Caribbean Pirates

Governed by their own code and customs, the Caribbean Pirates flourish while sowing terror on the high seas.

In the Modern Era, the Caribbean was a colonial space on the fringes of influence of several empires, often hostile and always in competition. Much wealth passed through these territories, which were therefore bitterly contested during the many European conflicts of the 17th and 18th centuries, and remained sites of aggressive action and armed raids long after the ratification of peace treaties. Key actors in this system of unofficial wars and coups, Caribbean privateers and pirates developed a common culture and a system of shared values that spread across the seas between 1650 and 1720.

Unlike piracy, privateering was an activity commissioned by the Crown and used to undermine opposing powers’ trade. In the Caribbean, privateering began in the first third of the 16th century, first introduced to the region by crews from France and later from England. The privateers’ goal was to seize the wealth of the New World as it passed through the West Indies, and to thwart the commercial monopoly held by Spain over its colonies. Supported by sovereigns anxious to challenge Spanish authority over these territories, privateering flourished during the great conflicts of the first half of the 17th century. However, the peace ushered in by the signing of the Treaties of Westphalia (1648) and the English conquest of Jamaica (1655) marked a turning point in the region. For a time, these events lessened the recourse to privateering and indirectly caused many privateer crews to turn to unsanctioned piracy. In the Caribbean, this practice brought together nobles, former slaves, gentlemen, planters, and sailors of diverse origins, on the same ships. Bound by a shared culture developed from these different backgrounds and organized according to rules inherited from life at sea, they managed on some occasions to come together to effectively govern ports. The bulk of pirate attacks were carried out by single ships, stalking merchant or slave ships that traded with the West Indies. However, these predatory actions could involve crews of several hundred men, assembled in a flotilla, to attack ports or galleons of the West Indies Fleet.

Pirates were usually able to capture their targets without resorting to brutality. Between 1713 and 1730, almost 83% of captured French ships were pillaged without violence after the pirates had hoisted their black flags and the crew had surrendered.

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