Netherlands. When the Scots conquered Berwick in 1318 , Crab and his family moved to this town. He organized the defense of the city, which in 1319 withstood an English siege . Crab is said to have built a catapult with which he could destroy an English siege engine with the third shot . In 1327 he supported the ultimately unsuccessful siege of Norham Castle with a siege engine . Because of his services and his royalties to the Scottish Crown, Crab was also forgiven for his continued piracy. In 1331 he served as the commandant of Berwick.

Change to the English side

When the so-called disinherited under Edward Balliol invaded Scotland in 1332 at the beginning of the Second Scottish War of Independence , Crab wanted to block Balliol in Perth with ten ships . When an English squadron appeared, Crab was initially able to capture Henry de Beaumont's ship . But then the wind turned and the English were able to burn his ships. Crab was able to save himself on land and had to flee on foot. This defeat led to the fact that the Scots gave up the siege of Perth . In November or December 1332, Crab and Sir Andrew Moray were captured by Walter Mauny at Roxburgh when they tried to set a trap for Edward Balliol. While the English Parliament demanded his conviction and punishment, the English King Edward III was. Convinced by his advisors that Crab could serve the English well with his knowledge and skills. The king bought Mauny from the prisoners for 1,000 marks . Crab then switched sides and led the English siege of Berwick in 1333 . Thanks to his knowledge of the defenses, the English were able to successfully besiege the city which surrendered after the Battle of Halidon Hill . The townspeople had previously murdered Crab's son. This crime, as well as the fact that the Scots had not released him from captivity, made Crab a staunch supporter of the English. Edward III. gave him real estate at Berwick, which Crab sold when he was appointed lifelong commandant of Somerton Castle in Lincolnshire in 1334 . In the next few years he supported the English armies by building ships, building siege engines and recruiting soldiers. In February and March 1335 he set up a fleet in northeast England. In the same year he took part in the English campaign to Scotland and in 1337 in the siege of Dunbar . He strengthened the fortifications of Berwick and in 1339 escorted English cargo ships with his ships transporting wool to the Netherlands for sale. The naval battle of Sluis in 1340 was probably the last military operation in which he took part. However, he continued to serve the king until his death, expanding his castles and building siege engines.

literature

  • HS Lucas: John Crabbe, Flemish pirate, merchant and adventurer . In: Speculum, 20 (1945), pp. 334-350
  • EWM Balfour-Melville: Two John Crabbs . In: The Scottish Historical Review, 39 (1960), pp. 31-34

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Andy King; Michael A. Penman: England and Scotland in the fourteenth century: new perspectives . Boydell, Woodbridge 2007, ISBN 978-1-84383-318-5 , p. 63
  2. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 92
  3. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 97
  4. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 120
  5. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 188
  6. ^ Andy King; Michael A. Penman: England and Scotland in the fourteenth century: new perspectives . Boydell, Woodbridge 2007, ISBN 978-1-84383-318-5 , p. 63
personal data
SURNAME Crab, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Crabb, John; Crabbe, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch merchant, pirate and military engineer
DATE OF BIRTH around 1280
DATE OF DEATH around 1352