Pirates of the Caribbean Sea By Jaimie

Why are there so many names for pirates, corsairs, privateers, buccaneers, freebooters, and filibusters? What do they all mean? There are more than three names for pirates, each having a different meaning. The pirates of the Caribbean were no exception, buccaneers, corsairs, and privateers were all names that described pirates of the Caribbean Sea. Pirates is a general term meaning "one who plunders the sea." Corsairs are French pirates.

Buccaneers are pirates who attacked Spanish shipping in the 1600's. Privateers were pirates that were licensed by a government to attack ships if they were Throughout history, pirates have been called many different names and have had famous faces. There were many famous pirates of the Caribbean, and if you learn the meaning of their designations, you'll never be confused about pirates again. Buccaneers were pig hunters, but became pirates in the 1600's. The West Indies, controlled by Spain, were having severe population decreases in the early 1600's. This happened because people were leaving the West Indies to the gold rich towns on the mainland. People from all over Europe like England, France, and the Netherlands took advantage of the weak West Indies and sailed to the New World. These people moved in to the small islands in the Lesser Antilles. These people hunted wild pigs and made boucan which is a smoked meat that lasts long and is ideal for long voyages. Ship captains bought a lot of meat for the crew. However, the Spanish governors disliked the buccaneers (derived from boucan). They thought that the land belonged to Spain even though there were no Spanish people living on the Islands. In order to deprive them of supplies, the Spanish made the buccaneers stop trading pigs. In response, the buccaneers became pirates. Stopping the pig trade was a big mistake for the Spanish.

After the buccaneers became pirates, they raided small vessels since they could not match the firepower of the large Spanish galleons. This was to change quickly. Peter le Grande (Peter the Great) was a buccaneer captain who was in command of a small ship of only 28 men. He sailed from Tortuga, the main base of the buccaneers, to Hispanola. When his food was almost out, he spotted a lone Spanish galleon. He waited until nightfall and then boarded the ship. Peter captured the ship within minutes. Onboard the ship was a very large treasure. The age of buccaneering had changed forever, because buccaneers now felt secure attacking large ships.

There were other famous buccaneers besides Peter le Grande. One of these was Henry Morgan who was called the prince of buccaneers. He moved to the Americas when he was 20. Then he moved to Port Royal Jamaica, a very lawless town. He bought a ship and captured Porto Bello. This city was a very important trading center. Morgan also captured Panama City which was the most important Spanish city. Henry Morgan was one of the most successful pirates ever because he captured many cities.

Privateers were pirates authorized to attack shipping by a government if it was not their own. When Spain discovered gold in the Americas, they forbade other countries to set up colonies to get gold. The only way other countries could take advantage of the gold was to attack Spanish ships. Therefore, they hired privateers to attack the ships. These pirates had to share the plunder with the government. That is the only difference between a privateer and a pirate. Pirates work for themselves and privateers worked for a government.

John Hawkins was one of the first English privateers. He traded slaves with the Spanish for a large income. In 1564, the Spanish said he could not trade slaves. Hawkins then attacked the town of Barbarotta. In response, the governor allowed him to trade slaves. In 1567, Hawkins sold slaves again. He made a large profit, but a storm damaged his fleet. He sailed under a Spanish flag to Veracruz. Hawkins made the Spanish buy the rest of his slaves. When he was leaving, some Spanish ships attacked and his fleet was devastated. Hawkins barely escaped. John Hawkins was not very successful, but he was one of the first privateers.

Sir Francis Drake is probably the most famous privateer ever. Drake was called the Dragon by the Spanish and was thought to have a crystal ball that allowed him to see enemy ships. Drake sailed with Hawkins on his last voyage. In 1577, he sailed to the New World on his own. He went to Nombre de Dios, an important port. Drake captured 30 tons of silver. Drake returned to England a hero. In 1577, he sailed to the Americas again. He rounded Cape Horn and raided towns on the Pacific. He claimed lands in California for England. Instead of turning back to England he sailed around the world. Queen Elizabeth knighted Drake. In 1585, he returned to America. He captured Cartagena and Santa Domingo, but disease made him return to England. Drake helped fight the Spanish Armada. After a long and illustrious career he died on his last voyage to the Americas. Sir Francis Drake was a hero in England and the devil in Spain, but either way he was a great captain.

Corsair was a name for all French pirates around the world, including French privateers. In 1513, Francis I of France ordered French privateers and pirates to attack Spanish shipping in the Caribbean Sea. Many people sailed to the Caribbean Sea. The corsairs sacked Havana, captured St. Kitts, Martinique, and Guadelope in the Lesser Antilles. The corsairs were successful pirates who weakened the Spanish empire by looting and plundering Spanish cities.

Montbars the Exterminator was a pirate that the Spanish will not easily forget. He sailed with the French navy under the command of his uncle. His uncle's ship was surrounded by the Spanish. The crew ignited the powder magazine rather than surrender. Montbars escaped and vowed revenge on the Spanish. He gathered buccaneers from around the Caribbean and sailed to Maricaibo, an important city in South America. Montbars sacked the city and sank one Spanish frigate, set another afire, and disabled a third. Montbars the exterminator was one of the greatest corsairs who sailed the seas.

Chevalier de Gramont captured one of the greatest loots in pirate history. De Gramont was a privateer turned pirate. He, like Montbars, sacked Maricaibo. The spoils he captured was estimated at $60,000,000. Chevalier also ravaged Campache in modern- day Mexico. De Gramont was a very auspicious pirate because his plunder was so great.

Montbars and de Gramont were not the only notable corsairs. L'Olonnois had a reputation for cruelty. Once when he captured a Spanish ship, he lined up his 87 captives and hacked off their heads. L'Ollonois also ate the heart of a captive. Ironically, he was captured by natives, ripped apart alive, and eaten. The Baron de Pointis was a privateer who sacked Cartagena. The treasure he captured was worth 100,000,000 pesos. There were many other corsairs who captured fame, riches, and glory.

Pirates are some of the most glorified figures in history; a successful pirate like Sir Francis Drake is an idol of many children. The pirates of the Caribbean were some of the most famous pirates of all, because they had many successful pirates and many different kinds of pirates. Buccaneers, corsairs, and privateers will live forever in legend. Buccaneers were pirates of the 17th century who attacked Spanish shipping. Corsairs were French pirates and privateers were pirates who were allowed by a government to attack ships from other countries. I leave you with one question, why do you think there are so many names for pirates?

Steele, Phillip. Pirates. New York: Kingfisher, 1997

Marrin, Albert. The Sea Rovers. Baltimore: Mclelland & Stewart Ltd, 1984

Kindersley, Dorling. Pirate. London: Eyewitness, 1994

By the editors of American Heritage. The Spanish Main. New York: American Heritage Publishing Co., 1961