Corsairs, buccaneers and privateersĬorsairs were pirates who operated in the Mediterranean Sea between the 15th and 18th centuries. As Spanish settlers set up new towns on Caribbean islands and the American mainland, these too came under pirate attack. So many pirate attacks were made that galleons were forced to sail together in fleets with armed vessels for protection. As he was working for the Spanish monarchy, these 'new lands' were claimed by the Spanish, who soon discovered them to be a rich source of silver, gold and gems.įrom the 16th century, large Spanish ships, called galleons, began to sail back to Europe, loaded with precious cargoes that pirates found impossible to resist. The explorer Christopher Columbus established contact between Europe and the lands that were later named America at the end of the 15th century. Though this Golden Age came to an end in the 18th century, piracy still exists today in some parts of the world, especially the South China Seas. Famous pirates from this period include Henry Morgan, William 'Captain' Kidd, 'Calico' Jack Rackham, Bartholomew Roberts and the fearsome Blackbeard (Edward Teach). Thousands of pirates were active between 16, and these years are sometimes known as the 'Golden Age’ of piracy. The most far-reaching pirates in early medieval Europe were the Vikings. Pirates have existed since ancient times – they threatened the trading routes of ancient Greece, and seized cargoes of grain and olive oil from Roman ships.
Captives were famously made to ‘walk the plank’ – though this doesn’t appear to have been as common in reality as in fiction in fact, it's likely that most victims of piracy were just thrown overboard. Many of the most famous pirates had a terrifying reputation, and they advertised this by flying gruesome flags, including the 'Jolly Roger' with its picture of skull and crossbones. These people, known as pirates, mainly targeted ships, though some also launched attacks on coastal towns. Throughout history there have been people willing to rob others transporting goods on the water. During this time more than 5000 pirates were said to be at sea. Though pirates have existed since ancient times, the Golden Age of piracy was in the 17th and early 18th centuries.
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