Piracy and Privateers

- February 19, 2024

Pirates are famous for terrorizing the high seas, but can you tell me the difference between piracy and privateering? After reading this post, you can.

Courtesy of Moviesandmania.com

The movies don't often tell us there is a difference. There is even one pirate, Captain Kidd, who claimed to be a privateer at his trial. Years after the trial the paperwork that had gone missing showed up. He'd been screwed over on purpose. You see, the only difference between a privateer and a pirate is a piece of paper that authorizes you to attack your country's enemy. The government gets most of the profit in that scenario.

Today we're discussing the life of a pirate and the life of a privateer. Let's pour the rum and begin.

Pirates

Pirates, who do not have papers from their government, can be killed and hung as an example to others. They still exist today - just with speed boats and machine guns. They are also called corsairs or Bucanneers, depending on your location. Corsairs had a religious context, too, because of the war between Muslims and Christians.

Working as a pirate meant everyone split the money equally and had a vote. The Navy didn't give you that. Also, pirates were quite egalitarian, which means everyone got a vote, not just the men. It might be better working conditions than the Navy depending on what time you were in the Navy. There was also a code and committees that met. It wasn't mad chaos. Strangely enough, it was democracy that limited mutiny.

The price paid for piracy in the mid-18th century was steep. It was death. Hanging someone in a human-shaped cage to hold the body together was a warning to other pirates. It deterred them for a while, then it continued. There were regular hangings in some towns. Another price paid was having to go hungry at times, mostly because a pirate can't stroll into town for supplies at will. You have a price on your head. In this blog post, I'll leave another Max Miller on pirates eating leather to survive.

The pirate code is basically a contract agreement of who gets paid what and other ship workings. It is a work contract. It isn't all that complex or mystical. One of my sources will give you some examples of found codes, such as the requirement to keep your weapon in good condition and to not gamble on board. Privateers probably had this contract system, too.

One pirate group you know of is the Vikings. Often trade routes were easy pickings for pirates and privateers alike. The reason for becoming a pirate today has to do with third-world countries in poverty. During the golden age of piracy (1650s-1730s) farmers were forced off land and didn't have all that much left to try. Poor seamen could gain control of their lives through piracy. You could get rich and exercise dominance, in other words.

Privateers

Privateers have papers saying they are working for the government and are authorized to go after only the enemies they are at war with. Some of them even get tasked with pirate hunting. Captain Kidd illustrated exactly what happens when everything goes wrong. He was a privateer according to documents later found - conveniently after his trial where he insisted he had papers to prove it.

Above is a video that teaches you to make an alcoholic drink and learn more about this man. Only make this drink if you are of legal drinking age, please. Max Miller is excellent at presenting history and is always a fun time. He has a cookbook, too, but I digress.

One thing to note about privateering is that it's shady. It takes manpower and resources away from the Navy because it pays better. Also, there were some cases where the lines between pirate and privateer were blurred. Pirates were sometimes encouraged, without paperwork filed, to pillage enemies in times of war. It's just really shady. Sometimes monarchs would take the gold in secret and keep it quiet.

In privateering, though, you didn't split all of it evenly, like pirates did, but instead gave a portion to whoever hired you. You can't have all of it. This may be why privateers did some side hustling to hit other ships outside the contract. We know they did that. They still made lots of money, though. Many leaders were charismatic, to the point of having a crew who would die for them.

Modern Pirates

Since the early 1980s piracy has become a bigger problem. There is no authority to arrest pirates out on the open seas. Also, privateers still exist in the shadows, meaning some countries don't do anything to help the situation.

Pirates have old tricks, like using another flag to hide themselves. Be aware of this in South and Southeast Asia, South America, and South of the Red Sea. Small-time pirates want your safe and to loot you. Organizations of pirates have connections, being one link in a criminal chain, and will attack.

Modern pirates also have speed boats, machine guns, and illegal weapons in general. Yes, they kidnap, rob, and murder - only now they have technology to work with. Small cargo ships should beware.

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