A pirate is someone who takes over a ship that does not belong to them. Pirates often sailed in stolen ships across the world’s oceans, stealing other ships’ cargo, then burning or sinking the ships after murdering the crew and captain. There have been pirates since ancient times, but the most famous acts of piracy date from a period between the the 1680s and the 1720s known as Golden Age of Piracy. During this time pirates were at their most successful in plundering Spanish treasure ships in the Caribbean. Britain, France and the Netherlands, all hostile to Spain, hired privateers, men employed by governments to steal and plunder the Spanish ships. Pirates are still in action today, especially in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia.

Treasure from
​​​​​​​the New World

After Christopher Columbus, in the service of Spain, landed in the Americas in 1492, Spain went on to conquer the Aztec and Inca empires and claimed much of Central and South America as its own. The Caribbean coast of the Spanish empire became known as the Spanish Main. The Spanish began to mine huge quantities of silver from Potosí in Bolivia and shipped the treasure back to Spain via ports on the Spanish Main. The sea journey was threatened by English, French or Dutch privateers, Spain's enemies.

Privateers and buccaneers

Carrying such valuable cargo, the Spanish treasure ships were a tempting target. Privateers (short for “private men-of-war”) were seamen who captured vessels on behalf of another country. The privateer captain and the monarch (or colonial governor) shared the spoils.

Buccaneers were fortune-hunters originally based on the Caribbean islands of Hispaniola and Tortuga in the Caribbean. Their name came from the French word boucanier, meaning “someone who smokes wild meat”, from the French word boucan (grill) they often used. In the 1660s and 70s, after England had captured Jamaica from Spain, the buccaneers joined forces with privateers to attack Spanish ships and settlements on the Spanich Main. Soon they became pirates and their base, Port Royal in Jamaica, a lawless pirate hideout.

Pirate attacks

Pirate ships would often take a galleon by surprise, swapping a friendly flag for the Jolly Roger only moments before their attack. The pirate ship would draw alongside the galleon, using a grappling iron to hold the ships together. The crew leapt aboard, brandishing cutlasses (short-bladed swords), pistols, axes and daggers. Faced with such a force, the galleon's captain might surrender his ship without a shot being fired. The pirates would then make off with their plunder: their opponents’ possessions, arms, supplies and, most important of all, the treasure.

A pirate's fate

Privateers were given permission to capture enemy treasure by their king or queen. Ordinary pirates had no such permission and simply stole from whichever ships they came across. Pirates were hunted down, tried and hanged for their crimes. For example, a reward of £100 was offered for the capture of Blackbeard (Edward Teach, c.1680–1718), a former privateer who became a pirate well known for his ferocity in battle.

An expedition of two British naval ships tracked Blackbeard down in 1718. He was killed, but only after a fight in which he suffered five gunshot wounds and 20 blows from a sword.

The pirate code

Surprisingly, some pirates followed certain rules that were agreed amongst themselves. The pirate captain Bartholomew Roberts (1682–1722) came up with a set of rules for his men. They were expected to be brave and fair to each other. If a pirate took more than his share of the booty (stolen treasure) or was a coward in battle, he was marooned (left on his own) on a remote island with a little water but no food.