Piracy

Antiquity

Piracy seems to have existed since man first mastered navigation. Already in the 14th century B.C., the Egyptians mention the “peoples of the sea”, who operate in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and who also organize attacks in the Nile Delta. Later, in Ancient Greece, texts indicate the presence of Phoenician and Greek pirates who organize kidnappings to sell slaves. But as Athens grows in power, a military alliance is created between the Greek cities to fight the Persians. This alliance also results in a strong decrease in piracy in the region. Later on, after a decisive maritime victory against Carthage, Rome imposes itself in the western Mediterranean basin. But its fleet is regularly attacked by pirates, notably Illyrians and Cilicians. In 75 BC, Julius Caesar, who is still only a soldier, is captured by Cilician pirates in the Aegean Sea. He is held prisoner for 38 days, and is released for a ransom that he himself does not consider high enough. After his release, he assembles a private military fleet and takes revenge by capturing and crucifying his captors. In 67 BC, other Cilician pirates organize a raid on Ostia, only a few kilometers from Rome. This time, general Pompey obtains all the legal powers necessary to fight against piracy. He assembles a powerful military fleet, and in only 3 months, eradicates piracy in the entire Mediterranean basin, which would then be pacified for several centuries.

Northern Europe

In Northern Europe, piracy also exists in different forms. In 405, somewhere in Great Britain, according to legend, a 16-year-old boy named Patrick is captured by pirates. He is then sold back to Ireland as a slave. Six years later, he manages to escape, and returns to the island of Britain to become a priest. But in 432, Pope Celestine asks him to return to Ireland to evangelize the population. He will later become the Saint Patrick who is celebrated every year in Ireland. In the 8th century, the Vikings dominate the north of Europe. Excellent navigators, they engage in piracy, attacking and looting the rich monasteries and ports of Europe. Gradually, the Vikings settle down in the defeated territories and abandon piracy to concentrate on trade. The kingdom of Denmark, after having defeated the Slavic pirates of the Baltic Sea, dominates the seas of Northern Europe. At the end of the 14th century, Queen Margaret, who is also Queen of Norway, has her eye on the throne of her rival Sweden. Sweden does not have a sufficiently powerful military fleet, and therefore organizes commerce raiding, that is to say that it hires privateers, independent sailors, to attack the Danish merchant fleet, and to supply Stockholm, which is under siege. But in 1395, a peace treaty is signed, and two years later the three kingdoms of the north are united under the name of the Kalmar Union. The Victual Brothers lose their privateer title, but continue their raids as pirates. From their base on the island of Gotland, they attack merchant ships of all kinds. In the following years, they are hunted down by all powers and eliminated.

Privateers

In the Mediterranean Sea, Christians and Muslims wage a maritime war against each other. On the Muslim side, the Ottoman Empire hires and arms privateers to attack Christian ships and the coasts of Southern Europe. One of the hired sailors, Oruç Reis, better known today as Barbarossa, leaves with his brothers to settle in Djerba. From there, he organizes raids to Spain and Italy in order to capture Catholic slaves, who are then sold on the Ottoman markets. In 1516, he kills the ruler of Algiers and seizes power. But a few years later, he is killed during a Spanish attack. His brother, Hayreddin, then takes over his title and his name Barbarossa. He receives more military reinforcements from the Ottoman Empire in exchange for the suzerainty of the Empire over Algiers and its surroundings. At the same time, the Spanish and Portuguese explore and conquer the territories of America. Since 1494, with the support of the Pope, the two states have been sharing the new world and its riches. But this sharing is not profitable for the other Catholic powers of Western Europe, who then hire privateers to break the Spanish monopoly in the Caribbean. In 1522, Frenchman Jean Fleury seizes two Spanish caravels that were bringing an important Aztec treasure to Spain. In the following years, the country suffers more and more attacks from French, English, and Dutch privateers, extending even into the Caribbean, where ports and colonies are pillaged. In the middle of the 16th century, privateer François Le Clerc, known as “Jambe de Bois”, sacks many Spanish colonies, and settles in Saint Lucia to attack passing ships. As a result, Spain now secures its trade routes by organizing protected maritime convoys. In 1577, the English privateer Francis Drake is secretly charged by the Queen to plunder the Spanish ports on the Pacific coast of America. His mission is a success. He returns to England loaded with metals and precious stones.

The Wokou and the Barbary pirates

Asia is not spared from piracy. In the Ming Dynasty, maritime trade is very controlled, and numerous taxes push some merchants to turn to smuggling and piracy. They join the Wokou, Japanese pirates who control many bases, organize attacks against the coasts, and establish clandestine trade. They sell Chinese saltpeter and Japanese sulfur, both of which are needed to produce gunpowder. They also sell silver, which is sold by the Spaniards to the Philippines, and of which China is desperately short. In the Mediterranean Sea, after the failure of the capture of Malta, the Ottoman Empire now loses an important sea battle to a Christian coalition. Weakened on the seas, the Ottoman Empire no longer has a military fleet capable of competing with the European powers. Only the so-called “Barbary” pirates and privateers from the coasts of North Africa continue attacks against the Christians. In 1609, in Spain, King Philip III promulgates the expulsion of the Moriscos, the descendants of Muslims who had been Christianized a century earlier during the Reconquista. Many of them leave to settle in Salé, where they become pirates who attack Europeans in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1618, in Lanzarote, Barbary pirates capture Dutchman Jan Janszoon, who they then sell in Algiers. The latter converts to Islam, is renamed Reis Mourad, and begins a career as a pirate. He migrates to Salé, where he quickly rises in rank until he becomes a grand admiral. In 1627, he organizes an expedition to Iceland, where he seizes captives who are then sold as slaves. Four years later, he organizes another expedition to the south of Ireland and sacks the city of Baltimore, again taking captives. In 1635, Reis Mourad is captured by the Knights Hospitaller, and taken prisoner in Malta.

Golden Age of Piracy

In the Caribbean, pirates and privateers now have two main bases: Tortuga, and Port Royal in Jamaica. France and England tolerate them because they weaken Spain while bringing in much wealth. Henry Morgan, the governor of Jamaica, is himself known to have pillaged many Spanish cities. Pirates are mainly men fleeing poverty and unemployment, seeking freedom, wealth, and adventure. They abide by a code of law that organizes life on board, defines an equitable share of future booty, and offers compensation to the injured. Moreover, the captains of the ships are democratically elected. But life on board is far from easy, conditions are harsh, and the average lifespan is very short. In the 1670s, Spain signs a peace treaty with England, France, and the United Provinces, recognizing their territorial possessions in America. In addition, the European powers rely more and more on the cultivation of sugarcane to get rich, and therefore desire stability in the region. The privateers are no longer wanted, and lose their authorization to attack the Spaniards. Without work, but still armed and equipped, many turn to piracy, now attacking merchant ships of all origins. In 1692, Port-Royal is almost completely destroyed by an earthquake. The situation becomes more complicated for many pirates in the Caribbean.

The “Pirate Round”

Still in 1692, Englishman Thomas Tew is hired as a privateer to attack French forts in Africa. But on the way, he changes his plan and turns to piracy. He continues his route to the Indian Ocean, and after months of sailing, he enters the Red Sea, where an important Arab-Indian trade route passes. Without much difficulty, he plunders a Mughal merchant ship full of riches. Each member of the crew receives the equivalent of 30 years wages. Upon his return to the Caribbean, the news quickly spreads and prompts many pirates to leave to operate in the Indian Ocean. One of them, Henry Every, who had worked in the Royal Navy, arrives with a powerful pirate fleet, and seizes a real treasure by capturing a ship of the Great Mughal. England would then have to compensate the Mughal Emperor to keep their authorization to trade in the Indian Ocean. The pirates' main base is the island of Sainte-Marie off the coast of Madagascar, where they can stock up on food and drinking water, and where they sell their booty. Arab, Persian, Indian, but also Portuguese, English, French, and Dutch merchant ships are attacked. Piracy threatens the trade routes, while the numerous stolen riches end up on the black market in America, competing with European markets. For the European powers, piracy becomes a scourge that must be fought. The English “East India Company”, which operates in the Indian Ocean, arms its merchant ships, and organizes protected commercial convoys. In addition, Captain William Kidd is hired as a privateer, with the dual mission of fighting pirates and the French in the Indian Ocean. But after a long voyage, the expedition doesn’t capture any big prizes, and the crew pressures him to attack other merchant ships. Captain Kidd gives in, and goes from being a pirate hunter to a pirate himself. Upon his return to New York, he is considered a traitor and is arrested and sentenced to death.

End of the golden age of piracy

During the War of the Spanish Succession, which among other things pitted England against Spain and France, each side tries to strengthen itself by hiring pirates as privateers. In 1703 and 1706, the Franco-Spanish fleets attack Nassau in the heart of the Bahamas. The English flee the island, leaving it in the hands of the pirates, who found what they call the “Republic of Pirates”. At the end of the war in 1713, the privateers lose their jobs. Once again, many turn to piracy and move to Nassau. From there they operate throughout the Caribbean and North America. Among them, Edward Teach, nicknamed Blackbeard, seizes a large French slave ship, and organizes a series of attacks in the Caribbean. A year later, at the head of 5 ships, he sets out to blockade Charleston, pillaging the ships that try to leave the port. But at the same time, Great Britain wants to put an end to the piracy that is weakening the economy in the region. The country passes a law that sentences pirates to death, while offering amnesty to those who simply choose to stop. A military fleet arrives in Nassau to announce the news. Some pirates accept the amnesty and recognize the new British governor of the island. Others leave the island to try their luck elsewhere. Englishman Bartholomew Roberts chooses to attack slave ships on the triangular trade routes. He is known to have captured hundreds of ships. Christopher Condent, for his part, after having sailed the oceans for two years, now attacks ships in the Indian Ocean. Knowing he is wanted by the East India Company, he reaches Bourbon Island, where he and his crew obtain amnesty from the French governor. Another pirate who fled Nassau is Frenchman Olivier Levasseur, known as “La Buse”, or “The Buzzard”. In 1721, he seizes a Portuguese ship that is bringing the former governor back from the East Indies, together with the wealth he has accumulated over the last 10 years. It is the biggest catch ever made by a pirate. La Buse then takes refuge in Sainte-Marie, from where he continues his attacks, including against French ships. But in 1729, he is captured. At the time of his execution, it is said that he dropped a piece of paper with a code, declaring, “My treasure to whomever can take it”. This treasure is still sought after today.

British rise to power

In the following years, the war against piracy, led by Great Britain and France, has an effect in the Indian Ocean and in the Caribbean, where piracy decreases. In 1756, the Seven Years’ War begins. Great Britain, which dominates the seas with its powerful Royal Navy, wins the war, seizes many French colonies in North America, and establishes itself permanently in India. Later on, during the French Revolutionary Wars, France again loses several maritime battles. The country then relaunches commerce raiding. Robert Surcouf becomes a formidable privateer. Based on the Isle de France, he regularly seizes many British merchant ships, even attacking warships of the East India Company. In the Mediterranean Sea, Barbary pirates continue to capture ships and enforce tribute. But in the United States, new President Thomas Jefferson decides to stop paying, which provokes a war. His ships impose a blockade on Tripoli until a peace treaty is reached. At the same time, in Europe, the Napoleonic Wars take place. If Napoleon dominates on land, the United Kingdom controls the seas, and takes this advantage to further expand its colonial empire by seizing French and Dutch colonies. In 1815, after the fall of Napoleon, Bourbon Island is returned to France, but not the Isle de France, which becomes Mauritius. The same year, as piracy resume against the United States in the Mediterranean Sea, a powerful military fleet is sent to Algiers. Without fighting, the US negotiates and obtains an end to piracy against its ships. The following year, an Anglo-Dutch fleet leaves to bombard the port of Algiers. Defeated, the local sovereign commits himself to putting an end to the slavery of Christians, which accelerates the end of piracy in the Mediterranean Sea.

British domination

The United Kingdom, already well into its industrial revolution, continues to expand its empire, and to fight piracy in order to secure its trade routes. In 1820, the country launches a punitive expedition in the Persian Gulf, officially to fight piracy, but also to weaken its commercial competitors. After its victory, the country takes control of what was then called the Pirate Coast. Four years later, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands agree to share the Strait of Malacca. Both are committed to fighting piracy in the region. Finally, further north, tensions rise between China and the East India Company, which organizes the illegal opium trade to weaken China. After a war, the British gain commercial advantages in the Chinese ports, and receive the island of Hong Kong. The United Kingdom can now rely on its new and much more powerful steamships to secure its vast empire. Thus, in 1855, when British merchant ships are captured by Chinese pirates not far from Hong Kong, two British steamships, aided by a U.S. ship, prevail over 36 pirate junks. This time, the military superiority of the great powers far outweighs the forces of the pirates, who are fought from everywhere. Piracy is only maintained in the remote archipelagos where there is no strong power. In 1898, after a defeat, Spain cedes the Philippines to the United States. The latter eradicates piracy in a few years.

Modern piracy

After the World War II, decolonization and political instability leads to a resurgence of piracy in certain regions. In the Celebes Sea, independence groups from the southern Philippines organize acts of piracy against merchant ships, transport ships, and even against coastal towns and villages. In the Horn of Africa, instability is high in Somalia, where a civil war is taking place. Taking advantage of the chaos, foreign fishing vessels violate the Somali zone, to the detriment of local fishermen. As a result, some are turning to piracy, attacking foreign fishing vessels and releasing them for ransom. Piracy is growing, and now threatens the important maritime trade route between Asia and Europe. As a result, the UN passes a resolution encouraging all powers to fight piracy, even in Somali waters. In the Gulf of Guinea, piracy is also on the rise. The region is rich in offshore oil, but this does not benefit the local populations. As a result, some groups, mainly Nigerian, are turning to piracy, and organizing attacks further and further out to sea. Finally, in the Caribbean, attacks are regularly carried out against pleasure boats. In Venezuela, economic and political instability is pushing many fishermen to turn to piracy. Today, piracy is relatively rare in the world. It still occurs mainly in poor and remote areas where political instability reigns, as well as near strategic straits.