Thanks to literature and cinema, pirates are surrounded by a romantic halo. The brigands are described as rebellious, ruleless and bravely challenging the brutal colonial powers. Or, on the contrary, like real devils in the flesh, sowing horror and destruction on their way. In reality, however, everything was much simpler. Or, on the contrary, it is more difficult - how to look.
Researchers of the history of piracy agree that a rather short period from 1650 to 1730 can be called the "golden age" of sea robbery. Most of the stereotypes that arise in our head when we hear the word "pirate" come from this time. During this incomplete century, several generations of pirates managed to change. Some of them tracked down Spanish galleons transporting the treasures of the New World. Others hunted the East India Company caravans. Still others, having received a privateer patent (official government permission for robbery), simply sank any ships they encountered that were sailing under the flag of the enemy. Someone went contrary to all established traditions, while someone successfully integrated into the system and, leaving his own under the black banner, retired and became a respectable member of society. The biographies of the most prominent pirates of the "golden age" reflect the complexity and contradictions of this time.
Ruler of jamaica
Henry Morgan became famous as the cruelest, most greedy, and at the same time - the most successful pirate of the late 17th century. His deeds are at the same time admiring (he was so dashing in carrying out the most difficult military operations) and terrifying (he was so inhumane at the same time). He was distinguished by unparalleled audacity from the very beginning of his career - when he bought a ship on shares with his comrades and was elected captain. Rumors of the luck and enterprise of the English pirate, who did not give passage to the Spanish ships, flew ahead of him. And soon a whole robber flotilla of 12 ships had already united around Henry Morgan. This gave him the opportunity to act on a completely new level.
Most of all, Morgan became famous not for sea battles, but for attacks on the Spanish colonies. To begin with, he plundered Cuba. Then he raided the thriving city of Maracaibo. It was here that he showed his bestial character - the inhabitants of the city, who tried to hide from pirates, where the valuables were hidden, were subjected to monstrous torture.
However, here the sea robber also flashed his tactical talent. Through a screen of three Spanish military frigates, against which the light pirate ships had no chance in open battle, he broke through, turning one of his ships into a fire-ship filled with gunpowder and tar.
In 1671, Morgan gathered a real pirate army: 1846 people went with him on 28 English and 8 French ships. The target was Panama, where all the gold mined in Peru was brought before being shipped to Europe. Morgan proved himself to be a real commander - he forced the pirates to act in formation and easily defeated the garrison of well-trained Spanish soldiers. The production was, as expected, enormous. Only Morgan deceived his comrades in arms and pocketed most of the money, quietly escaping before the disgruntled pirates mutinied.
Promotional video:
Cunning and unscrupulousness saved the filibuster when the English court finally got to him. While Morgan plundered the Spaniards, the two powers concluded a peace treaty, so he had to be hanged. But a well-hung tongue (and, presumably, huge bribes) saved the pirate from retaliation. Justified by the court, he calmly arrived in Jamaica and was even appointed its vice-governor! Under him, the island turned into a real nativity scene, where English and French pirates from all seas were welcomed. All this terrified the governors arriving from London. But it turned out to be not so easy to squeeze the deserved pirate out of politics. As a result, he ended his days in his own estate, in a revelry of drunkenness and gluttony, surrounded by incredible luxury, debauchery and respect.
Fortune hunter
The fate of the French corsair Michel de Grammont is remarkably similar to the biography of Henry Morgan. They acted at about the same time and even plundered the same cities. But Grammon failed to stop in time. At the same time, his origin did not at all dispose to a pirate career - being a native of a noble family, Grammon could count on a completely secure future. But first, due to a duel, he was forced to leave France. And then he violated the terms of the privateer patent - he stole the values seized on the Dutch ship to the last coin, instead of sending the share to the metropolis. After that, he had no choice but to become a free filibuster.
Like Morgan, Grammon became famous mainly for storming cities. Including those quite remote from the coast, like Trujillo. The list of his trophies included the same unfortunate Maracaibo, La Guaira, Veracruz. And along with them - such large and well-fortified cities as Caracas, which was guarded by 2 thousand soldiers of the regular army, and Campeche, whose fort was considered impregnable.
The assault on Campeshi was notable for the fact that after a day of fierce fighting, the Spaniards chose to leave the fort and retreat. As a result, Grammon captured almost the entire population of the city and demanded a ransom. But the Spanish governor replied: "Freebooters are free to burn and kill as much as they want, I have enough money to restore the new population of the city." It was then that it turned out that Grammon was by no means distinguished by excessive bloodthirstiness. He did not organize a massacre. Instead, he hit a place much more sensitive for the governor - he burned huge reserves of valuable timber stored in warehouses.
French authorities have long sought to arrest Grammont for his old and new sins. But, in the end, they decided that such a dashing captain would do more good than harm, and offered the pirate to become the governor of the southern part of San Domingo. Grammont gladly accepted the offer, but before his credentials came from Paris, he decided to do one more thing - to sing the pirate's "swan song", so to speak. Embarking on his ship with 180 thugs, he headed for the island of St. Augustine. What he planned to do there is unknown, since no one else saw Michel de Grammont with his team. Apparently, they fell victim to the storm.
Noble hidalgo
In tales of the "golden age" of piracy, the Spaniards tend to be the victims. However, corsairs were also found among the representatives of this nation. True, they mostly acted strictly within the framework of the patents granted to them by the government. The most striking example is Amaro Pargo, who fought against the English and Dutch dominance in the seas at the beginning of the 18th century.
Unlike many of his fellow filibusters, Pargo was a very adventurous and pragmatic person. He was not only engaged in robbery and hunting for enemy ships. But he also ran a thriving trading business. Including actively imported slaves to America.
Contemporaries note that Amaro Pargo was distinguished by incomparable personal courage and never shied away from the battle, coming out victorious over and over again. Chasing English ships across the ocean, he somehow entered into battle even with the famous Edward Teach, nicknamed Blackbeard. True, the battle ended in nothing - having met a strong opponent in each other's faces, the corsairs preferred to disperse.
Pargo managed to engage in the corsair trade for several decades without earning a bad name for himself. On the contrary, in Spain he was considered a national hero. And King Philip V in 1725 even granted him a title of nobility. In this, his biography is extremely similar to the famous English admiral Francis Drake. At the end of the 16th century, he actively plundered the shores of the Spanish colonies and launched ships to the bottom, for which he was knighted and showered with the favors of the English crown. By the way, Amaro Pargo is often called the Spanish Drake.
One of the most famous real stories about pirate treasures is also associated with the name Amaro Pargo. It is known that he always carried with him a chest filled to the brim with gold, silver, pearls, jewelry and even Chinese porcelain. But where he got to is not clear. Treasure hunters believe that Pargo's legacy is kept either somewhere near his home in Tenerife or in the San Mateo cave in the north of the island. But long-term searches have not yet yielded any result.
Royal Navy Instructor
The story of the "golden age" of piracy cannot do without the most famous and most controversial figure - the already mentioned Captain Edward Teach, nicknamed Blackbeard. His entire biography is shrouded in a fog of mysteries, legends and rumors. By the way, he himself loved to fight, being enveloped in clouds of smoke. It is said that, when boarding, he weaved smoking wicks into his luxurious beard. This gave him the appearance of a real devil and terrified opponents.
His surname is often interpreted as a distorted word teacher, that is, "teacher". Because of this, it is believed that he was a boarding instructor in the Royal Navy before becoming a pirate. However, others claim that the pirate's surname comes from the banal thatch - "thick hair", and almost repeats his nickname.
Surprisingly, the career of the most famous pirate of the Caribbean lasted only five years - from 1713 to 1718. Moreover, at first he was not a captain, but only one of the pirates under the command of Benjamin Hornigold. But by 1717, he had already acquired his own ship called "Queen Anne's Revenge" and a reputation as a ruthless sea robber, to whom the devil himself is not a brother.
Surprisingly, there is not a single truly major pirate operation on Blackbeard's account. He cruised along the American coast, plundering oncoming merchant ships. Especially in this he did not like the French. Perhaps because he took part in the Queen Anne War - the conflict between England and France over the American colonies. It is possible that hence the name of his ship.
In 1717, the Governor of the Bahamas, Woods Rogers, announced that all pirates who surrendered at the mercy of the authorities would receive an amnesty, and the rest would be eliminated shortly. Blackbeard was one of the few who refused to surrender and made himself illegal. Now he robbed French, Spanish and English ships with equal daring, sparing no one. However, not a single eyewitness mentions that Teach, like Morgan, was fond of torture or had a craving for senseless violence. As a rule, he landed the crews of captured ships ashore, giving them a chance to survive.
In 1718, a reward of £ 100 was announced for the head of Edward Teach. By that time he had already lost most of his loyal people and lost "Queen Anne's Revenge." On the small sloop "Adventure" he was caught in a vice by two ships of the British navy. Not accustomed to retreating, the pirate decided to take one of them on board. But the sailors were more cunning - hiding in the hold, they allowed Teach's men to scatter over the deck, and then suddenly fell on them. Lacking a numerical superiority, the pirates caught by surprise had no chance of escape.
Blackbeard personally fought the squad leader, Lieutenant Robert Maynard. And he almost came out victorious, despite the fact that he was wounded. The English lieutenant's saber was broken, and Teach was about to finish him off, when a Scottish sailor suddenly intervened in the duel, driving the blade into the pirate's body. Blackbeard fell to the deck, but still had no intention of giving up. He died, trying to the last to cock the trigger of his pistol to pay back the blow.
After the battle, doctors examined the body of Edward Teach and counted 25 saber and five gunshot wounds on it! His entire crew was killed, and 13 prisoners were hanged in the nearest port. Lieutenant Maynard chopped off Blackbeard's head and hung it on the bowsprit of his ship.
Victor BANEV