Pirates of the Caribbean NOT THE MOVIE

The Pirate Era Lasted for only a period of only 70 years or so (1650s-1720s) It began by England, France, and Spain establishing colonies in the Caribbean islands/ Tons of gold, silver, jewels, and resources were being shipped back to Europe on large, slow moving ships

The Colonial Caribbean

The Early Pirates By 1625 French Buccaneers (pirates) had established small settlements along the northern coast of Hispaniola (modern day Haiti and Dominican) They lived more so hunters than as robbers Their eventual move to piracy was due to the Spanish trying to wipe them out, as well as the Spanish killing off their food sources

The Early Pirates Once the Spanish chased them off Hispaniola the French Buccaneers resettled on the island of Tortuga which was easier to defend from the Spanish. Tortuga however, lacked resources and reliable food sources, this led the buccaneers to raiding. A buccaneer by the name of Pierre Le Grande had the idea to raid Spanish Galleons returning to Spain

Tortuga

The Rise of Tortuga Piracy on Tortuga was increased by the English capturing Jamaica from Spain in English Governors of Jamaica granted pirates from Tortuga “letters of marque” – license to be pirates. In exchange, the French Pirates would then sell their goods to the English at Port Royal Jamaica. In return, the Governor or Tortuga gave these same letters to the English pirates in Jamaica. This brought Piracy into is Golden Age

Tortuga

The Golden Age of Piracy In the 1690’s the English king who had supported the French/English alliance in the Caribbean died, breaking the alliances. This ended the profitable alliance between Port Royal and Tortuga. Chaos broke lose in the Caribbean where all nations ignored their European treaties. It was a free for all.

The Golden Age of Piracy Spain’s mainland colonies began being constantly raided. Maracibo was sacked 8 times in 10 years, Rio de la Hacha 5, and Tolu 8. England's colonies of Bermuda and New York were starving for cash and could not afford to legally trade. Merchants and traders turned to trading with pirates in order to make ends meet.

The Golden Age of Piracy While being a pirate was punishable with death by hanging, some colonial officials overlooked this claiming that “it is very harsh to hang people who bring gold into the colonies” Many pirates continued to attack Spanish ships and colonies, some though operating out of New England the Caribbean began focusing on Spain’s land in the Indian Ocean.

The Golden Age of Piracy In the 1690s and beyond Piracy in the Indian Ocean became the biggest focus. More gold and goods were coming out of this region than the Caribbean. There were no powerful indigenous tribes, such as the Aztec/Inca/Mayans, who threatened them either.

The Golden Age of Piracy Between 1713 and 1714 treaties were signed which ended the War of Spanish Succession, which once again unified Spain. With this war ending, thousand of Sailors from England lost their jobs and became idle and unemployed. Pirate captains now had access to thousands of trained soldiers to join their crews.

The Golden Age of Pirates In 1715 pirates launched a massive raid on Spanish divers who were attempting to recover gold from a sunken Spanish Galleon off the coast of Florida. Most men involved in this attack were ex-British naval troops. After the raid, the men were banned from Kingston and Port Royal to sell their loot. Instead, they formed the pirate base of Nassau in the Bahamas

In 2015 a sunken Spanish Galleon off the coast of Columbia was discovered with 1.5 BILLION dollars in gold and silver on it

Pirates and the Slave Trade In the 1700s trade between Pirates in the Caribbean, Europe and Africa emerged. Britain was the main exporter of slaves from Africa, as a result the influx in slaves in Europe and the Americas put many European settlers out of work, or lowered their wages so that they could not afford to meet their needs. Many men turned to piracy to survive.

The End of the Pirate Age The amount of pirates in the Caribbean and around the world began to slowly decrease following the 1730s. In the 18 th century England and her powerhouse navy began cracking down on pirates and hanging all those convicted. Pirate bases were destroyed and the age of pirates came to an end.