PIRATES

The Jolly Roger Flies!

.

Pirates are evil thieves, murderers, liars, kidnappers, rapists, terrorists, and torture experts.

There is no such thing as a “good pirate.”

Please remember…

What do you know about pirates?

• Did pirates have parrots? –Sure. Monkeys were popular, too!

• Did pirates have peg legs & hooks?–Yes, many lost limbs, but few had hooks.

• Did pirates “grapple” & swing from boat to boat? –Not really, usually ships would

launch the long boats. But it happened.–They usually didn’t swing from

boat to boat; it doesn’t work.–They didn’t slide down sails w/

knives.

• Did pirate ships get close together and fire cannons from just feet away? It’s in all the cool pirate movies?–Maybe once, but that would be a really dumb maneuver.

• Did pirates make people walk the plank?–No, there’s only one recorded

instance of this, & historians are skeptical about it.

• A pirate’s favorite sword:–Cutlass: short but practical

(keeps out of ropes)–Daggers were handy,

broadswords popular–Rapiers: good for duels–Boarding axes & pikes too!

• Did they shoot silverware out cannons?–Silverware, probably not. Nails, chains, other bits of shrapnel sure.

*Did they use a lot of guns?–Yes, but guns were very unreliable. They became wet easily & wouldn’t work. Most pirates

carried several pistols.

It’s all about the booty…

Practical and common plunder:

• Food and water supplies• Cloth for sails and

markets• Spare parts and pieces

for the ship (masts, ropes, lumber, etc.)

• Slaves (to be sold or used)

The treasure:• Reales or Pesos:– Silver Spanish

coins– “eight reales”

coin became known as “pieces of eight”

• Escudos:– Gold Spanish

coins– The “eight

escudo” coin became known as “doubloon”

• Ingot:– Gold or silver

cast into a bar

Types of Pirates:Pirate or Privateer?

Privateer: Has a legal commission from a govt

to attack & seize cargo from enemy vessels or villages

Pirate: Illegal criminals who attacked and plundered any vessel or costal village

Buccaneer: – Boucaner: French

term for process of curing strips of meat over a barbeque

– Buccaneers were thugs, outlaws, and hunters of wild oxen and pig on Hispaniola

– Eventually left island after food shortages and being pushed out by authorities: took to the seas

– Term for pirates in Caribbean region

Corsair:– Pirates in the

Mediterranean and European areas

The pirate’s life for me!• Treasure! Gold! Jewels! A quick way to

make it to the good life of wine, food, & luxury. It’s all about the booty!

• Easy way to get money to spend in the brothels & taverns

• Some forced into it after pirate attacks—carpenters, surgeons

• No jobs for sailors during times of peace • Drinking led them to it!

– John Archer, before his hanging in 1724, admitted that “strong drink had hardened him into committing crimes that were more bitter than death to him”

– William White, before his execution on the same day, said that “drunkenness had been his ruin, and he had been drunk when he was enticed aboard a pirate ship”

Pirate Flags• Black = Quarter given (We’ll be

“gentle”)• Red = No quarter given (We’ll kill

and possibly torture everyone on board)

Typical skull & cross bones flown by Edward England

Arm & sword flown by Edmund Cook, Thomas Tew, Christopher Moody

Henry Avrey’s flags

More Pirate Flags

One of Christopher Moody’s flags

Edward Low’s Flag

More Pirate Flags

Calico Jack’s flag

Notice the resemblance between this flag and the flag from Pirates of the

Caribbean

Blackbeard’s flag:

Devil skeleton toasting

while stabbing a

heart

More Pirate Flags The Jolly Roger:

•Jolie Rouge: Red or bloody flag

•Ali Raja: Tamil pirate captain

•“Old Roger”: the devil

Two of Bartholomew Robert’s flags

The two skulls represent two

Caribbean island that fought against Roberts

Pirates were democratic:• They elected captains!• They could rescind their choice!• Crew determined the course of action:– Fight, retreat, go to Madagascar, go to

New England• The captain made sure the ship went smoothly: courses, battle positions, strategy, argument disputes, money, etc.

Articles and Contracts“No prey, no pay!”

Pirates signed articles: contracts that determine duration& compensation:

•Carpenter or shipwright: salary of 100-150 pieces of 8

•Surgeon: salary of 200-250 pieces of 8

•Captain: 5-6 shares plus a salary

•Master’s mate: 2 shares

•Crew: 1 share

•Any boys: ½ share

Honest about making sure everyone had

their “fair share”—those who lied or

concealed: turned out of the company!

Compensation for Injuries:

• Loss of starboard side arm: 600 pieces of eight• Loss of portside arm: 500 pieces of eight• Loss of starboard leg: 500 pieces of eight• Loss of port leg: 400 pieces of eight• Loss of an eye or finger: 100 pieces of eight

Buried Treasure & X-Marks the Spot!

*Pirates rarely ever buried their treasure.

• Most squandered their shares with drink & prostitutes.

• Some hoarded their shares to live the good life, but… most wasted it & had to ship out again!

There are three recorded examples of buried treasure:

• Captain Kidd• Captain

Stratton• Sir Francis Drake

The pirates who liked to dig…

• Captain Stratton wasn’t a pirate: – a crooked captain

who made furtive and underhanded deals with pirates

– He was captured for his deceptions

• Sir Francis Drake wasn’t a pirate: – A privateer who had

permission to plunder Spanish towns and ships.

– Returned from a profitable attack on a mule train at Nombre de Dios

– Drake found his ship sailed away after being attacked

– He buried the treasure, went for the ship, and unburied it that afternoon.

A few other big scores*

• “Black Sam” Bellamy– Close to $400

million retrieved (modern value) from the wrecked Whydah

• Blackbeard– Capture more than

20 ships in pirate career

– After his fall, £2,500 total, including the sale of his sloop, collected

*Figures from Cordingly

Artist conception of “Black Sam” Bellam

y

EDWARD TEACH or Blackbeard

• Born in Bristol, England

• Started sailing career as a merchant sailor & privateer

• Active during 1713-1718

• Based in the Bahamas & Carolina coast

EDWARD TEACH• Fearsome pirate

who had an intimidating physical presence.– Black beard

with braids– Placed lit fuses

in his beard– “looked like

the devil”• Armed to the

teeth • Sling of 6 guns• Sword• Knives

Blackbeard!

AKA:

---Edward Teach---Edward Thatch---

---Edward Drummond---Edward Tach---

---Edward Tash---

EDWARD TEACH• Converted slave ship Concordia

into the Queen’s Anne Revenge• Had a crew of 300 men between 3

ships• Blockaded Charlestown harbor in

order to get supplies for his men • Killed in battle off of Carolina coast by Captain Maynard

• Isles of Shoals off the NH coast:–A great place fortrade–Honeymooned with Martha (one of 14 wives) on Smuttynose Island–He left her there to guard a treasure–She died of illness, but many say

his treasure is still there, as is the ghost of Martha who wails, “You will come back!”

Blackbeard’s Final Battle…

• British Navy sent Robert Maynard after him

• “Damnation seize my soul if I give you quarter or take any from you.”

• Maynard’s men board and attack Blackbeard

Blackbeard’s Final Battle…• Blackbeard : either shot by Maynard

or decapitated by a Scotsman under Maynard

• Maynard tied Blackbeard’s head to his Bowsprit & sailed home

• Blackbeard’s body: 20 serious cuts & 5 shot• Legend: Blackbeard’s headless body swam around the boat several times after it was dumped overboard

Women pirates• Anne Bonny:

–Left her husband for pirate John Rackham (“Calico Jack”)–Had a child with him

• Mary Read:– Raised as a boy, fought in land armies & on ships– Joined with Anne & Calico Jack after her ship was captured

THE LADIES

• Both sailed fought dressed as men

• William was captured, the rest of the crew wanted to surrender, but Anne & Mary urged them to fight

• Both found guilty of piracy–Both escaped hanging because

of pregnancy–Mary Read died of fever in

prison–Anne Bonny’s & her child’s fate

are unknown

A few other lady pirates:

• Grace O’Malley 1500ad– Cut her hair short

for sailing– After her

husband died, “Granuaille” took control of her family’s fleet

– “Grany Imallye” eventually arrested

– Befriended Queen Elizabeth I who let her go

• Ms Ching (Early 1800’s)– Perhaps the most

successful pirate ever!

– Nearly 1,000 ships in her fleet!

– Harsh & cruel: stiff punishments, no mercy to victims

– China forced to hire ships from Europe to help stop her

– Secured a treaty: pirates walk away with plunder but turn in boats and weapons

– More than 17,000 pirates in her force

Pirate Movies

The Black Pirate, 1926Captain Blood, 1935Fire over England, 1937The Sea Hawk, 1940The Black Swan, 1942Captain Kidd, 1945Treasure Island, 1950Captain Horatio Hornblower, 1951The Last of the Buccaneers, 1951 The Crimson Pirate, 1952Blackbeard the Pirate, 1952

Errol Flynn as Captain

Blood

Against All Flags, 1952Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd, 1952Morgan the Pirate, 1961Pirates of Tortuga, 1961The King’s Pirate, 1967Swashbuckler, 1976Nate and Hayes, 1983The Princess Bride, 1987 Magic Island, 1995

Cutthroat Island, 1995Muppet Treasure Island, 1996Pirates of the Caribbean, 2003and thar be even more!

Pirates of the

Caribbean:

Dead Man’s Chest

Bartholomew Roberts

• aka “Black Bart” Roberts

• Active from 1719-1722• English• Began sailing career as

sailor on a slave ship• Main ship was the Royal

Fortune

Bartholomew Roberts

• Based off of the West Coast of Africa– Known for capturing

goods headed for Africa

– Captured slave ships and freed them

• Known for looking like a “gentlemen pirate”– Very well dressed etc…

Bartholomew RobertsAccomplishments

Captured over 470 vesselsHe and his crew created

articles which governed the ship

The most successful pirate of his age (1700’s)

Killed in sea battle off of West African Coast

Last notable pirate of the Golden Age

The one who inspired stories of buried treasure…

Captain William Kidd:• Not a pirate, at least he would

say he wasn’t!• Became a privateer– Wealthy businessmen

and politicians paid for the outfitting of 34 gun Adventure Galley

– Even King William III got in on the deal

– Had permission to attack French pirate ships

– Kidd decided to sail to the Red Sea & the Indian Ocean

• Set sail in 1696 in Adventure Galley

• Captain Kidd ended up with a quickly-gathered crew of misfits and ex-pirates

• Expedition suffered nearly two years of bad weather, sickness, and a lack of prizes (plunder)

Captain Kidd…Jan. 30, 1698: Quedah

Merchant.--Kidd flew a French flag:

Quedah Merchant responded similarly, flying a French flag as well, despite belonging to Armenians.

--Kidd had permission to attack French vessels.

--Kidd’s ruse allowed him to attack on a technicality: --The captain was British --The boat belonged to a high Indian official

--Kidd also attacked Sedgwick of the East India Trading Co.

• Kidd eventually dumped the rotting, damaged Adventure Galley and took the Quedah Merchant, renamed Adventure Prize

• Kidd had a few more adventures and associated with other pirates

• Kidd found out that England was unhappy with him and sent ships to arrest him

• Kidd sold Adventure Prize and goods, bought a sloop, sailed home to wife and kids in NY

• Back in NY, Kidd dispersed funds to wife and friends

• A few witnesses saw some heavily-laden long boats launch from his sloop and land on Gardiners Island.

• Kidd arrested and sent to England, received no help from backers of his expedition

• Spent several year in solitary confinement on ships and in Newgate prison

• Charged with:– Piracy: he illegally attacked

and plundered 5 ships – Walloping William Moore in

the head with a bucket and killing him (Cordingly 183)

• Kidd had 2 weeks to prepare his defense– Asked for papers, but the

license to attack French vessels was missing

Captain Kidd…

• Found guilty on all charges– “My lord, it is a very hard

sentence. For my part, I am the innocentest person of them all, only I have been sworn against by perjured persons” (Cordingly 189).

– Hanged at Execution Block in London, then his corpse was hung in chains at Tilbury Point on the Thames

• Kidd’s treasure amounted to nearly £400,000 but only £40,000 were found

Captain Kidd…

Pirate families

• Most pirates didn’t have families

• Henry Avery had a wife and two kids

• William Kidd had a wife and two “Kidds”

• Blackbeard had 14 wives—maybe.

• Most pirates didn’t have time or were more interested in “other” women

Considered bad luck to have women on board.

There were anywhere from 30-200 male pirates on a ship (depending on size).

“Only the devil and I know the whereabouts of my

treasure, and the one of us who lives the longest shall

take it all.” ARRGH!

• http://www.history.com/videos/life-aboard-a-pirate-ship#life-aboard-a-pirate-ship