Piracy, Sea

Privateers

Privateers (sometimes referred to as buccaneers in the Caribbean) were pirates by license; they would be commissioned by their nation and provided with a “Letter of Marque,” entitling then to attack and seize the ships and property of other specified nations, normally those with whom they were at war. The state, or crown, of the commissioning nation normally would receive a share of any profits made, but the ships were privately owned, and the crew recruited and paid for by the owners not the crown. In return for a share of the profits, the crown provided its privateers with a limited and sometimes unreliable degree of protection from prosecution.

England under Elizabeth I (1533–1603), for example, made highly effective use of privateers such as Sir Francis Drake (1540–1596) and Sir John Hawkins (1532–1595) to curb the growth and profits of Spain, particularly in North and South America, or the New World, as it was known. England also used privateers to begin establishing their own territories and dominance overseas. England at that time had no real regular navy, nor could it afford one; therefore, the use of privateers was a timely and cost-effective option. Later, faced with limited funds and vessels, the United States made wide and effective use of privateers during the establishment of its independence as well as in the 1812 war against Great Britain.

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