The Golden Age of Caribbean Piracy

If we think about the phenomenon of piracy, probably a specific archetype comes to mind, characterized by attributes such as the beard, the peg leg, the hook or the patch. Beyond collective imagination, piracy was a much more complex practice, since this phenomenon was born out of necessity and led to an organized association with hierarchies, tasks, and a crew. This guild served as inspiration for literary and cinematic worlds, taking as its main reference the famous saga "Pirates of the Caribbean" starring Jack Sparrow.

However, the origin of piracy goes beyond fantasy, since the practice of plundering was increased by a series of needs and situations that would drive hundreds of men and, to a lesser extent, women to adopt this lifestyle, understanding piracy as a method of survival in such an important historical context, the so-called: Golden Age of piracy.

During the 17th century, Spanish colonial policy decreed that all territory west of the Azores and south of the Tropic of Capricorn, was Spanish territory. Therefore, anyone attempting to cross this demarcation would be punished with death (López, 2017, pp. 32-36).

Despite this condition, many settlements of English, French and Dutch people coexisted in the area, creating a rich population due to their understanding that this part of the Cayman Islands (Caribbean) was a good cover for prosperous trade with Spanish colonies. This need sparked a kind of clandestine commerce, or smuggling, which allowed a broad freedom between pirates and buccaneers who made fortunes through plundering or assaulting other ships.

Initially, these early settlers sustained themselves by hunting numerous native heads of cattle and wild pigs introduced into the island by the Spanish themselves. Later on, the meat was prepared and cured by the hunters who practiced smoking strips of meat to make leather.

With the meat and leather they would trade, supplying the rest of the population while maximizing their product. From this practice of smoking meat, known as "Boucan," came the French term boucanier, English buccaneer and Spanish bucanero, a term we use today to designate these pirates.

Many of the ships returning from the Western Islands needed to equip themselves with provisions. This was justification for a fruitful commerce driven by buying and selling smoked meat and leather.

Around 1640, merchants and new settlers would have settled on Tortuga Island due to its favorable location between the waters north of Hispaniola and Puerto Real (modern-day Jamaica). Thus, this island became key for theft and commerce with Spanish territory.

Tortuga Island was located on the northwestern coast of Hispaniola, separated from Santo Domingo by a channel. This island was nicknamed Tortuga due to its resemblance to this marine animal. Over time, it became a refuge for a dubious population, the seed of what would later be known as the terror of the West Indies.

At first, the Spanish did not give much importance to these foreign settlers and merchants but over time, Frenchmen and Englishmen doubled in number along with a high percentage of buccaneers who began hunting disproportionately, profiting from trading meat and skins.

Due to the Spanish discontent, a group of French hunters decided to venture across the narrow channel separating Tortuga Island from the rest of the reef. After their journey, they found a good port where they could establish themselves and strengthen their organization. This band of adventurers transformed into an organized group ready to take Tortuga and expel the Spanish from the island, making the French a new threat.

After colonization, they fortified the island which was now populated by men and women of dubious reputation, Tortuga Island becoming a place with first-class liquor stores and brothels.

For their part, the filibusters integrated into society adapting commercial customs as well as those related to business and trade. Near the end of the 17th century, filibustering increased creating a new problem since maritime commerce was affected by this coastal band (Rodríguez, 2022, pp. 6-9).

Thus, no ship wanted to trade in waters infested with pirates, so the sudden influx of Spanish commerce caused cities' riches to accumulate in fortified provinces and localities of Western Islands. Many of these war booties disappeared from the ocean making many pirates practice new methods of plundering on land.

In addition to this new attack system, the buccaneers established a series of laws and practices for the pirate community. Some were closely related to religion, society, hierarchy and wealth. This can be seen in several religious laws such as: no buccaneer could cure and prepare meat on Sunday, no captain could start his new voyage without first going to the house of God to pray, and all buccaneers had to swear upon the Bible against slander (Gosse, 2017, pp.52-63).

Some social laws established a clear hierarchy on board where crew members were required to deposit plunder obtained from raids in different piles so that the captain could make an initial selection and distribute according to work and skills of each sailor a portion of the treasure. If any member of the crew dared to hide part of the fortune, they would be punished, forced to walk the plank or left abandoned on some remote shore. Each buccaneer had at least one shipmate with whom they shared everything absolutely; in case one died, all riches and properties passed to their companion (Gosse, 2003, pp. 61-73).

Before starting a new journey, buccaneers and crew needed mandatory cargo of weapons, gunpowder and good supplies. On board, they had to examine where to direct the new coordinates with the aim of obtaining riches and abundant food. In many cases, pirates would plunder part of the food on land by raiding numerous corrals along the coast.

This practice was done at night when a group of specialized hunters would sneak into nearby stables and chicken coops to steal. To carry out this task, an agreement called "Chasse Partie" or the pirate code in Spanish was drafted. This regulation stipulated the election of captain after plundering and choosing a new ship (López, 2017, pp. 16-32).

The pirate community was extremely loyal to its members with numerous laws protecting the community as well as multiple punishments for theft, betrayal, revenge or disputes (Robersson, 2012, pp. 89-93).

All this code was made to board other ships and obtain some food for long voyages. Regarding the diet, a pirate would consume meat, beef (many of these buccaneers based their trade on leather and hunting) or turtle meat since it was easy to maintain thanks to salt preservation (Gosse, 2017, pp.37-42).

Each day they would prepare these meats on board with a specific method: first the meat was prepared and once boiled, the fat was removed from the pot and distributed fairly between the crew and captain. This meal was served twice daily. The meat usually accompanied the best drinks since liquor was allowed on board.

Conclusions

In this article, some of the most essential characteristics of the world of piracy are briefly addressed within a specific historical context known as the Golden Age of Caribbean Piracy. This period left an immortal legacy in naval history since during these centuries corsairs played a fundamental role in plundering. With that, this new community grew gradually thanks to the creation of new laws and codes which facilitated social coexistence.

The environment generated by the accumulation of wealth fostered this common practice on Caribbean islands where pirates, filibusters and corsairs made their activity a legacy for history and fantasy worlds primarily through cinema and literature.

Unfortunately, many fleets were eradicated making the Golden Age legacy come to an end. Despite this tragic conclusion, the figure of the pirate will always cause fear and amazement in current history considering many of their feats as legitimate and unforgettable.

Bibliography

Castellano Rodríguez, E.V. (2022). History of Piracy: Regulation and State in Criminology [Graduation Thesis, Universidad a Distancia de Madrid]. Institutional Repository of the Universidad a Distancia de Madrid.

https://udimundus.udima.es/handle/20.500.12226/1198

Gosse, P. (2017). History of Piracy (3rd ed.). Editorial Renacimiento.

Gosse, P. (2003). Who's Who in Piracy: Notable Facts from the Lives and Deaths of Pirates and Buccaneers. (1st ed.) Editorial Renacimiento.

Leeson, P., Villavicencio J.M. (Eds.). (2017): The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates Editorial Innisfree.

López García, S. (2017). Black Sails: The Golden Age in Caribbean Piracy. [Graduation Thesis, University of Barcelona]. Institutional Repository of the Universitat de Barcelona. https://diposit.ub.edu/dspace/bitstream/2445/120827/1/TFG_L%C3%B3pez%20Garc%C3%ADa%2C%20Sergio.pdf

Roberson, S. (2012). The Life of Pirates Told by Them, Their Victims and Their Pursuers (ed.). Editorial Crítica.