More history

_Elsa_

‘In the 17th century French pirates sailed into the Caribbean and preyed on the Spanish. The pirate’s dried meat on a grill called a barbecu. The meat was called boucan and the men who ate it were called boucaniers or buccaneers. As well as the French there were English, Dutch and Portuguese buccaneers. By the late 17th century buccaneers of many different nationalities served under ‘admirals’.

As well as the buccaneers there were privateers. In wartime, governments authorized captains to capture enemy merchant ships and loot them. One famous privateer was Captain William Kidd. However, Kidd was accused of overstepping the mark into outright piracy and he was hanged in 1701. Another famous privateer was the Welshman Sir Henry Morgan (c 1635-1688) who was knighted in 1674 and was appointed lieutenant-governor of Jamaica (a British colony). However, in 1856 most European nations signed a declaration of Paris making privateers illegal.

Pirate ships were armed with cannons and long-range guns called culverins. When they boarded ships pirates threw grenades. They also fought with muskets, pistols and the cutlass.

However, the British navy played a key role in ending piracy and the golden age of pirates came to an end in the 18th century. Among the most notorious pirates was Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard, who was killed in 1718. Not all pirates were men. There were also many women pirates. Among the most notorious women pirates were Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Perhaps the most fearsome female pirate was a Chinese woman called Ching Shih. She rose to command a great fleet of pirate ships.

Yet off China and Southeast Asia piracy continued through the 19th century and the 20th century. In the early 21st century many pirates operate from Somalia. In 2008 they stole a Ukrainian ship carrying 33 tanks. They also hijacked an oil tanker.’ (Source)

The girls are fascinated with this knowledge. Tiffi wonders if she’d like the life of a pirate. Hmmm……..

Let’s continue - The Life of a Pirate

Start at the beginning – Kimmy meets some pirates