Page 75 - The British Big Four

he period during which pirates were considered the “Golden Age of Piracy” in the 1523, they found the incredible Aztec treas-

T most successful was from the 1660s to Caribbean, and pirate ports experienced ure that they were allowed to keep. Later,
1730s. Piracy flourished in the Caribbean rapid growth in the areas in and surround- when Francis Drake captured the Spanish

because of the existence of pirate seaports ing the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Further- Silver Train at Nombre de Dios (Panama’s

such as Port Royal in Jamaica, Tortuga in more, during this time period there were Caribbean port at the time) in 1573 his crews

Haiti, and Nassau in the Bahamas. Pirates approximately 2400 men that were currently were rich for life. This was repeated by Piet

were often former sailors used to naval war- active pirates. Hein in 1628, who made a profit of 12 million

fare. They were called buccaneers, from the guilders for the Dutch West India Company.
IFrench “boucanier” (to smoke meat) on a
n the Caribbean the use of privateers was T his substantial profit made privateering
“boucan” (wooden frame set over a fire.) By especially popular for what amounted to something of a regular line of business;

setting up smokey fires and boucans with legal and state-ordered piracy. The cost of

the prepared meat of marooned cattle, these maintaining a fleet to defend the colonies wealthy businessmen or nobles would be

castaways could lure a ship to draw near for was beyond national governments of the quite willing to finance this legitimized pira-

trading, at which time the buccaneers could 16th and 17th centuries. Private vessels cy in return for a share. The sale of captured

seize the ship. The buccaneers were later would be commissioned into a ‘navy’ with goods was a boost to colonial economies as

chased off their islands by colonial authori- a letter of marque, paid with a substantial well. The main imperial countries operating

ties and had to seek a new life at sea, where share of whatever they could capture from at this time and in the region were French,

they continued their ship raiding. Beginning enemy ships and settlements, the rest going English, Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese. Pri-

in the 16th century, pirate captains recruited to the crown. vateers from each country were all ordered

seamen to loot European merchant ships, T hese ships would operate indepen- to attack each other countries vessels, es-
especially the Spanish treasure fleets sail- dently or as a fleet and if successful the pecially Spain in which was a shared enemy
ing from the Caribbean to Europe. The late among the other powers.

17th and early 18th centuries (particularly rewards could be great—when Jean Fleury

between the years 1716 to 1726) are often and his men captured Cortes’ vessels in