One of the biggest unknown facts about pirates were that the majority of them were actually authorized to do the raids and pillaging that occurred during this era. Truth is that more than half of the "pirates" from the 1600-1800's were actually known as Privateers. For those who don't know, a privateer was a private person authorized by their country's government to attack foreign shipping and trade.
Now, this doesn't mean that all pirates were legal thieves. About 40% of the pirates who sailed the Caribbean between 1600-1800 were malicious criminals. These pirates were ruthless, undisciplined attackers. They would not only rob their victims blind but they would brutally kill them as well. Quite the opposite of your lovely, romantic Johnny Depp.
Pictured on the left is Sir Francis Drake. Drake was a privateer licensed by the English government in the 1570's to attack Spanish shipping. He was also the first English captain to circumnavigate the globe. Drake was honorably knighted by Queen Elizabeth I for his brave and victorious raids. He is especially known for his raid of the Spanish ship the Cacafuego, which was loaded with gold, silver and jewels.
Now, this doesn't mean that all pirates were legal thieves. About 40% of the pirates who sailed the Caribbean between 1600-1800 were malicious criminals. These pirates were ruthless, undisciplined attackers. They would not only rob their victims blind but they would brutally kill them as well. Quite the opposite of your lovely, romantic Johnny Depp.
So, now that you know of the two true types of pirates who roamed the seas, let me give you two real-life examples.
To the right is a picture of one of history's most brutal pirates, Francis L'Olonnais. L'Olonnais was a French pirate from the 1660's. Just one of many outlaw buccaneers, but what set L'Olonnais apart was his viciously evil acts. Stories of his cannibalistic tendencies still circulate around today. L'olonnai would squeeze his victimes eyeballs out and has reportedly cut a Spanish mans heart out and gnaw at it like a mad man. His demise was ironically much similar to his vicious assaults, L'Olonnais was ripped to pieces and eaten by a tribe of cannibals.
The history of pirates is savage and greedy but that is only the tip of the iceberg. Just a shred of light casted onto the savagely wonderful truth behind the actual real-life pirates who once roamed this Earth.
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