Contrary to popular belief, the life of pirates was strictly regulated. Gambling, fighting, drunkenness were prohibited on the ship. Failure to comply with orders was severely punished. For the appearance on board of a woman, the culprit was expected to be hanged. Those who arbitrarily left the ship or their place during the battle were sentenced to death or landing on a desert island.

When recruiting a team, the captain drew up a contract, which spelled out all aspects of joint fishing. Pirates were based on the islands, often creating a kind of "republic", the most famous of which is Tortuga. There was also an unwritten code of conduct on land that regulated the life of sea robbers. The pirates did not mint their money, preferring to use the loot, not only piastres.

The well-known pirate and writer Alexander Exkvemelin, who "earned money" by sea robbery in 1667 - 1672 in the book "Pirates of America", wrote that gentlemen of fortune help each other. If a pirate has nothing, he is supplied with what he needs, waiting for payment for a long time. The members of the pirate brotherhood were judged by themselves, considering each case individually. The captain of the ship was an inviolable figure, his power was absolute, as long as he did not make a mistake in the eyes of the crew, which could take their lives for it.

Equality and brotherhood did not extend to the division of booty. Team members who did not directly participate in the battle received fewer brethren. The owner of the vessel received half of all production. The captain was entitled to 2-3 shares, his assistants received 1.75 shares each; newcomers participating in battle for the first time were content with a quarter share. Moreover, at first the prey was put in a common pile. After that, the captain carried out the distribution, taking into account the need to have money to repair the ship, replenish stocks of provisions, gunpowder, bullets and nuclei.

The division did not concern trophy weapons - everything that you took in battle is yours. For severe injuries, compensation was due, about 400 ducats. The famous English navigator and pirate Henry Morgan diversified payments: the right hand cost 600 pesos, the left hand or right leg - 500 pesos, 400 pesos for the loss of the left leg, 100 pesos for the loss of the eye. In 1600, one peso was equal to about 50 modern pounds sterling. Medicines and medical care were highly valued. Even Blackbeard, merciless to opponents, got three doctors for his team.

Those who wanted to "tie up" with piracy had to pay the team 10,000 in any currency.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, ships from 62 countries of the world have been subjected to pirate attacks. More than a hundred groups are engaged in sea robbery. Why haven't they been defeated yet?

What kind of phenomenon is this - pirates in the XXI century? Why did Somalia become the base of modern pirates? Renat Irikovich Bekkin, senior researcher at the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, lecturer at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (U) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. He recently returned from a scientific trip to Somalia.

- Why did the pirates of the 21st century choose Somalia?

In fact, international sea robbery today takes place not only off the coast of Somalia. Gentlemen of Fortune from Southeast Asia, unlike their Somali counterparts, are extremely cruel. Compared to the pirates "working" in the Strait of Malacca, Somalis are harmless sheep, noble knights. And in the territorial waters of Indonesia, professional gangs are engaged in piracy. Do not disdain piracy and separatist partisans, as well as sailors and fishermen who have lost their jobs. Pirates are actively involved in smuggling activities.

But there are not so few poor countries in the world. In the same Africa. Why did piracy spread in Somalia? Indeed, since the beginning of the year, Somali pirates have seized over 30 ships. Are there any historical background for the spread of piracy in Somalia?

We can talk more about geographical than historical prerequisites. Ships going from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean and back through the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait cannot pass the Gulf of Aden and are a tasty morsel for lanky swarthy gentlemen from Somalia. Through the Gulf of Aden lies the path from Europe to South and East Asia, Australia. The aforementioned Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia opens up no less opportunities for pirates - one of the busiest sea routes. And the numerous islands scattered in the inland seas of Indonesia are a paradise for pirate bases. And in Africa, Somalia is far from the only place where pirates operate. Among the places of their greatest activity, I would single out the coast of Nigeria and the south of the continent.

- What makes people become pirates? Who is he, a typical Somali pirate?

Whatever we say about pirate romance, piracy is based on poverty. Let's not forget that most of the once unified state of Somalia is dominated by the leaders of various clans and tribes.

UN employees complain: they send a cargo of humanitarian aid to Somalia, but before it reaches its destination, it is intercepted by representatives of other clans left deprived of food distribution.

Most Somali pirates are young people who are unable to find good jobs. For them, piracy is shrouded in a halo of romance. The opportunity to get involved in an interesting adventure and at the same time earn huge money, comparable to the pre-crisis Christmas bonuses of top managers from Wall Street, pushes young people into the ranks of gentlemen of fortune. According to my information, among the pirates there are no immigrants from Somaliland - a de facto independent state in the north of the Somali Peninsula. Somaliland has been living in peace and relative prosperity compared to other parts of the once unified state of Somalia since 1991, and therefore the profession of a pirate is not very popular here. Most of the pirates come from the Majertan and Hawiye clans, from Puntland, a buffer quasi-state in the northeast of the Somali Peninsula.

Somali pirates try not to shed the blood of captured crews, they treat them humanely. And this despite the fact that the low level of medical care has taught people to be calm about the prospect of their own premature death or the death of loved ones. By the way, as one of the justifications for piracy, the Somalis cite the following argument: foreign ships use the territorial waters of Somalia free of charge, and the people do not receive anything from this. As for the Faina ship, according to information leaked to the media, it was transporting weapons destined for the rebels in South Sudan, that is, it grossly violated the norms of international law. If this information is confirmed, then we can say that some criminals captured others.

- And what about the Caribbean Sea, which is familiar to fans of Hollywood?

The Caribbean Sea, as well as the entire American continent, according to the notorious Monroe Doctrine, is a zone of US strategic interests. Therefore, the pirate industry put on a grand scale in this area has no chance to exist. Although individual pirate attacks take place off the coast of South America.

The picture of the capture of the ship "Faina" amazes the modern viewer. Somali pirates on boats and fragile boats board a huge ship, the side of which exceeds the entire flotilla of gentlemen of fortune by 6-8 meters. "Faina" could have accelerated, and the pirates would not have had a single chance to stop her, why didn't this happen? What are the latest pirate technologies from Somalia's filibusters?

When I traveled around Somalia, I met people who could very well be pirates. In ordinary life, they can be civilians, have a peaceful profession, and in their free time trade in piracy. Somalis are an amazing people, I have never met such positive people. The man has nothing but a ramshackle wicker house and a dollar a day's food, but he beams with a smile. Skeptics say that the reason for this is khat - a narcotic grass that Somalis chew without exception. You chew this cat, and it becomes fun and carefree in your soul. But seriously, the fact that the crews of the ships they seize, as a rule, do not put up any resistance to them, certainly gives confidence to the pirates. Because sea robbers act with lightning speed. They suddenly attack the ship and actively fire on it from grenade launchers and machine guns. But even in those cases when it is possible to neutralize the pirates, they are soon released. (Many experts believe that representatives of local authorities and the police are covering for pirates, because they share their booty with them. - Approx. Ed.)

Special attitude in Somalia to the Russians. In the 70-80s. in Somalia they built a local model of socialism, and good relations were built between our countries. Especially before the Somali-Ethiopian war of 1977, where the Soviet Union had to take the side of Ethiopia. Many Somalis studied in the USSR. I met them during my trip to Somalia. This is, without any exaggeration, a white bone, a layer of the most educated people in the country.

In July of this year, the UN adopted a document allowing the navy of a third country to enter the territorial waters of Somalia and stop the activities of pirates. Is there a force now capable of bringing order to Somalia and putting an end to piracy?

As recent events have shown, the Somali Sharia Courts Union has proven its ability to bring order and curb crime. But as soon as they managed to gain a foothold and begin the unification of southern Somalia, the United States intervened in the situation, which, through the hands of Ethiopia, prevented the unification process in the country. The US interest is to prevent the creation of a single and strong Islamic state in Somalia. Ethiopia is also not interested in the revival of Somali statehood. After the death of more than 130 UN peacekeepers and the loss of about $3 billion in 1993 during Operation Restore Hope, the world community has no desire to get involved in a showdown between clans.

On October 1, the ambassador of the virtually non-existent state of Somalia announced that the Somali government would soon recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia. How do you rate this step?

From a tactical point of view, this may be a good move, but from a strategic point of view, it is sheer stupidity. The motives of the leadership of Somalia are clear. It makes this gesture of goodwill in the hope of getting support from Moscow. If Somalia recognizes Abkhazia and South Ossetia, then the US will have no reason not to recognize Somaliland, where the Americans have certain interests. And then it will be possible to put a big fat cross on the unity of Somalia.

* By the time the issue was signed, we had no new information about the fate of Faina and the crew.

Pirate seizures of ships in the 21st century

According to the International Anti-Piracy Center, since the beginning of the 21st century, ships from 62 countries of the world* have been attacked in the coastal seas of 56 countries. More than a hundred groups are engaged in sea robbery.

According to the classification of the International Maritime Organization, modern pirate groups are conditionally divided into three types:

1. Small groups (up to 5 people) armed with knives and pistols. They attack ships in the harbor or the open sea, using the element of surprise. They rob the ship's cash desk and passengers, reload part of the cargo onto their boats and boats. The total number is from 8-10 thousand people around the world.

2. Gangs (up to 30 people), armed with heavy machine guns, machine guns and grenade launchers, often kill the crew of a captured ship, take away the ship and cargo. The total number is about 300 thousand people worldwide.

3. International organized groups seize ships with especially valuable cargo (today it is oil and oil products). They have modern satellite navigation and communication facilities, a network of agents, cover in power structures. Most often, tankers, bulk carriers, container ships are robbed. Sometimes they attack private yachts. In 2001, there was a scandal - pirates on the Amazon killed the owner of the America's Cup, yachtsman Peter Blake. Experts believe that from the stolen ships, pirate syndicates organized a shipping network with a turnover of about $ 5 billion a year.

The geography of action of pirates of the XXI century - the coastal waters of Asia, Africa, Latin America.

Main attack areas:

1. Southeast Asia and the South China Sea (Strait of Malacca, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand).
2. West Africa (Nigeria, Senegal, Angola, Ghana), Indian Ocean, East Africa (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Somalia, Tanzania).
3. South America and the Caribbean (Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Guyana).

The most "popular" place of attacks is the coastal waters of Indonesia.

The annual damage from piracy around the world is $40 billion.

Based on the materials of the annual reports of the International Maritime Bureau:

In 2000, there were 469 piracy attacks on ships worldwide
in 2001 - 344
in 2002 - 370
in 2003 - 344
in 2004 - 329
in 2005 - 276
in 2006 - 239
in 2007 - 263

The statistics on Russian vessels is distorted, since 60% of the ships sail under the flags of other countries of the world, that is, they are simply rented out together with the Russian crew.

* This figure is not definitive as many shipowners are afraid to report pirate attacks to the police for fear of retaliation from criminals, corrupt officials and coastal police.

Recent tragedies at sea

On January 15, 2008, the cargo ship Kapitan Uskov under the flag of Cambodia left the Russian port of Nakhodka for Hong Kong, but did not arrive at the port of destination. The crew of the ship consisted of 17 Russians, including 22-year-old barmaid Ekaterina Zakharova, who went on her first voyage. There were 4.5 thousand tons of metal on board the ship. The International Center for Combating Piracy joined the search for the ship and the crew, which disseminated information with its description around the world. Even if the ship has been repainted, its name and flag changed, it can be recognized by its individual characteristics. Hopes for success are low.

On February 1, 2008, off the coast of Somalia, pirates seized the icebreaking tug Svitser Korsakov, which was sailing from St. Petersburg to Sakhalin under the flag of the state of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The team consists of one Englishman, one Irishman, four citizens of Russia. For the ship and the crew, the thieves received a ransom - 700 thousand dollars. It was paid by the Switzer Weissmuller company, which owns the tugboat. Negotiations with pirates were conducted from February 1 to March 18, 2008.

How to fight

On November 16, 1994, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was adopted, according to which all states should cooperate to the maximum extent possible in the suppression of piracy on the high seas or in any other place outside the jurisdiction of any country.

In 1991, the International Chamber of Commerce established the Anti-Piracy Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

In California (USA) there is a training center for training specialists in the fight against sea robbers. He trains anti-piracy units for the navies of Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.

The Maritime Doctrine of the Russian Federation, approved by President Putin on July 21, 2001, notes: "Intensification of cooperation with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region to ensure the safety of navigation, the fight against piracy" is one of the directions of the state's activity.

At the plenary meeting of the State Duma on October 1, 2008, the chamber approved a protocol instruction to the Security Committee to request information from the relevant ministries and departments "on measures taken to solve the problem of international piracy, ensure the security of international trade routes, including jointly with other members of the international community" .

On September 23, 2008, Russia sent the destroyer Neustrashimy from the Baltic Sea to the coastal waters of Somalia. The Statement of the Command of the Russian Navy says that this was done "in response to the increasing cases of piracy in the region, the victims of which are also citizens of Russia." "Fearless" is not yet taking active steps, as negotiations are underway with the pirates.

There have been victories...

In 2005, the Seaborn Spirit cruise ship was attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia. They appeared unexpectedly on speedboats, armed with machine guns and grenade launchers, and fired at the ship.

The witty captain used an unconventional means of combat - an acoustic cannon. She stunned the pirates. The ship managed to get to a safe distance.

In May 2006, a real naval battle took place off the coast of Somalia: pirates opened fire on warships of the US Navy. The guided missile cruiser Cape St. George and the guided missile destroyer Gonzalez responded with salvos of rocket launchers. As a result of the special operation, 12 pirates were detained, including 5 wounded. The arrogance of filibusters who entered into battle with modern warships is striking.

Everyone knows about the pirates of the Middle Ages - everyone knows their romantic images in books and films. However, even today the problem of capturing merchant ships and crew for the purpose of obtaining a ransom or selling cargo remains extremely relevant. cruel and ruthless, and there is nothing romantic in their pursuits. How they look and what they do today - further in the review.

Somali pirates are perhaps one of the most famous and dangerous in the modern world. Piracy has flourished in Somali waters since 2005, after the civil war. Before that, most of the current pirates were ordinary fishermen. Banditry provoked overcrowding, poverty and lack of food. Given the availability of ammunition in Yemen, the men are armed to the teeth at a relatively low cost. Most pirates are young people under the age of 30, former fishermen or even policemen. Given the widespread alcoholism and drug addiction among them, Somali pirates often lose their adequacy and show particular cruelty. They rob not only fishing boats and private yachts, but even other pirate ships.

Pirates of the Caribbean have been plundering for centuries. But this is not the only and not the main source of income for modern pirates - the drug trade brings them even greater profits. And corruption among government officials contributes to the prosperity of illegal business. Caribbean pirates are no less dangerous than Somali ones - they do not disdain robbing shops on land and killing witnesses.

The Strait of Malacca between Sumatra and Malaysia is also considered unsafe for cargo ships. Pirate raids in this area account for 30-40% of all attacks annually. They act very quickly, attack the ship, transfer cargo to their ships, take money and personal belongings of crew members.

In 2000, piracy in Southeast Asia peaked with 242 incidents out of a total of 460 attacks in a year. However, in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, the government is making efforts to combat piracy, as the delivery of goods on cargo ships remains one of the main import and export methods in Southeast Asia.

One of the most convenient regions for piracy is Indonesia, which has about 17,500 islands. Indonesian pirates are armed with knives, pistols and grenades, they hide among the islands and always attack unexpectedly. Previously uninhabited islands have now become a haven for pirates, where they store their loot. And although the number of attacks here has dropped significantly since 2011, Indonesian waters remain one of the most dangerous regions for cargo ships.

Sea battles, treasure hunts, yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum - hundreds of stories have been written about the romance of a pirate life. Their canonical hero is an untidy fellow, one-legged and one-eyed, with a saber at the ready in one hand and a bottle of rum in the other. He is inseparable from his partner, a huge green parrot, who now and then makes dirty jokes. We decided to find out how far this stereotypical character is from a real sea dog.

MYTH 1:
Pirate - one-eyed, with a hook instead of an arm and a wooden leg

Amputation was a good "prevention" of gangrene and infections, and therefore pirates who lacked limbs did indeed meet. But the ship's medics - and often this role was taken over by a cook professionally wielding a knife - did not know how to cope with the bleeding, and the wounded often died from blood loss. Even having survived the operation, the patient without a leg was hardly a valuable member of the team - the pirate's maritime career was ending, and he, having received compensation, went ashore. Pirates with hand mutilations had a higher chance of staying on the ship. However, they did without hooks - there is no historical evidence of such a body mod.

The black eye patch was indeed used, not to hide the injury, but to ensure that one eye was always adapted to the darkness of the hold. Yes, and gold earrings, so fond of pirates from the drawings of Howard Pyle and Newell Wyeth, were worn for pragmatic reasons: for example, they could guarantee a decent funeral in case of sudden death.

MYTH 2:
parrots- eternal companions of pirates

Frame from the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"

The image of the parrot, the prompter of every captain, like most other myths, grew out of pirate novels: a motley bird accompanied Captain Flint on his voyages, and in the stories of Arthur Ransome, Uncle Jack's parrot chatted "a little more than a pretty girl."

In the 17th - early 18th centuries, a general fashion for exotic animals began in Europe, which was immediately noticed by enterprising sailors who met many tropical birds on the shores of Africa and the Caribbean. But they were transported in cages, because it is risky to keep a parrot on your shoulder - a feathered first mate does not always successfully control vital processes.

But the pirates willingly started cats: it was believed that they bring good luck. Multi-toed cats (with extra fingers) were especially valued - their extraordinary ability to "climb" helped to deal with ship rodents.

MYTH 3:
Piracy- lot of white thugs and runaway criminals

Artist: Howard Pyle

The crew of the pirate ship is mostly dark-skinned men, formerly slaves. Often, honest sailors in their early twenties also went to the pirates: the terms of the “labor contract” were more attractive than in the public service, not to mention the fact that during the Golden Age of piracy (approximately 1650-1730) the British fleet entered more under duress than willingly. Sailors, recruited against their will, received less than volunteers, and in the port they were even tied to the deck so that they would not escape. Coupled with tropical diseases, famine and the unforgiving elements, three-quarters of the sailors ended up on the ocean floor within the first two years. It is not surprising that they preferred an adventurous life among the sea wolves to an inglorious death.

MYTH 4:
- only men

There were also women among the pirates: Captain Zheng Shi gathered an army of several hundred ships and became a Chinese thunderstorm of the seas, and Ann Bonnie exchanged the calm everyday life of a wealthy planter's daughter for a pirate life full of adventures, becoming friends with another pirate, Mary Reed. However, women on board were not liked, and therefore they often wore men's clothes.

MYTH 5:
Pirates were obsessed with gold

Frame from the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"

The treasure map with the coveted red cross is another fantasy that grew out of Stevenson's Treasure Island. Real pirates highly valued soap, provisions, navigational equipment and medicines necessary for survival at sea: gold with gold, but no one wanted to go to feed the fish. If there was still a couple of pesos among the loot, the pirates immediately spent money in the nearest port on grog, a drink of a true corsair (and not pure rum at all!), And trouble-free young ladies.

If they managed to accumulate a lot of gold, the pirates did not bury it for a rainy day: the life of the sea wolf was too unpredictable and short to dream of a carefree old age. Only three cases are known when pirates hid treasures: Captain William Kidd wanted to use the location of his treasure as a trump card in negotiations, but failed and was executed; in 1573, Francis Drake built a temporary vault, unable to take away all the loot at once; the bloodthirsty corsair Roche Brasiliano split during torture, talking about his treasure. The rest of the pirates, if they hid treasures, then not for long, believing that they needed to live and spend money here and now.

Pirates, of course, are superstitious people, but half of the omens are the fantasies of writers. The black mark, which also migrated to the Pirates of the Caribbean films, was invented by Robert Stevenson. The mark foreshadowed the imminent deposition of the captain - it was received by Billy Bones and John Silver. Real corsairs, dissatisfied with the captain, solved the problem more quickly: they could well shoot the leader in a dream or send him overboard - the possibility of peaceful re-election was not always in honor.

MYTH 6:
Pirate ship- galleon under the Jolly Roger

Artist: Willem van de Velde the Younger

Colorful descriptions of rigging and sails, a carved helm and mermaid bas-reliefs are found in almost every pirate novel. In films, such details are rarely paid attention to, because filmmakers take the size - and giant galleons appear on the screens. In addition, it is not easy to place large-sized camera equipment on a small ship. Real pirates preferred maneuverable schooners and sloops for their voyages - in order to quickly appear and quickly leave with the loot.

At the top of the mast, a flag was always fluttering - but not always the canonical "Jolly Roger". Images ranged from an hourglass to a hand with a saber. And on Blackbeard's flag, a whole scene was depicted: a skeleton that held an hourglass in one hand as a symbol of the transience of time, and the other clutched a spear, ready to pierce a bloody heart.

MYTH 7:
Pirates were bloodthirsty thugs

Artist: Howard Pyle

There are many legends about pirate torture and executions. The most famous pirate execution, the "walk on the plank", although known since the 18th century, was not very popular with pirates. More often, captives were simply sent overboard to feed the fish or tortured: they were forced to run around the mast until they were completely exhausted, or burning candles were shoved between their fingers. But all this was done only when absolutely necessary, unless, of course, the captain was particularly cruel.

Myths about Blackbeard

Most of the legends are associated with the pirate Edward Titch, nicknamed Blackbeard. Despite worldwide fame, his career as a sea robber was surprisingly short - only two years, from 1716 to 1718 - and not very successful. Contrary to the legends, he was not bloodthirsty and was not insane. It is believed that Edward Titch set fire to his beard. In fact, he simply attached lit musket fuses to his hat.

They say Blackbeard had 14 wives. This is partly true - pseudo-marriages have taken place on the deck of the Queen Anne's Revenge more than once. But Mary Ormond was his only "real" wife - the young people were married under the auspices of the Governor of North Carolina himself.

The death of Blackbeard is also embellished: according to legend, his body swam around the ship three times, which, however, was not mentioned in the report of Lieutenant Maynard, who deprived the pirate of his head. And it’s hard to believe that after five bullet wounds and a couple of dozen stab wounds, a person can swim.

MYTH 8:
Motto of the Pirates- anarchy and robbery

Artist: Howard Pyle

Fighting, and in some cases gambling and even alcohol, were prohibited on board. The pirates were quite humane for their time: they often took care of the captives, and the booty was divided according to strict rules - all this was prescribed by the Code of Conduct in force on the ship. Yes, and on land, pirates gravitated towards self-organization: archaeologists found traces of small settlements in Madagascar, Tortuga and the Bahamas - they were not pirate states, but they guaranteed protection to the robbers.

Pirates spent a lot of time on land, with their families. There were benefits from the sea robbers: Captain Kidd helped with the construction of the Trinity Church in New York and even paid for the family bench, and corsairs supplied gold and silver coins to the cities of North America, as well as exotic food and luxury items that were in short supply.

MYTH 9:
The era of pirates is over.

Today, the damage from piracy is estimated at $13-16 billion. The current sea robbers, like their predecessors, rob, kidnap and mutilate their victims. The hottest spots are the Indian Ocean, East Africa and the Far East; they also wrote about a couple of cases on the civilized Danube. Instead of eye patches, there are now night vision goggles, and instead of sabers and hooks, Kalashnikov assault rifles and rocket launchers. There is even a pirate exchange in Somalia where pirates can buy the necessary equipment.

* * *

Everything we know about pirates is the product of the imagination of Defoe, Stevenson and Ransome. The image they invented supplanted the true story. But something related both real and fictional pirates: love for the sea and craving for freedom. True, one should not forget that this thrust claimed many lives - both the robbers themselves and their victims.

Pirates have been admired by the masses for hundreds of years. Idealized in fiction, the image of the pirate took on the form of a bearded, one-legged man with a funny hat and possibly a parrot on his shoulder.

The pirate was almost relegated to the category of a strange old hobby until Disney revived these thugs by turning the Disneyland attraction into a multi-billion dollar feature film. These films star Johnny Depp playing Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, or, as Robert Ebert once put it, "playing a drunken fagot with eyeliner, a plodding gait on land, and slurred speech." With all that in mind, in this article, we're going to take a look at ten amazing myths, facts, and misconceptions about pirates.

3. Pirates were part of the normal economy

In the serial film "Pirates of the Caribbean" pirates were literally immortal spirits who did not feel any need for the rest of humanity. There is a myth that pirates were outcasts and pariahs, but any criminal, both past and present, needs to sell their booty. While the pirates did seize gold and diamonds, these items were far from their only loot. Most pirates took whatever the ships could carry, such as water, food, soap, lumber, salted fish, and supplies for the New World colonies. Medicines were the most desirable prey.

Since the pirates needed somewhere to sell all these goods, there were many ports (both pirate and non-pirate) that encouraged trade with the pirates. Pirates were often supported by their home countries, as in the case of English privateers, and their "letters of marque" gave them the legal right to seize the ships of enemy countries. In this regard, they could legally sell their production in the ports of their country. Privateering, which was like a modern version of military contractors, “spurred the growth of cities along the Atlantic coast, from Charleston to Dunkirk. However, the pirates, who did not have the support of a particular country, also did not lack intermediaries and smugglers who took tons of salted fish from them and sold it in local markets.

5. Pirates wore jewelry to improve their eyesight

Those daredevils who, from solid ground, boarded a fragile ship in order to righteously sail the stormy seas, have always been a superstitious people. Bananas are forbidden on the high seas and are believed to bring death to all on board. Real sailors will always throw bananas overboard as quickly as possible.

Sailors are also superstitious about good luck charms. Black cats, which usually bring bad luck on land, are good luck charms at sea, and sailors often have a black cat on board ships. Some even force their wives to keep black cats at home to ensure a double dose of luck. Pirates are no exception to maritime superstitions. According to the Journal of the American Association of Optometry, pirates pierced their ears en masse in the hope that it would improve their eyesight.

7. Pirate ships were democratic

In films, pirates are often portrayed as mafiosi, the chief of whom controls the ship with an iron fist. In real life, pirate ships were surprisingly democratic microcosms. In the golden age of piracy, more than 100 years before democracy was established in America, sailors on legal ships were little more than slaves. The captain was in control, and things were even worse in the British Navy. The sailors lived in terrible conditions. Living conditions on the ships were so bad that the only way to get new crew members was through forced recruitment or kidnapping of innocent people in any harbor the ship entered.

This life paled in comparison to the pirate ships where democracy flourished. Pirates not only divided the loot among themselves, but also had the right to vote in everything. They voted on where to sail, whom to attack, what to do with the prisoners, and even on the expression of distrust and removal of the captain.

9. Pirate health insurance

Hundreds of years ago, sailing was difficult. Piracy, which involved strong resistance and rare loot, was even more difficult. If the pirates did not suffer from malnutrition or scurvy, they had to deal with the usual risks of the seven seas, such as storms and new tropical diseases. As criminals, they also had no military organization or state to rely on. Since the pirates carried out their activities together, they often helped each other in everything related to health. In the event of an injury on board a ship or during the hijacking of another ship, the pirates could count on each other in terms of financial support.

There was a group in the Caribbean called the Brotherhood or Coastal Brotherhood (mentioned in Pirates of the Caribbean). One of the most famous pirate captains of this group was Henry Morgan. Morgan offered the following compensation for injuries: the right hand was worth 600 pesos, the left hand was worth 500 pesos, the right leg was worth 500 pesos, the left leg was worth 400 pesos, and the eye was worth 100 pesos. In 1600, one peso was equal to about 50 modern pounds sterling, so the right hand was then valued at 30,000 pounds sterling. Even the crazed scourge of the Caribbean, Blackbeard, cared so much about his crew that he captured three French surgeons to provide medical assistance.

11. Pirates robbed not only ships

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a pirate is a person who engages in piracy or robbery on the high seas, that is, stealing from water. But being real vagabonds, the pirates were not limited to robbery at sea. When they had the opportunity, the pirates could also attack land targets.

There have been many invasions by pirates. One pirate commander, Edward Mansfield, led a pirate army of 1,000.

In 1663, she landed and launched an attack on the Spaniards, which became known as the Robbery of Campeche (now a city in Mexico). Pirate Henry Morgan led another pirate army 50 miles inland to attack Puerto Principe (now the city of Camaguey in central Cuba). If the booty was large enough, the pirates had no problem leaving their ships to plunder land-based mattresses.

13. Piracy was not a permanent occupation

In Pirates of the Caribbean, pirates were doomed to purgatory, forever sailing the seven seas, but actual pirates were less constant. Piracy was often seen as a way to strengthen one's position in mainstream society. People spent several years on this extremely dangerous occupation, and then they took their prey and improved their well-being and the well-being of their families.

At least that was the case with Woods Rogers (he's the dapper gentleman on the right in the image above). He sailed the world, plundering ships along the way. He even managed to save Alexander Selkirk, the Scottish sailor who became the prototype of the protagonist of the novel "Robinson Crusoe", written by the English writer Daniel Defoe. Returning home, he stopped piracy and became the governor of the Bahamas, and his pirate past did not prevent him from fighting local pirates. Of course, not all pirates became politicians, but many of them skillfully used their ill-gotten fortunes to secure a comfortable life in ordinary society.

15. Pirate trails

The modern word for pirate did not have a standard spelling even in the 18th century. In the historical archives, ocean robbers, or what we call pirates, were referred to as "pirrot", "pyrate" or "pyrat", which probably explains the association of parrots with pirates. Pirates burying their treasure was another artistic trope created by Robert Lewis Stevenson in his 1883 novel Treasure Island.

In the 1950s, the Disney movie of the same name also featured what we now know as pirate talk. For this film, Robert Newton, who played the role of a pirate in it, used an exaggerated version of the dialect spoken in his hometown. Pirates also lacked wooden legs, and the skull and crossbones flag was just one of many flags used in pirate history.