Transcript The pirate’s life for me!

Piracy Into the
Golden Age
Types of Pirates:
Privateer: Legally pirated with
permission of a monarch.
Basic Pirate (plunderer): Illegal
criminal who attacked and
plundered (stole from) vessels and
coastal villages for valuables and
money.
Smugglers (criminal):
Transported illegal substances
or legal substances without paying
taxes on them (a popular choice
was rum and other types of liquor,
but could be any good).
*Many privateers became pirates, and
many pirates also smuggled.
Buccaneer:
– Boucaner: French term for
process of curing strips of
meat over a barbeque
– Buccaneers were thugs,
outlaws, and hunters of wild
oxen and pig on Hispaniola
– Eventually left island after
food shortages and being
pushed out by authorities:
took to the seas
– Term for pirates in
Caribbean region
Corsair:
– Pirates in the Mediterranean
and European areas
Fact or Myth?
• Did pirates have parrots?
– Sure. Monkeys were popular, too! Because
many pirates sailed through exotic places, they
obtained unique pets and possessions.
• Did pirates have peg legs and hooks?
– Yes, many lost limbs, but the hook was more
of a TV sensation. There are documented cases of pirates
sporting peg legs, but more often than not, a lost limb
meant you were unable to complete your duties and
needed to find another occupation.
• Did pirates use grappling hooks to swing from boat to
boat?
– Not typically, usually ships would launch the long boats to board
ships, but grappling hook boarding did happen occasionally.
– They usually didn’t swing from boat to boat; it was very dangerous
and they didn’t want to lose men through stupidity.
• Did pirates make people walk the plank?
– No, there’s only one recorded instance of this,
and historians are not even convinced it
actually happened.
• Favorite pirate weapons:
– Cutlass : short but practical (keeps out of ropes)
– Daggers were a necessity for eating, cutting
rope, fighting.
– Broadswords popular but heavy
– Rapiers: good for duels
– Boarding axes and pikes popular as well
– “Grenades”- These were simply containers
(metal balls, clay pots, glass bottles, etc.) filled
with powder and attached to a fuse that was lit
to cause an explosion. They were sometimes
also filled with scraps of metal or, in some
cases, foul smelling sulfur or fish gunk that
were expected to shame enemies or encourage
them not to fight.
– Guns/Muskets
Broadsword
Cutlass
Rapier
Boarding
Axe
Grenade
Pike
Flintlock
• Did they shoot silverware
out of cannons?
– Silverware, probably not.
Nails, chains, other bits
of shrapnel.
• Did they use a lot of guns?
– Yes, but guns were not
accurate. If they got wet
for any reason, they
wouldn’t work. Still,
most pirates carried
several pistols.
It’s all about the booty…
Practical and common plunder:
• Food and water supplies
• Cloth for sails and markets
• Spare parts and pieces for the
ship (masts, ropes, lumber, etc.)
• Slaves (to be sold or used)
The treasure:
• Reales or Pesos:
– Silver Spanish coins
– The “eight reales”
coin became known
as “pieces of eight”
• Escudos/Doubloon:
– Gold Spanish coins
• Ingot:
– Gold or silver cast
into a bar
*Fun Fact- Coins were
often not round because
they were molded in
strips, cut, and then
stamped.
Treasure recovered by Barry Clifford
from “Black Sam” Bellamy’s Whydah
The Pirate’s Life For Me!
Pirates became pirates for many reasons:
• Treasure! Gold! Jewels! Money! A quick way to make it to the
good life of wine, food, and luxury. Some forced into it after
pirate attacks—carpenters, surgeons
• There were few jobs for sailors during times of peace
• The drink and previous crime drove them to it
– John Archer, before his hanging in 1724, admitted that “strong drink had
hardened him into committing crimes that were more bitter than death to
him” (Cordingly 193).
– William White, before his execution on the same day, said that
“drunkenness had been his ruin, and he had been drunk when he was
enticed aboard a pirate ship” (Cordingly 193).
• Captains of merchant and military vessels were
cruel and pushed the crews too far! They were
treated better on the pirate crews.
• “I could wish that Masters of
vessels would not use their
men with so much severity, as
so many of them do, which
exposes us to great
temptations.” John Archer,
1724, before his execution.
• “It was such dogs as he that
put men on pyrating.” John
Phillips, 1722, at the trial of
the crew of Bartholomew
Roberts, regarding former
officers known to starve the
men.
• Edward Hamlin (crime
unknown, date unknown)
suffered flogging plus being
fettered for 8 days to the deck of
the ship
• Richard Baker (1734) became ill
on Europa and became too weak
to work on deck. The captain
forced him to spend four hours at
the helm, then a whipping, and
90 minutes of being tied to the
mizzen mast. He died a few days
later.
(Info taken from Cordingly, Under the Black Flag)
Pirate
families
• Most pirates didn’t have
families
• Henry Avery had a wife
and two kids
• William Kidd had a wife
and two “Kidds”
• Blackbeard had 14
wives—maybe.
• Most pirates didn’t have
time or were more
interested in “other”
women
Considered bad luck to
have women on board.
There were anywhere
from 30-200 male pirates
on a ship (depending on
size).
Pirate Flags
• Black = Quarter given (We’ll be “gentle”)
• Red = No quarter given (We’ll kill and possibly
torture everyone on board)
Typical skull and cross bones
flown by Edward England
Arm and sword flown by
Edmund Cook, Thomas Tew,
Christopher Moody
More Pirate Flags
Henry Avrey’s flags
One of Christopher Moody’s flags
Edward Low’s Flag
More Pirate Flags
Blackbeard’s flag:
Devil skeleton
toasting while
stabbing a heart
Calico Jack’s flag
Notice the resemblance between
this flag and the flag from
Pirates of the Caribbean
More Pirate Flags
How the Jolly Roger Got Its Name
(Theories):
•Jolie Rouge: Red or bloody flag
•Ali Raja: Famous Tamil pirate captain
•King Roger II of Sicily-Knight
Templar-first to fly a skull and
crossbones flag
•“Old Roger”: the devil
Pictured are two of
Bartholomew Roberts’s flags.
The two skulls represent two
Caribbean islands that fought
against Roberts
ABH=A Barbadian’s
Head
AMH-A Martiquian’s
Head
Pirates were democratic:
• They elected captains!
• The crew determined
the course of action:
– Fight? Retreat? Where to
go next?
• The captain made sure
the ship went smoothly:
courses, battle positions,
strategy, argument
disputes, money, etc.
Piratical
Democracy?
Articles and Contracts
“No prey, no pay!”
Pirates signed articles: contracts that
determine duration and compensation:
•Carpenter or shipwright: salary of 100-150 pieces of eight
•Surgeon: salary of 200-250 pieces of eight
•Captain: 5-6 shares plus a salary
•Master’s mate: 2 shares
•Crew: 1 share
•Any boys: ½ share
Honest about making sure everyone had their “fair share”—
those who lied or concealed: turned out of the company!
Compensation for Injuries:
•
•
•
•
•
Loss of starboard side arm: 600 pieces of eight
Loss of portside arm: 500 pieces of eight
Loss of starboard leg: 500 pieces of eight
Loss of port leg: 400 pieces of eight
Loss of an eye or finger: 100 pieces of eight
Buried Treasure and X-Marks the Spot!
Pirates rarely ever buried
their treasure.
• Most squandered their
shares with drink and
women.
• Some hoarded their shares
to live the good life, but…
There are three recorded
examples of buried
treasure:
• Captain Kidd
• Captain Stratton
• Sir Francis Drake
None were real pirates.
Kidd and Drake
considered themselves
privateers, and Stratton
just was a captain that
associated with pirates.
• “Black Sam” Bellamy
– Close to $400 million
retrieved (modern
value) from the
wrecked Whydah (just
one ship)!!!!!!!!!
• Blackbeard
– Captured more than 20
ships in pirate career
– After his fall, over
2,500 total, including
the sale of his sloop,
was collected.
*Figures from Cordingly
Artist conception of “Black Sam” Bellamy
A few other successes:
Truth
Blackbeard: Truth or Legend?
Invented persona of “Blackbeard”
to scare people
Had 14 wives and 40 kids
Buried massive treasures
Grew beard and tied it with bright
ribbons to aid in persona
Burned rope sticking from hat to
look fearsome
Chased down a British navel ship!
Buried treasure at the Isles of
Shoals
Carried 2 swords, 6 pistols, and
knives
Legend
Blackbeard!
• Was born in Bristol, England.
Possibly fought during Queen
Anne’s War (part of French and
Indian War fought on European
Continent).
• Possibly learned from famous
Pirate Captain Hornigold (who
also sailed with Sam Bellamy).
• Probably took Hornigold’s crew
and ships in 1777 after
Hornigold took a pardo
AKA:
---Edward Teach---Edward Thatch-----Edward Drummond---Edward Tach-----Edward Tash---
Blackbeard!
• Captured French slave
ship La Concorde and
converted it to Queen
Anne’s Revenge
• This was a big ship! 44+
guns! Also his main ship.
• Plundered many ships
(gained other ships and
wealth through piracy)
• Battled 30 gun HMS
Scarborough
Blackbeard in NC!
•Had a home near Bath, NC on an area of land called “Plum
Point” also called “Teach’s Point.” The remains of an old
house are rumored to be from Blackbeard’s home. The area is
visible across the bay if you visit Bonner House in Bath. He
retired with a pardon there, but his retirement only lasted a
few months. Then it became his pirating hub for awhile.
Teach's Kettle
• For many years, in an open field between Plum Point and
Bath Town, there was a round brick structure that
resembled a huge oven. A tale was told that Blackbeard
used this device to boil tar with which to calk his vessels.
As the legend grew, the structure became known as
Teach's Kettle.
Rumored to Have Been Friends with the Governor
• Blackbeard arrived in Bath sometime in June 1718, and
immediately received from Governor Eden the "gracious
pardon" of the Royal Proclamation.
• Eden also performed the wedding ceremony between
Teach and his 14th wife.
Killed by the British Navy in Ocracoke Inlet
Blackbeard’s gutsy move-Problem: 300 pirates in
his fleet and he wants
to retire…AGAIN???
• Ran aground in QAR on
shallows near Ocracoke
Inlet (NC)
• Summoned Adventure
to assist, which also
“got stuck”
• Blackbeard sent Captain
Bonnet and others to
receive a pardon
•While they were gone,
Blackbeard moved the
treasure from QAR to
Adventure and slipped
away.
Blackbeard’s Final Battle…
• British Navy sent Robert
Maynard after him
• Maynard lost one sloop in
shoals, but the other kept going
• Dawn, Thur. Nov. 21
Maynard catches up with
Blackbeard
Blackbeard shoots at, Maynard’s
forces
• Maynard’s men board and attack
Blackbeard’s ship
Blackbeard’s Final Battle…
• Blackbeard eventually
overcome: either shot by
Maynard or decapitated by a
Scotsman under Maynard
• Maynard tied Blackbeard’s
head to his Bowsprit and
sailed for home
• Blackbeard’s body: 20 serious
cuts and 5 shot wounds
• Legend: Blackbeard’s
headless body swam around
the boat several times after it
was dumped overboard
Printed from The Boston News
Letter:
…one of Maynard’s men,
being a Highlander, Engaged
Teach with his broadsword,
who gave Teach a cut on the
neck, Teach saying well done
lad; the Highlander replied, If
it be not done well, I’ll do it
better. With that he gave him a
second stroke, which cut off
his head, laying it flat on his
shoulder.
Women pirates
• Anne Bonny:
– Left her husband for pirate
John Rackham (“Calico Jack”)
– Had a child with him
• Mary Read:
– Raised as a boy, fought in land
armies and on ships
– Joined with Anne and Calico
Jack after her ship was
captured
• Both sailed and fought dressed as men
• Their ship was captured, the rest of the
crew wanted to surrender, but Anne
and Mary urged them to fight
• Both found guilty of piracy
– Both escaped hanging because of
pregnancy
– Mary Read died of fever in prison
– Anne Bonny’s and her child’s fate
are unknown
A few other lady pirates:
• Princes Alwilda (400AD)
– She didn’t want to marry Prince
Alf of Denmark
– She dressed as a man and stole a
boat with some friends
– When Prince Alf captured her, he
also captured her heart!
• Grace O’Malley (1500)
– Cut her hair short for sailing
– After her husband died,
“Granuaille” took control of her
family’s fleet
– “Grany Imallye” eventually
arrested
– Befriended Queen Elizabeth I
who let her go
• Mrs. Cheng (Early 1800’s)
– Perhaps the most successful
pirates ever!
– Nearly 1,000 ships in her
fleet!
– Harsh and cruel: stiff
punishments, no mercy to
victims
– China forced to hire ships
from Europe to help stop her
– Secured a treaty: pirates
walk away with plunder but
turn in boats and weapons
– More than 17,000 pirates in
her force
CREATE A PIRATE PERSONA!
In this unit, you will be creating an imaginary pirate
persona that is based on real facts you learn from this
PPT and research online. You are a pirate who sails
in the waters off of the coast of NC. The barrier
islands are treacherous, but also provide you with
many protected inlets and sounds to hide your ship if
you know how to navigate them correctly.
Follow the prompts on each of the following slides.
You will be given several quests to complete.
PERSONA BASICS:
Please put your answers in RED.
What is your name?
What type of pirate are you? (Remember, it can be more than one).
Who were you before you became a pirate? Did/do you have family? Explain.
Why did you become a pirate?
What do you look like? (Be specific: Describe any wounds/telling scars)
What do you wear on a typical day?
Do you have a pet? If so, what is it?
What weaponry do you prefer to wear and why?
What type(s) of ship(s) do you captain?
What were they before they became your ships? (Royal navy vessels? Slave ships?
Merchant ships?) Tell for each ship.
What did you rename your ship/ships?
What weaponry is/are your ship(s) outfitted with? (If your ship(s) carry cannon,
explain how many).
How did you get your ship(s)? Tell the brief story of how you attained each of
your vessels.
What do you prefer to smuggle/plunder? OR which monarch are you a privateer
for?
How do you approach an attack on other ships? Describe how you
lure/trick/attack,etc.
Quest 1:
Every good pirate knows that the sight of the
“Jolly Roger” incites fear in the heart of any
seafarer. You want your victims to be able to
see YOUR flag and immediately know it is you.
On a separate sheet of drawing paper, create a
COLORED flag for your fleet. In a PARAGRAPH at
the bottom, explain the symbolism of your flag
(remember that colors can have symbolism as
well)!
Quest 2:
You have your ships careened (beached) on a hidden sandbar in
order to conduct routine repairs after an attack. With time on
your hands, you wander into the town of Bath, NC. Bath is a
pirate friendly town, and its governor has been known to “look
the other way” or offer pardons to captured pirates. One of the
tavern owners collects REWARD and WANTED posters to put on
display, and you find it entertaining to see your
accomplishments and those of your pirating pals listed on them.
The more money offered for you, the more effective a pirate you
have become!
On a Word document, name 5 of your pirate friends. Next to
each name, list the accomplishments/crimes you saw on their
poster. *Remember, these MUST be pirates that sailed off the
coast of NC. You will need to use the internet along with the
PowerPoint to research this. (Drop as your name, pirates)
Quest 3:
Create Your Legend
Every pirate tale is a mix of fact and legend.
Hyperbole and fantasy are rife in pirate tales.
On a Word Doc, create YOUR pirate legend. This
is a legend full of exaggeration and excitement
that documents one of your adventures as a
pirate. This legend should be titled “The Legend
of (insert your persona here)” It should be at
least 1 page long, and be told in a 3rd person
storytelling fashion.