Maps

Pirates lived in times when navigation was primitive and printed maps were not widely available. To be successful, pirates had to position themselves across the known trade routes (usually determined by prevailing winds) and after taking a prize, escape to a bolthole, perhaps the massive island of Madagascar or some tiny Caribbean islet. Thus maps and navigational tools and skills were vital and often as valuable as the various other booty on board a captured vessel.

Spanish Main

24k jpeg Spain's empire in the New World of North and South America, discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, was known as the Spanish main. At first this term applied to the mainland but over the years it came to include the West Indian Islands and the Caribbean waters traversed by the Spanish treasure fleets.

Spains rivals were envious of this new-found wealth and land. It was not long before French and English privateers were challenging the might of Spain, striking first at the fleets and then at the settlements. The privateers were followed by the buccaneers who also operated with official approval of French or English governments. The buccaneers were followed by the pirates - highwaymen of the sea operating for their own gain. But as far as the Spanish were concerned they were all pirates.

Port Royal

Today it is a struggling fishing village but for the 20 years from 1672 - 1692 it was a thriving seaport of some 6500 inhabitants. Residents included: 4 goldsmiths, 125 merchants, 44 tavern keepers, prostitutes, buccaneers and, of course, pirates. Gallows point was the scene of many pirate executions between 1680 and 1830 (notably Calico Jack Rackham in 1720).

Port Royal was also the centre for a form of legalized piracy encouraged by the governors of Jamaica in the hope of dissuading any Spanish attempts to recapture the island. Buccaneers were given letters of marque which authorized them to attack Spanish ships (the most successful of these buccaneers was Henry Morgan).

At twenty minutes to twelve on the morning of the 7th of June 1692 a massive earthquake hit the town. Two thousand people were killed by the earthquake and a further two thousand died later of disease and fever. Two thirds of the town disappeared beneath the sea the general opinion was that the earthquake was a judgement of God on that wicked and rebellious place, Port Royal.

Barbary Coast

48k jpeg European crusaders called the Muslims barbarians and so the coast of Africa along the southern Mediterranean was known as The Barbary Coast and the Islamic sea rovers as Barbary Corsairs. By the end of the 16th century, after centuries of war between the Christians and Muslims a stalemate had been reached with the southern Mediterranean under Muslim control and the northern Mediterranean under Christian control.

But stalemate did not mean peace! Seeking to maintain their economic power and independence the Barbary states attacked the Christian ships and settlements. The Christians reciprocated, both side using the justification of war to argue that such attacks were not piracy but privateering.

Indian Ocean

54k jpeg With the decline of the Spanish Main towards the end of the 17th century many pirates shifted their unwelcome intentions towards growing trade in the East. The treasure ships of the Indian Moghul and the merchant men of the various East India Companies provided attractive targets. Most pirates made off for the island of Madagascar (off the east coast of Africa). However, such was the damage to trade and resulting European feeling in India, that governments (and sometimes the traders) were forced to act against the pirates often engaging privateers to seek out and capture pirate ships.

Madagascar

For 30 years from 1690 - 1720 the island of Madagascar was the principle base of the pirates preying on the rich trade of the Indian Ocean. Uncolonized and barely explored, Madagascar was the ideal bolthole for pirates driven out of the Caribbean. A visitor at the end of the 17th century accounted 17 pirate vessels and an estimated population of 1500 men. At various times the island played host to many of the most notorious pirates of the time, including Captain Kidd, Thomas White and Thomas Tew.