Pirates of the Caribbean

History of Pirates

In one of my favorite video games, that I play, Civilization 7, the developers of the game just added a pirate leader and a pirate civilization, this made me more interested in pirates; something that I do not know much about. Pirates are cool, however I don’t know much about them, so I wanted to learn more. Most of what I know of pirates comes from The Pirates of the Caribbean movie. This book was meant to be something that I could do to learn more.

Pirates are best known for their role in Peter Pan and the Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates have been around for thousands of years ever; since the Roman Empire controlled Britain, and they even controlled a pirate empire at one point. Pirates were at the peak of their power in the late 17th-early 18th centuries. Pirates were an interesting part of history that played a moderate role in the shaping of the European colonies in America, which led to stronger navies, the government being tougher on crime, and finally led to a final cleanup in the Mediterranean.   

The Pirate Empire was mostly in the Caribbean and was particularly based on the island of Jamaica. It was caused by the Spanish, English, and French which had frequently/fought over the island of Jamaica between 1,680-1,720. The pirate empire was mostly based on the Island of Tortuga, which is in the Caribbean islands. Part of the history of pirates includes the English Privateers, which attacked the shipping of the Spanish Empire's colonies. The English were trying to weaken the Spanish during their war. Another part of it was that the Spanish were sending treasure fleets filled with gold to the Spanish mainland and the English could become rich by capturing these boats. The Spanish and English were fighting each other over land, gold, slaves, and shipping. This led to better conditions for criminals, particularly pirates. There were over 5,000 pirates that were mostly on ships in the Caribbean between 1,680 and 1,720. There were more pirates who lived on the land.

Piracy was common from the time of the Roman Empire throughout the 19th century. [1] The golden age of piracy was between the years of 1,680-1,720. [2] One of the most famous pirates throughout history was named “Blackbeard Edward Thatch.”[3] Blackbeard controlled a small pirate fleet and even had a massive flagship that could compete with any ship in the America’s. [4] Blackbeard led hundreds of men in his quests for profit, booty, and glory. Finally, there was even a pirate empire on land; it was an actual developed piece of land in the Caribbean where the pirates were based. [5]

The history of pirates is interesting and is a part of colonial American history. The American Continent is nowadays one of the most powerful and important continents in global power. However, the Caribbean was the center of exploration at one point. The Caribbean was also important because it was the center of the Haitian Revolution, a source of massive farms, and new discoveries. The Caribbean was the center of massive plantations, which were mostly run with slavery. Pirates sometimes freed slaves from slave ships that they captured; however, this was rare. [6] Pirates started out as British Privateers; however, they eventually became their own pirate empire, creating chaos throughout the Atlantic Ocean.

Citations:

Woodard, Colin. The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down. New York: Harcourt, 2007.

Royal Museums Greenwich. “History of Pirates: the ‘Golden Age of Piracy.’” RMG. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/maritime-history/pirates-history-golden-age-piracy

English Heritage, “Pirates of England,” English Heritage, accessed November 17, 2025, https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/pirates-of-england/.

This is History. “The History of the Real Pirates of the Caribbean.” This is History. 2022. YouTube video, 20:51. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPy9uwL-VbM.

[1] English Heritage. “Pirates of England.” English Heritage. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/pirates-of-england/

[2] Royal Museums Greenwich, “History of Pirates: the ‘Golden Age of Piracy,’” RMG, accessed November 17, 2025, https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/maritime-history/pirates-history-golden-age-piracy. Royal Museums Greenwich

[3] Ibid

[4] Colin Woodard, The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down (New York: Harcourt, 2007), pg.8.

[5] Ibid. 8.

[6] Royal Museums Greenwich, “History of Pirates: the ‘Golden Age of Piracy,’” RMG, accessed November 17, 2025, https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/maritime-history/pirates-history-golden-age-piracy. Royal Museums Greenwich