Pirates are dangerous outlaws who rob ships and commit other acts of violence on the high seas. Piracy has occurred throughout history and still exists occasionally today. However, it thrived between the 1500s and 1800s when European ships carried cargo to and from their colonies. There are many colorful stories about pirates, but piracy was actually a well-organized and serious business until the nations of the world basically wiped it out.

Pirate life

Most pirate ships had a captain, but he was in complete command only during a battle. At other times he worked as one of the crew. More powerful than the captain on a pirate voyage was the quartermaster. The quartermaster's main duty was to divide up the stolen items, also known as the loot. It was also the quartermaster's right to punish any pirate who did wrong. Both the captain and quartermaster were elected, and both could be removed if they failed to do their job well.

Most pirate crews had written rules that were strictly obeyed. Women were not to be brought on board or harmed. Death was the punishment for desertion or for theft of another man's possessions. A pirate sentenced to death often was set ashore on a deserted island where he would die of thirst. He was allowed a knife or a pistol with one bullet so he could take his own life if he wished.

Because they were more interested in loot than in prisoners, pirates set many crews free with their ships after taking their valuables. Pirates killed few people. Prisoners were sometimes held for ransom or were left on a nearby shore. Although many pirate ships hoisted a black flag bearing a white skull and crossbones, no one flag was ever used by all pirates. Many pirates designed their own banners.

Famous pirates

A few pirates stand out because of their reputations. Edward Teach, or Thatch, was one of history's cruelest pirates. He was known as Blackbeard because he wore his long, black beard in braids. He enjoyed a long and prosperous career working in the waters off North America. In 1718, however, Virginia officials paid for two ships with crews and ordered the sailors to put an end to Blackbeard. The ships found the pirate and killed him in the fight that followed.

The Englishmen Sir John Hawkins, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Francis Drake, and Capt. William Kidd were some of the most famous privateers. They operated private ships and were paid by a government to attack an enemy vessel and take whatever loot the crew found. Privateers were pirates working on behalf of a country. In the 1500s Elizabeth I permitted Hawkins and the others to attack foreign ships in an effort to help England control the Atlantic Ocean.

Sir Henry Morgan and Captain John Rackham—also called Calico Jack for the striped trousers he wore—were famous buccaneers. A buccaneer was the name given to pirates who terrorized sailors in the West Indies during the 17th century. Buccaneers were originally French, Dutch, and English sailors, many of whom had left their countries to escape the law. They settled in Haiti, where they lived like gypsies. These sailors learned a method of sun-drying meat called buccaning from the Indians who lived there. This earned them their name.

History

Piracy has occurred in all stages of history. In the ancient Mediterranean Sea piracy was often similar to sea business, and the Phoenicians appear to have engaged in both, as did the Greeks, Romans, and Carthaginians. In the Middle Ages Vikings from the north and Moors from the south also engaged in piracy. Piracy's “golden age” occurred from the 1500s to the 1800s, when a great number of ships traveled the Atlantic carrying valuable cargo. It was during this time when many of the more famous pirates and privateers made their name.

From the 16th to the 18th century piracy became common in the Mediterranean Sea. The North African countries of Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli tolerated and even organized piracy. They were called pirate states. In the early 19th century United States, British, and French forces ended piracy in this region.

Piracy declined greatly in the 19th and 20th centuries. One reason is the increased size of merchant vessels. Another is the improved naval patrols of the ocean. In addition, governments have come to view piracy as an international offense. Nevertheless, piracy continued into the 21st century in the South China Sea. Hijackers who take over yachts can also be seen as modern-day pirates.