Page 24 - The Virgin Islands
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t the start of the 18th century, Europe without relying on the aid of privateers. This the Caribbean in the 18th century, West Af-
spelled the doom of privateering and the rica and North America by the 1710s and by
A remained riven by warfare and con- easy (and nicely legal) life it provided for the the 1720s even the Indian Ocean was a dif-
buccaneer. Though Spain remained a weak ficult location for pirates to operate.
stant diplomatic intrigue. France was still power for the rest of the colonial period,
the dominant power but now had to con- pirates in large numbers generally disap- A fter 1720, piracy in the classic sense be-
tend with a new rival, England (Great Britain peared after 1730, chased from the seas by came extremely rare in the Caribbean
after 1707) which emerged as a great power a new British Royal Navy squadron based at as European military and naval forces, espe-
at sea and land during the War of the Span- Port Royal, Jamaica and a smaller group of cially those of the Royal Navy, became too
ish Succession. But the depredations of the Spanish privateers sailing from the Span- widespread and active for any pirate to pur-
pirates and buccaneers in the Americas in ish Main known as the Costa Garda (Coast sue an effective career for long. By 1718, the
the latter half of the 17th century and of Guard in English). With regular military forc- British Royal Navy had approximately 124
similar mercenaries in Germany during the es now on-station in the West Indies, letters vessels and 214 by 1815; a big increase from
Thirty Years War had taught the rulers and of marque were harder and harder to obtain. the two vessels England had possessed in
military leaders of Europe that those who 1670. British Royal Navy warships tirelessly
fought for profit rather than for King and T he decline of piracy in the Caribbean hunted down pirate vessels, and almost al-
Country could often ruin the local economy paralleled the decline of the use of ways won these engagements. Pirates who
of the region they plundered, in this case mercenaries and the rise of national armies were caught by British forces in particular
the entire Caribbean. in Europe. Following the end of the Thirty were tried in court and had to be convicted
Years’ War the direct power of the state in before they were transferred to England. Be-
A t the same time, the constant warfare Europe expanded. Armies were systematized fore a captured pirate was transferred they
had led the Great Powers to develop and brought under direct state control; the had to be convicted according to the testi-
larger standing armies and bigger navies Western European states’ navies were ex- mony of witnesses and other hard evidence.
to meet the demands of global colonial panded and their mission was extended to
warfare. By 1700 the European states had cover combating piracy. The elimination of
enough troops and ships at their disposal to piracy from European waters expanded to
begin better protecting the important colo-
nies in the West Indies and in the Americas
