“Fifteen people for a dead man's chest, yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum! A thousand devils, whistle everyone upstairs! - so, according to many, the pirates communicated with each other. At the same time, in one hand the pirate had a bottle of rum, in the other a woman, with one eye he followed the game of dice, and he did not have the other at all.
Maybe some pirates had a green parrot on their shoulder who knew a couple of swear words, maybe someone had a wooden leg or one eye, but the pirate life is the exact opposite of the drunken chaos that is associated with it.
Each pirate ship had its own code on board, which was signed by all crew members before the ship was launched. And it was not just a piece of paper with a couple of prohibitions, but a real set of rules, one can say that this set characterized the pirates as valiant and fair. True, not in relation to merchant ships.
A complete set of rules for any of the captains has not come down to us, but there are excerpts from the code that was compiled by Sir Bartholomew Roberts, for his own - Black Bart, or the author was the equally famous pirate John Phillips - the captain of the ship "Avenger".
1. Each of the team members has equal decision-making rights, an equal share of the booty and is free to use this share as he pleases, unless the team experiences hunger or other deprivation.
By the way, pirate codes are considered one of the brightest examples of people's democracy. Everyone on the ship was equal. The captain was chosen by voting, like a headman in a school, they pulled their hands. At any time, the captain could be removed from his post and a new one chosen.
2. Each member of the team must contribute a share to the total production and then has the right to participate in its division.
Regarding the division of the booty, everything was strict, but honest. The captain received twice as much as an ordinary sailor, and in general the share depended on the degree of responsibility of the pirate, which lay on him. The division was in charge of the quartermaster. This is the second person on the ship after the captain, his assistant. He was also chosen by vote and was often a counterbalance to the captain in order to maintain a balance of justice. The quartermaster had a considerable responsibility, he monitored the condition of the ship and the situation on it, decided what to take from the trophies, what not, what to leave to the team, what to sell, which ships to pick up, which to bury on the seabed. Appraiser, economist, secretary - all this is a quartermaster. Anybody who was not trusted to share the loot. By the way, the pirates with severe injuries were the first to receive a share, for the loss of an arm or leg they paid extra from the common boiler. Everything was fair, in general.
The romantic picture of how, at sunset, under the palm trees, the pirates divide the stolen gold from the chest, crumbles to smithereens, because this could not be. The main booty was usually goods such as sugar, gunpowder, cereals, rum, fruits and textiles. Therefore, at first, some Black Pearl sailed to the port, where the crew sold everything that the quartermaster distributed for sale, but after that they divided the money. The code provided for all expenses: a carpenter, fresh water, food, rent a ship, and even a surgeon.
Rum is a different story. The holds were always filled with this drink, but this does not mean that the pirates drank it without knowing the measure. Firstly, rum was needed to quench thirst, secondly, to give courage in battle, and thirdly, they drank it for fun. But few and rare. For example, Black Bart did not like alcohol at all, although he was a real pirate, because in three years of sailing he robbed almost 500 ships. A real thunderstorm of the seas.
3. Drunkenness is prohibited on the ship. Punishment - 40 blows with rods.
This point was not because the captain did not want to share rum, but because a sober crew should steer the ship. Pirates had to be always ready, because at any moment they could stumble upon good prey.
4. If one of the team hits the other, then the offender is punished in the form of 40 blows with rods.
One point follows from the other, a sober team - no fights. After all, pirates are wayward, quick-tempered people, and rum, as you know, warms up blood and ardor. Senseless fights were punished with rods, but duels were allowed as a noble solution to the dispute, but even here there were rules.
5. Fights on the ship are prohibited, duels with swords or pistols can only take place on the shore.
Pirates punished not only with rods, there were punishments much worse.
6. If any of the team shows cowardice, tries to hide part of the common booty from others or tries to escape, the team must land the culprit on a desert island with a bottle of gunpowder, a bottle of rum, a bottle of fresh water and a loaded pistol.
7. If any of the team is found to be stealing or foul play, he must be landed on a desert island with only a loaded pistol.
"Pirate, landed on a desert island" Artist G.Pyle
But not always a pirate died from such an execution, so such an item appeared.
8. If a person, a sailor or a pirate is found on a desert island, he must sign this agreement, but only with the consent of the entire crew and the captain.
By the way, gambling for money was also prohibited on board. And on some courts it was even forbidden to use foul language. The code contained not only rules of conduct and communication between team members, but also attitudes towards cargo and personal belongings.
9. Whoever fires a pistol, smokes a pipe, or lights a candle near the ship's gunpowder stores will be punished with 40 lashes.
10. Anyone who does not keep his weapons clean or does not perform the assigned ship's work, forfeits his share of the total booty, even if it be the captain himself.
As you know, a pirate without love for a woman is not a pirate. So there were also several rules on the topic of relationships with a woman, some of them show that the fair sex was still treated with respect.
11. Women and children are forbidden to be on the ship, if someone changes the clothes of a woman and takes her to the ship, he will be sentenced to death.
12. If anyone tries to take possession of a woman without her consent, he will be sentenced to death.
Well, a little more about behavior in battle.
13. Anyone who leaves the ship during the battle will be executed or landed on a desert island.
14. Pistols, sabers and other weapons must be kept clean and ready.
The pirate ship even had a daily routine.
15. Lights and candles must be extinguished at eight o'clock in the evening.
This, of course, is not the entire pirate code, but only a small part of it. But a real pirate had to comply with all of his points. After each signed the code, he would swear an oath, and while his hands were either on the Bible with a gun, or on a human skull, or the pirate had to swear this oath while sitting on a cannon.
The Pirate Code is an important historical document that proves not only the nobility, justice and, in some way, honesty of pirates, but also indicates that people with almost complete freedom of action can create their own society, which will work harmoniously for themselves, where everyone will get what they deserve. Either doubloons or a bullet.
The opinion that anarchy reigned among the pirates is erroneous. The life of pirates was subject to certain laws - the pirate code, the requirements of which had to be strictly followed. Each of the sailors put his signature under the agreement, which was concluded between all members of the team. The most respected and experienced sailor was elected to head it, who acted as captain and was also obliged to adhere to the rules defined by the agreement.
In many ways, a piracy agreement resembled a letter of marque. Here is one example of a real-life piracy agreement drawn up by members of John Philips' crew aboard the Avenger:
Each of the team members has equal decision-making rights, an equal share of the booty, and is free to use this share as he pleases, unless the team experiences hunger or other deprivations.
Each team member must contribute a share to the total production and then has the right to participate in its division. Whoever tries to hide part of the captured will be landed on a desert island.
Playing cards or dice for money is prohibited.
Lights and candles must be extinguished at eight o'clock in the evening. If anyone wants to continue drinking alcohol, then he should do so only on the upper deck.
Pistols, sabers and other weapons must be kept clean and ready.
Women are not allowed on the ship. Anyone who escorts a woman onto the ship will be executed.
Anyone who leaves the ship during the battle will be executed or landed on a desert island.
Fights on the ship are prohibited, duels with swords or pistols can only take place on the shore.
If someone decides to leave the team, then he must pay a ransom at the rate of a thousand doubloons for each of the remaining ones.
Each member of the team must obey the requirements of this agreement. Everyone is entitled to their own share of the total booty. The captain and quartermaster receive a double share. The boatswain, the gunner and the owner of the ship receive one and a half shares, the assistant, the carpenter and other officers receive a share and a quarter.
If any of the team shows cowardice, tries to hide part of the common booty from others or tries to escape, the team must land the culprit on a desert island with a bottle of gunpowder, a bottle of rum, a bottle of fresh water and a loaded pistol.
If any of the team is found to be stealing or foul play, they must be dropped off on a deserted island with only a loaded pistol.
If a person, a sailor or a pirate is found on a desert island, he must sign this agreement, but only with the consent of the entire crew and the captain.
If one of the team hits the other, then the offender is punished in the form of 40 blows with rods.
Whoever fires a pistol, smokes a pipe, or lights a candle near the ship's gunpowder stores is punished with 40 lashes.
Anyone who fails to keep their weapons clean or fails to carry out assigned ship work forfeits their share of the total loot, even if it is the captain himself.
If any member of the team loses an arm to the elbow, he is paid compensation of 400 ducats. If the arm is not up to the shoulder, the compensation is doubled. If a knee-deep leg is lost, 400 ducats are paid out of the total booty, if the leg is completely cut off, then the amount is doubled.
If anyone tries to take possession of a woman without her consent, he will be sentenced to death.
Divide the booty
Depending on the situation, the division of prey could occur in various proportions. If the captain acted under the guise of a letter of marque, he was obliged to pay a commission to the state in the amount of 10 to 90% of the production, for example, according to the rules of Queen Elizabeth, the production was divided at the rate of 50/50. The rest of the booty was divided into parts among the members of the team. Each part was called an action. The captain was usually entitled to two shares, the most important members of the team: the quartermaster - 1 3/4, the rest of the officers (ship owner, carpenter, boatswain, gunner) 1 1/4 shares each. The rest of the team members received a whole promotion, newcomers - 1/4. Members of the boarding team received an additional 1/4 share as a bonus. This division of booty concerned goods and gold, but the weapon belonged to the one who took possession of it in battle and was not subject to redistribution.
One of the most interesting topics regarding piracy is pirate code. On board the pirate ship, in a certain sense, equality reigned. Pirates were a kind of elite compared to other thieves and bandits. This behavior was a direct reaction to the lack of rights that many pirates experienced in their own skin when they were still sailing as ordinary sailors on merchants or serving in the navy. Historian Paul Gilbert notes: " Nearly a hundred years before the American and French Revolutions, an experiment in introducing egalitarian democracy was staged aboard hundreds of pirate ships.«.
Justice and equality were the motto of pirate life. Everyone got a fair share of the booty, and everyone on the ship was equal.
True, in exchange for this freedom, all pirates were bound by the code, and those guilty of violating it faced severe punishment, and sometimes death. In his book " History of piracy Angus Konstam cites Roberts' "Black Bart" pirate code as a typical example:
- Everyone should have an equal voice in all day-to-day decisions. Everyone must at all times have equal access to provisions and alcohol, and may use them for his own purpose, unless there suddenly arises a shortage of them and there is no need for economy.
- Everyone has the right to freely get acquainted with the list of prizes available on board. But if he hides at least one dollar from the crew in the form of silver and gold dishes, jewelry or coins, he will be landed on. If one member of the crew steals anything from another, his nose and ears will be cut off and he will be put ashore, where he will no doubt have to face great difficulties.
- It is forbidden to play dice and cards for money.
- Extinguishing lamps and candles should take place at eight in the evening, and if someone from the team wants to drink after this hour, he should do it on deck in the dark.
- Each must keep his pistols and cutlasses clean and always ready for battle.
- There must be no boys or women on board. If someone from the crew is seen forcing the latter to sexual relations, and then in disguise brings her to the ship, he is subject to death.
- Anyone who leaves the fight during the battle will be punished by death or landed on a desert island.
- No one can kill another person on board the ship, the quarrel must be resolved on the shore by a duel with pistols or sabers.
- No one can even talk about changing this way of life until his share is £1,000. Anyone who becomes crippled during service, loses an arm or leg, will receive a total treasury of eight hundred coins, and for a lighter injury, respectively, less.
- The captain and quartermaster each receive two shares of the prize; boatswain and senior gunner - one and a half; the rest of the officers - one at a time; privates - a share for each.
- The legal day for the rest of the musicians is Saturday, on other days - only with the permission of the team.
If a pirate was badly wounded, the crew would be given compensation on a sliding scale, depending on the severity of the wound. Exquemelin, in his book "Pirates of America", writes that the highest compensation - 600 coins - was given for the loss of the right hand; the left arm or right leg cost 500 coins each; left leg - 400; eye - 100 coins.
The Pirate Code or Articles of Agreement is a code of conduct for pirates. Their codes were written by Henry Morgan, George Lauter, Bartholomew of Portugal, Bartholomew Roberts and other captains. Before the code came into force, each member of the team had to sign it. After that, the rules were placed in the most prominent place.
Four complete or nearly complete pirate codes have survived. First published in 1724, Henry Morgan's Code of Pirates is preserved thanks to the book of Alexander Exquemelin, which he wrote in 1678 while traveling the seas and oceans with American pirates. There were a lot of codes, but not so many of them survived, because the pirates burned any reminders of him before being captured to prevent the possibility of using the code against them in court.
Henry Morgan Code
I. Everyone has the right to vote during decision-making; each has equal ownership of the team's booty. Also, a team member has an equal share in the stock of liquors seized during work, and can use it for his own pleasure, if at the moment the team does not experience a shortage in a particular resource.
II. Everyone has the right to receive their share in turn. If a team member steals the property of another team member, then in case of proof of guilt, the victim has the right to publicly cut off the ears or nose of the robber.
III. No one on board the ship is allowed to play cards or dice for money.
IV. At night, torches or candles may not be used on board the ship. If anyone wants to drink, he must do so on the open deck.
V. Keep your blade, pistols and dagger clean and check them regularly for cleanliness.
VI. Women and children are not allowed on board. If someone, for the purpose of satisfying the flesh, brings a woman in disguise on board, he will be punished by death.
VII. Desertion from a ship is punishable by death.
VIII. No disputes on board. If you want to resolve a controversial issue, then you need to wait for the descent ashore and resolve the issue with a blade pistol. During the duel, a representative of the captain is present, who places the duelists back to back. On command, the opponents take ten steps, turn around and fire a shot. If both miss, then blades are given. The duel ends after the appearance of the first blood.
IX. A pirate is forbidden to show off his scars and lost limbs.
X. The captain and quartermaster receive two shares of the jackpot, the helmsman, boatswain, and gunner - one and a half shares, others not ordinary receive one and a quarter shares.
XI. The musicians have the right to rest every Saturday evening, the rest of the time the permission of the captain is required.
Captain John Phillips just as Henry Morgan set the code for his crew in 1724:
I. The captain has one and a half shares of the jackpot, the helmsman, the carpenter, the boatswain and the gunner each receive one and a quarter shares.
II. If a pirate betrays the crew, tries to desert, or hides a secret, then he must be landed on a desert island with one bottle of gunpowder and one bottle of water. The traitor's hand is shot in parting.
III. If on board one pirate commits theft from another, he must be landed and killed.
IV. If a crew member sees a person on a desert island, then he is forbidden to contact him. He must convey this information to the captain. The captain decides on the fate of this man. (In most cases, a person was left on the island, because he was left there by another ship, for some kind of crime)
V. If a pirate, for no reason, strikes another, then the law of Moses comes into force. The law of Moses states that for such an act, the offender is punished with 40 blows with a rod on his bare back.
VI. A person who smokes, uses candles, near gunpowder, lights torches and candles on board at night, must be punished, as in the previous paragraph.
VII. If a pirate does not keep his weapons clean, the captain has the right to deprive him of part of the reward.
VIII. If a pirate is wounded in battle, he is paid 400 pesos; if he loses a limb, he is paid 800 pesos.
IX. Anywhere, at any time, if you have witnessed an attempt to rape a lady, then you are obliged to punish the rapist with death from the blade.
Pirate Codes of Pirates Edward Lowe and George Lowther
I. The captain is entitled to two shares of the sum; quartermaster one and a half shares; the doctor, helmsman, gunner and boatswain are entitled to one and a quarter shares.
II. Any illegal weapons, collusion and secrets are prohibited on board. Violations of the rule are punishable by death, the method chosen by the captain.
III. A pirate is punished for cowardice during battles. The captain chooses the punishment.
IV. All gold, jewelry, silver and other valuables and resources hidden from the team are confiscated. The culprit is punished by the captain.
V. For cheating during games of cards or dice, the culprit is punished by deprivation of a share.
VI. Those who lose a limb in combat receive compensation of 600 pesos. He also has the right to remain on board if he can benefit the team.
VII. Loyalty to the team is rewarded with an additional quarter share.
VIII. Those who wish to join the team must have a pistol and a short blade.
IX. Being intoxicated during a planned attack is punished by the captain of the ship.
John Howe Pirate's Code
The following set of rules was written by the pirate John Howe in his own hand and was found aboard his ship in 1729, when he went ashore and the crew was captured. The code reads as follows:
I. Each must obey his captain in every respect, as if the ship were his own.
II. No one except the captain has the right to dispose of the ship, but everyone has the right to an equal share.
III. Insult and foul language on the ship is punishable by death.
IV. No one has the right to leave the ship while the ship is about to go to sea.
V. During the eight hours of the night, the use of fire for lighting and the consumption of alcohol on board the ship is prohibited.
VI. Anyone who doubts the points of this code deserves death.
Also, I would like to bring a few additional points from the Henry Morgan code.
I. Kush is divided after the replenishment of the ship's supplies. No loot - no pay.
II. The salary of a carpenter or ship's fixed - 200 pesos. The doctor's salary is 250 pesos.
III. Compensation is given to maimed and mutilated pirates.
Loss of the right hand six hundred pesos, or six slaves;
Loss of the left arm five hundred pesos, or five slaves;
Loss of the right leg five hundred pesos, or five slaves;
Loss of the left leg four hundred pesos or four slaves,
Loss of an eye a hundred pesos or one slave
Loss of a finger one hundred pesos or one slave.
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Pirate code.
Compiled by Morgan and Bartholomew at the dawn of the great era of filibusters, the pirate code is a collection of "recommendations" revered by all "gentlemen" to help resolve disputes and do without massacre. One of the key articles contained in its pages is the right to negotiate, which has allowed many sea robbers to bargain for their freedom instead of taking a short walk on an even shorter plank. The Pirate Code is rarely consulted: the provisions of this book are usually passed down orally, since only a few pirates can read anyway.
In the care of Captain Teague.
The Keeper of the Code is none other than the man believed to be Jack Sparrow's father, Captain Teague. he keeps the book locked, and the key is worn by the Prison Dog around his neck. Teague reiterates that the code is binding and that he will shoot anyone who speaks out against it. However, in the depths of his soul, he understands that the real law is in the pirate's heart, and it comes down to one thing: either a person is able to do something, or he is not able to do it.
The right to negotiate.
One of the most important "recommendations" of the code is the right of negotiation, granted to each pirate and giving him the opportunity to address an important message to him directly to the enemy commander himself, threatening his life.
Under the protection of law.
After resorting to the law of negotiation, the prisoner must not be killed, tortured, or deprived of any body parts until he speaks out. Pirates really don't like this law - but only until the situation changes for the worse and they themselves need it.
Negotiation misunderstandings.
Honest people who, at their own misfortune, are faced with irats, may be disappointed by appealing to the right of negotiation in the hope of delaying their doom. To our regret, we note that in order to enjoy the privileges provided by the Code, you must yourself be a pirate. As Barbossa says, the code is just a recommendation.
How to land on a desert island.
The code of laws even contains instructions on how people should be landed on a desert island. It is very important to find the right place. The island should be away from the sea lanes on which the constant trade wind blows, and it is desirable that this piece of land should not be on sea charts. Each landed is entitled to a gun or pistol, one cartridge and enough dry powder to enable him to end his miserable existence.
Information taken from the book "Pirates of the Caribbean. A Guide to the World of Pirates" by Richard Platt and Glenn Dakin)))
