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History's Hinge - 'Ain Jalut

[Administration]

With the Whydah and Queen Anne's Revenge projects, the age of piratical mythology is becoming history. Reality has caught up. There is so much more to do. Let us report and discuss this here.

[Sovereign]

Great topic 

[Solomon]

English Letter of Marque Against Genoa
Henry IV, 1413

The King to all to whom these presents shall come, Greeting.

Our well-beloved lieges William Waldern, Drugo Barantyn, Walter Cotton, John Reynewelle, William Flete, Thomas Brown, William Brekespere, John Glamville, John Sutton and their fellows, merchants of the city of London, have shown unto us that of late they, with our licence, despatched certain factors and attorneys of theirs with a great quantity of wools and other merchandise, to the value of 24,000 ? shipped in divers ships, to be carried carefully and in safety by way of the Straits of Morocco to Western parts, there to be sold for the advantage and increase of our realm; and, to the end that the aforesaid ships so laden should have sure and safe passage, we caused our letters of recommendation to be sent to the Governors, worthies, and community of Genoa, which letters were, as we hear, duly presented to them by certain of the aforesaid factors; but they of Genoa, paying no regard at all to our letters aforesaid, and wickedly scheming, to the injury of the commonweal of our realm aforesaid, to hinder their passage, first of all detained the aforesaid ships, and afterwards compelled them to enter the harbour of Genoa, and, after their entry, spoiled them of the wools and merchandise aforesaid, and took them into their own hands, and sold them for their own use and profit; and, further, that the aforesaid factors were prevented from writing to their own magistrates upon the matter, and were, and now are, to the grievous hurt and injury of our said lieges, unable to get possession of any part of the aforesaid wools and merchandise, for their own support, or of any of the money arising from the sale thereof.

Wherefore they have prayed us that we should think fit to issue to them our letters of marque and reprisal.

And we, in compliance with their prayer, of our especial grace, and with the assent of our council, have, for ourselves and our heirs, given and granted to the aforesaid William, Drugo, Walter, John, William, Thomas, William, John, John, and their fellows aforesaid that they of themselves or by their deputies may seize, keep, and retain such and so many Genoese, or subjects or inhabitants of Genoa or the confines of Genoa, or their factors or agents, as they think fit, whether on this side of the sea or beyond it, and whether on land or sea, together with their ships, vessels, goods, and merchandise of what kind soever, until full restitution and satisfaction shall be made to them for the value of the aforesaid wools and merchandise, to the amount aforesaid, together with their costs, damages, outgoings, and expenses, which by fair estimate amount to the sum of 10,000 ? and that they have liberty to put into execution or cause to be put into execution these present letters of marque and reprisal so often as they think fit, without hindrance by us or our heirs or by the Admirals of us or our heirs or by their lieutenants or other our officers or ministers whatsoever, and that notwithstanding any letters of safe-conduct granted or hereafter to be granted to the aforesaid Genoese, or subjects or inhabitants of Genoa or its confines, or their factors or agents, or anyone else of the country or territory of their community or confederacy.

Moreover, we straitly command all and singular our Admirals, captains, castellans, and their lieutenants, customers, keepers of ports, keepers of the sea and sea coasts, sheriffs, mayors, bailiffs, constables, ministers and other our lieges and subjects, as well on this side of the sea as beyond it, that in the execution of the premises they be aiding, helping, and assisting to the aforesaid William, Drugo, Walter, John, William, Thomas, William, John, and John, and their fellows, as beseems them, &c.

In witness, &c.

Witness the King at Westminster the 3rd day of February.

[Solomon]

Letter of Marque Against Scotland and France
Henry VIII, 1543

The King's most royal Majesty being credibly informed that divers and many of his most loving faithful and obedient subjects inhabiting upon the sea coasts, using trafic by sea, and divers others, be very desirous to prepare and equip sundry ships and vessels at their own costs and charges to the sea for the annoyance of his Majesty's enemies, the Frenchmen and the Scots, so as they might obtain his most gracious licence in that behalf, Hath, of his clemency, tender love, and zeal, which he beareth to his subjects, by the advice of his most honorable counsel resolved and determined as hereafter followeth:

First his Majesty is pleased, and by the authority hereof giveth full power and licence to all and singular, his subjects of all sorts, degrees, and conditions, that they and every of them, may, at their liberties, without incuring any loss, danger, forfeiture, or penalty, and without putting in of any bonds or recognizance before the Counsel, or in the Court of the Admiralty, and without suing forth of any other licence, vidimus, or other writing, from any counsel, court, or place, within this realm, or any other his Majesty's realms and dominions, prepare and equip to the seas such and so many ships and vessels furnished for the war, to be used and employed against his Grace's said enemies, the Scots and Frenchmen, as they shall be able to think convenient for their advantage and the annoyance of his Majesty's said enemies. And his Majesty is further pleased, and by this presents granteth to every of his said subjects that they, and every of them, shall enjoy to his and their own proper use, profit, and commodity, all and singular such ships, vessels, munition, merchandise, wares, victuals, and goods of what nature and quality soever it be, which they shall take of any of his Majesty's said enemies, without making account in any court or place of this realm or any other of the King's realms or dominions for the same, and without paying any part or share to the Lord Admiral of England, the Lord Warden of the Five Ports, or any other officer or minister of the King's Majesty, any use, custom, prescription, or order to the contrary hereof used heretofore in any wise notwithstanding. And his Majesty is further pleased that all and every his said subjects which upon the publication of this proclamation will sue for a duplicate of the same under the great seal of England, shall have the same, paying only the petty fees to the officers for writing the same.

And, seeing now that it hath pleased the King's Majesty, of his most gracious goodness, to grant unto all his subjects this great liberty, his Highness desireth all mayors, sheriffs, bailiffs, aldermen, and all other his Grace's faithful officers, ministers, and subjects of this realm, and other his Highness' realms and dominions, and especially those which do inhabit in the port towns and other places near the seaside, to shew themselves worthy of such liberty, and one to bear with an other, and to help an other, in such sort as their doing hereupon may be substantial, and bring forth that effect that shall redound to his Majesty's honor, their own suerties, and the annoyance of the enemies.

Provided always that no man which shall go to the sea by virtue hereof presume to take any thing from any his Majesty's subjects, or from any man having his Grace's safeconduct, upon the pains by his Majesty's laws provided for the same. And his Grace is further pleased that no manner of officer, or other person, shall take any mariners, munition, or tackle from any man thus equipping himself to the sea, but by his own consent, unless his Majesty, for the furniture of his own ships, do send for any of them by special commissions, and where need shall require. His Majesty will also grant commission to such as will sue for the same for their better furnitures in this behalf.

[Solomon]

Letter of Marque of the Dutch West India Company, 1626

De Staten Generael der Vereenichde Nederlanden Allen den geenen die dese jegenwoordige zullen sien ofte hooren lesen, Saluit.

Alsoo ons bij die van de West Indische Compagnie te kennen gegeven is, dat sij inde laestgehoudene Vergaederinge van de Negenthien, beslooten hadden, omme wederom de Compagnie ten besten, ende tot afbreuck der Spaignaerden, in zee te brengen een groot aental van Schepen, ende die aen verscheiden oorden ende gewesten in haere Limiten te gebruijcken, op onse Commissie onder het beleit van een ervaren Admirael ende Capitein Generael, versien met sodanige macht ende Instructie, dat alle andere Admiralen, Commandeurs, Capiteinen en andere Officieren, het sij te land ofte te water met haere onderhebbende Schepen, besette plaetsen, Boots- en Crijchs-volck ter sijner aencomste sich datelick sullen begeven onder sijn commandement ende gebiet, denzelven obedieren, ende naercomen, hetgeen henluyden, respecivelick ende de haere bij hem, met advis van zijnen Raet, volgens de Instructie ende intentie van de Compagnie sal worden belast: Waeromme oock door desen Admorael ende Capiteijn Generael, ofte sijn ordre, geduijrende sijn verblijff bij de voornoemde schepen, sterckten, ofte troupen van de Compagnie, alleen de vergaderinge van de generale, secrete ende crijchsraden, volgens de Instructie bij Bewinthebberen te geven, het sij te water ofte lande, beroepen sullen werden, waerinne hij geduijrich sal presideren, ende met de meeste stemmen, het best van de Compagnie besluijten, oock geduijrende sijn onthout, Justitie, soo int criminel als civil, doen administreren, cesserende op het vertooch van desen, voor die tijt, alle commissien, bij ons aengaende het gebiet aen eenige Admiralen, Commandeurs, Capiteinen generael van eenige particuliere Custen, ofte andere Officieren, voor desen verleent, tot dat hij wederom van haer sal gescheijden sijn, als wanneer ende eerder niet, de voornoemde haere vorige authoriteit ende commissie wederom sullen aenvaerden, ende hem in conformit? van dien doen respecteren, welverstaende nochtans dat desen Admirael comende (17 verso) bij den Generael Bouwen Heijnsen gehouden sal wesen, hem ende sijne onderhebbende macht, onder desselfs vlagge en commandement te begeven, in manieren als in sijn regarde hiervoren aen de andere geordonneert is.

Soo Ist: dat wij op het goet aenbrengen, ende de presentatie tot dien eijnde ane ons gedaen, van wegen de Bewinthebberen der West Indische Compagnie, van den persoon van onsen lieven getrouwen den erentfesten ende manhaften Pieter Pietersz Heijn, denselven gestelt, gecommitteert ende onthouten hebben, stellen, committeren ende onthouden bij desen tot Admirael ende Capitein Generael in de limiten van de voorszegde Compagnie, om voortaen met de Raden nevens hem gestelt, ofte noch te stellen, het ampt van Admirael en Capitein Generael aldaer te bedienen, ende in deselve qualiteit over alle landen, forten, schepen, personen en contoiren van de voorszegde geoctroijeerde West Indische Compaignie te commanderen, alle saecken, soo den handel als oorloch aengaende te dirigeren, mitsgaders alles aldaer in goede ordre tot dienste der Vereenichde Nederlanden, ende de gemelde Compagnie te onderhouden, op de verseeckeringe van de plaetsen ende fortressen, reede vercregen, ofte noch te vercrijgen, goet reglement te stellen, recht ende Justitie, zo in het crimineel als in het civil te adminisreren, ende voorts alles te doen sijn Ampt ende offitie aengaende, volgende (de) generale ende particuliere instructien - - die hij gehouden sal wesen, op sijne aencomste den Generael Bouwen Heijnsz ende den Admirael Jan Dircxsen Lam te vertoonen - - hem gegeven ende noch te geven, dat een goet ende getrouw Admirael ende Capitein Generael schuldich is te doen, behoudelick nochtans dat hij sal cederen en hem in alles onderwerpen het commandement van den Generael Bouwen Heijnsz (sulcx als hiervoren verhaelt staet, waerop ende van hem wel ende behoorlick te quiten) den voorszegden Pieter Pieterszen Heijn, doen sal in onse handen ofte van onse Gecommitteerden den behoorlijcken Eedt, 'Twelck gedaen sijnde, ontbieden, lasten ende beveelen allen den ijegelijck, het sij Admiraels, Commandeurs, Capiteinen Generael van particuliere Custen, ende alle andere, van wat soort ofte conditie, die mochten wesen, den voorgemelden Pieter Pieterszen Heijn, als haren Admirael ende Capiteijn Generael te erkennen, te respecteren, ende te gehoorsamen, haer gewillich ter zijner aencomste op het vertooch van desen, onder zijn commandement te begeeven, bij hem ontbooden sijnde, so te water, als te lande, te raet ofte in gespreck te comen, eijndelijck in het volbrengen van desen alle hulp ende bijstant te doen, een eijder voor soo, veel hem aengaen sal, op de pene (18) in den Articulbrieff gementioneert, en als wij sullen achten sodanige noch meer te meriteren, Alzoo wij sulcx ten dienste van den Lande ende van de voorszegde Compagnie bevonden hebben te behooren.
Gegeven in 's Gravenhage onder onsen Contre zegel, paraphure ende signature van onsen Griffier op den 28sten Martij 1626.

G. van Hertevelt
ter ordonnantie van de Hoochgemelte
Heeren Staten Generael,
J. van Goch.

Op den 28 Martij heeft Pieter Pietersz Heijn als
Admirael en Capiteijn Generael gedaen den behoor-
lijken eed in handen van den Heere President
Mij present
J. van Goch.

[Diving Doc]

We will have to get 99* or Corny to translate the Dutch for us as I can only read about half and that badly.
Cheers,
Doc

[Solomon]

There is a trick to reading Dutch: pretend it's English. 
That's half true, too.

Solomon

[Solomon]

French Letter of Marque
Tortuga, 28 July 1669

Copie de la commission de Fran?ois Tr?butor, arm? en guerre ? la Tortue

Nous, Gouverneur pour le Roi en l'?le de la Tortue et C?te de Saint Domingue, sous l'autorit? de Messieurs de la Compagnie des Indes Occidentales, avons donn? cong? ? commission au sieur Fran?ois Tr?butor, capitaine d'une fr?gate arm?e en guerre, de faire la guerre aux Espagnols ennemis d?clar?s de sa Majest?, ? condition qu'ils am?neront de chaque prise deux principaux officiers pour parcourir ? l'adjudication de ladite prise. Enjoignons ? tous ceux pour qui notre pouvoir s'?tend, de rendre audit capitaine Tr?butor et son ?quipage toutes les assistances possibles s'il en a besoin. Prions et supplions g?n?raux, lieutenants g?n?raux, capitaines, de faire de semblables offres et ? faire les m?mes pour eux en cas pareil.

Fait ? la Tortue, le 28 de juillet 1669.

Ogeron.

par la main du sieur Cordier.

Commission to Fran?ois Tr?butor, manned in war at Tortuga

We, Governor for the King on the Isle of Tortuga and Coast of St. Domingue, under the authority of My Lords of the West India Company, have given pass and commission to sieur Fran?ois Tr?butor, commander of a frigate manned in war, to make war to the Spaniards, His Majesty's open enemies, upon condition that he will bring in, from each prize, two chief officers to proceed to the jugment of the said prize. We order to all those under our juridiction to give to the said captain Tr?butor and to his crew all possible help if required. We pray and implore generals, lieutenant generals, captains, to do the same and the same will be done for them in such case.

Done at Tortuga, 28 of July 1669.

Ogeron.

copy by the hand of the sieur Cordier.

[Bart]

He has some good points... - Bart

Pirates pursued democracy, helped American colonies survive

Blackbeard and Ben Franklin deserve equal billing for founding democracy in the United States and New World, a new University of Florida study finds.

Pirates practiced the same egalitarian principles as the Founding Fathers and displayed pioneering spirit in exploring new territory and meeting the native peoples, said Jason Acosta, who did the research for his thesis in history at the University of Florida.

?Hollywood really has given pirates a bum rap with its image of bloodthirsty, one-eyed, peg-legged men who bury treasure and force people to walk the plank,? he said. ?We owe them a little more respect.?

Acosta, a descendant of a pirate who fought for the United States in the Battle of New Orleans, studied travel narratives, court hearings, sermons delivered at pirate hangings and firsthand accounts of passengers held captive by pirates. Comparing pirate charters with the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, he said he was amazed by the similarities.

Like the American revolutionaries, pirates developed three branches of government with checks and balances. The ship captain was elected, just as the U.S. president; the pirate assembly was comparable to Congress; and the quartermaster resembled a judge in settling shipmate disputes and preventing the captain from overstepping his authority, he said.

Colonists and pirates also were alike in emphasizing written laws, democratic representation and due process, Acosta said. All crew members were allowed to vote, ship charters had to be signed by every man on board, and anyone who lost an eye or a leg was compensated financially, he said.

These ideals grew out of both groups? frustration at being mistreated by their leaders; the British forced the colonists to quarter troops and pay taxes, and captains on merchant ships beat their shipmen, starved them and paid less than promised, Acosta said.

?It?s no wonder that many sailors seized the opportunity to jump ship and search for a better way of life, namely piracy, which offered better food, shorter work shifts and the power of the crew in decision-making,? he said.

A golden age of pirating emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries as these Brethren of the Sea sailed the world?s waterways, plundering hundreds of millions of dollars worth of gold, silver and other merchandise, shaping the modern world in the process, Acosta said.

Pirates mapped new territory, expanded trade routes, discovered good ports and opened doors with the native peoples, Acosta said. ?They really helped European nations explore the Americas before Europeans could afford to explore them on their own,? he said.

By selling stolen silks, satins, spices and other merchandise in ports and spending their booty in the colonies, pirates created an economic boom, helping struggling settlements and making Port Royale in Jamaica and Charleston, S.C., huge mercantile centers, Acosta said. ?They didn?t bury their treasure, they spent it, helping colonies survive that couldn?t get the money and supplies they needed from Europe,? he said.

Without the infusion of money into the New World from piracy, it is possible that Britain and France may not have been able to catch up with Spain, Acosta said.

?Had it not been for pirates, Britain might have had trouble holding onto the American colonies,? he said. ?Pirates decimated the Spanish so badly that Spain finally had to give up some of its American empire just to get pirating to stop.?

Native Americans and black slaves oppressed by the Spanish in the Caribbean gave pirates inside information on where to dock ships and find supplies, Acosta said. Slaves fleeing plantations were welcomed on pirate ships, where they shared an equal voice with white sailors, he said.

Acosta said he believes pirates would be given a place in the history books if they had been able to write their stories and leave diaries like the more literate American colonists.

A Gainesville middle school teacher, Acosta occasionally brings up pirates in his classroom, where he has a captive audience, thanks to the popularity of the movie ?Pirates of the Caribbean,? which has a sequel opening July 7. ?I had one group of students in my class who just went around the playground all the time saying, ?Aaar, we?re the pirates,?? he said.

Richard Burg, an Arizona State University professor and expert on pirates, said Acosta is performing a great service by emphasizing pirates? democratic and egalitarian ways. ?The men who sailed under the skull and crossbones were ordinary folk, like America?s revolutionaries, standing firm against oppressive governments and economic systems,? he said. ?Mr. Acosta is one of the few scholars who understand this.?

Source: by Cathy Keen, University of Florida

[Solomon]

The eleven-article contract below was used by Black Bart Roberts. It must have been effective, for he was one of the most successful pirates of all time?capturing more than 400 ships over the 30-month span of his career.

The Pirate Code of Black Bart Roberts

   1. Every man shall have an equal vote in affairs of moment. He shall have an equal title to the fresh provisions or strong liquors at any time seized...
   2. Every man shall be called fairly in turn by the list on board of prizes. But if they defraud the company to the value of even one dollar, they shall be marooned. If any man rob another he shall have his nose and ears slit, and be put ashore where he shall be sure to encounter hardships.
   3. None shall game for money either with dice or cards.
   4. The lights and candles shall be put out at eight at night, and if any of the crew desire to drink after that hour they shall sit upon the open deck without lights.
   5. Each man shall keep his piece, cutlass and pistols at all times clean and ready for action.
   6. No boy or woman to be allowed amongst them. If any man shall be found seducing any of the latter sex and carrying her to sea in disguise he shall suffer death.
   7. He that shall desert the ship or his quarters in time of battle shall be punished by death or marooning.
   8. None shall strike another on board the ship, but every man's quarrel shall be ended on shore by sword or pistol...
   9. No man shall talk of breaking up their way of living till each has a share of 1,000. Every man who shall become a cripple or lose a limb in the service shall have 800 pieces of eight from the common stock and for lesser hurts proportionately.
  10. The captain and quartermaster shall each receive two shares of a prize, the master gunner and boatswain, one and one half shares, all other officers one and one quarter, and private gentlemen of fortune one share each.
  11. The musicians shall have rest on the Sabbath Day...

[Diving Doc]

Now I do have a problem with capturing 400 ships in 30 months because it would scarce have left any time to work on the ship. I mean capturing 13 ships a month leaves no time for maintenance, shore leave, or much of anything else except amusing yourself on board.
Perhaps that explains the part I like best,  where the musicians get Sunday off. It does make you wonder if it was because Sunday was the Lord's Day or because they were worn out from keeping the party going all week. LOL

Doc

[Solomon]

Even the Royal Navy allowed women on board in port. When awaking men for a night watch, it was sometimes impossible to see who was who in the hammock, which gave rise to the custom of shaking, or showing a leg, to see if it was hairy, or not.

From this came the term, used for centuries.

CAPULET
Welcome, gentlemen. The ladies who don't have corns on their toes will dance with you. Ha, my ladies, which of you will refuse to dance now? Whichever of you acts shy, I'll swear she has corns. Does that hit close to home? Welcome, gentlemen. There was a time when I could wear a mask over my eyes and charm a lady by whispering a story in her ear. That time is gone, gone, gone. You are welcome gentlemen. Come on, musicians, play music. (music plays and they dance, ROMEO stands apart) Make room in the hall. Make room in the hall. Shake a leg, girls. (to SERVINGMEN) More light, you rascals. Flip over the tables and get them out of the way. And put the fire out?it's getting too hot in here. (to his COUSIN) Ah, my man, this unexpected fun feels good. No, sit down, sit down, my good Capulet cousin. You and I are too old to dance. (CAPULET and his COUSIN sit down) How long is it now since you and I last wore masks at a party like this?
Romeo and Juliet - Will Shakespeare

Solomon

[Diving Doc]

Well, I for one will not open the discussion on Mateloge (sp?) although Le Goliffe goes into it in some detail, hairy legs and all. 
Doc

[Bobadilla]

Hello Doc and Solomon,

It seems that I need your help again.
I have been trying for couple of months now to get any possible information about the pirate Turkish ship (yes musulman ship...) raiding Caribbean waters in the first half of the 17th century. I do not know the name of the ship. What I have found out was that this ship was relatively big and her operational area was south of Santo Domingo around Saona island. Island of Saona served for decades as a pirate 's net where they were waiting in ambush for Spanish galleons leaving or coming to Santo Domingo. This particular ship sunk in big storm in 1625 loaded with treasures and with loss of 225 lives. The disaster ocurred close to the island of Saona on the southern coast of Dominican Republic. If you could find any data about this ship, it would be really great.

Regards
Lobo

[Diving Doc]

Lobo, are you talking about reports of a Corsair??
Doc

[Solomon]

Good question: true corsairs in the Caribbean?

The Piri Reis map
The Piri Reis map is a famous premodern world map created by 16th century Ottoman-Turkish admiral and cartographer Piri Reis. The map shows part of the western coasts of Europe and North Africa with reasonable accuracy, and the coast of Brazil is also easily recognizable. Various Atlantic islands including the Azores and Canary Islands are depicted, as is the mythical island of Antillia. The map is noteworthy for its depiction of a southern landmass that some controversially claim is evidence for early awareness of the existence of Antarctica. Piri Reis stated that the map was based on about twenty charts and mappaemundi. According to Piri these maps included eight Ptolemaic maps, an Arabic map of India, four newly drawn Portuguese maps of their recent discoveries, and a map by Christopher Columbus of the western lands.

The Ottomans clearly had some knowledge of the Caribbean.

A Cuban ambassador to Anakara , Ernesto G?mez Abascal, once gave a speech on the connections between the two nations, in which he said:

Information on relations between Turkey and Cuba in those days is hard to come across ? perhaps unsurprisingly, given the distance between the two countries. Yet distance was no obstacle to the famous Turkish navigator Piri Reis, who as early as the first decades of the 16th century drew astonishingly accurate maps of the Caribbean Sea where Cuba is located.

Anther geographical puzzle is the name given to a group of islands just off the northeast coast of Cuba: the Turks and Caicos. Caic is a Turkish word that means ?boat?. Could the name of these islands signal an early Turkish presence in the region? And what of the little bay in Cuba?s most westerly province of Pinar del Rio which is known as ?Mataturcos? (Kill the Turks)? Did some uninvestigated historical misfortune befall citizens of this friendly country there?

Navigation registers tell us that in February 28, 1596, the Spanish ship San Agust?n anchored in the Port of Havana, with 45 Muslims among its oarsmen, 15 of them apparently Turks, namely: ?Ramadan and Mommy, from Negroponte; Atia, from Telez; Alicalari, from Drahaman; Isufe, Rexefe, Isain, Al?, Beli and Brahen from Anatolia; and others from Rodas and the Black Sea?. Documents in the Cuban National Archive record that in 1640 an English merchant ship was captured by a Turkish corsair to the south of Cuba and before the coasts of Panama. Perhaps the Archives of the Indias in Sevilla, Spain, or the record offices of Istanbul would be able to provide more information on the origin of the said vessel.

I hope that this may shed some light on the matter.

Solomon

[Bobadilla]

Hello Doc and Solomon,

Thank you very much for  information. Regarding your question, Doc, I never heard about  "Reports of a Corsair ", You got me with my trousers down....(it is my grandmother 's saying ). Is it a book or document?

Regarding activities of Ottoman corsairs in the Caribbean, I talked to several Dominican historians lately and they are of the same affirmative opinion. The ship that went down in 1625 could be really one ot these pirate ships. It is amazing your quote about Turks and Caicos original name. It has never crossed my mind! And suddenly it seems to be so logical!

I read somewhere that admiral Piri Reis made his famous map of the world using much older maps origin of which had been unknown.

By the way, my dear history friends, what is your opinion about lost Templar fleet? I have read quite a lot of articles and books about this topic and some of the theories even mention possible hide out of this fleet in my lovely Caribbean. (I am not talking here about Oak Island).

Thanks!

Best regards
Lobo

[Diving Doc]

Guys,
before we get to far afield, there were French Corsairs raiding the Spanish as early as 1536.
Yes, they were called Corsairs.

Doc

[Solomon]

Hello Lobo,

After the arrest of some Templars in France on Friday, October 13, 1307, much of the Templar property outside of France was transferred by the Pope to the Knights Hospitaller, and many surviving Templars were also accepted into the Hospitallers. The order continued to exist in Portugal, its name was changed to the Order of Christ, and was believed to have contributed to the first naval discoveries of the Portuguese. Prince Henry the Navigator led the Portuguese order for 20 years until the time of his death.

There is record of 18 Templar ships being in port at La Rochelle, France on October 12, 1307 (the day before Friday the 13th). But the next day, they were all gone.

My guess is that they joined the other Templars in Portugal and became part of the navy of Henry.

The Templar ships in the Mediterranean were based in Palma de Mallorca. Pierre Dubois, lawyer to Philippe IV, proposed uniting the Templars and the Hospitallers and wrote that the combined naval powers of the two Orders would be "a hundred or more galleys".

Solomon

[Bart]

     Though at least a portion of them are better described as privateers, the Barbary pirates, or corsairs, were pirates that operated out of Tunis, Tripoli, Algiers, Sal? and ports in Morocco, preying on shipping in the western Mediterranean Sea from the time of the Crusades as well as on ships on their way to Asia around Africa until the early 19th century. Their stronghold was along the stretch of northern Africa known as the Barbary Coast (a medieval term for the Maghreb after its Berber inhabitants), although their predation was said to extend throughout the Mediterranean, south along West Africa's Atlantic seaboard, and into the North Atlantic, purportedly as far north as Iceland. As well as preying on shipping, raids were often made on European coastal towns. The pirates were responsible for capturing large numbers of Christian slaves from Europe, who were sold in slave markets in places such as Morocco.

     The most famous corsairs were the Turkish Barbarossa (meaning Redbeard) brothers, the nickname of Hızır (Hayreddin) and his older brother Oru? who took control of Algiers and turned it into the center of Mediterranean piracy and privateering for the next 3 centuries, as well as establishing the Ottoman Turkish presence in North Africa which lasted 4 centuries. Other famous Turkish privateer-admirals included Turgut Reis (known as Dragut in the West), Kemal Reis, Salih Reis and Murat Reis the Older.

     In 1627 Murat Reis the Younger (known as Morat Reis in the West) sailed from Algiers with a force of 15 Ottoman galleys and raided the Atlantic coasts of Portugal, Spain and France, capturing the island of Lundy on the Bristol Channel and turning it into his base for operations in the area. For the next 5 years, Lundy served as a base for both the corsairs and the Ottoman navy for operations in the Atlantic Ocean.

     In Iceland Murat Reis is said to have taken 400 prisoners, later raided the nearby island of Vestmannaeyjar. Among those captured in Vestmannaeyjar was Oluf Eigilsson, who was released with a ransom the next year and, upon returning back to Iceland, wrote a detailed book in 1628 about his experience. In June 1631 Murat Reis, with pirates from Algiers and armed troops of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, stormed ashore at the little harbour village of Baltimore, County Cork. They captured almost all the villagers and bore them away to a life of slavery in North Africa. The prisoners were destined for a variety of fates -- some would live out their days chained to the oars as galley slaves, while others would spend long years in the scented seclusion of the harem or within the walls of the Sultan's palace. The old city of Algiers, with its narrow streets, intense heat and lively trade, was a melting pot where the villagers would join slaves and freemen of many nationalities. Only two of them ever saw Ireland again. A detailed account of the Sack of Baltimore, County Cork can be found in the book, The Stolen Village Baltimore and the Barbary Pirates by Des Ekin.

     Although Barbary pirate attacks were more common in south and east Spain, the Balearic Islands, Sardinia, Corsica, Elba, the Italian Peninsula (especially the coasts of Liguria, Toscana, Lazio, Campania, Calabria and Puglia), Sicily and Malta, they also attacked the Atlantic northwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula. In 1617, the African corsairs launched their major attack in the region when they destroyed and sacked Bouzas, Cangas and the churches of Moa?a and Darbo. Another attempt on Vigo was defeated by the city's garrison.

     Some of them were renegades or Moriscos. Their usual ship was the galley with slaves or prisoners at the oars. Two examples of these renegades are S?leyman Reis "De Veenboer" who became admiral of the Algerian corsair fleet in 1617, and his quartermaster Murat Reis, born Jan Janszoon van Haarlem. Both worked for the notorious corsair Simon the Dancer, who owned a palace. These pirates were all originally Dutch. The Dutch admiral Michiel de Ruyter unsuccessfully tried to end their piracy.

     Raids by Barbary pirates on Western Europe did not cease until 1816, when a Royal Navy raid, assisted by six Dutch vessels, destroyed the port of Algiers and its fleet of Barbary ships.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_pirate

[Bart]

Simon the Dancer (15..? - 1611?)

     Simon or Zymen, the Dancer, is a Dutch pirate of some notoriety in the 17th century. He was mainly active in the area of the Barbary Coast. He started out as a sailor and eventually became a Captain of a ship. In 1606 he acquired a Letter of Commission and went privateering. He was active in that capacity in the area of the Mediterranean Sea.
After some time, in which he had little luck, he went to port in Marseille to reprovision. He left Marseille in a small boat with other pirates and almost immediately attacked and conquered a larger vessel. He made a deal with another pirate called Warde (an Englishman) and together they sailed to Algiers. They attacked anything they came across on the way. Algiers had quite a reputation for harbouring corsairs in those days. Warde sailed on to Tunis and made that his base of operations.

     Simon took at least 40 ships and sank many others during the 3 years that followed. The people on the Barbary coast and the Turks gave Simon the nickname Dali-Capitan which means Devil-Captain. After three more years of pirating he had become quite rich and even lived in a Palace. The Dancer attacked ships of any nation and made trading in the Mediterranean Sea increasingly difficult for every nation. Many a nation, therefore, looked for ways to stop his attacks (by attack, bribes for safepassage or employing him) as a privateer in the navy.

     Eventually, a French fleet under the command of De Beaulieu de Pairsac, while being assisted by eight Spanish Galleys, almost managed to capture him, but because of a sudden storm he was able to escape; he sailed along the coast with his ships where the other ships could not reach them. Eight more Spanish men-of-war, under the command of Don Luiz Fayzardo, and an English Squadron, under the command of Sir Thomas Shoreley, were also trying to capture The Dancer at that time. Some of the exploits of Simon Dancer are mentioned in a Report written by Edward Barker in 1609.

In 1609 he fled from Algiers with his possessions, because of the simultanuous attacks by three squadrons. He arrived in Marseille with four ships after having captured a rich Spanish ship on the way. He was given temporary permission to enter the port by the King of France (Henry IV) (perhaps in the hope of enlisting him in his service?). The dancer offered the king to attack Algiers and destroy the Corsair stronghold there in return for a pardon, but this proposal was turned down. He was, however, enlisted for a voyage against the corsair stronghold Tunis. What happened to the Dancer remains unclear, but he died while he was on this mission.

Source:
Vrijman, L.C.
Kaapvaart en zeeroverij / L.C. Vrijman. - Amsterdam, [1938]

Lexicon geschiedenis ...
Lexicon geschiedenis van Nederland & Belgi? / eindred.: Lick Mulder ; met medew. van: Jan Brouwers, Erik Drenth, Gert Gritter, Erwin Jansma, Marlies Mertens. - Utrecht : Kosmos-Z&K, cop. 1994

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Garden/5213/simon.htm

[Bart]

                                                       Letters of Marque

     Definition:From: The advanced learner's dictionary of current English / by A.S. Hornby, E.V. Gatenby, H. Wakefield. - 2nd ed., 14th imp. - London : Oxford University Press, 1970

     Marque
[ma;k] n. 1. letters of --, authority formerly given to private persons to fit out an armed ship and use it to attack, capture, and plunder of enemy merchant ships in time of war. 2. = mark, def. 11 (esp. of cars).

     The original function of a letter of marque (or Letter of Reprisal) was to right a private wrong. For example, when a Dutch merchant has his goods stolen in Germany, and he cannot gain satisfaction for his loss through legal or diplomatic means, he can be granted a Letter of Marque by the Dutch government. Such a letter allows him to "capture" a German merchant to compensate him for his loss. Since the early 18th century it was no longer in use as a means to right a private wrong. The function of the letter of Marque had changed. These letters were now used by governments, as an instrument of State, to augment the National Navy. This gave the state a naval force which could attack the commerce of the enemy at no cost to public funds. The ships captured had to be brought before an Admiralty Court and tried to ensure they were a legal prize, and not the property of a neutral state.

     The privateers acted on a commission recognised under the Law of Nations. One of the principle clauses of a letter of marque is that of specifically naming the country whose vessels can be legally captured. There were heavy penalties if the property of other nations was violated.

     Letters of Marque did not completely safeguard a privateer from prosecution even when ships of certain countries were excluded from attacks. When a privateer is captured by hostile nations he is often charged with being a pirate and swiftly executed. Also when countries make peace between them and a privateer fails to get the news about this in time he can be prosecuted if he continues to attack ships of the now friendly nation. Sometimes a privateer is such a long time away from home or the colonies that he only hears the news of a peace treaty when he returns home from his privateering enterprise.

     The use of Letters of Marque was discontinued by many countries who signed the Declaration of Paris in 1856. The United States as well as several other countries signed the International Treaty much later. The US was at that time much more dependent on their use to increase their Maritime power because they lacked a Large Navy.

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Garden/5213/marque.htm

[Solomon]

We have a thread on this: Privateers and Letters of Marque

Solomon

[Bart]

The Privateer

   Privateers were ships that were privately owned and were commisioned by a government to make reprisals, to gain reparation for specified offenses in time of peace, or to prey upon the enemy in time of peace, or to prey upon the enemy in time of war. In short, a privateer was a private warship.The officers and crew of such a privateer could keep a large part or all of the money from the captured vessels.

   The privateers acted only  on a commission recognised under the Law of Nations known as a letter of marque. One of the principle clauses of a letter of marque is that of specifically naming the country whose vessels can be legally captured. There were heavy penalties if the property of other nations was violated.

The Letter of Reprisal

   Henry III of England granted the first Letter of Reprisal in 1243. The Letter of Reprisal is a letter that gives a privateer crew a commision to take action against a particular crew or nation for a specific event. The Letter of Reprisal was the catalyst which gave rise to Privateers. In England, Privateers were originally referred to as a "Private Men-O-War" . Over time, the term privateer came to represent the ship, the captain, and the crew. The letter of reprisal was the precursor to the letter of marque.

The Letter of Marque

   In order to have permission to attack another vessel, a Privateer carried a letter of marque (a commision) from the government stating that they had the blessing of the monarchy to attack a particular vessel.  Here  some examples of a letter of marque from different countries will be listed.

[Bart]

Dutch Letter of Marque (1325)

   Letter of Commission for Hannekyn Den Loper, given in 1325 by Willem III, Count of Holland (1304-1337) and Count of Henegouwen (1304-1337 as Willem I)

   Wi WILLEM, Grave van Heynnegouwe, enz. maken cond allen luden, want die Enghelse HANNEKYN DEN LOPER, onsen poirter van Ziericzee, met XIIII siere ghesellen ende drie Knape uyt onsen lande van Scouden, doet ghesleghen hebben te Doenewyc voir die havene nu des Vriendaechs voir Sente Martyns dach in den winter lest gheleden, ende hair scip, ende hair goed, dat binnen scepe was, ghenomen, dat ghepriset (geschat) es bi onsen Scepenen, ende anders goede lude van onser poirten van Ziericzee voir XL u groeten tornoys sonder die doede lude binnen bestande, dat wi ghesproken hadden met RITSAERDE VAN BYTOYE, den Meester van den stapel van Engheland. Soe hebben wi HANNEKYNS maghe voirscreven, ende sine vrienden orlof ghegheven, ende gheven met desen brieve hare scade op den Engelsen te verhalen, zoe waer zi moghen, in manieren, zoe wat dat si ghecrighen, of nemen moghen op die Enghelsen, dat si dat brenghen sullen gheheel ende zonder ofdoen onder onsen Baeliu van Ziericzee, ende van den goede bi onsen Baeliu voirsz. ende bi onsen Scepenen van Ziericzee hem hair scade te versetten. In orkon- den enz. Ghegheven toit Ziericzee, des Donresdaechs na Sente Nyclaes dach, in 't jaer XXV

http://privateer.omena.org/dutchmarque1325.htm

[Bart]

English Letter of Marque (1405)

   The King to all and singular Admirals &c., Greeting. Know ye that we have granted and given to our well-beloved John Wellys, master of a certain ship called the James of Bristol, and to Philip Taillour, master of another ship, called the Trinity of Bristol, liberty to equip in the port of the town of Bristol, at their own charges, the aforesaid ships with as many mariners, men-at-arms, and bowmen as shall be necessary for their navigation and defence at sea against our enemies, whosoever they may be, and for subduing, capturing, and destroying the same; and liberty to set forth with the same ships, so equipped, upon the sea for the purpose aforesaid. And we will that whatsoever they, John and Philip, succeed in winning, gaining, and having by capture from our enemies aforesaid, they may have and keep for their own proper use, without claim or hindrance by or from us, or our heirs or ministers, or the ministers of any our heirs whatsoever. Provided always that under colour of this licence they, John and Philip, their mariners, men-at-arms, and bowmen aforesaid, neither do nor permit to be done any violence, hindrance, or hurt to any who are in friendship with us. Witness the King at Westminster on the 4th day of February.

http://privateer.omena.org/englishmarque1405.htm

[Bart]

English Letter of Marque To Henry Payne (1404)
   Letter of Marque Henry Payne by King Henry IV allowing him to form press gangs to kidnap enough men as crews for his new fleet of war ships (which he paid for himself); and then to sail his fleet against any enemies of the King or those loyal to him.


   The King to all and singular Admirals, captains, castellans, and to their lieutenants, and to keepers of ports of the sea and other maritime places, and to majors, bailiffs, constables, provosts, and officers, and to masters and owners of ships, and mariners, and also to victuallers of ships, and to all other our lieges and subjects, whether on land or at sea, liberties or without, to whom these presents may come, Greeting.

   Know ye that we have granted and given leave to our well-beloved Henry Payne to sail and to pass to the seas with as many ships, barges, and balingers of war, men-at-arms and bowman properly equipped, as he may be able to provide himself with, to do all the hurt he can do to our open enemies, as well for their destruction as for the safe guarding and defence of our faithful leiges, and for the safety of our realm. And therefore we command you, and each of you, that you supply the said Henry with ships, barges, and balingers, victuals, and all other things necessary and useful to him in our behalf, he paying for the same as shall be reasonably agreed between you and him; and that you be aiding, advising, and assisting to him, Henry , in the performance and execution of the premises, as beseems you.

In witness, &c. These presents to endure according to our pleasure.
Witness the King, &c.

http://privateer.omena.org/englishmarquepayne1404.html

[Bart]

English Letter of Marque Against Spain, Dated (1625)

   Imprimis, That all merchants and others who shall desire to have letters of reprizall for the takinge and detaininge of ships and goods of the Kinge of Spaine, or his subjects, shall first make proof or exhibitt such information before the Lord Admirall, or his leeftenant judge of the Admiraltye, or either of them respectively, as they shall thinke fitt and agreeable to his Majestye's intention, that their shipps and goods have bin taken out and detained from them, and that their losses and damages have bin such as they pretende to have susteined.
Item, That it shalbee lawfull for the merchants and others authorized by letters of Reprisall to sett uppon by force of armes, and to take and apprehende uppon the seas, or uppon any river, or in any porte or creeke, the shipps and goods of the Kinge of Spaine, or any his subjects whatsoever.

   Item, That the said merchants, and others, shall give bond before the said Lord Admirall, or his leeftenant judge of the Admiraltye, that they and every of them shall bringe such shipps and goods, which they shall soe take and apprehende, to some such porte of his Majestye's realme as shalbee most convenent for them.

   Item, That all shipps and merchandise taken by vertue of any commission aforesaide shalbee kepte in safetye, and noe parte of them solde, spoiled, wasted, diminished, or the bulke thereof broken, untill judgment hath firste passed in the highe courte of Admiralty that the said goods are lawfull prize; otherwise the said commission to bee voyed, as well to the taker, as to all others that shall buy or intermeddle with the said goods, or any parte of them.

   Item, That yf, by reason of opposition in the adjudication of the shipps and goods taken for lawfull prize, there bee necessitye, before the adjudication, to sell them because they bee peritura, and servando sine damno servari non possunt, in this case the judge of the Admiralty shall graunte commission to take a true Inventory and Appraisement thereof by five honest and sufficient men, and sell the same plus offerenti, and to returne the proceed, together with the said Inventory and Appraisement into the courte of Admiralty, there to remaine to the use of them to whom of righte they shalbee adjudged to appertaine.

   Item, That those merchants, and others, which shall have the said letters of Reprizall, shall not attempte any thinge against any of his Majestye's lovinge subjects, or the subjects of any other Prince or state in good league and amitye with his Majestye, but only against the Kinge of Spaine, and his subjects.

   Item, That after adjudication passed in the highe courte of Admiraltye as aforesaid, it shalbee lawfull for the merchants and others to keepe such and soe many shippes, goods, and merchandise as aforesaid, as shalbee adjudged unto them, in their possession, and to make sale and dispose therof in open market, or howsoever ells, to their best advantage and benefitt, in as ample manner as at any tyme heretofore hath beene accustomed by way of Reprizall, and to have and injoye the same, as lawfull prizes, and as their own goods.

   Item, That all and every of his Majestye's subjects, or any other person who shall, either in his owne person serve, or otherwise beare any chardge or adventure, or in any sorte further and sett forward the said enterprise, according to the Articles, shall not in any manner of wise bee reputed or challenged for any offender againste anye of his Majestye's lawes, but shall stande and bee by vertue of the said commission from the said Lord Admirall free and freed, under his Majestye's protection, of and from all trouble and vexation that might in any wise growe thereby.

I   tem, That yt shalbee lawfull for all manner of persons, as well his Majestye's subjects, as any other, to buy of the said goods or merchandise soe taken and apprehended by the said merchants and others, and adjudged for lawfull prize, as is aforesaid, without any daunger, losse, hindrance, trouble, molestation, or incumbrance, to befall the said buyers, or any of them, and in as ample and lawfull manner as if the said goods had bin comen by through the lawfull trafficq of merchants, or as juste prizes in the tyme of open war.

   Item, That the said merchants, and others, before the takinge of the said commission, shall give notice to the Lord Admirall or to his leeftenante judge of the Admiralty, of the name of the shipp, and her tonnage or burthen, and the name of the captaine or owner of the said shipp, with the number of mariners and men in her, and for what tyme they are victualled, and alsoe of their ordnaunce, furniture, and municon, to the intent that there may bee an accompte made therof at their returne.

At Hampton Court, the Third of November 1625

http://privateer.omena.org/englishmarque1625.html

[Bart]

Scottish Letter of Marque Against Spain (1626)


   This is an example of a Scots Letter of Marque, dated the 20th April 1626. It was issued to David Alexander captain of The James of Anstruther authorizing him to attack ships of Spain. The letter is archived in the register of the Privy Council of Scotland (second series 1:283), Edinburgh 1877-1933.

   Charles R.-Oure Soverane Lord ordanis ane letter of markque to be made under the grite seale in dew forme makand mentioun that his Majestie, considdering the manie grite indignities and injuries done to his Majestie and his umquhile darrest father of worthie memorie under cullour of treaties and allyanceis by the King of Spayne, and the many violencis offerit be the said King and his subjectis to divers of his Majesteis subjectis by taking, slaying and ransoning thame in hostilemaner whenas thay intendit thair lawfull merchandice at sea; and his Majestie in his princelie wisdome and providence foirsieing that, whill the said King of Spayne contineweth in these courssis of hostilitie, itis not aggreeable with his Majesteis honnour nor pollicie that his Majestie sould ony longer forbeare these remedies whilk the law of nationis in matteris of this kynd allowis and approves: Thairfore his Majestie, with advise of the Lordis of his Secreit Counsell, hes gevin and grantit, and be tennour heirof gevis and grantis, full power and commissioun, expres bidding and charge, to David Alexander, capitane of the ship callit The James of Anstruther , to arme and furnishe his said ship with men, vittalis, armour and artiellirie grite and small, and with poulder, leid, lunt and all other wearlike furnitout and provisioun, and with his said ship to mak his addresse to the sea, and thair to searche, seik, follow and persew with all hostilitie, and to tak or sink, the shippis or goodes of the said king of Spayne and his subjectis, alsweele of the Low cuntreyis under the governament of the Infanta Issobella, as of otheris his dominionis, according as the necessitie of the tyme of the persute sall fall oute; and alsua to impeshe, stay, and arreist all otheris shippis of whatsomever cuntrey or natioun whome he may apprehend going to West Flanderis or ony other of the said King of Spayne his dominionis with victuall, money, armour, or with intention to goe to the same with ony provisionis serveing to build furnishe, or arme any shippis of warre or ony munitioun for the warre or materiallis for the same, and to bring in the saidis shippis and goodes to ony port or harhorie, thair to be sauld and ordoured as goodes dewlie foirfeytted to his majestie; the companie and equippage of the Spanishe or West Flanderis shippis so taikin to detene or ransoun as the said David sall think expedient; the commodities and goodes being within the same shippis to meddle and intromet with, and to use the same shippis and goodes as pryise laufullie foirfeytted to his Majestie; and to use suche militarie lawis agains the companie equippage of the saidis shippis as is usuall in matteris of this kynd agains profest and avowwed enemies to his majestie and his estate; and generallie with power to the said David to doe and performe all and everie other thing that towardis the execution of the premissis is necessarlie requisite: Ferme and stable halding and for to hald all and whatsomevir thingis sal be laughfullie done heirin, and that the said commissioun be extendit in the best forme with all claussis neidfull, and be direct to all kingis, princes, dukes, governouris, and republicquis, magistrattis of burrowis and commanderis of navyis, and to all otheris his Majesteis freindis and confederattis whome these presentis doe or may concerne; requesting thame to acknawledge the said David and companie and equippage of his ship as his majesteis goode and laughfull subjectis authorized with his Majesteis warrand and commissioun for executioun of the praemissis; and if the said David salhappin to come in thair boundis with ony pryise or pryises tane be him, thast thay suffer and permitt him to mak laughfull merchandice thairof, and to sell and dispone upon the same at his pleasure; and that thay furneis him with vittaillis and otheris necessaris upoun his reasounable expenssis, and withstand and resist all violenec that salbe offerit unto thame; and that thay shawe all otheris commoun dewties of friendship unto thame, as his Majestie salbe carefull in all occurrentis of this kynd to caus the like be shawne unto thame and thair subjectis. And that thir presentis be ane warrand to the gritte seale without ony furder preceptis to be direct thairupoun, and dureing the tyme of the warre after the date heirof but revocatioun to indure.

Gevin at Halyrudhous, the tuentie day of Aprile 1626.

Sic subscribitur, Geo.Cancell., Mar, Montrois, Wyntoun, Linlithgow, Perth, Wigtoun, Roxburgh, Bugcleugh.

http://privateer.omena.org/scottishmarque1626.html

[Bart]

Actual Image of A Letter Of Marque/Patent To Sir Francis Drake

[Bart]

Letter of Marque To Captain Kidd

Here is an actual image of a letter of marque issued to Captain William Kidd

http://privateer.omena.org/Letterofmarqueimage.html

[Bart]

   Death, portrayed by a skeleton, was the device on the flag beneath which they fought; and a skeleton was for ever threatening to emerge from its cupboard aboard every pirate vessel.

   The end of most of the pirates and a large proportion of the buccaneers was a sudden and violent one, and few of them died in their beds. Many were killed in battle, numbers of them were drowned. Not a few drank themselves to death with strong Jamaica rum, while many of the buccaneers died of malaria and yellow fever contracted in the jungles of Central America, and most of the pirates who survived these perils lived only to be hanged.

   It is recorded of a certain ex-prizefighter and pirate, Dennis McCarthy, who was about to be hanged at New Providence Island in 1718, that, as he stood on the gallows, all bedecked with coloured ribbons, as became a boxer, he told his admiring audience that his friends had often, in joke, told him he would die in his shoes; and so, to prove them liars, he kicked off his shoes amongst the crowd, and so died without them.

   The trial of a pirate was usually a rough and ready business, and the culprit seldom received the benefit of any doubt that might exist.

   If he made any defence at all, it was usually to plead that he had been forced to join the pirates against his wish, and that he had long been waiting for an opportunity to escape.

   Once condemned to death, and the date of execution decided, the prisoner, if at Newgate, was handed over to the good offices of the prison Ordinary; or, if in New England, to such vigorous apostles of Christianity as the Rev. Cotton or the Rev. Increase Mather. The former of these two famous theologians was pastor of the North Church in Boston, and the author of a very rare work published in 1695, called "An History of Some Criminals Executed in This Land." Cotton Mather preached many a "hanging" sermon to condemned pirates, a few of which can still be read. One of these, preached in 1704, is called "A Brief Discourse occasioned by a Tragical Spectacle of a Number of Miserables under Sentence of Death for Piracy."

   The Reverend Doctor made a speciality of these "hanging" sermons, and was a thorough master of his subject, as is shown by the following passage taken from the above "Brief Discourse":

   "The Privateering Stroke so easily degenerates into the Piratical; and the Privateering Trade is usually carried on with an Unchristian Temper, and proves an Inlet unto so much Debauchery and Iniquity."

   On the Sunday previous to an execution the condemned pirates were taken to church to listen to a sermon while they were "exhibited" to the crowded and gaping congregation. On the day of the execution a procession was formed, which marched from the gaol to the gallows.

   At the head was carried a silver oar, the emblem from very early days of a pirate execution. Arrived at the gibbet, the prisoner, who always dressed himself in his, or someone else's, best clothes, would doff his hat and make a speech.

   Sometimes the bolder spirits would speak in a defiant and unrepentant way; but most of them professed a deep repentance for their sins and warned their listeners to guard against the temptation of drink and avarice. After the prisoner's death the bodies of the more notorious pirates were taken down and hanged in chains at some prominent spot where ships passed, in order to be a warning to any mariners who had piratical leanings.

   The number of pirates or buccaneers who died in their beds must have been very small, particularly amongst the former; and I have been able to trace but a single example of a tombstone marking the burial-place of a pirate. This is, or was until recently, to be found in the graveyard at Dartmouth, and records the resting-place of the late Captain Thomas Goldsmith, who commanded the Snap Dragon, of Dartmouth, in which vessel he amassed much riches during the reign of Queen Anne, and died, apparently not regretted, in 1714. Engraved upon his headstone are the following lines:

Men that are virtuous serve the Lord;

And the Devil's by his friends ador'd;

And as they merit get a place

Amidst the bless'd or hellish race;

Pray then ye learned clergy show

Where can this brute, Tom Goldsmith, go?

Whose life was one continual evil

Striving to cheat God, Man and Devil.

[Solomon]

The Masonic Plate
While at first glance, A#14506 would seem to be a simple pewter plate, it is, in fact, one of the most extraordinary artifacts recovered from the Whydah. Inscribed on the top of the plate, near the rim, is the oldest reliably dated representation of the hallmark of freemasonry.

I understand that a link may exist between pirate motifs such as the skeleton, and freemasonry.

Solomon

[Bart]

   A quick search of symbolism does produce historical reference to pirate flags that used some of the same symbols of freemasonry. One site shows four pirate flags, each of which uses one symbol also used by Freemasonry. Beyond that there doesn't seem to be any obvious, strong or ongoing connection between the two. Other groups have and do use one or more of the same symbols of both.

   I wouldn't exactly call piratism a religion of any sort, and pirates obviously weren't the most intelligent folks of western society. Illiterate, highly superstitious, and dead with a year of 'going on the account', on average, most of them likely knew there was no real future for themselves in it. Indeed, some pirates were known to sell booty to certain English men of title who may have been Freemasons, but that appears to be the exception.

   A few pirates used the skull/skeleton, the hourglass, and the heart, as freemasonry also does. From the little I have seen off Freemasonry, those symbols do not appear to be their highest or most important symbols. I got the impression that cosmology was more along that line.

  After viewing a conglomerate of masonic symbols, I see little connection to pirate symbols. But if you have other historical documetation of deeper ties or connections between the two, I am sure many would like to hear about it.

- Bart

[Solomon]

The results you report of your quick search, Bart, for "historical reference to pirate flags that used some of the same symbols of freemasonry" is sufficient to support my remark that "a link may exist between pirate motifs such as the skeleton, and freemasonry".

One need go no deeper than that. As you have demonstrated to your own satisfaction, for some reason, pirates used some of the symbollism of freemasonry. Or vice versa.

If we look a little further, perhaps we can find more.

My understanding of freemasonry is that it began in England, in the 17th century. I know that some freemasons like to consider their brotherhood to be much older, but I am unconvinced by the evidence, which I consider to be bogus.

My view of piracy matches all the facts of the above paragraph, for freemasony: England, 17th century, a brotherhood.

Of course, there has always been piracy and of course, this has been a worldwide criminal activity. However, piracy as we are discussing it, as an important phenomenom that affected affairs of state and became a transatlantic industry, had its roots in 17th-century England.

In my view, both freemasonry and this piracy share the same root: 17th-century England. This root produced what are regarded as two separate brotherhoods.

Maybe the motifs common to the two brotherhoods indicate that they are not entirely separate. The silver plate from the Whydah is a positive link.

Not all pirates were unintelligent and illiterate, Bart. Some, such as Morgan, may not even have been pirates, but agents of the English navy.

You mention how elements of the English aristocracy were sponsors of piracy. Similarly, there were early and strong ties between freemasonry and English aristocracy.

We have posted here a series of documents used within piracy to detail their behaviour as an organisation. They contain a level of democracy unknown in the wider political sphere. Hence the term brotherhood. If pirates had generally been illiterate, Bart, these documents would never have existed.

The brotherhood of freemasonry was also revolutionary in political terms. This is why it became the focus of sometimes severe attack.

Americans like to see their war of independence as revolutionary. It is a matter of record that coastal American colonies had a tendency to harbour and support piracy. Many of the fathers of U.S. independence were freemasons.

This appears to me to be an area that one could study with some prospect of viewing our history of the 17th and 18th centuries in a new light.

Solomon

[Bart]

This should be a very interesting topic, to see if more connection can be made. My first find below doesn't mention Freemasonry, but it shows the realities of a newly born America and her dealings with the Barbary coast pirates/govts.

- Bart

America and the Barbary Pirates: An International Battle Against an Unconventional Foe

by Gerard W. Gawalt

Gerard W. Gawalt is the manuscript specialist for early American history in the Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.

   Ruthless, unconventional foes are not new to the United States of America. More than two hundred years ago the newly established United States made its first attempt to fight an overseas battle to protect its private citizens by building an international coalition against an unconventional enemy. Then the enemies were pirates and piracy. The focus of the United States and a proposed international coalition was the Barbary Pirates of North Africa.

   Pirate ships and crews from the North African states of Tripoli, Tunis, Morocco, and Algiers (the Barbary Coast) were the scourge of the Mediterranean. Capturing merchant ships and holding their crews for ransom provided the rulers of these nations with wealth and naval power. In fact, the Roman Catholic Religious Order of Mathurins had operated from France for centuries with the special mission of collecting and disbursing funds for the relief and ransom of prisoners of Mediterranean pirates.

   Before the United States obtained its independence in the American Revolution, 1775-83, American merchant ships and sailors had been protected from the ravages of the North African pirates by the naval and diplomatic power of Great Britain. British naval power and the tribute or subsidies Britain paid to the piratical states protected American vessels and crews. During the Revolution, the ships of the United States were protected by the 1778 alliance with France, which required the French nation to protect "American vessels and effects against all violence, insults, attacks, or depredations, on the part of the said Princes and States of Barbary or their subjects."

   After the United States won its independence in the treaty of 1783, it had to protect its own commerce against dangers such as the Barbary pirates. As early as 1784 Congress followed the tradition of the European shipping powers and appropriated $80,000 as tribute to the Barbary states, directing its ministers in Europe, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, to begin negotiations with them. Trouble began the next year, in July 1785, when Algerians captured two American ships and the dey of Algiers held their crews of twenty-one people for a ransom of nearly $60,000.

   Thomas Jefferson, United States minister to France, opposed the payment of tribute, as he later testified in words that have a particular resonance today. In his autobiography Jefferson wrote that in 1785 and 1786 he unsuccessfully "endeavored to form an association of the powers subject to habitual depredation from them. I accordingly prepared, and proposed to their ministers at Paris, for consultation with their governments, articles of a special confederation." Jefferson argued that "The object of the convention shall be to compel the piratical States to perpetual peace." Jefferson prepared a detailed plan for the interested states. "Portugal, Naples, the two Sicilies, Venice, Malta, Denmark and Sweden were favorably disposed to such an association," Jefferson remembered, but there were "apprehensions" that England and France would follow their own paths, "and so it fell through."

   Paying the ransom would only lead to further demands, Jefferson argued in letters to future presidents John Adams, then America's minister to Great Britain, and James Monroe, then a member of Congress. As Jefferson wrote to Adams in a July 11, 1786, letter, "I acknolege [sic] I very early thought it would be best to effect a peace thro' the medium of war." Paying tribute will merely invite more demands, and even if a coalition proves workable, the only solution is a strong navy that can reach the pirates, Jefferson argued in an August 18, 1786, letter to James Monroe: "The states must see the rod; perhaps it must be felt by some one of them. . . . Every national citizen must wish to see an effective instrument of coercion, and should fear to see it on any other element than the water. A naval force can never endanger our liberties, nor occasion bloodshed; a land force would do both." "From what I learn from the temper of my countrymen and their tenaciousness of their money," Jefferson added in a December 26, 1786, letter to the president of Yale College, Ezra Stiles, "it will be more easy to raise ships and men to fight these pirates into reason, than money to bribe them."

   Jefferson's plan for an international coalition foundered on the shoals of indifference and a belief that it was cheaper to pay the tribute than fight a war. The United States's relations with the Barbary states continued to revolve around negotiations for ransom of American ships and sailors and the payment of annual tributes or gifts. Even though Secretary of State Jefferson declared to Thomas Barclay, American consul to Morocco, in a May 13, 1791, letter of instructions for a new treaty with Morocco that it is "lastly our determination to prefer war in all cases to tribute under any form, and to any people whatever," the United States continued to negotiate for cash settlements. In 1795 alone the United States was forced to pay nearly a million dollars in cash, naval stores, and a frigate to ransom 115 sailors from the dey of Algiers. Annual gifts were settled by treaty on Algiers, Morocco, Tunis, and Tripoli.

   When Jefferson became president in 1801 he refused to accede to Tripoli's demands for an immediate payment of $225,000 and an annual payment of $25,000. The pasha of Tripoli then declared war on the United States. Although as secretary of state and vice president he had opposed developing an American navy capable of anything more than coastal defense, President Jefferson dispatched a squadron of naval vessels to the Mediterranean. As he declared in his first annual message to Congress: "To this state of general peace with which we have been blessed, one only exception exists. Tripoli, the least considerable of the Barbary States, had come forward with demands unfounded either in right or in compact, and had permitted itself to denounce war, on our failure to comply before a given day. The style of the demand admitted but one answer. I sent a small squadron of frigates into the Mediterranean. . . ."

   The American show of force quickly awed Tunis and Algiers into breaking their alliance with Tripoli. The humiliating loss of the frigate Philadelphia and the capture of her captain and crew in Tripoli in 1803, criticism from his political opponents, and even opposition within his own cabinet did not deter Jefferson from his chosen course during four years of war. The aggressive action of Commodore Edward Preble (1803-4) forced Morocco out of the fight and his five bombardments of Tripoli restored some order to the Mediterranean. However, it was not until 1805, when an American fleet under Commodore John Rogers and a land force raised by an American naval agent to the Barbary powers, Captain William Eaton, threatened to capture Tripoli and install the brother of Tripoli's pasha on the throne, that a treaty brought an end to the hostilities. Negotiated by Tobias Lear, former secretary to President Washington and now consul general in Algiers, the treaty of 1805 still required the United States to pay a ransom of $60,000 for each of the sailors held by the dey of Algiers, and so it went without Senatorial consent until April 1806. Nevertheless, Jefferson was able to report in his sixth annual message to Congress in December 1806 that in addition to the successful completion of the Lewis and Clark expedition, "The states on the coast of Barbary seem generally disposed at present to respect our peace and friendship."

   In fact, it was not until the second war with Algiers, in 1815, that naval victories by Commodores William Bainbridge and Stephen Decatur led to treaties ending all tribute payments by the United States. European nations continued annual payments until the 1830s. However, international piracy in Atlantic and Mediterranean waters declined during this time under pressure from the Euro-American nations, who no longer viewed pirate states as mere annoyances during peacetime and potential allies during war.

   For anyone interested in the further pursuit of information about America's first unconventional, international war in the primary sources, the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress holds manuscript collections of many of the American participants, including Thomas Jefferson, George Washington (see the George Washington Papers), William Short, Edward Preble, Thomas Barclay, James Madison, James Simpson, James Leander Cathcart, William Bainbridge, James Barron, John Rodgers, Ralph Izard, and Albert Gallatin.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/jefferson_papers/mtjprece.html

[Diving Doc]

Bart,

That is a great find!
Thanks so much for posting for the Membership.

Cheers,
Doc

[Solomon]

I wrote earlier:
It is a matter of record that coastal American colonies had a tendency to harbour and support piracy.

Caleb Carr

CALEB CARR (BENJAMIN, ROBERT, THOMAS) was born December 12, 1616, and died December 17, 1695 in Newport, Newport, Rhode Island.
He married (1) MERCY VAUGHN in Newport, Newport, Rhod. She was born 1630, and died September 12, 1675 in Newport RI.
He married (2) SARAH CLARKE, daughter of JEREMIAH CLARKE. She was born 1651, and died 1706.
He married (3) ANN EASTON.

Notes for CALEB CARR:
Buried twice; their bodies were moved from Newport to Jamestown. p8: "...he and his wife Mercy were both buried in Newport, RI, near where the Coddington School now stands. On 8 September 1900, the bodies of Caleb and Mercy Carr were disenterred and removed to the island of Jamestown where they still are. They lie in a small private cemetery and are properly marked with the stones that marked their graves in Newport. The inscription on his tombstone reads:

"Here lieth interred the body of Caleb Carr, governor of this colony, who departed this life ye 17th day of December, 1695, in ye 73rd (79) year of his age."

...on 9 May 1635, the ship "Elizabeth and Ann" slipped her moorings and put out from London, England under the command of Roger Cooper Master; her destination was New England...On board were one hundred and two passengers bearing permission to emmigrate to the new world that lay on the western shore of their ocean.... Robert Carr, age 21 and Caleb Carr, age 11.... close associates of William Coddington who came from Boston, Lincolnshire, England as one of the original members of the Mass. Bay Company in 1629 and was a leading merchant in Boston, MA, during this period
...early in 1637 Mr. Coddington lead a group of people, because of religious differences, away from Boston. They went to Providence and conferred with Roger Williams as to settling in those parts. With Mr. Williams aid, the group quickly purchased from the Indians the large island of Aquidnick and immediately proceeded to the business of founding the town of Pocassit (later called Portsmouth). It is thought that the Carrs left Boston with this group. Certainly they were early at the Pocassit settlement for on 21 February 1638 Robert Carr was listed as an inhabitant.
Early in 1639, a small group, with Mr. Coddington, removed to the south end of the island to lay out a new settlement leaving at Pocassit a goodly company to carry on. The name which they gave this new home has remained unchanged all these years: Newport...They quickly purchased from the Indians the sizable island of Conanicut (known now as Jamestown) and Robert and Caleb were among the ninety-eight original purchasers of the island. It is thought that neither of the brothers resided on the island. This move was left to their children
...Caleb Carr took a very prominent part in the affairs of the settlement at Newport and in the Colony of Rhode Island. Among the offices in which he served were: Town Commissioner, Deputy, Justice, General Treasurer and Colonial Governor (in 1695 and terminated by his death late that same year)...Perhaps the thing that Caleb did that had the most lasting effect upon the family was his purchase of large tracts of land on the island of Conanicut/Jamestown, where several of his children took up their residence, and their descendants live there still...he also established a ferry between Newport and Jamestown, in 1675, spanning two hundred and fifity years associated with the Carr family...in the course of all these activities he became possessed of considerable wealth and his residence was on what is now Mill Street in Newport...he owned wharves and a warehouse at the foot of Mill Street where the ferry now docks...his Will disposed of human as well as real and personal property
...his daughter Mary was without children but had a rather famous husband in Thomas Paine. He was a seafaring man and there is strong, evidence to prove that he was partner and intimate of the famous pirate, Captain Kidd..."

"...he was commissioner [of Newport] in 1654-62; was made a freeman in 1655; was deputy from 1664 through 1690...he was governor in 1695, the year in which he died...he bought at different times beginning with 1658, large interests in Conanicut and Dutch Islands...the Carrs as a family became conspicuous in the development of Jamestown and their fortunes have been more or less identified with that town and Newport from their settlement to the present time ..."

Thomas Paine:
Fall 1683 found Paine in Rhode Island attempting to settle down amid a storm of accusations and threats of arrest. Fortunately, the governor of Rhode Island, William Coddington was not of a mind to be bullied by other officials, so Paine remained at liberty. The next word of Paine comes in 1687 when he marries the daughter of Caleb Carr, Jamestown judge, and settles in the same town.

Another pirate known to Carr was Thomas Tew:
Thomas Tew aka the Rhode Island Pirate was a 17th century privateer turned pirate and a friend to Governor Benjamin Fletcher of New York. He was probably born in Maidford, Northamptonshire, England before emigrating to the colonies as a child with his family. He lived in Newport, Rhode Island, moved to Bermuda in 1692, and based himself in Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, a popular hunting ground for 17th century pirates. His personal standard was a white arm holding a sword on a black ground; it means "we are ready to kill you".

He is one of the named founders of the possibly fictional pirate colony of Libertalia.

Captain William Kidd, before he himself turned pirate, was commissioned by King William III to hunt down pirate Thomas Tew.

Tew died around 1695 in an engagement aboard the Fateh Muhammed, owned by the Great Mogul of India, before Captain Kidd reached him.

Rhode Island:
The closing years of the 17th century were characterized by a gradual transition from the agricultural to the commercial stage of civilization. Newport became the centre of an extensive business in piracy, privateering, smuggling, and legitimate trade.

Sir William Phips:
Edward Randolph, Royal Surveyor of Customs, struggled to enforce the Navigation Acts and complained in one of his reports to England that Governor Phips of Massachusetts had threatened to drub him as a public nuisance because by doing his duty, Randolph was interfering with private trade.  He also reported Governor Caleb Carr of Rhode Island, an illiterate who had turned R.I. into a free port for pirates.