Privateer
:
For other uses of this term, see Privateer (disambiguation).A
privateer was a private
ship (or its captain) authorized by a country's
government to attack and seize
cargo from another country's ships.
Prior to the development of
international law among
European nations, there was no legal recourse for minor grievances. Privateering was a form of
covert operation used to resolve these matters without open
warfare. The government of a country provided a
letter of marque and reprisal to a shipowner that allowed him to arm his ship and attack other ships sailing under a particular flag. In return he received a share of the seized cargo, while the rest went to the government as payment for the grievance.
To the target country, a privateer looked very much like a
pirate (which at times privateers would convert to piracy), and indeed this was the intention. The only difference was that pirates were considered
outlaws by all nations, while privateers had
immunity from the country that commissioned them, and were considered as
prisoners of war if caught by other countries. Privateers were sometimes known as "gentleman pirates". Sometimes privateers would even be commissioned to hunt down other privateers, while some of the time, privateers would commit acts of piracy without being commissioned to do so if it fit the privateer's agenda.
European powers renounced privateering in the
1856 Declaration of Paris. Other countries (including the
United States) renounced it later under the
Hague Conventions (1899/1907).
The
United States Constitution authorized the
U.S. Congress to grant letters of marque and reprisal, as did the
Confederate Constitution. The
Confederates used privateers during the
American Civil War.
Britain also used them against the U.S. after the
American Revolutionary War.
General George Washington and the patriot leaders faced an enormous challenge in mounting a military campaign against the British forces during the American Revolutionary War. For soldiers, they drew upon existing state militias and also raised a Continental army. But no such source for a naval force existed. Instead, Washington's officers acquired the services of American captains and sailors by commissioning them as privateers, or private citizens authorized to attack a military enemy. Colonists had long experience serving as privateers for the British forces during numerous eighteenth-century wars against Spain, France, and the Netherlands. They now turned their skills against Great Britain. Andrew Sherburne's memoirs capture the youth's enthusiastic desire to participate in the military campaign against the British; many others were less enthusiastic about their military service due to its infrequent pay and poor living conditions.http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6236/
Privateering in the UK was formalized to the extent that most ships acting in the fashion were granted letters of marque and reprisal, which authorized them to do so. At the same time, British courts on a number of occasions would also prosecute those privateers who stepped outside the parameters of their operation, particularly if they attacked a neutral or friendly country's possessions or ships.
British privateers were quite effective because of the nature of their enemies, who had many outlying colonies (for example those of
Spain) that may have been difficult to defend against unexpected attacks. Spain and
France also had large merchant fleets that were often targets. In some cases, there was also a religious element, particularly in Sir
Francis Drake's case, in the context of the 16th century and conflict between
Catholics and
Protestants. British Privateers focused mainly on French, Spanish and
Dutch shipping and some US shipping during the Revolutionary War.
Probably the most famous British Privateer was Sir
Francis Drake, particularly so in that he had such close contact with the sovereign. He was responsible for much damage to Spanish shipping, as well as attacks on Spanish settlements in the Americas in the
16th century. He also was instrumental in turning back the
Spanish Armada from its attack on England.
Sir
Henry Morgan was one of the most famous of all Privateers. Operating out of
Jamaica, he carried on an audacious war against Spanish interests in the region, often using cunning tactics. His operation was prone to excessive cruelty of those he captured, including torture to gain information about booty, and in one case using priests as human shields. Despite reproaches for some of his excesses, he was generally protected by Sir
Thomas Modyford, the governor of Jamaica. He is probably most famous for the enormous amount of booty he took, as well as landing his privateers ashore and attacking land fortifications, including the sack of the city of
Panama with only 1400 crew.
Other British Privateers of note include
Fortunatus Wright,
Edward Collier, Sir
Johns Hawkins, Sir
Michael Geare and Sir
Christopher Myngs.
*
Barbarossa Khair ad Din Pasha*
Kanhoji Angre*
Jean Bart*
William Dampier*
Sir Francis Drake*
James Erisey*
Alexander Godfrey*
Jonathan Haraden*
Bully Hayes*
Piet Hein*
William Kidd*
Gödeke Michels (leader of the
Likedeelers)
* Sir
Henry Morgan*
George Colby *
Klaus Störtebeker (leader of the
Likedeelers)
*
Robert Surcouf*
Victual Brothers or Vitalians
* Edward Teach, or
Blackbeard*
Ephraim Sturdivant*
Hippolyte de Bouchard*
Colby Pirates*The Library of Economics & Liberty:
PRIVATEERING - 1899 Encyclopaedia entry.
*
Privateers in the American Civil War*
Corsari del Mediterraneo - Database about Corsairs operating in Mediterranean between 1100-1699
