Encyclopedia
Piracy is
robbery committed at sea, or sometimes on the shore, by an agent without a commission from a sovereign nation. One who commits piracy by engaging in robbery, pillaging, or plundering at sea is known as a
pirate. Seaborne piracy against transport vessels remains a significant issue , particularly in the waters between the
Pacific and
Indian Oceans, off the
Somali coast, and in the
Strait of Malacca and
Singapore, which are used by over 50,000 commercial ships a year. A recent surge in piracy off the Somali coast spurred a multi-national effort led by the
United States to patrol the waters near the
Horn of Africa to combat piracy. While boats off the coasts of
South America and the
Mediterranean Sea are still assailed by pirates, the advent of the
United States Coast Guard has nearly eradicated piracy in U.S. waters and the
Caribbean Sea. The
Jolly Roger is the traditional
flag of European and American pirates.
Antiquity
The earliest documented incidence of piracy are the exploits of the Sea Peoples who threatened the Aegean in the 13th century BC. In
Classical Antiquity, the Tyrrhenians and
Thracians were known as pirates. The island of
Lemnos long resisted
Greek influence and remained a haven for Thracian pirates. The
Latin term
pirata, from which the
English "pirate" is derived, derives ultimately from Greek
peira "attack, attempt", cognate to
peril. By the 1st century BC, there were pirate states along the
Anatolian coast, threatening the commerce of the
Roman Empire. When
Sulla died in 78 BC,
Julius Caesar returned to
Rome as a lawyer, prosecuted Sulla's supporters, and headed to the Greek town of
Rhodes to study oratory. Pirates seized control of the vessel in 75 BC, kidnapped Caesar, and held him for ransom. After purchasing his freedom, he assembled a small army which captured the pirates and
crucified them.
The Senate finally invested
Pompey with special powers to deal with piracy in 67 BC , and Pompey after three months of naval warfare managed to suppress the threat. In the 3rd century, pirate attacks on Olympus brought impoverishment.
Among some of the most famous ancient pirateering peoples were the Illyrians, populating the western Balkan peninsula. Constantly raiding the
Adriatic Sea, the Illyrians caused many conficts with the
Roman Republic. It was not until 68 BC that the Romans finally conquered Illyria and made it a province, ending their threat.
Early
Polynesian warriors attacked seaside and riverside villages. They used the sea for their hit-and-run tactics - a safe place to retreat to if the battle turned against them.
Middle Ages
After the
Slavic intrusions to the Balkan peninsula in the 5th and 6th centuries, the tribe of Nerentines were given in the first half of the 7th century the land of
Pagania, between
Croatian Dalmatia and
Zachlumia. These Slavs followed the old Illyrian pirateering habits and often raided the
Adriatic Sea. Already in 642 they invaded southern
Italia and assaulted Siponte in
Benevento. Their raids in the Adriatic increased rapidly, until the whole Sea was no longer safe for any travels.
The "Narentines," as they were called, took more liberties in their raiding quests while the Venetian Navy was abroad - like when it was campaigning in the Sicilian waters in 827-828, and as soon as the
Venetian fleet would return to the Adriatic, they temporarily abandoned their habits again - even signing a Treaty in Venice and baptising their Slavic pagan leader into Christianity. In 834-835 they broke the treaty and again raided Venetian traders returning from Benevento - and all of Venice's military attempts to punish the Marians in 839 and 840 had utterly failed. Later, they raided the Venetians more often together with the Arabs. In 846 the Narentines breached to Venice itself and raided its lagoon city of Kaorle. In the middle of March 870 they kidnapped the Roman Bishop's emissaries that were returning from the Ecclesiastical Council in Constantinople. This caused a
Byzantine military action against them that finally brought Christianity to them by the sword.
After the Arab raids of the Adriatic coast circa 872 and the retreat of the Imperial Navy, the Narentines resumed their raids of Venetian waters, causing new conflicts with the Italians in 887-888. The Narentine piracy traditions were cherished even while they were in
Croatia, serving as the finest Croat warriors. The Venetians continued, though futilely, to fight them throughout the 10th-11th centuries.
Saint Patrick was captured and enslaved by
Irish pirates. The
Vikings were Scandinavian pirates who attacked the British Isles and Europe from the sea.
In 937, Irish pirates sided with the Scots, Vikings,
Picts, and Welsh in their invasion of England.
Athelstan drove them back.
The ushkuiniks were
Novgorod's pirates who looted the cities on the
Volga and Kama Rivers in the 14th century.
Piracy in East Asia
From the 13th century, Japan based
Wokou made their debut in
East Asia, initiating invasions that would persist for 300 years.
Piracy in Eastern Europe
One example of pirate republic in Europe of XVI century was Zaporizhian Sich. Situated in the remote place of
Steppe it was populated with Russian, Ukrainian, and Polish peasants that run away from their feudal masters, outlaws of every sort, destitute gentry, run-away slaves from Turkish
galleys, etc. Remoteness of the place and rapids at the
Dnepr river effectively guarded the place from invasions of revengeful powers. The main target of the inhabitants of Zaporizhian Sich who called themselves “
Cossacks” were rich settlements at the
Black Sea shores of
Ottoman Empire.
Piracy in the Caribbean
The great or classic era of piracy in the
Caribbean extends from around 1560 up until the end of the
Golden Age of Piracy in the 1730s. The period during which pirates were most successful was from the 1640s until the 1680s. Caribbean piracy arose out of, and mirrored on a smaller scale, the conflicts over trade and colonization among the rival European powers of the time, including
England,
Spain,
Dutch United Provinces, and
France. Two of the best-known pirate bases were
Tortuga in the 1640s and Port Royal after 1655. One of the last famous pirates of the Caribbean was Cofresí: Roberto Cofresí Ramirez de Arellano . He was put to death for his crimes in
Puerto Rico at the Castle of San Felipe del Morro. His romantic legend inspires plays and songs on the island.
Famous historical pirates
Privateering
A privateer or corsair used similar methods to a pirate, but acted while in possession of a commission or
letter of marque from a government or king authorizing the capture of merchant ships belonging to an enemy nation. The famous
Barbary Corsairs of the
Mediterranean were privateers, as were the Maltese Corsairs, who were authorized by the
Knights of St. John. The letter of marque was recognized by convention—for example, the
United States Constitution of 1787 specifically authorizes
Congress to issue letters of marque and reprisal—and meant that a privateer could not technically be charged with piracy. This nicety of law did not always save the individuals concerned, however, as whether one was considered a pirate or a legally operating privateer often depended on whose custody the individual found himself in—that of the country that had issued the commission, or that of the object of attack. Under the Declaration of Paris of 1854, seven nations agreed to suspend the use of the letter of marque, and others followed in the Hague Conventions. One famous privateer was
Sir Francis Drake. His patron was
England, and their relationship ultimately proved to be quite profitable.
Pirate organizations
In the popular modern imagination, pirates of the classical period were rebellious, clever teams who operated outside the restricting bureaucracy of modern life. In reality, many pirates ate poorly, did not become fabulously wealthy, and died young.
Unlike traditional Western societies of the time, many pirate clans operated as limited
democracies, demanding the right to elect and replace their leaders. The captain of a pirate ship was often a fierce fighter in whom the men could place their trust, rather than a more traditional authority figure sanctioned by an elite. However, when not in battle, the ship's quartermaster usually had the real authority.
Many groups of pirates shared in whatever booty they seized, according to a complicated scheme where each man received his alloted share of the prize. Pirates injured in battle might be afforded special compensation. Often all of these terms were agreed upon and written down by the pirates. These articles could also be used as incriminating proof that they were outlaws.
Pirates readily accepted outcasts from traditional societies, perhaps easily recognizing kindred spirits, and they were known to free
slaves from
slave ships and welcome them into the pirate fold.
Such egalitarian practices within a pirate clan were tenuous, however, and did little to mitigate the brutality of the pirate's way of life.
The classical age of piracy coexisted with
imperialism. Imperialism required merchant vessels to transport goods and warships to protect the trade ships from pirates and privateers. Living conditions on the warships were horrible even by 17th-century standards; sailors were often fed rotten, maggot-infested food, frequently suffered from
scurvy or other nutritional disorders, and could be counted lucky to escape their service without a debilitating injury. Two life-threatening and omnipresent forces in the sailors' lives were the sea and the ship's captain. English captains were known to have been extremely brutal; the captain held a sort of sovereign power aboard his ship and many were unafraid to abuse that power. It is thought that the service of an English sailor during England's imperial reign is the most inhumane of all wartime duties to date. To fill the warships, officers would sometimes forcibly conscript or "press-gang" boys and young men to replace lost crew.
The horrid living conditions, constant threat to life, and brutality of the captain and his officers pushed many men over the edge. Possessing seafaring skill, a learned intolerance for absolute authority, and a disdain for the motherland they might have believed abandoned them, many crews would simply mutiny during an attack and offer themselves and their ship as a new pirate vessel and crew.
Commerce raiders
A wartime activity similar to piracy involves disguised
warships called commerce raiders or merchant raiders, which attack enemy shipping commerce, approaching by stealth and then opening fire. Commerce raiders operated successfully during the
American Revolution. During the
American Civil War, the
Confederacy sent out several commerce raiders, the most famous of which was the
CSS Alabama. During
World War I and
World War II,
Germany also made use of these tactics, both in the
Atlantic and
Indian Oceans. Since commissioned naval vessels were openly used, these commerce raiders should not be considered even privateers, much less pirates - although the opposing combatants were vocal in denouncing them as such.
Modern piracy
Piracy at sea continues into the present day. Partly because of the decline of the ability of European navies, especially the
Royal Navy, to project their power, piracy in recent times has increased in areas such as
south and
southeast Asia , parts of
South America, the waters of the
Indian Ocean and the south of the
Red Sea, with pirates now favoring small boats and taking advantage of the small crew numbers on modern cargo vessels. Modern pirates prey on cargo ships which must slow their speed to navigate narrow
straits, making them vulnerable to be overtaken and boarded by small
motorboats. Small ships are also capable of disguising themselves as fishing vessels or cargo vessels when not carrying out piracy, in order to avoid or deceive inspections. Also, pirates are often in regions of poor countries with smaller navies, and large trade routes. Pirates sometimes evade pursuers by sailing into waters controlled by their enemies . With the end of the
Cold War, navies have decreased size and patrol, and trade has increased, making organized piracy far easier. Piracy can be a branch of organised crime syndicates, or small individual groups.
Pirate attack crews may consist of 4-10 for going after the ship's safe , or up to seventy to seize the whole vessel.
Captured crew members are either killed, set adrift, or held for ransom.
In most cases, modern pirates are not interested in the cargo and are mainly interested in taking the personal belongings of the crew and the contents of the ship's safe, which might contain large amounts of cash needed for payroll and port fees. In some cases, the pirates force the crew off the ship and sail the ship to a port, where it is repainted and given a new identity through false papers, and/or the cargo is sold.
Modern pirates can be successful because a large amount of international commerce occurs via shipping. For commercial reasons, many cargo ships move through narrow bodies of water such as the
Suez Canal, the
Panama Canal and the
Straits of Malacca. As usage increases, many of these ships have to lower cruising speeds to allow for navigation and traffic control, making them prime targets for piracy. Modern piracy can also take place in conditions of political unrest or vacuum. For example, following the disintegration of the government of
Somalia, warlords in the region have attacked ships delivering
UN food aid .
Anti-piracy tactics include shining the search light on the boarding boat as it is coming to blind it, shooting the firehose at it, LRAD type noise weapons, use of flares as weapons, swerving to either create large waves or ram, and, rarely, having armed crew, though this is forbidden by international shipping laws. Shipping companies sometimes hire private security guards.
Modern definitions of piracy include the following acts:
- Kidnapping of people for ransom
- Robbery
- Murder
- Seizure of items or the ship
- Sabotage, resulting in the ship subsequently sinking
After the US retreat from Vietnam, many fleeing Vietnamese put all their valuables on boats and attempted to leave, and many were looted by pirates.
Pirate attacks tripled between 1993 and 2003. The first half of 2003 was the worst 6-month period on record, with 234 pirate attacks, 16 deaths, and 52 people injured worldwide. There were also 193 crew members held hostage during this period.
182 reported cases of piracy turned up worldwide in the first 6 months of 2004. Of these incidents, 50 occurred in
Indonesian waters.
The Piracy Reporting Centre of the International Maritime Bureau stated in 2004 that more pirate attacks in that year occurred in Indonesian waters than in the waters of any other country. Of these attacks, a majority occurred in the Straits of Malacca. They also stated that of the attacks in 2004, oil and gas tankers and
bulk carriers were the most popular targets with 67 attacks on tankers and 52 on bulk carriers.
In modern times, ships and airplanes are hijacked for political reasons as well. The perpetrators of these acts could be described as pirates , but in English are usually termed hijackers or
terrorists. An example is the hijacking of the
Italian civilian passenger ship
Achille Lauro was a passenger liner [i], most remembered for its 1985 [i] ...
.
Modern pirates also use a great deal of technology. It has been reported that crimes of piracy have involved the use of
mobile phones, modern
speedboats,
AK-47s, shotguns, pistols, mounted machine guns, and even
rocket propelled grenades.However, more primitive weapons such as knives, batons or boat-hooks are also often used.
Piracy in international law
Effects on international boundaries
During the 18th century, the
British and the
Dutch controlled opposite sides of the
Straits of Malacca. Some pirates carried on activities similar to armed rebellion with the aim of resisting the colonizers. In order to put a stop to this, the British and the Dutch drew a line separating the Straits into two halves. The agreement was that each party would be responsible for combating piracy in their respective half. Eventually this line became the border between
Malaysia and
Indonesia in the Straits.
International law
Piracy is of note in international law as it is commonly held to represent the earliest invocation of the concept of universal jurisdiction. The crime of piracy is considered a breach of
jus cogens, a conventional peremptory international norm from which states may not derogate. Those committing thefts on the
high seas, inhibiting
trade, and endangering maritime communication are considered by sovereign states to be
hostis humani generis .
Since piracy often takes place outside the
territorial waters of any state, the prosecution of pirates by sovereign states represents a complex legal situation. The prosecution of pirates on the high seas contravenes the conventional freedom of the high seas. However, as
jus cogens, jurisdiction can nevertheless typically be exercised against pirates without objection from the flag state of the pirate vessel. This represents an exception to the principle
extra territorium jus dicenti impune non paretur .
Other terms for pirates
Pirates who operated in the
West Indies during the 17th century were known as
buccaneers. The word derives from
boucan, a wooden frame used for cooking meat , used by French hunters called
boucaniers. They were semi-legal, attacking Spanish ships when France, England, and Holland were trying to gain territory on the Spanish Main. When these hunters became pirates, they took their name with them. The most famous person associated with buccaneers in the West Indies was
Henry Morgan.
Dutch pirates were known as
kapers,
zeerovers or
vrijbuiters , the latter combining the words
vrij meaning free,
buiter meaning looter. The word
vrijbuiter was loaned into English as
freebooter and into French as
flibustier. The French loan-word returned to English in the form of
filibusters, adventurers who became involved in
Latin American revolutions and
coups. It finally came to mean the disruptive parliamentary maneuver of talking nonstop.
Pirates are called
Lanun by both the Indonesians and the Malaysians who form the nations bracketing the
Straits of Malacca. Originally a culture of seafaring people, the Lanun name became synonymous with piracy in the 15th century. But the dedicated word for pirate in Indonesian Language is
Bajak. This word's etymology is not clear.
Wokòu were pirates who raided the coastlines of
China and
Korea from the 13th century onwards.
Pirates with commissions from a government are called
privateers or
corsairs. In modern Arabic the word is ????? from the Turkish
Korsan, which seems to have been derived from the European word.
Corsair comes from the medieval Latin
cursa, meaning "raid, expedition, inroad".
Pirates are also known as
picaroons. This term comes from the Spanish word
picarón, meaning "rogue."
Modern victims
- Environmentalist and yachtsman Sir Peter Blake was killed by Brazilian pirates in 2001.
- The American luxury liner The Seabourn Spirit is a German [i]-built 5-star cruise ship [i] that first sailed in 1989. ...
was attacked by pirates in November 2005 off the Somalian coast.
In popular culture
In popular culture, pirates are associated with a stereotypical manner of speaking and dress. This tradition owes much to Robert Newton's portrayal of
Long John Silver in
Disney's 1950 film adaptation of
Treasure Island is an adventure novel [i] by Scottish [i] author Robert Louis Stevenson [i] ...
. Many stereotypical pirates have accents which are apparently from
Cornwall, or
Bristol in England, or possibly based on the pronunciation of Elizabethan English. Popular interest in pirates rose again when the movie
was released, bringing more attention to the pirate bases of
Tortuga and Port Royal. Also, starting in the late 1990s, a Japanese manga and television show called
One Piece has also accelerated people's interest in the general idea of pirates. There are even
LEGO pirates.
In the 1990s,
International Talk Like a Pirate Day was invented as a parodic holiday celebrated on September 19. This holiday allows people to "let out their inner pirate" and to dress and speak as pirates are stereotypically portrayed to have dressed and spoken. International Talk Like a Pirate Day has been gaining in popularity through the Internet since its founders set up a , which instructs visitors in "pirate slang".
Pirates are reputed in several parody websites to be the sworn enemies of
ninjas although there is very little credibility to this claim.
Pirates also play a central role in the
parody religion of
Pastafarianism, established in 2005.
Pirates in sports
Because pirate ships connote fearsomeness, loyalty and teamwork, many professional and amateur sports teams are named "Pirates." The most famous of these is the Pittsburgh Pirates, a
Major League Baseball team that has used the nickname since 1891.
Other teams:
...
-
National Rugby League,
Australia 
