Piracy is still common worldwide, causing up to $16 billion in losses annually. Pirates were feared criminals in the past, with the Golden Age of Piracy centered in the Caribbean. Privateers were commissioned by kings to capture foreign vessels. The classic pirate image is not accurate, and piracy today includes kidnapping, sabotage, and murder. Famous pirates include Anne Bonny, Sir Francis Drake, and Blackbeard.
A pirate is someone who commits robbery at sea, usually without being commissioned to do so by a particular nation. While the word pirate brings to mind the sea-fearing heroes of the past century, the truth is that piracy is still commonplace around the world. Additionally, a pirate has become a symbol of a common criminal off the coasts of Somalia and Singapore and in the waters between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, where pirates are responsible for losses of up to $16 billion annually.
In the past, a pirate was one of the most feared criminals. As early as the 13th century BC, pirates were already terrorizing the Aegean Sea, destroying ships and pillaging villages along the river. By the Middle Ages, a pirate had become a symbol of an era plagued by violence, fear and persecution. The Golden Age of Piracy, which spanned from the 13th through the latter part of the 18th century, was centered in the Caribbean. Tortuga Island and Port Royal were the two most famous pirate centers in the Caribbean, largely because conflicts over colonization had made the area easily accessible to both visitors and pirates.
A privateer, or privileged pirate, was a pirate commissioned by a king to capture foreign vessels. This was a common practice of “trade” between enemy nations and led to serious international battles, especially between England and France. Under the law, a privateer was not technically a pirate, which meant that he could not be tried and convicted if captured.
The image of the classic pirate has little to do with reality. Most of them spent their lives at sea, suffered from severe nutritional disorders and died young. Water was a hard commodity to come by, so beer was the drink of choice while at sea. In the waters, a pirate was a fighter, focused on surviving boredom between attacks. Once back on land though, a pirate would spend much of his time in the local taverns, drinking and gambling.
In the present day, piracy has moved from its original purpose of stealing to include kidnapping people for ransom, sabotage, seizure of personal items (rather than goods), and murder. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of pirates in areas of political turmoil, such as Somalia.
Some of the most famous pirates include Anne Bonny, Sir Francis Drake, William Kidd, Sir Henry Morgan, “Black Bart” Bartholomew Roberts and Zack Edward Blackbeard.
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