Clad in old, ragged clothes with a parrot perched on a shoulder, black eye patches and wooden legs; these people made enemies walk planks and buried treasures on lands unknown. They are called pirates and what we know about them is just half the story of what actually happened on those ships. Piracy was an epoch in the history of civilizations and it too had a Golden Period.
The Golden Period of Piracy lasted from mid-1650 to mid-1720s but it started when the Pope divided the New World between Spain and Portugal in 1494. The rulers of the European nations wanted to get their hands on the treasure of the Aztecs, the native South Americans. In order to do so they issued a ‘letter of marque’ that acted as a deal with ship owners giving them the right to attack and burgle enemy ships and share their loot with the government. They were called privateers; nicknamed ‘the legal pirates’.
One such privateer was Sir Francis Drake who worked for Queen Elizabeth in 1570. He became popular after he captured booty worth 300,000 pounds and kept only 10,000 for himself. The queen addressed him as “my dear pirate” and presented him with a special sword to use on his enemies.
Even though the privateers were an easy and cheap way to gain wealth they posed immense danger to the political and economic scenario. They were often …show more content…
The Golden Age of Piracy brought to light Pirate democracy. It operated on a principle of one pirate one vote, down from the cleaners up to the captain himself. This gave every crew member a right to remove the captain with a majority vote. This democracy acted as settlement giving each pirate an equal share in the booty. It also generated property rights, rules for resolving conflicts and compensation of workers decided by an onboard ‘pirate council’. These rules minimized disputes over entitlements and
The Golden Period of Piracy lasted from mid-1650 to mid-1720s but it started when the Pope divided the New World between Spain and Portugal in 1494. The rulers of the European nations wanted to get their hands on the treasure of the Aztecs, the native South Americans. In order to do so they issued a ‘letter of marque’ that acted as a deal with ship owners giving them the right to attack and burgle enemy ships and share their loot with the government. They were called privateers; nicknamed ‘the legal pirates’.
One such privateer was Sir Francis Drake who worked for Queen Elizabeth in 1570. He became popular after he captured booty worth 300,000 pounds and kept only 10,000 for himself. The queen addressed him as “my dear pirate” and presented him with a special sword to use on his enemies.
Even though the privateers were an easy and cheap way to gain wealth they posed immense danger to the political and economic scenario. They were often …show more content…
The Golden Age of Piracy brought to light Pirate democracy. It operated on a principle of one pirate one vote, down from the cleaners up to the captain himself. This gave every crew member a right to remove the captain with a majority vote. This democracy acted as settlement giving each pirate an equal share in the booty. It also generated property rights, rules for resolving conflicts and compensation of workers decided by an onboard ‘pirate council’. These rules minimized disputes over entitlements and