History of Pirates

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Barnacle Bill takes out the map and shows the girls where the treasure is. They are a long way off. Tiffi wants to know what pirates do. Barnacle Bill doesn’t mind spending time to explain who they are and what they do.

‘A pirate is a person who robs ships. The idea is not new! There have been pirates since ancient times. After 800 BC a people called the Phoenicians from what is now Lebanon had many merchant ships carrying valuable cargoes across the Mediterranean. As they sailed near the Adriatic Sea and the Aegean Sea pirates sailed after them and robbed them.

In the 1st century BC pirates were a serious menace in the Mediterranean. Pirates captured Julius Caesar when he was a young man. Finally, in 67 BC the Roman Senate decided to take action. They appointed Pompey to deal with them. He divided the Mediterranean into sections. Pompey quickly defeated the pirates and thousands were killed. Many more surrendered and hundreds of pirate ships were captured.

“Would you like to learn the history of pirates,” asks Barnacle Bill. “Here is more information that I can share with you.”

The next great period of piracy was the Middle Ages. In the 12th and 13th centuries trade in Europe was growing rapidly offering rich pickings for pirates. The English Channel was infested with pirates many of them operating from the Cinque Ports, Dover, Hastings, Hythe, Romney, and Sandwich. There were also pirates operating from ports like Dunkirk and Calais. There were also many pirates in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean.

During the Middle Ages there were many pirates in the Mediterranean. In the 16th and 17th centuries, pirates in North Africa flourished even sailing into the Atlantic. They were sometimes known as Barbary Corsairs. In 1803 the USA sent a fleet to Tunis against the pirates but the Barbary Corsairs were only finally defeated in 1820 when the French sent a large fleet to Algiers and Tunis.

Meanwhile, pirates continued to sail on the English Channel. However, in the mid-17th century Oliver Cromwell built up a formidable navy and by 1651 the pirates had been driven from their bases in the Sicily Isles and the Channel Islands.

Furthermore the discovery of the New World led to a new golden age of piracy. The Spanish conquered the Aztecs and the Incas. They created a rich empire in Central America and ships laden with gold sailed back to Spain. They provided rich pickings for pirates, including many English pirates. (Both John Hawkins and Francis Drake were pirates). ’ (Source)

Let’s continue - More history

Start at the beginning – Kimmy meets some pirates